Year 7 - English
Comparing 'The Speckled Band' and 'The Boscombe Valley Mystery'
Sherlock Holmes: short stories
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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 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 plan a comparison between two texts.
Key Notes
- Both 'The Speckled Band' and 'The Boscombe Valley Mystery' share detective conventions
- 'The Speckled Band' and 'The Boscombe Valley Mystery' mostly differ on their presentation of key characters
- A thesis statement appears in the introduction and is a summary of your viewpoint on a topic
Vocabulary To Learn
- Convention: A convention is a rule within a genre.
- Red herring: A red herring is a piece of misleading information.
- Archetypal: Something which is archetypal is very typical of a certain type of thing.
- Thesis: A thesis is a statement put forward to be proved.
- Subvert: To subvert means to go against what is expected. A villain that subverts the archetype may be gentle.
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Sherlock Holmes mystery stories are almost identical.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain this English learning goal in two key points.
Both 'The Speckled Band' and 'The Boscombe Valley Mystery' share detective conventions. 'The Speckled Band' and 'The Boscombe Valley Mystery' mostly differ on their presentation of key characters.
2. Define this language term and use it in a sentence. 'Convention'
A convention is a rule within a genre.
3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.
Mistake: Sherlock Holmes mystery stories are almost identical. Correction: Whilst all Sherlock Holmes mystery stories are part of the detective fiction genre, the stories can differ a lot.
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 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 'The Speckled Band' mystery 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
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