‘The Speckled Band’ and ‘The Boscombe Valley Mystery’: a written comparison
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can write a response comparing ‘The Speckled Band’ and ‘The Boscombe Valley Mystery’.
Key learning points
- You should begin an essay with an introduction that summarises your main ideas
- An introduction should include three sections that move from general ideas to more specific ones
- A comparative paragraph must include a topic sentence and comparative connectives
- Quotations should be selected and analysed from both texts to help create a balanced comparison
Keywords
Archetypal - Something which is archetypal is very typical of a certain type of thing.
Subvert - To subvert means to go against what is expected. A villain that subverts the archetype may be gentle.
Adhere - To adhere means to stick to or follow what is expected.
Simultaneously - If two things occur simultaneously, they occur at the same time.
Common misconception
An introduction can be written without thoughtful planning
To make an introduction worthwhile, and for it to effectively introduce an essay, it requires thoughtful planning
Teacher tip
Show pupils an introduction without the three part structure and ask them about its effectiveness
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Depiction or discussion of serious crime
Supervision
Adult supervision required
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Where does an introduction appear in an essay?
Q2.What is a thesis statement?
Q3.Which elements are similar in 'The Boscombe Valley Mystery' and 'The Speckled Band' and which are different?
difference
difference
similarity
similarity
Q4.Who is an archetypal villain from the Sherlock Holmes stories?
Q5.What does subvert mean?
Q6.In which two ways does 'The Boscombe Valley Mystery' subvert archetypal victim and villain roles?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.How many sections are there in an introduction?
Q2.Starting with the first, put the parts of an introduction for a comparative answer in chronological order.
Q3.'The Boscombe Valley Mystery' and 'The Speckled Band' are both typical detective stories.'' is an example of ...
Q4.What is true of quotes in a comparative essay?
Q5.Thinking about 'The Speckled Band' and 'The Boscombe Valley Mystery', who could be considered both victim and villain simultaneously?
Q6.Which quotes from 'The Boscombe Valley Mystery' suggest that Charles McCarthy could be victim and villain simultaneously?
To help you plan your 7 English lesson on: ‘The Speckled Band’ and ‘The Boscombe Valley Mystery’: a written comparison, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 7 English lesson on: ‘The Speckled Band’ and ‘The Boscombe Valley Mystery’: a written comparison, 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.