EAL Nexus Resource

The Charge of the Light Brigade

Matching activity
Subject: English
Age group: 15 - 16
Topic: GCSE poetry

© Bell Educational Trust 2017 EAL Nexus – free downloadable teaching materials https://eal.britishcouncil.org/

This resource was originally developed by R Wilson and has been adapted for EAL Nexus.
 1
Half a league, half a league,
Half a league onward,
All in the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
“Forward, the Light Brigade!
Charge for the guns!” he said:
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
“Forward, the Light Brigade!” 2
Was there a man dismayed?
Not though the soldier knew
Someone had blundered:
Theirs not to make reply,
Theirs not to reason why,
Theirs but to do and die:
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
 3
Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon in front of them
Volleyed and thundered;
Stormed at with shot and shell,
Boldly they rode and well,
Into the jaws of Death,
Into the mouth of Hell
Rode the six hundred.
Flashed all their sabres bare,
Flashed as they turned in air 4
Sabring the gunners there,
Charging an army, while
All the world wondered:
Plunged in the battery-smoke
Right through the line they broke;
Cossack and Russian
Reeled from the sabre-stroke
Shattered and sundered.
Then they rode back, but not
Not the six hundred.
Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them, 5
Cannon behind them
Volleyed and thundered;
Stormed at with shot and shell,
While horse and hero fell,
They that had fought so well
Came through the jaws of Death,
Back from the mouth of Hell,
All that was left of them,
Left of six hundred.
 6
When can their glory fade?
O the wild charge they made!
All the world wondered.
Honour the charge they made!
Honour the Light Brigade,
Noble six hundred!
 C
A cavalry officer ordered 600 soldiers
to ride forward very fast for a mile
When
and a can
half.their glory fade ?
O the wild charge they made!
The 600 soldiers were
All the world wondered. the part of the
British army that is called ‘The Light
Honour the charge they made!
Brigade’.
Honour the Light Brigade,
Noble six hundred
The officer told the !600 men to
charge down a valley towards the
Russian guns.
 A
When the officer gave the order to
charge the men remained calm,
When canthey
although their glory
knew fade
that one?of the
OGenerals
the wildmust
charge
havethey
made made!
a mistake.
All the world wondered.
They believed
Honour it wasthey
the charge their duty
made!to obey
an order immediately, not
Honour the Light Brigade, to argue or
ask questions.
Noble six hundred!
The 600 men obeyed the order and
rode into the valley towards the guns.
 D
As the men rode into the valley there
were cannons firing at them from the
When can their glory fade ?
right, the left and in front of them.
O the wild charge they made!
All thewere
There worldcannonballs
wondered. coming
Honour
towardsthe
themcharge they
from all made!
sides.
Honour the Light Brigade,
The men
Noble six rode on bravely.
hundred ! It was like
riding into Hell.
As they charged they held their sabres
F
in the air and attacked the Russian
When
gunners can their
with glory fade ?
them.
O
Thethe
menwild charge
rode they
through themade!
smoke from
All
the the
gunsworld wondered.
and broke through the line of
Honour thearmy.
the Russian chargeThethey made!
Russian solders
Honour theout
tried to get Light Brigade,
of the way of the sabres.
Noble sixBrigade
The Light hundred ! back, but there
rode
were not 600 men any more because a
lot of them had been killed.
As the men rode into the valley there B
were cannons firing at them from the
right, the left and in front of them.
When can their glory fade ?
O the wild charge they made!
There were cannonballs coming
All the world
towards wondered.
them from all sides.
Honour the charge they made!
Honour
Many of the Light Brigade,
the horses and the men were
killed by
Noble the
six cannons.
hundred ! The men who
had fought well and survived rode
back out of the valley. There were not
many of the 600 men left alive.
 E
How long will people remember the
When cancharge
glorious their of
glory
the fade ?
Light Brigade?
O the wild charge they made!
Everyone was amazed
All the world wondered. by their
bravery.
Honour the charge they made!
Honour the Light Brigade,
Tennyson tell us we should respect
Noble six hundred
the memory of the!charge of the
Light Brigade.