Emulating Dostoevsky's use of dialogue in 'Crime and Punishment'
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can emulate Dostoevsky's use of dialogue in 'Crime and Punishment'.
Key learning points
- Dostoevsky uses facial expressions, body language, structure and punctuation to create effective dialogue.
- To emulate Dostoevsky, we might begin by asking what emotion our characters feel.
- Then we might consider how we can show those emotions through body language, structure and punctuation.
- When writing dialogue, often less is more when it comes to the actual exchange of words between characters.
Keywords
Emulate - match or surpass (a person or achievement), typically by imitation
Dialogue - a conversation between two or more people as a feature of a book, play, or film
Monosyllabic - using brief or few words to signify reluctance to engage in conversation
Realistic - a literary style which focuses on the accurate representation of life and its events
Reciprocate - respond to (a gesture or action) by making a corresponding one
Common misconception
That the only important part of writing a dialogue is thinking about which words the characters are going to use.
When writing dialogue, you want to consider how you can show emotion through descriptions of facial expressions, body language, and your use of punctuation and structure.
Teacher tip
It might be useful for students to share their reflections on their dialogue with the class so that they can consider what worked well and how they can improve next time.
Equipment
You will need a copy of the extract from Chapter 3 of 'Crime and Punishment' which is available in the additional materials.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.'A conversation between two or more people as a feature of a book, play, or film' is the definition of which word beginning with 'd'?
Q2.'To match or surpass (a person or achievement), typically by imitation' is the definition of which word beginning with 'e'?
Q3.To be 'sullen' means to be ...
Q4.To speak in a monosyllabic way means to ...
Q5.If a character is speaking monosyllabically, what might that suggest about them?
Q6.Which of the following facial expressions might indicate tension?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.'A literary style which focuses on the accurate representation of life and its events' is the definition of which word beginning with 'r'?
Q2.Match the punctuation with the connotation.
heightened emotion - anger, surprised, excitement
curiosity, uncertainty
uncertainty, hesitation
Q3.When writing dialogue, it's often effective to take a ' is more' approach to the actual exchange of words.
Q4.'To respond to (a gesture or action) by making a corresponding one' is the definition of which word beginning with 'r'?
Q5.Potentially, an equal distribution of lines between two characters in a dialogue might indicate which of the following?
Q6.Which of the following body language descriptions might indicate relief?
To help you plan your 11 English lesson on: Emulating Dostoevsky's use of dialogue in 'Crime and Punishment', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 11 English lesson on: Emulating Dostoevsky's use of dialogue in 'Crime and Punishment', 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: books that changed my world unit, dive into the full secondary English curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.