Year 11 - English
Exploring vivid childhood accounts
Non-fiction: teenage kicks
Study Hub
Study Guides
This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
In this unit, pupils develop their non-fiction reading and writing skills by looking at a collection of non-fiction texts about the theme of teenagers. They first build towards writing an open letter, before then looking at how they can write nuanced and sophisticated articles in an original voice.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to explore what makes a memoir particularly vivid and emulate this craft in your own writing.
Key Notes
- Memoirs are historical accounts or biographies written from personal experience or knowledge.
- Helen Keller's memoir describes an idyllic childhood juxtaposed with description of the illness that changed her life.
- Keller uses sensory language and juxtaposition to make her childhood account more vivid.
- Sensory language can be made more vivid if we add adjectives and embedded clauses.
- Contrasting sets of words and phrases highlight the differing feelings attached to memories.
Vocabulary To Learn
- memoir: a written account of one's own life and experiences
- formative: having a profound influence on someone's development
- vivid: producing a powerful feeling or strong, clear images in one's mind
- idyllic: extremely happy, peaceful or picturesque
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Students might be used to writing their memories as a stream of consciousness, without stopping to consider craft.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain this English learning goal in two key points.
Memoirs are historical accounts or biographies written from personal experience or knowledge. Helen Keller's memoir describes an idyllic childhood juxtaposed with description of the illness that changed her life.
2. Define this language term and use it in a sentence. 'memoir'
a written account of one's own life and experiences.
3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.
Mistake: Students might be used to writing their memories as a stream of consciousness, without stopping to consider craft. Correction: Writing memories as a stream of consciousness is a good place to start. However, once one thinks about publishing work, editing and conscious crafting is necessary.
More Lessons In This Unit
- Analysing a dramatic description of an event Study Guide
- Analysing and improving an article Study Guide
- Applying reading strategies to non-fiction texts Study Guide
- Comparing ideas and advice on love in different centuries Study Guide
- Exploring attitudes to teenagers across time Study Guide
- Exploring how love has changed over time Study Guide
- Planning an effective article Study Guide
- Structural methods in a dramatic account Study Guide
- Understanding and planning open letters Study Guide
- Using and understanding irony in non-fiction writing Study Guide
- Using credible expert views in a non-fiction article Study Guide
- Using dialogue effectively Study Guide
- Using juxtaposition and foreshadowing in childhood accounts Study Guide
- Withholding information and timing revelations Study Guide
- Writing an effective article Study Guide
- Writing an open letter Study Guide
- Writing humorously Study Guide
Browse all guides in the Year 11 English guide library.