The protagonist is the main character in a film, play or novel.

Someone’s occupation is the job that they do.

To predict is to make an educated guess based on the information that you have.

An era is a period of history defined by a particular event or character.

If you are meticulous, you show great attention to detail.

Making predictions about Sherlock Holmes

English

Analysing Helen Stoner’s presentation in ‘The Speckled Band’

Making predictions about ‘The Speckled Band’ mystery

Analysing atmosphere and character in ‘The Speckled Band’

Investigating Julia’s death in ‘The Speckled Band’

Analysing Dr. Roylott in ‘The Speckled Band’

Writing an argument about Dr. Roylott from ‘The Speckled Band’

Creating newspaper headlines and subheadings

Writing the opening of an article on ‘The Speckled Band’ case

‘The Speckled Band’ case: writing a newspaper article body

'The Speckled Band' case: concluding newspaper articles

Using rhetorical devices in newspaper articles

Reading about Stoke Moran and analysing atmosphere in ‘The Speckled Band’

Reading and summarising the conclusion of ‘The Speckled Band’ mystery

Planning a newspaper article about the solved  case of ‘The Speckled Band’

Writing your own newspaper article about Sherlock Holmes

Reading 'The Boscombe Valley Mystery'

Solving 'The Boscombe Valley Mystery'

Comparing the victims in ‘The Speckled Band’ and ‘The Boscombe Valley Mystery’

Analysing John Turner from ‘The Boscombe Valley Mystery’

Comparing ‘The Speckled Band’ and ‘The Boscombe Valley Mystery’

‘The Speckled Band’ and ‘The Boscombe Valley Mystery’: a written comparison

in 'Sherlock Holmes: Short Stories', pupils practise using analytical writing sentence structures, to formulate their arguments. In 'Myths and Legends Re-Told', pupils develop these skills further, applying them to a range of pre- 20th Century texts. 

in 'When the Sky Falls' pupils read fiction texts for fluency and comprehension. In 'Sherlock Holmes: Short Stories' pupils start to analyse the language choices of an author.

In this unit, pupils read and explore two famous Sherlock Holmes stories. They start by reading and analysing 'The Speckled Band' before using it as inspiration to write a newspaper article. They then read and analyse 'The Boscombe Valley Murder' before writing a comparison of the two stories.

Sherlock Holmes: short stories

If you prevent something, you stop it from happening.

A detective is someone who investigates and solves crimes.

Agitation is a state of anxiety or panic.

If you analyse something, you explore it in great detail.

A ferocious act is one that is violent and cruel.

To have speckles is to have many small spots or patches of colour.

A casefile is a document kept with all the details of an investigation.

A mystery is something that is difficult to understand or explain.

If an incident is suspicious, then there is reason to mistrust or feel doubt towards it.

Pathetic fallacy is giving human emotions to inanimate things, usually the environment.

Foreshadowing means a warning of a future event.

If something is sinister, it is evil or harmful.

A plausible explanation for something is a likely or fair reason for something.

A suspect is a person thought to be guilty of a crime.

A motive is a reason for doing something.

A guilty person is a person that is responsible for a wrongdoing.

To snarl is to make an aggressive growl or to say something in an angry voice.

To hurl is to throw something with great force.

A connotation is a feeling that a word evokes in the reader.

If something is tentative then it is not fixed or certain.

Refers to the early stage of human development, not yet using reasoning but rather emotion to control behaviour.

If you are a native to a country, you were born there.

Prejudice is a preconceived opinion on someone or something not based on reason or experience.

Avarice is an extreme want to keep money.

The layout of a text describes how features such as words, information and images, are arranged and presented.

A subheading is a phrase used to introduce some text.

A pun is a joke making use of the different possible meanings of words that sound alike.

Alliteration is a technique where two or more words close together start with the same sound.

An opening is the beginning section of a text.

An interview is a conversation between two or more people where one party is asked questions about something.

Speculation is a theory or idea formed about something without the full concrete evidence.

A witness is someone who seems an event, typically a crime take place.

Gravitas means seriousness and solemnity.

Tone is the feeling that a piece of writing gives.

Concise means giving a lot of information in a brief and clear manner.

The tail is the final section of an article.

To conclude something is to bring it to an end.

Tone is the general attitude of a piece of writing.

A rhetorical device is designed to have an impact on the reader, usually to evoke an emotion or to persuade.

If you are vigilant, you keep careful watch in case of danger or difficulty.

If you are credible, you are trusted or believed in.

Sinister means giving the impression something evil or harmful will happen.

To be cunning is to be sly and conceal the truth.

If you juxtapose two things, you place them together for contrasting effect.

An idyllic place is extremely happy, peaceful and picturesque.

A vigil is a period of staying awake at night to keep watch.

A ventilator is a grate, usually on the ceiling, that provides air into a room.

If something is fatal, it can cause death.

If there is a sombre atmosphere, there is a gloomy, sad atmosphere.

A perpetrator is someone who carries out a harmful or immoral act.

To orchestrate something is to arrange it for a desired effect, often secretly.

Culminated means to reach the end of development.

A maverick is someone who does things differently to others.

A multiple paragraph outline is a structured plan allowing you to map out information for each paragraph of your extended writing.

An autopsy is an examination to reveal the cause of someone’s death.

To intrigue someone is to evoke their curiosity or interest.

Coaxed means to persuade someone to do something.

A venomous substance is poisonous and typically secreted from snakes or spiders by biting or stinging.

If something is paradoxical, it seems to contradict itself.

A conjecture is a conclusion formed on the basis of incomplete information.

If something has singularity, you could say it is one of a kind.

A quarrel is a heated argument or disagreement.

Pointing indirectly towards someone’s guilt but not proving it.

A coroner is someone who holds investigations into sudden or suspicious deaths.

If you get your deserts, you get what you deserve.

A filial duty refers to the respect that a son or daughter is expected to give their parent.

A benefactor is someone who gives money to another person.

To compare is to estimate the similarities or differences between two things

A victim is a person harmed, injured or killed as a result of a crime.

A sympathetic character is one that you feel pity or sorrow for.

A comparative connective (e.g. however, but, similarly) expresses similarity or difference between two ideas.

In a state of being worn out due to age or neglect.

If you have dignity, you are worthy of respect or honour.

An inference is a conclusion reached based on evidence and reasoning.

A red herring is a piece of misleading information.

Something which is archetypal is very typical of a certain type of thing.

A thesis is a statement put forward to be proved.

To subvert means to go against what is expected. A villain that subverts the archetype may be gentle.

Sherlock Holmes: short stories

Choose a lesson (22)