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Year 8 - English

Creating an argument about the character of Puck in 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'

'A Midsummer Night's Dream'

Unit Summary

In this unit, pupils read and explore Shakespeare's comedy 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'. They focus on the character Puck and the theme of the supernatural, and analyse their role and importance at different points in the play. Finally, they plan and write an essay about Puck and the supernatural.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to create and maintain an argument about the character of Puck by writing clear topic sentences which support a thesis statement.

Key Notes

  • A thesis is an idea that you develop and maintain throughout an essay.
  • A thesis should consider the writer and their intentions.
  • Topic sentences should develop and maintain your thesis.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • essay: a piece of writing that explains and develops a big idea you have about a text
  • thesis: the idea you develop and maintain throughout an essay
  • topic sentence: the first sentence of a paragraph which states the paragraph's main idea
  • maintain: continue, keep up
  • Shakespearean comedy: a play designed to make you laugh, often involving misunderstandings and ending in marriage

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • If you are writing about a character, you should just write down everything you know about them.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

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

A thesis is an idea that you develop and maintain throughout an essay. A thesis should consider the writer and their intentions.

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

a piece of writing that explains and develops a big idea you have about a text.

3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.

Mistake: If you are writing about a character, you should just write down everything you know about them. Correction: When writing about a character, you should consider how you interpret them and why. You should explain this main idea in your thesis.

More Lessons In This Unit

Browse all guides in the Year 8 English guide library.