Creating atmosphere in dystopian descriptions
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can use personification to create an unsettling atmosphere.
Key learning points
- Atmosphere is the tone or mood of a situation
- Dystopias could have unsettling, bleak and oppressive atmospheres
- Personification is a useful technique for creating a hostile atmosphere
- Make careful verb choices alongside personification
Keywords
Atmosphere - Atmosphere is the feeling that exists in a place or situation.
Unsettling - If a place or experience leaves you feeling anxious it can be described as being unsettling.
Bleak - If a situation is bleak there is little or no hope for the future.
Oppressive - Oppressive feelings are feelings that leave you feeling worried and uncomfortable.
Hostile - A place that is unfriendly and unwelcoming may be described as being hostile.
Common misconception
Pupils think that using any verb that is associated with people makes good quality personification.
Provide pupils with a choices of verbs, including incongruous ones, to allow them to identify high quality personification.
Teacher tip
Prepare to share texts that students may have read that have bleak and oppressive atmospheres. Ask students to identify how the writers created these atmospheres.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision required
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What is a subordinate clause?
Q2.Which clause below is a main clause?
Q3.Which of the below is a subordinate clause?
Q4.What is a complex sentence?
Q5.What is a declarative sentence?
Q6.Which of the following is an exclamatory sentence?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What is atmosphere?
Q2.What is an oppressive place?
Q3.Which phrase creates an oppressive atmosphere?
Q4.Which word might help you create a bleak setting?
Q5.Which verb is the most unsettling?
Q6.Which sentence successfully uses personification to create an oppressive atmosphere?
To help you plan your 7 English lesson on: Creating atmosphere in dystopian descriptions, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 7 English lesson on: Creating atmosphere in dystopian descriptions, 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 3 English lessons from the Dystopian settings: descriptive writing unit, dive into the full secondary English curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.