Comparing ‘The Speckled Band’ and ‘The Boscombe Valley Mystery’
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can plan a comparison between two texts.
Key learning points
- Both 'The Speckled Band' and 'The Boscombe Valley Mystery' share detective conventions
- 'The Speckled Band' and 'The Boscombe Valley Mystery' mostly differ on their presentation of key characters
- A thesis statement appears in the introduction and is a summary of your viewpoint on a topic
Keywords
Convention - A convention is a rule within a genre.
Red herring - A red herring is a piece of misleading information.
Archetypal - Something which is archetypal is very typical of a certain type of thing.
Thesis - A thesis is a statement put forward to be proved.
Subvert - To subvert means to go against what is expected. A villain that subverts the archetype may be gentle.
Common misconception
Sherlock Holmes mystery stories are almost identical.
Whilst all Sherlock Holmes mystery stories are part of the detective fiction genre, the stories can differ a lot.
Teacher tip
Challenge students to think about why Conan Doyle makes certain villains more villainous and others more sympathetic.
Equipment
You will need a copy of Arthur Conan Doyle's 'The Speckled Band' and 'The Boscombe Valley Mystery' for this lesson.
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.Both 'The Adventure of The Speckled Band' and 'The Boscombe Valley Mystery' are ...
Q2.Both 'The Adventure of the Speckled Band' and 'The Boscombe Valley Mystery' have ...
Q3.Match the elements from 'The Speckled Band' and 'The Boscombe Valley Mystery' to the correct story.
'The Adventure of The Speckled Band'
'The Boscombe Valley Mystery'
'The Boscombe Valley Mystery'
'The Adventure of The Speckled Band'
'The Boscombe Valley Mystery'
'The Adventure of the Speckled Band'
Q4.Which character from either 'The Speckled Band' or 'The Boscombe Valley Mystery' is constructed by Conan Doyle to evoke the most sympathy from the reader?
Q5.When you compare two texts what are you looking for?
Q6.Which of these words is a comparative conjunction?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What is similar about 'The Adventure of the Speckled Band' and 'The Boscombe Valley Mystery'?
Q2.What is different when comparing 'The Adventure of The Speckled Band' and 'The Boscombe Valley Mystery' stories?
Q3.What can be considered a red herring in 'The Boscombe Valley Mystery'?
Q4.What is true of Dr. Roylott in 'The Adventure of the Speckled Band'?
Q5.How does John Turner subvert the archetypal villain role in 'The Boscombe Valley Mystery'?
Q6.What does not summarise a thesis statement correctly?
To help you plan your 7 English lesson on: Comparing ‘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 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.