Exploring conventions of detective fiction
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can identify character and plot conventions used in the genre of detective fiction.
Key learning points
- Different genres of writing make use of different plot and character conventions.
- In detective fiction, common character conventions include 'the brilliant detective' and 'the faithful sidekick'.
- In detective fiction, common plot conventions include 'the red herring' and 'the big reveal'.
- These conventions are not rules: authors constantly subvert and play with them to entertain the reader.
- In detective fiction, the reader is trying to solve the mystery too so the author plans the plot carefully.
Keywords
Genre - a literary style with particular characteristics
Conventions - features that tell us what genre we are reading
Character conventions - types of character that are commonly seen in a particular genre
Plot conventions - plot points or narrative features that are commonly seen in a particular genre
Common misconception
Pupils may believe that conventions are 'rules' that writers must stick to.
Draw attention to how, even in this story, some of the conventions are broken - this doesn't mean it's not detective fiction! You may ask pupils to think of their own examples of broken conventions.
Teacher tip
Many children's books fall under the category of detective fiction and some examples are given in the slide deck. Abridged and adapted versions of 'Sherlock Holmes' short stories are also available. You may wish to read one of these texts alongside this unit and discuss its use of the conventions.
Licence
Lesson video
Loading...
Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which word best fills this gap? 'Sherlock Holmes is able to __________ detailed information about a person just by looking at an object that they own.'
Q2.Put these events from 'The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle' in the order they actually happen.
Q3.Put these events from 'The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle' in order.
Q4.What tells us that 'The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle' is written in the first person?
Q5.From whose perspective is this account written? 'I knew the game was up as soon as Mr Holmes deduced who I was. I should never have gone to the market to ask about the goose.'
Q6.Match the words and phrases to their definitions.
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which of the following are genres of literature?
Q2.Match the genres to their conventions.
Q3.Match each word to its definition.
Q4.Match the character conventions of detective fiction to their personality descriptions.
Q5.Match the plot conventions of detective fiction to the plot points from 'The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle'.
Q6.Which of these plot conventions are most likely to occur at the end of the story?
To help you plan your 6 English lesson on: Exploring conventions of detective fiction, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 6 English lesson on: Exploring conventions of detective fiction, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 2 English lessons from the 'Sherlock Holmes': descriptive and letter writing unit, dive into the full primary English curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.