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Year 8 - English

How is Puck presented in Shakespeare's '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 select quotations which help you explore how Puck is presented across Acts 2 and 3 of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'.

Key Notes

  • Some people argue Puck is the most important character in the play because of his significance to the plot.
  • Selecting powerful quotations is a key skill in English.
  • Powerful quotations link to your topic sentence.
  • Powerful quotations are rich in methods.
  • You should select more than one quotation to prove each topic sentence.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • quotation: words from the text
  • topic sentence: the first sentence of a paragraph stating the paragraph's main idea
  • analysis: in English, this means looking at a text closely and considering what it might mean and why it was written in that way
  • contemptuous: insulting; disrespectful
  • methods: the tools a writer uses to create their work; for example, characterisation, setting, language choices

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • Using one quotation per paragraph is enough.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

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

Some people argue Puck is the most important character in the play because of his significance to the plot. Selecting powerful quotations is a key skill in English.

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

words from the text.

3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.

Mistake: Using one quotation per paragraph is enough. Correction: Using multiple quotations per paragraph can be effective if you select quotations which link. Select quotations from across the text.

More Lessons In This Unit

Browse all guides in the Year 8 English guide library.