Year 8 - English
Editing descriptive writing based on 'A monster within'
A monster within: reading and writing Gothic fiction
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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 explore the Gothic. They start by learning what the Gothic is, before reading extracts from 'Frankenstein' and 'Jane Eyre', practising descriptive writing and reading 'The Tell-Tale Heart'. They finally learn how to write opinion articles and then write their own.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to edit, revise and rewrite your descriptive writing.
Key Notes
- Editing is the process of making technical corrections to a piece of writing.
- Accurate spelling, punctuation and grammar is essential to help your reader understand your writing.
- Revising is where you look at or consider again a piece of writing in order to correct or improve it.
- Using a variety of sentence starters is important because it can influence the pace, emphasis or cohesion of a sentence.
- You can vary your sentence starters by using adjectives, verbs or adverbs.
Vocabulary To Learn
- To edit: to make technical corrections to a piece of writing
- To revise: to review a piece of work and identify where it can be improved
- Draft: a version of a piece of writing
- To rewrite: the process of rewriting sentences, adding, dropping or reframing ideas and choosing more precise words
- To enhance: to improve the quality or clarity of something
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Students often think that once they have written their first draft, the piece is finished.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain this English learning goal in two key points.
Editing is the process of making technical corrections to a piece of writing. Accurate spelling, punctuation and grammar is essential to help your reader understand your writing.
2. Define this language term and use it in a sentence. 'To edit'
to make technical corrections to a piece of writing.
3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.
Mistake: Students often think that once they have written their first draft, the piece is finished. Correction: Writing is a process that involves several drafts of the same piece. Each time, editing and rewriting the draft makes the piece of writing better.
More Lessons In This Unit
- 'Frankenstein' and the Gothic context Study Guide
- A written analysis of 'Frankenstein' Study Guide
- A written analysis of 'The Tell-Tale Heart' Study Guide
- An introduction to 'Jane Eyre': Analysing an unseen extract Study Guide
- Analysing effective opinion articles Study Guide
- Analysing the atmosphere at Thornfield Hall in 'Jane Eyre' Study Guide
- Context for Gothic literature: science and religion in the 19th century Study Guide
- Exploring the character of Victor Frankenstein in Mary Shelley's 'Frankenstein' Study Guide
- Frankenstein's reaction to his creation Study Guide
- Frankenstein's regret and the scientific revolution Study Guide
- Identifying features of the Gothic genre in the plot of 'Frankenstein' Study Guide
- Improving your opinion article on Gothic literature Study Guide
- Lowood Institution: Gothic settings in 'Jane Eyre' Study Guide
- Organising our gothic writing to build tension Study Guide
- Planning a cohesive argument about 'The Tell-Tale Heart' Study Guide
- Planning a Gothic description inspired by 'A monster within' Study Guide
- Planning a written analysis of 'Frankenstein' Study Guide
- Planning an opinion article about Gothic literature Study Guide
- Reading 'The Tell-Tale Heart' Study Guide
- Reading an extract from 'Frankenstein': A fateful night Study Guide
- Reading an extract from Charlotte Brontë's 'Jane Eyre' Study Guide
- Regret in Mary Shelley's 'Frankenstein' Study Guide
- Symbolism in 'The Tell-Tale Heart' Study Guide
- The creation of suspense in 'The Tell-Tale Heart' Study Guide
- The structure of an opinion article Study Guide
- Using 'Jane Eyre' to inspire our use of gothic vocabulary Study Guide
- Using description in functional writing Study Guide
- Using figurative language to create a gothic atmosphere Study Guide
- Using semantic fields to create a gothic atmosphere Study Guide
- Writing a gothic description Study Guide
- Writing an opinion article on Gothic literature Study Guide
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