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.

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

English

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

Subjects which particular individuals may be sensitive to, eg, adoption, migration, bereavement or death, divorce, poverty, deprivation.

Depiction or discussion of sensitive content

In 'The Speckled Band', what word describes the setting when Holmes and Watson set off for Stoke Moran?

How does the atmosphere in 'The Speckled Band' change when Holmes sees Stoke Moran?

What is it called when authors put things next to each other for contrasting effect?

In 'The Speckled Band', what does Holmes find in Helen's room (Julia's old room) that he finds interesting?

In 'The Speckled Band', what does Holmes conclude after inspecting the rooms at Stoke Moran? 

In 'The Speckled Band', where does Helen live with her stepfather?

In 'The Speckled Band', what pets does Dr. Roylott keep?

Which room was Helen moved to after the death of her sister in 'The Speckled Band'?

In 'The Speckled Band', what does Sherlock Holmes think is not a likely cause of Julia’s death?

Why is Sherlock Holmes going to Stoke Moran in 'The Speckled Band'?

In the story 'The Speckled Band', who came to visit Holmes just after Helen?

Content guidance

Depiction or discussion of sensitive content

Adult supervision recommended

This lesson will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

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

Lesson outcome

Content guidance

This lesson will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.