Comparing the victims in ‘The Speckled Band’ and ‘The Boscombe Valley Mystery’
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can compare the victims of ‘The Speckled Band’ and ‘The Boscombe Valley Mystery’.
Key learning points
- Julia Stoner and Charles McCarthy are presented as very different victims.
- Stoner is presented more sympathetically than McCarthy.
- Contrasting connectives are important for comparative responses.
- Comparisons should always be justified by quotes and analysis.
- You should include a summary at the end of a comparative response.
Keywords
Compare - To compare is to estimate the similarities or differences between two things
Victim - A victim is a person harmed, injured or killed as a result of a crime.
Sympathetic - A sympathetic character is one that you feel pity or sorrow for.
Comparative connective - A comparative connective (e.g. however, but, similarly) expresses similarity or difference between two ideas.
Common misconception
All victim profiles are similar.
Conan Doyle manipulates his presentation of victims depending on how he wants the reader to view them.
Teacher tip
Ask pupils to think about victims in other stories they know. Is their story always straightforward?
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Who is the murder victim of 'The Boscombe Valley Mystery'?
Q2.Who is the perpetrator in 'The Boscombe Valley Mystery'?
Q3.Who is wrongfully convicted in 'The Boscombe Valley Mystery'?
Q4.Who is the murder victim in 'The Speckled Band'?
Q5.How was Charles McCarthy murdered in 'The Boscombe Valley Mystery'?
Q6.How are the lines between victim and villain blurred in 'The Boscombe Valley Mystery'?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Who are the murder victims of 'The Speckled Band' and 'The Boscombe Valley Mystery', respectively?
Q2.What does sympathetic mean?
Q3.Julia Stoner from 'The Speckled Band' and Charles McCarthy from 'The Boscombe Valley Mystery' are both victims. Which victim is presented more sympathetically?
Q4.Which of the below is a comparative connective?
Q5.''Writhed, shrieked'' -what do these verbs suggest about Julia Stoner from 'The Speckled Band'?
Q6.Read this quote from 'The Boscombe Valley Mystery': '‘...for my father was a man of a very violent temper.’' What does this quote suggest about Charles McCarthy?
To help you plan your 7 English lesson on: Comparing the victims in ‘The Speckled Band’ and ‘The Boscombe Valley Mystery’, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 7 English lesson on: Comparing the victims in ‘The Speckled Band’ and ‘The Boscombe Valley Mystery’, 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.