Lesson Plan: Class 10 - No Men Are Foreign

 

Lesson Plan: No Men Are Foreign

Class: 10 | Subject: English (Samacheer Kalvi) | Unit/Section: Poem 6 (Memoriter poem) Poet: James Falconer Kirkup (1918–2009) | Duration: 2 periods (45 minutes each)

1. Learning Objectives

The teacher expects the students to:

• read and recite the poem with correct pronunciation, rhythm and expression;
• understand the central message that all human beings share a common life, regardless of nationality, uniform or border;
• learn the meanings of new words (labour, betray, condemn, defile, outrage) and use them in sentences of their own;
• identify the poet's use of repetition, imagery and personification ("war's long winter", "hells of fire and dust");
• appreciate the poet's plea against hatred and war;
• memorise the poem for recitation.

2. Learning Outcomes

Students will be able to apply the knowledge of the lesson in daily life by:

1009. -  iAppreciates nuances and shades of literary meanings.

1027. -  Identifies significant literary elements.

1028. -  Uses the figurative meaning of words and phrases as given in the texts read.

• treating people of other religions, languages, regions and nations with respect and equality;
• refusing to join in stereotyping, name-calling or bullying based on differences;
• resolving conflicts with classmates and neighbours through understanding and not through hatred or violence;
• recognising that what we share (needs, hopes, work, feelings) is greater than what divides us;
• reciting the poem confidently and quoting its lines in speeches, debates and discussions on peace and harmony.

3. Introduction (5–7 minutes)

The teacher greets the class and asks warm-up questions:

1. Have you ever met someone from another state or country? How was he or she different from you? How was he or she the same?
2. What do all human beings need to live?
3. Do you think a farmer in another country works any differently from a farmer in Tamil Nadu?
4. Why do countries go to war? Who suffers most in a war?
5. What do you think the title "No Men Are Foreign" means?

The teacher links the answers to the theme and announces the poem and the poet.

4. Reading and Understanding (10–12 minutes)

Steps: (i) Teacher's model reading with proper stress and pauses. (ii) Choral reading by the class. (iii) Individual reading by 4–5 students, one stanza each. (iv) Students underline the new words and find the meanings from the glossary and the context.

Word	Part of speech	Meaning	Example sentence
labour	noun	hard work	The labour of the farmers feeds the whole nation.
betray	verb	to be disloyal; to reveal something unintentionally or intentionally	A true friend will never betray your trust.
condemn	verb	to express complete disapproval	The leaders condemned the attack on innocent people.
defile	verb	to damage the purity or appearance of something	Factory waste can defile a clean river.
outrage	verb	to offend or scandalise	The cruel act outraged the entire town.

Stanza-wise understanding (teacher explains in simple English, with Tamil support where needed):

• Stanza 1: The poet asks us to remember that no person is a stranger and no country is foreign. Under the uniforms of soldiers, every human body breathes like ours. The land of other people is the same earth in which all of us will finally be buried.
• Stanza 2: People everywhere depend on sun, air and water, and on peaceful harvests. They starve when war brings a "long winter". Their hands and their labour are no different from ours.
• Stanza 3: They too have eyes that wake and sleep. Their strength can be won only by love, not by force. Common life exists in every land, and all of us can recognise and understand it.
• Stanza 4: When we are told to hate our brothers, we are really harming ourselves. We lose, betray and condemn our own selves. Those who take up arms against each other...
• Stanza 5: ...defile the human earth. Weapons ("hells of fire and dust") insult the innocence of the air that belongs to everyone. The poet ends by repeating his message: no men are foreign, and no countries strange.

5. Mind Map

The teacher draws the following flowchart on the board (or projects it). Students copy it in their notebooks.

                    NO MEN ARE FOREIGN
                    (James Falconer Kirkup)
                            |
     ---------------------------------------------------
     |              |               |                  |
  ONE HUMANITY   SHARED NEEDS    LOVE vs HATE      EFFECT OF WAR
     |              |               |                  |
 Same body,     Sun, air,       Strength is won    Hatred harms
 same breath    water, food     only by love       ourselves
 under any      from peaceful        |                  |
 uniform        harvests        Common life in     Defiles the
     |              |          every land         human earth
 Same earth     Same hands,         |                  |
 in which all   same labour     Everyone can       Outrages the
 shall lie          |            understand        innocence of air
                War starves         |                  |
                the people     ---------------------------
                                         |
                          MESSAGE: Remember — no men are foreign,
                                   and no countries strange.

6. Consolidation and Presentation (5 minutes)

Summary of the poem:

In "No Men Are Foreign", James Falconer Kirkup reminds us that all human beings are alike. Beneath different uniforms, people breathe the same air, depend on the same sun and water, and work with the same kind of hands. The land of other nations is the same earth in which all of us will be buried. People everywhere live, work, sleep and wake like us, and they can be won over only by love. When leaders ask us to hate other people, we actually harm ourselves, because we destroy our own humanity. War pollutes the earth and insults the pure air that belongs to everyone. The poet therefore ends the poem with a plea to remember that no man is a stranger and no country is foreign.

Theme: universal brotherhood, peace and the futility of war.

Poetic devices to note:

Device	Example from the poem
Repetition (refrain)	"Remember, no men are strange, no countries foreign" (opening and closing)
Metaphor	"war's long winter"; "hells of fire and dust"
Personification	"the innocence of air"
Apostrophe / direct address	"Let us remember..." (the poet speaks to all readers)
Alliteration	"fire and dust"; "sun and air" (sound pattern)

A volunteer student presents the summary orally using the mind map.

7. Reinforcement (5 minutes)

Additional information shared by the teacher:

• About the poet: James Falconer Kirkup (1918–2009) was an English poet, translator and travelogue writer. He wrote over 30 books, including autobiographies, novels and plays. His first book of poetry, The Drowned Sailor at the Downs, was published in 1947.
• Context: The poem was written in the aftermath of the Second World War, when millions of people had suffered through war. It speaks to all generations.
• Connections to Tamil literature: The message echoes Kaniyan Poonkundranar's famous line "Yaadhum oore yaavarum kelir" ("Every town is our town, everyone is our kin"), which expresses the same universal brotherhood.
• Real-life links: The United Nations, the Red Cross, International Day of Peace (21 September) and the idea of "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam" (the world is one family).
• Memorisation tips: Learn one stanza a day; note the refrain at the beginning and end; recite in small chunks and with actions.

8. Evaluation

The teacher asks questions at three levels of thinking.

a) Lower Order Thinking Questions (Remembering and Understanding)

1. Who is the author of the poem "No Men Are Foreign"?
2. What do all people have beneath their uniforms, according to the poet?
3. Pick out the words from the poem that mean "hard work".
4. What do people everywhere depend on, according to the second stanza?
5. Which phrase is repeated at the beginning and end of the poem?

b) Middle Order Thinking Questions (Applying and Analysing)

1. What does the poet mean by "Beneath all uniforms, a single body breathes"?
2. How are the hands and labour of other people "not different from our own"?
3. Explain: "strength that can be won by love".
4. Why does the poet say that hating our brothers means we "dispossess, betray, condemn" ourselves?
5. Identify and explain two poetic devices used in the poem.

c) Higher Order Thinking Questions (Evaluating and Creating)

1. "Our hells of fire and dust outrage the innocence of air." How does war affect nature as well as human beings? Give examples from the world today.
2. Do you agree that people of all nations are alike at heart? Justify your answer.
3. Imagine you are a young ambassador addressing a world peace conference. Write three lines to convince leaders to avoid war, using the poet's ideas.
4. How can you apply the message of this poem in your school and neighbourhood?
5. Compose a four-line slogan on "One World, One Family".

9. Remedial Teaching (Strategy for Slow Learners)

• Peer tutoring: Pair each slow learner with a confident classmate for reading and word meanings.
• Simplified explanation: Explain each stanza in short, simple sentences in Tamil and English, using pictures (soldiers in uniform, a farmer harvesting, the sun, air and water).
• Word cards: Give flashcards with the new words, meanings and a picture clue; play matching games.
• Chunking for memorisation: Break the poem into two-line chunks; use a fill-in-the-blanks copy with gradually more words removed.
• Choral and echo reading: Teacher reads a line, students echo it; repeat with actions and rhythm.
• Guided questions: Use simple Yes/No, one-word and fill-in-the-blank questions first, then move to short answers.
• Positive reinforcement: Praise every small effort, give stars for correct recitation, and give extra practice time at the end of the day.

10. Writing

Students write in their notebooks (any one, as per ability):

1. A paragraph of 8–10 sentences on "The central idea of the poem No Men Are Foreign".
2. A short paragraph on "Why I should treat everyone as my brother or sister".
3. (Advanced) A letter to a pen-friend in another country telling him or her how people everywhere are alike.
4. Write the meanings of the five new words and use each in a sentence.

11. Follow-Up (Homework / Assignment / Activity)

1. Learn the poem by heart and recite it in the next class (memoriter poem).
2. Write the poem in the notebook with the meanings of difficult words.
3. Answer in your notebook: (a) What is the poet's message? (b) How does war harm both humans and nature?
4. Activity: Prepare a poster or collage on "One World, One Family" showing children of different nations and cultures, with a line from the poem.
5. Project: Collect three quotes or proverbs on peace and brotherhood from different languages or countries, and display them on the class board.