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Year 10 - English

An exploration of Scene Eight of Winsome Pinnock's 'Leave Taking'

Leave Taking: a sense of belonging

Unit Summary

In this unit, pupils start their exploration of Winsome Pinnock's play, 'Leave Taking'. They first learn about the play's context of 1980s Britain and the Windrush generation before then reading and exploring the full play. They finally explore themes and characters before working on essay writing.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to explain what happens in Scene Eight of 'Leave Taking', with a focus on Del's development.

Key Notes

  • Del sits exams with Mai to prove she is capable of being an obeah woman.
  • Mai has a serious heart condition that will prove fatal.
  • Mai gives Del her notebook which contains everything she knows about obeah.
  • Enid justifies the choices she made in bringing up her daughters.
  • The play ends with Del reading Enid's palm.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • obeah: Obeah is a series of spell-casting and healing traditions found in the Caribbean.
  • development: The process by which something may change over time, including people understanding and accepting who they are.
  • identity: Who you are; the qualities that make you. Understanding, finding and accepting your identity can be a life's work.

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • The play is set over a series of days so Del's character development is rapid.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

1. Explain this English learning goal in two key points.

Del sits exams with Mai to prove she is capable of being an obeah woman. Mai has a serious heart condition that will prove fatal.

2. Define this language term and use it in a sentence. 'obeah'

Obeah is a series of spell-casting and healing traditions found in the Caribbean.

3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.

Mistake: The play is set over a series of days so Del's character development is rapid. Correction: The stage directions at the beginning of each scene show that sometimes a few days have past, and sometimes much longer.

More Lessons In This Unit

Browse all guides in the Year 10 English guide library.