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      Planning a newspaper article about the solved case of ‘The Speckled Band’

      Lesson details

      Learning outcome

      I can create a detailed plan to support my own writing.

      Key learning points

      1. Newspaper articles include a headline, subheading, opening, main body and tail.
      2. The crime case within 'The Speckled Band' lends itself well to being written about in a newspaper article.
      3. When writing a full newspaper article, you must plan each section.
      4. You can use a multiple paragraph outline to plan each section of your newspaper article.

      Keywords

      • Perpetrator - A perpetrator is someone who carries out a harmful or immoral act.

      • Orchestrate - To orchestrate something is to arrange it for a desired effect, often secretly.

      • Culminate - Culminated means to reach the end of development.

      • Maverick - A maverick is someone who does things differently to others.

      • Multiple paragraph outline - A multiple paragraph outline is a structured plan allowing you to map out information for each paragraph of your extended writing.

      Common misconception

      Planning is not necessary before writing.

      Planning is important in helping us structure our work and keep a clear focus.

      Teacher tip

      Show pupils work that is produced without the planning, compare it to a piece of work that has been planned so they can see the difference in quality.

      Equipment

      You may want pupils to have access to a copy of 'The Speckled Band' by Arthur Conan Doyle for this lesson.

      Content guidance

      Depiction or discussion of sensitive content

      Supervision

      Adult supervision recommended

      Licence

      This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0
      except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions
      (Collection 2).

      Lesson video

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      Prior knowledge starter quiz

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      What is a newspaper article?

      Correct answer: a piece of writing designed to inform the public on a recent event
      a piece of writing to analyse an author's work
      a piece of writing that you send to your friend with life updates

      Q2.
      What is not a section of a newspaper article?

      headline
      tail
      Correct answer: quotes
      opening
      main body

      Q3.
      What happened to Roylott at the end of 'The Speckled Band'?

      he was sent to prison
      Correct answer: he died
      he fainted

      Q4.
      What killed Julia Stoner in 'The Speckled Band'?

      Correct answer: A venomous snake bite
      A vicious cheetah attack
      A baboon bite

      Q5.
      Why could the coroner report not accurately conclude the cause of Julia Stoner's death in 'The Speckled Band'?

      Correct answer: the tests were unfamiliar with the venom of a swamp adder
      there was only a small amount of poison in her body, so it went undetected
      Roylott sabotaged the original reports

      Q6.
      In 'The Speckled Band', how did Holmes feel about Roylott’s death?

      remorseful
      disappointed
      Correct answer: indifferent

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      Starting with the first, order the features of a newspaper article in chronological order.

      1 - Headline
      2 - Subheading
      3 - Opening
      4 - The body
      5 - The tail

      Q2.
      In the story 'The Speckled Band', who was the perpetrator in the death of Julia Stoner?

      Holmes
      Helen
      Correct answer: Dr. Roylott

      Q3.
      What is a maverick?

      a person with sinister intentions
      Correct answer: a person who does things differently to others
      a person who is a victim

      Q4.
      Which part of a newspaper article is designed solely to hook the reader?

      the tail
      the main body
      Correct answer: the headline

      Q5.
      Thinking of the story 'The Speckled Band', who could you interview for an informative quote about the solved case?

      Dr. Roylott
      Correct answer: Sherlock Holmes
      Julia's friend

      Q6.
      Where should you plan to create a conclusive tone when writing a newspaper article?

      the opening
      the main body
      Correct answer: the tail

      To help you plan your 7 English lesson on: Planning a newspaper article about the solved case of ‘The Speckled Band’, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...