'The War of the Worlds': How punctuation and sentence structures create impact
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain how a writer uses punctuation and sentence structures to create impact.
Key learning points
- Making predictions can help you to comprehend a new text better.
- Dashes can be used to add a greater pause for dramatic effect.
- Colons are used to separate two main clauses and can introduce lists, explanations and quotes.
- Writers use sentence structures and punctuation for emphasis, to change pace and convey emotion.
- Use precise quotations to support your analysis of punctuation and sentence structure.
Keywords
Dash - A piece of punctuation (-) that can be used to signal a pause, usually for dramatic effect.
Colon - A piece of punctuation (:) that can introduce lists, explanations and quotes.
Prediction - A statement about what you think will happen in the future.
Sentence structures - The different sentence types e.g. complex, compound, simple.
Pace - The speed at which a story is told.
Common misconception
Punctuation is only used to ensure writing makes sense.
Punctuation can be a stylistic choice from a writer, contributing to the tension of a story.
Teacher tip
There are lots of great resources for introducing 'The War of the Worlds'. Consider using images/clips to bring the extract to life (particularly around the "red weed" and its impact on London).
Equipment
There is a copy of the extract from 'War of the Worlds' available in the additional materials.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision required
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.A simple sentence has a single clause with a subject and a .
Q2.What is being described here: 'Fiction based on imagined future scientific or technological advances or major social or environmental changes.'?
Q3.'The rocket launched successfully and it made its way to the moon.' This is a compound sentence joined by a conjunction. What is the conjunction?
Q4.'The rocket launched loudly, screeching wildly into the night.' What sentence type is this?
Q5.A story's pace refers to the at which it is told.
Q6.What is being described here: 'A statement about what you think will happen in the future'?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Who wrote 'The War of the Worlds'?
Q2.'The War of the Worlds' is narrated by ...
Q3.What is being described here: 'A piece of punctuation that can introduce lists, explanations and quotes.'?
Q4.In 'The War of the Worlds', the narrator finds London has become like a 'lurid' and 'weird' alien landscape. What is arguably the cause of this?
Q5.Look at this sentence taken from 'The War of the Worlds': "And over all—silence." Which of the below best explains the use of the dash?
Q6.In 'The War of the Worlds', the narrator talks of being 'dethroned'. What does he mean by this?
To help you plan your 10 English lesson on: 'The War of the Worlds': How punctuation and sentence structures create impact, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 10 English lesson on: 'The War of the Worlds': How punctuation and sentence structures create impact, 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 4 English lessons from the Fiction: science fiction writing unit, dive into the full secondary English curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.