Year 8 - English
Improving and proofreading a piece of narrative writing
Myths, legends and stories that inspire
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Study Guides
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 a range of text types in connection to classical myths and legends. They first look at poetry before doing some descriptive writing inspired by poetry and paintings. They then explore Chaucer and modern retellings of myths to inspire their narrative writing.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to improve a piece of narrative writing by considering sentence structure and vocabulary, as well as effectively proofreading it.
Key Notes
- Reviewing and refining a piece of writing is an important skill in English.
- There might be areas of your work that you want to rewrite, focusing on particular areas of weakness.
- Proofreading is the final stage of the writing process.
- Proofreading means to read through a piece of written work and correct any errors.
- Strategies like reading aloud, reading backwards or reading with a particular focus can help you proofread successfully.
Vocabulary To Learn
- proofreading: to read through a piece of written work and correct any errors
- decrepit: worn out, ruined
- lament: a powerful expression of grief
- haggard: a tired, exhausted appearance
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Proofreading and rewriting are the same thing.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain this English learning goal in two key points.
Reviewing and refining a piece of writing is an important skill in English. There might be areas of your work that you want to rewrite, focusing on particular areas of weakness.
2. Define this language term and use it in a sentence. 'proofreading'
to read through a piece of written work and correct any errors.
3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.
Mistake: Proofreading and rewriting are the same thing. Correction: Proofreading is the final stage of the writing process. It is about checking for small errors - often grammatical. Rewriting is a larger task which requires you to think about the effects you want to create.
More Lessons In This Unit
- Alfred, Lord Tennyson's 'The Lady of Shalott': understanding the ballad Study Guide
- Bruegel's Landscape with the Fall of Icarus: how the myth inspired the painting Study Guide
- Comparative paragraphs: 'The Silence of the Girls' and 'The Song of Achilles' Study Guide
- Comparing poems: 'Brueghel's Winter' and 'The Hunters in the Snow' Study Guide
- Creating convincing characters using 'The Canterbury Tales' as stimulus Study Guide
- Descriptive writing using Lord Tennyson's 'The Lady of Shalott' as stimulus Study Guide
- Effective sensory language using 'The Execution of Lady Jane Grey' as stimulus Study Guide
- Exploring enjambment in Alfred, Lord Tennyson's 'The Lady of Shalott' Study Guide
- Exploring the theme of power in Hanan Al-Shaykh's 'One Thousand and One Nights' Study Guide
- Exploring W.H. Auden's poem 'Musée des Beaux Arts' Study Guide
- Exploring Walter de la Mare's poem 'Brueghel's Winter' Study Guide
- Exploring William Carlos Williams's poem 'Landscape with the fall of Icarus' Study Guide
- Exploring William Carlos Williams's poem 'The Hunters in the Snow' Study Guide
- Geoffrey Chaucer's 'The Canterbury Tales': compelling characterisation Study Guide
- Hanan Al-Shaykh's 'The Fisherman and the Jinni': understanding the story Study Guide
- Madeline Miller's 'The Song of Achilles': understanding the extract Study Guide
- Natasha Bowen's 'Skin of the Sea': understanding the extract Study Guide
- Pat Barker's 'The Silence of the Girls': understanding the extract Study Guide
- Planning a narrative using the five part narrative structure Study Guide
- Reviewing and refining descriptive writing: alliteration, plosives and sibilance Study Guide
- Symbolism in Alfred, Lord Tennyson's 'The Lady of Shalott' Study Guide
- The five part narrative structure Study Guide
- Third person omniscient writing: 'The Execution of Lady Jane Grey' as stimulus Study Guide
- Use of flashback in Natasha Bowen's 'Skin of the Sea' Study Guide
- Writing a full descriptive piece: 'The Execution of Lady Jane Grey' as stimulus Study Guide
- Writing a full narrative piece using the five part narrative structure Study Guide
- Writing inspired by 'Skin of the Sea': varying sentence types to create rhythm Study Guide
Browse all guides in the Year 8 English guide library.