'Small Island': reading Act 1, Scenes 4-6
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain the events of Act 1, Scenes 4-6 and use fronted adverbials to develop my comments.
Key learning points
- Scene 4 marks the end of the war and the hopeful, celebratory atmosphere post WWII.
- Edmundson explores the aftermath of WWII and its impacts on women like Queenie and Hortense.
- Britain represents opportunities and an aspirational life.
- Gilbert and Elwood represent oppositional attitudes towards migration.
- Fronted adverbials can be used to develop comments and introduce evidence.
Keywords
Aspirational - being ambitious or desiring success, linked to status
Quintessential - representing the most perfect or typical example of something
Interconnected - different parts or things being linked or related
Ominous - suggesting that something bad is going to happen; also threatening and menacing
Assimilate - to become part of a group, country, society or culture
Common misconception
In 'Small Island' England is presented as a bad place and Jamaica as a good place.
Look at what is happening at the start of Scene 6, why is the situation volatile? What does the discussion between Gilbert and Elwood reveal about the realities in both Jamaica and England?
Teacher tip
Task B presents an opportunity to peer assess sentences and share work. Students could also be encouraged to create their own fronted adverbial phrases.
Equipment
You will need access to a copy of the play 'Small Island' written by Andrea Levy and adapted for the stage by Helen Edmundson
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
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.In 'Small Island' which character is shot at the end of Act 1 Scene 3?
Q2.Which word is used to describe Edmundson's use of Pathe style images at the start of Act 1 scenes 1-6 in 'Small Island'?
Q3.Which word beginning with P describes a literary device that evokes feelings of pity or sorrow.
Q4.Match the scene to the correct descriptions of setting from 'Small Island'.
Jamaica bracing itself for a hurricane.
Pathe style news footage of 'The Blitz Spirit'.
On the stage, the auditorium of a cinema in a town in Lincolnshire.
Q5.Match the characters from 'Small Island' to the quotes.
"And I will go to an English university".
"Why you wanna go licky-licky to the British?"
"there is a whole world out there where real things are happening."
"In the end it was a tragedy that brought things to a head."
"I would prefer to stay at home."
Q6.In 'Small Island', Gilbert, Hortense and Queenie all break the fourth wall to the tell the audience their stories. This is an example of what dramatic technique?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.In 'Small Island', what event marks the beginning of Act 1 Scene 4 in the play?
Q2.In 'Small Island', how does Queenie feel about the suggestion that Bernard may have chosen not to come home after the war?
Q3.Fill in the blank. The stage directions in 'Small Island' describe Hortense giving the audience __________ look.
Q4.Match the characters from 'Small Island' to the quotes.
"Man, you some kind of Spitfire!"
"You are a big, clumsy oaf!"
"You got to have a little faith. When we in charge of Jamaica..."
"I will have a lace tablecloth and fine bone-china teacups."
Q5.Which one of these sentences does not use a fronted adverbial?
Q6.In 'Small Island', Celia describes the "lace tablecloth and fine bone-china teacups" she will have when she arrives in England, which of these offers the most sophisticated and relevant inference?
To help you plan your 9 English lesson on: 'Small Island': reading Act 1, Scenes 4-6, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 9 English lesson on: 'Small Island': reading Act 1, Scenes 4-6, 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 'Small Island' unit, dive into the full secondary English curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.