Year 7 - English
Making predictions about 'The Speckled Band' mystery
Sherlock Holmes: short stories
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 read and explore two famous Sherlock Holmes stories. They start by reading and analysing 'The Speckled Band' before using it as inspiration to write a newspaper article. They then read and analyse 'The Boscombe Valley Murder' before writing a comparison of the two stories.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to make predictions about 'The Speckled Band' mystery based on clues in a text.
Key Notes
- Julia Stoner has died in a suspicious manner
- There does not seem to be an obvious way in which Julia Stoner died
- There are a range of peculiar events and clues which Holmes must piece together to solve the case
- Based on recent events, Helen may now face the same danger as her sister
Vocabulary To Learn
- Ferocious: A ferocious act is one that is violent and cruel.
- Speckled: To have speckles is to have many small spots or patches of colour.
- Casefile: A casefile is a document kept with all the details of an investigation.
- Mystery: A mystery is something that is difficult to understand or explain.
- Suspicious: If an incident is suspicious, then there is reason to mistrust or feel doubt towards it.
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Julia Stoner's death was accidental.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain this English learning goal in two key points.
Julia Stoner has died in a suspicious manner. There does not seem to be an obvious way in which Julia Stoner died.
2. Define this language term and use it in a sentence. 'Ferocious'
A ferocious act is one that is violent and cruel.
3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.
Mistake: Julia Stoner's death was accidental. Correction: Explain that the point of a mystery story is for the detective to use clues to solve it and usually find a perpetrator.
More Lessons In This Unit
- 'The Speckled Band' and 'The Boscombe Valley Mystery': a written comparison Study Guide
- 'The Speckled Band' case: concluding newspaper articles Study Guide
- 'The Speckled Band' case: writing a newspaper article body Study Guide
- Analysing atmosphere and character in 'The Speckled Band' Study Guide
- Analysing Dr. Roylott in 'The Speckled Band' Study Guide
- Analysing Helen Stoner's presentation in 'The Speckled Band' Study Guide
- Analysing John Turner from 'The Boscombe Valley Mystery' Study Guide
- Comparing 'The Speckled Band' and 'The Boscombe Valley Mystery' Study Guide
- Comparing the victims in 'The Speckled Band' and 'The Boscombe Valley Mystery' Study Guide
- Creating newspaper headlines and subheadings Study Guide
- Investigating Julia's death in 'The Speckled Band' Study Guide
- Making predictions about Sherlock Holmes Study Guide
- Planning a newspaper article about the solved case of 'The Speckled Band' Study Guide
- Reading 'The Boscombe Valley Mystery' Study Guide
- Reading about Stoke Moran and analysing atmosphere in 'The Speckled Band' Study Guide
- Reading and summarising the conclusion of 'The Speckled Band' mystery Study Guide
- Solving 'The Boscombe Valley Mystery' Study Guide
- Using rhetorical devices in newspaper articles Study Guide
- Writing an argument about Dr. Roylott from 'The Speckled Band' Study Guide
- Writing the opening of an article on 'The Speckled Band' case Study Guide
- Writing your own newspaper article about Sherlock Holmes Study Guide
Browse all guides in the Year 7 English guide library.