Investigating Julia’s death in ‘The Speckled Band’
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can make a plausible explanation for Julia Stoner's death based on relevant evidence from 'The Adventure of the Speckled Band'.
Key learning points
- It is likely that Julia Stoner’s death has a sinister explanation to it
- Doctor Roylott is a suspect in the death of Julia Stoner as he has a clear motive
- There are several pieces of evidence to consider in the case
- Holmes must weigh up the evidence to make a plausible explanation about what happened to Julia Stoner
Keywords
Sinister - If something is sinister, it is evil or harmful.
Plausible - A plausible explanation for something is a likely or fair reason for something.
Suspect - A suspect is a person thought to be guilty of a crime.
Motive - A motive is a reason for doing something.
Guilty - A guilty person is a person that is responsible for a wrongdoing.
Common misconception
Each piece of evidence can be looked at in isolation when thinking about the crime.
Question your students' explanations to help them acknowledge where they have failed to consider certain pieces of evidence.
Teacher tip
Students can perform their arguments aloud at the end of the lesson as if they are Sherlock Holmes.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.In the story 'The Speckled Band', what did Helen hear on the night Julia died?
Q2.What did Roylott do on the night Julia died in the story 'The Speckled Band'?
Q3.After hearing about Dr. Roylott's past behaviour from Helen Stoner, which word best describes Roylott?
Q4.In the story 'The Speckled Band', what will happen to the money that Julia and Helen's mother bequeathed to Roylott if the two girls marry?
Q5.In the story 'The Speckled Band', what pets did Roylott keep?
Q6.In 'The Speckled Band' , which character has a motive for killing Julia Stoner?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What does sinister mean?
Q2.In 'The Speckled Band', what sound was heard by both Julia and Helen Stoner?
Q3.What will Sherlock do after meeting Helen Stoner and learning about the death of her sister in 'The Speckled Band'?
Q4.In 'The Speckled Band', why does Sherlock Holmes want to go to Stoke Moran?
Q5.Thinking about the story 'The Speckled Band', what concrete evidence do we have to suggest Helen is in danger?
Q6.What is Dr. Roylott's possible motive for wanting to kill both the Stoner daughters in the story 'The Speckled Band'?
To help you plan your 7 English lesson on: Investigating Julia’s death in ‘The Speckled Band’, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 7 English lesson on: Investigating Julia’s death in ‘The Speckled Band’, 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 Sherlock Holmes: short stories unit, dive into the full secondary English curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.