Year 11 - English
Writing an open letter
Non-fiction: teenage kicks
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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 write an open letter using emotive language, antithesis and satire.
Key Notes
- Open letters are letter written to a particular person or group but which are made publicly available for all to read.
- Siegfried Sassoon uses antithesis, emotive language and personal pronouns to make his open letter a powerful protest.
- The methods used in an open letter will differ depending on the purpose of writing.
- Satire can also be used in open letters to criticise a person or idea in an amusing way.
- Successful satire usually involves any of the following: a clear target, humour, exaggeration, irony and parody.
Vocabulary To Learn
- antithesis: the direct opposite
- satire: a humorous way of criticising ideas or people, especially to make a political point
- blunt: saying what you think without trying to be polite
- parody: to copy the style of something or someone else in a humorous way
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Students may think that Sassoon's style of open letter is the only way to write an open letter.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain this English learning goal in two key points.
Open letters are letter written to a particular person or group but which are made publicly available for all to read. Siegfried Sassoon uses antithesis, emotive language and personal pronouns to make his open letter a powerful protest.
2. Define this language term and use it in a sentence. 'antithesis'
the direct opposite.
3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.
Mistake: Students may think that Sassoon's style of open letter is the only way to write an open letter. Correction: Open letters can have a range of purposes. Those that will never be read by the recipient or where the writer doesn't expect to create change (e.g. open letter to Mondays) will typically involve more humour.
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
- Exploring vivid childhood accounts 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 humorously Study Guide
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