Using context effectively in ‘An Inspector Calls’ essays
I can use context effectively to elevate my responses on ‘An Inspector Calls’.
Using context effectively in ‘An Inspector Calls’ essays
I can use context effectively to elevate my responses on ‘An Inspector Calls’.
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Lesson details
Key learning points
- Context refers to historical, social, literary and biographical information.
- Literary context is often overlooked, but can be an effective way to elevate responses.
- Context should be woven throughout your essay.
- Weaving context into your thesis can be a powerful way to start an essay.
Keywords
Literary - anything related to literature, including writing, analysis, and appreciation of written works
Thesis - a clear, focused statement in an essay that presents the main argument
Intergenerational conflict - tension between younger and older people, often in a family, for example a parent and child
Weave - when you embed context into paragraphs rather than including it as a series of isolated facts
Common misconception
Context can't be used in a thesis statement. It must be saved for main body paragraphs.
Including context in a thesis statement is a powerful way to start an essay. It shows you understand the writer's intentions with their work.
To help you plan your year 11 english lesson on: Using context effectively in ‘An Inspector Calls’ essays, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 11 english lesson on: Using context effectively in ‘An Inspector Calls’ essays, 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.
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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 ‘An Inspector Calls’: Priestley’s theatrical strategy; politics, genre, and form unit, dive into the full secondary english curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Equipment
You will need access to a copy of ‘An Inspector Calls’ by J.B. Priestley, Heinemann 2014 edition.
Licence
Lesson video
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Starter quiz
6 Questions
the text's genre, style and publication history
the dominant attitudes and values when the text was written
what was happening when the text was written
information about the writer
Exit quiz
6 Questions
What was happening when the text was written?
What were the shared ideas/values of the time?
What influenced the text’s style or genre?
How might the life experiences of the author have influenced the text?