Planning an essay about the character of Brod in ‘Leave Taking’
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can plan an essay on the theme of belonging as explored through the character of Brod in ‘Leave Taking’.
Key learning points
- Annotate an essay question so you know its focus.
- A successful plan follows a clear structure.
- A thesis is a clear overarching argument supported by the whole text.
- Topic sentences state a paragraph's main idea.
- Concluding sentences focus on the writer’s intentions and link to your topic sentence, without repeating it.
Keywords
Thesis - The overarching argument to an essay, supported by the entire text.
Topic sentence - The first sentence of a paragraph. It states the paragraph’s main idea.
Concluding sentence - The final sentence of a paragraph. It comes to a conclusion about the paragraph’s main idea, focusing on writer’s intentions.
Main quotations - Quotations which support your topic sentence, and that require analysis.
Supporting quotations - Quotations which support your topic sentence, but don’t require analysis.
Common misconception
Concluding sentences are the same as conclusions.
Concluding sentences conclude a single paragraph. Conclusions come at the end of a full essay.
Teacher tip
Consider how long you think it will take for students to complete the planning grid (the longest task in the lesson) and then work out the rest of the lesson's timings.
Equipment
You need access to a copy of Winsome Pinnock's 'Leave Taking' published by Nick Hern Books.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Depiction or discussion of mental health issues
Supervision
Adult supervision required
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
5 Questions
Q1.Brod is one of the five characters in 'Leave Taking'. What is true of his character?
Q2.In Scene Two of Leave Taking, what does Brod criticise Enid for in relation to her children?
Q3.In Scene Three of 'Leave Taking', Brod imitates talking in tongues. Why does he do this?
Q4.In Scene Seven of 'Leave Taking', Brod tells Del that her father faced daily racial discrimination at work. He says her father's colleagues didn't treat him like he was a " ".
Q5.In Scene Two of 'Leave Taking', Enid and Brod discuss having to pay to become a citizen of Britain in a process called naturalisation. How has this process affected Brod?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.When writing main body paragraphs in an essay on 'Leave Taking', you should include main quotations. What is the meaning of the term main quotation?
Q2.When writing main body paragraphs in an essay on 'Leave Taking', you should include supporting quotations. What is the meaning of the term supporting quotation?
Q3.When you write essays about 'Leave Taking', you will include a thesis and topic sentences. What are some of the differences between the two?
Q4.When you write essays about 'Leave Taking', you will include concluding sentences at the end of each paragraph. What should a concluding sentence do?
Q5.Each essay you write on 'Leave Taking' will include a thesis statement. What is true of a thesis statement?
Q6.There are some key essay terms which are useful to know and understand before you write any essay on 'Leave Taking'. Match the key terms to their definitions.
overarching argument to an essay, supported by whole text
states the paragraph's main idea
comes to a conclusion about the paragraph's main idea
quotations which require analysis
quotations that don't require analysis
To help you plan your 10 English lesson on: Planning an essay about the character of Brod in ‘Leave Taking’, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 10 English lesson on: Planning an essay about the character of Brod in ‘Leave Taking’, 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 Leave Taking: a sense of belonging unit, dive into the full secondary English curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.