Emulating Saramago's use of structure in 'Blindness'
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can use interesting structural features to create an engaging narrative opening.
Key learning points
- You can utilise elements from a traditional story arc to help you create an interesting narrative opening.
- A mundane setting offers an opportunity for an interesting shift in tone.
- Shifting from a wider setting to a close focus on a specific thing or person demonstrates control of focus.
- Saramago crafts a shift in tone with the conjunction 'but', a list and the manipulation of sentence length.
- You can build suspense in a narrative by making the reader wait longer for a climax.
Keywords
Mundane - ordinary and therefore not interesting
Climax - the most important or exciting part of a story
Tension - a feeling of nervousness
Innovate - to introduce changes and new ideas
Common misconception
The traditional story arc can only be applied to full narratives.
You can find elements of the traditional story arc in writing of any length.
Teacher tip
In Learning Cycle 2, take time to brainstorm multiple ideas for innovating on Saramago's structure (in addition to Aisha's) so your students feel confident tackling the practice task.
Equipment
You will need access to the first two paragraphs from Chapter 1 of José Saramago's 'Blindness' for this lesson.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match the different parts of the story with the correct definition.
an introduction to a scene or characters
part of a story where tension builds
the narrative reaches the peak of tension
Q2.Which of the below could be described as mundane?
Q3.What is a clause?
Q4.Which of the below might build tension?
Q5.Which of the below uses sensory language?
Q6.What type of sentence would slow down the pace of a narrative the most?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What can be used to set the scene successfully at the beginning of a narrative?
Q2.Why might Saramago have chosen to begin his narrative by describing a mundane traffic setting in 'Blindness'?
Q3.How could you craft a sentence to build tension?
Q4."Each pair of legs was a cog in a machine: quick, determined, relentless, but one pair halted the rhythm: faltering limp, immobile." Which word here presents a shift?
Q5.Starting with the first, put the parts of Saramago's opening to 'Blindness' in chronological order.
Q6.What is unique about the sentence that Saramago uses to reveal the man is blind in the opening of 'Blindness'?
To help you plan your 10 English lesson on: Emulating Saramago's use of structure in 'Blindness', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 10 English lesson on: Emulating Saramago's use of structure in 'Blindness', 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: read around the world unit, dive into the full secondary English curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.