the beat, flow, or pattern of a piece of music or writing

to describe something that happened, to tell its story

the mental strain a reader is put under because of their suspicion that something bad is about to happen

words or phrases at the beginning of a sentence which describe the action that follows

a range of different forms, types, things

Improving the style of a letter: sentence structure and rhythm

English

Understanding why people write about war

World War One: propaganda and trench warfare

Reading 'Propping Up the Line', a short story about World War One by Ian Beck

Analysing the presentation of the gas attack: Ian Beck's 'Propping Up the Line'

Ian Beck's ‘Propping Up The Line’: Alice’s experiences on the Home Front

The presentation of trauma in Ian Beck's short story, 'Propping Up the Line'

Symbolism and motif in Ian Beck's short story, ‘Propping Up The Line’

Vivid descriptive writing using Ian Beck's ‘Propping Up The Line’ as stimulus

Using sentence structure to create rhythm in writing about World War One

Reading Katherine Mansfield’s short story, ‘The Fly’ (1922)

Katherine Mansfield's 'The Fly' (1922): exploring character foils and symbolism

Exploring the presentation of the boss in 'The Fly' by Katherine Mansfield

Debating different interpretations of Katherine Mansfield’s ‘The Fly’

Creative writing in the third person inspired by Katherine Mansfield's 'The Fly'

Skim reading and close reading: Wilfred Owen’s 1917 letter to his mother

Letter writing: planning, using Wilfred Owen’s 1917 letter as stimulus

Writing a letter as a soldier in the trenches of World War One

Skim reading and close reading: 'Testament of Youth' by Vera Brittain

Letter writing: planning, using Vera Brittain’s ‘Testament of Youth’ as stimulus

Writing a letter from the British home front: tone, audience and purpose

Improving a letter: deliberate verbs and precise adjectives

Comparing texts about World War One using comparative topic sentences

Comparing texts about World War One in comparative analytical paragraphs

In 'A World at War: Short Stories', pupils explore the reasons for writing war literature and how it seeks to convey the suffering of soldiers and civilians, in times of conflict. In 'Power and Conflict Poetry', students explore the many types of conflict that arise through war, with themes including patriotism, propaganda, fear, guilt and duty.

In 'The Tempest', pupils are encouraged to write from the viewpoint of Caliban and Ariel, adopting character voices in creative writing. In 'A World at War', pupils emulate the writing styles of the authors that they encounter, to create an authentic voice in their writing. 

In this unit, pupils explore and compare texts written about the First World War. They first read Beck's 'Propping up the line', Mansfield's 'The Fly' and Wilfred Owen's 1917 letter home to his mum. They finally read Brittain's 'Testament of Youth', and then plan and write a comparative response.

Literary perspectives from the First World War

Depiction of war, threats of war, death or the aftermath of war.

Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Depiction or discussion of violence or fighting, including threats of violence or the aftermath of violence.

Often, writers try to create rhythm in their writing to engage their readers. What are the two main ways to create rhythm in writing?

A pupil wrote a sentence pretending to be a soldier on the frontline of WW1: "Gently crying, I tried to extricate myself from the wire." Which is the fronted adverbial?

A pupil wrote a sentence pretending to be a soldier on the frontline of WW1: "Looking left and right, I made a mad dash for the trench." Which is the fronted adverbial?

Seeking comfort I tore your letter open and read it immediately.

seeking comfort, i tore your letter open and read it immediately

seeking comfort, I tore your letter open and read it immediately.

Seeking comfort, I tore your letter open and read it immediately

Seeking comfort, I tore your letter open and read it immediately.

A pupil wrote a sentence pretending to be a soldier on the frontline of WW1. Which sentence contains a correctly punctuated fronted adverbial?

Starting with the first, put these words and punctuation marks in order to create a sentence with a fronted adverbial. The first word of the sentence has not been given a capital letter.

Pupils were tasked to write a letter recounting an imagined experience in the trenches of WW1. What does it mean to recount?

A pupil was tasked to write a letter recounting an imagined experience in the trenches of WW1. They start their letter with a greeting. Which greeting is accurate?

Wilfred Owen (1893-1918) was a British soldier. He is most famous for his {{ }} about the realities of trench warfare in World War One.

Wilfred Owen (1893-1918) was a soldier and poet. His poem about a gas attack in WW1 sees a speaker recount, "Dim through the misty panes and thick green light, As under a green sea, I saw him {{ }}."

Wilfred Owen (1893-1918) was a soldier and poet. His poem about a gas attack in WW1 sees a speaker recount the death of another soldier: "I saw him drowning." What type of clause is this?

In one of his 1917 letters to his mother, the poet and soldier Wilfred Owen describes a trench he was stuck in for 50 hours. “One entrance had been blown in and blocked. {{ }}, the other remained.”

Improving the style of a letter: sentence structure and rhythm

Lesson outcome

Content guidance