'Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea': explaining a writer's structural choices
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain the effects of structural features.
Key learning points
- When we talk about how a text is structured, we mean what does the writer focus our attention on in each part and why.
- Writers make deliberate structural choices to create precise effects.
- Don't comment on word choices or devices – instead consider the effect of shifts in focus or narrative perspective.
Keywords
Structure - The way a story is put together.
Structural features - Techniques a writer uses across a paragraph, chapter or story to organise the information.
Narrative voice - The perspective a story is told from.
Focus - The area of attention in a story or piece of writing.
League - A unit of measurement equivalent to three miles.
Common misconception
Analysing language features is enough.
The best analysis - with the richest commentary - will also spend time focusing on structural decisions a writer makes.
Teacher tip
There are lots of great resources for teaching 'Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea'. Consider adding a trailer/video clip from a movie version to better demonstrate the underwater world described in this extract.
Equipment
There is a copy of the extract from 'Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea’ available in the additional materials.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What do we mean by the term 'structure' in English?
Q2.Adding one or more adjectives to describe a noun can make it ...
Q3.What is being described here: 'A word that has the same meaning - or almost the same meaning - as another word.'
Q4.'The area of attention in a story or piece of writing.' What is being described here?
Q5.What is the missing word for the definition of 'narrative voice'? The a story is told from.
Q6.A league is a unit of measurement equivalent to ...
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Who wrote 'Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea'?
Q2.The story 'Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea' is written from which narrative perspective?
Q3.'The way a story is put together.' What is being described here?
Q4.Which of the below can be considered a 'structural feature'?
Q5.In 'Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea' Verne describes the underwater forest in relation to other places on Earth ('the tropics' and 'the arctic'). What structural device is this?
Q6.Which of the below is the best comment analysing structural features?
To help you plan your 10 English lesson on: 'Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea': explaining a writer's structural choices, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 10 English lesson on: 'Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea': explaining a writer's structural choices, 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.