Year 8 - English
The structure of an opinion article
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 explain how to create engaging openings and impactful endings in an opinion piece.
Key Notes
- You can create an engaging opening by using humour, or creating a shared experience with your reader.
- In an opinion piece, your message is your opinion.
- In an opinion piece, it is important to get the reader onside, so that they are more likely to internalise your message.
- The ending of your opinion piece should bring together the threads of your argument and reinforce your viewpoint.
- You can create an impactful ending by using mirroring and/or leaving your reader with a moral conundrum to consider.
Vocabulary To Learn
- impactful: memorable and significant.
- to imply: to indicate the truth about something without explicitly saying it.
- viewpoint: a person's opinion or perspective on something.
- to reinforce: to strengthen or further support something - in this context - an idea.
- conundrum: a confusing and difficult-to-answer problem or question.
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Students often rush the ending of their work - particularly if they are writing in timed conditions.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain this English learning goal in two key points.
You can create an engaging opening by using humour, or creating a shared experience with your reader. In an opinion piece, your message is your opinion.
2. Define this language term and use it in a sentence. 'impactful'
memorable and significant.
3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.
Mistake: Students often rush the ending of their work - particularly if they are writing in timed conditions. Correction: The ending is arguably the most important part of the piece of writing. Students need to leave their reader with a clear message that is memorable. The ending ties together the threads of the argument and reinforces the writer's viewpoint.
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
- Editing descriptive writing based on 'A monster within' 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
- 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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