a text which focuses on and explores war and conflict

to share the feelings of another person; a stronger feeling than sympathy

to make short notes commenting on something of interest in a text

Understanding why people write about war

English

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. 

Literary perspectives from the First World War

communication which is designed to influence its audience; the information is often misleading

a type of war fought on land; deep ditches are dug and occupied by each warring side

a British soldier and poet (1893-1918) best known for his poems about World War One

when something is used to represent something else; trench warfare has come to symbolise World War One

the area of land between enemy trenches; a dangerous place where soldiers were often killed

World War One: propaganda and trench warfare

when the person telling the story isn’t a character in the story and tells us about the characters using their names, or ‘she’, ‘he’, ‘they’

a fictional text which is shorter than a novel and can often be read in one sitting; a writer might focus on one event, or linked events, and evoke a particular tone or mood

a language technique whereby a writer describes something by comparing it to something else using 'like' or 'as'

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

the tools a writer uses to create their work; setting, characterisation, language choices are all examples

something that spreads everywhere and can’t be stopped

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

a short written message, now outdated; used in WW1 to inform family members of death or casualty on the front line.

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

an acronym for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, a mental health condition

show through emotional or physical reactions

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

when writers use something tangible to represent an intangible idea; for example, a crown as a symbol for power

an important idea in a text; for example the theme of trauma is important to Beck

something that comes up multiple times in a text; the image of the washing line is a motif in Beck’s story

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

the tools a writer uses to create their work; language choices, setting, characterisation are all examples

a way to plan a paragraph in which you write the first and last sentence, and carefully consider the details you want to capture in the paragraph

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

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

the marks we use to separate sentences, or parts of sentences; good punctuation creates clarity and rhythm

a punctuation mark that comes at the end of a sentence; a very powerful piece of punctuation

a punctuation mark that is used to create a pause in a sentence, often in a list

when you use a comma to divide two independent ideas, but should have used a full stop instead of comma

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

the attitude and emotion of your voice - written or verbal

the reason something is done; the motivation behind doing it

a nonfiction account of something written from a person's memories

the tools a writer uses to create their work- structure and language choices are the most obvious examples

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

a British writer (1893-1970) best known for her memoir ‘Testament of Youth’ about her experiences on the home front of World War One

a British soldier and poet (1893-1918) best remembered for his poetry about World War One

Improving a letter: deliberate verbs and precise adjectives

a literary movement in which writers rejected traditional ideas about what poetry and other forms of literature should look like

applicable to all people regardless of circumstance

an important idea in a text, often this idea is universal, for example, love

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

in literature, a character who contrasts with another character

something that can’t be touched, that doesn’t have a physical presence

when writers use something to represent intangible ideas; the fly in this story is an example of a symbol

the tools a writer uses to create their work; character foils and use of symbolism are both examples of methods

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

the first sentence of a paragraph which states its main idea

when writers use something to represent intangible ideas; the fly in 'The Fly' is an example of a symbol

in English, to look closely at a text and comment on how it was written and why

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

refers to people of about the same age: grandparents, parents and children are all different generations

smug, self-satisfied, uncritical of yourself

expressing disapproval or disappointment with someone or something

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

the narrator is not a character in the story, and uses pronouns like 'she', 'he', 'they' rather than 'I'

absorbent paper that soaks up excess ink from a pen

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

writing that is factual rather than made up; the opposite of fiction

the act of quickly reading over a text, gathering its keywords, tone and main ideas

carefully, thoughtfully and slowly examining a text and considering the choices the writer made

the main idea or essence of something, often brief and in a simplified form

a writer’s attitude or emotional stance; encompasses the mood, feeling and overall atmosphere

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

to describe something that happened, to tell its story

to be tried for a crime in which you are deemed to have broken military law

how something is put together; the most basic structure in a text is its beginning, middle and end

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

an equal distribution of two or more things

a literary technique in which you compare one thing to another; Owen compares mud to an octopus in his letter

a complex emotion in which you feel anger, disappointment, bitterness

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

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

civilians of a country that is at war who feel its impact in their daily lives

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

the tools a writer uses to create their work; structure and language choices are the most obvious examples

the character you adopt when writing a first person text

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

to consider something carefully and make a judgement about it

in literature, the type of text a writer uses; short story, memoir, poem are all examples

the narrator is a person in the story, using pronouns like 'I', 'we', 'me'

the narrator is not a person in the story, using pronouns like 'she', 'he', 'they'

the tools a writer uses to create their work; structure, form and language are perhaps the most significant examples.

Comparing texts about World War One using comparative topic sentences

the tools a writer uses to create their work; structure and language choices are the most significant examples

Literary perspectives from the First World War

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These lessons will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.