Emulating how Verne uses sentences in ‘Journey to the Centre of the Earth’
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can emulate Verne's use of declarative, interrogative and exclamative sentences when writing descriptively.
Key learning points
- To write a description that shows rising tension you might open with an emotionally charged declarative sentence.
- You might follow that with consecutive interrogative sentences that use personal pronouns.
- You might then end on a repeated exclamatory fragment that finishes on an emotionally charged word.
Keywords
Declarative - a sentence that makes a statement, provides a fact, offers an explanation or conveys information
Interrogative - a sentence that asks a question and ends with a question mark
Exclamative - a statement that expresses strong emotion and typically ends with an exclamation mark
Imperative - a sentence that gives a direct command or instruction
Climax - the most intense, exciting or important point of something; the culmination
Common misconception
You should use exclamative sentences all the way through your writing to show tension.
It can be more effective to begin with declarative sentences and progress to exclamative sentences to show the rising tension.
Teacher tip
This lesson focuses on a description of a desert - you might wish to show pupils a video of a desert so that they can really comprehend the vast nothingness and how it might feel to be there.
Equipment
There is an extract from Verne's 'Journey to the Centre of the Earth' 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.Verne's 'Journey to the Centre of the Earth' is an example of what genre?
Q2.The words 'I' and 'my' are pronouns.
Q3.An exclamative is a sentence which ...
Q4.Match the example sentence with the sentence type.
Interrogative
Imperative
Exclamative
Declarative
Q5.What might you associate with a desert?
Q6.Which of the following is a synonym for 'dry'?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.'A sentence that makes a statement, provides a fact, offers an explanation, or conveys information' is the definition of a sentence.
Q2.Which sentence type ends in a question mark?
Q3.Which of the following does Verne not use to convey the rising tension and Axel's helplessness in 'Journey to the Centre of the Earth'?
Q4.Match the sentence with the sentence type.
"No words in any human language can depict my utter despair."
"...how had I lost the course of the flowing stream?"
"It was indeed a position to drive the sanest man to madness!"
Q5.'The most intense, exciting or important point of something; the culmination' is the definition of which word beginning with 'c'?
Q6.Starting with the first, put the sentence types in the same order Verne has structured his sentence types to show rising tension in 'Journey to the Centre of the Earth'.
To help you plan your 10 English lesson on: Emulating how Verne uses sentences in ‘Journey to the Centre of the Earth’, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 10 English lesson on: Emulating how Verne uses sentences in ‘Journey to the Centre of the Earth’, 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.