Year 8 - English
Writing inspired by 'Skin of the Sea': varying sentence types to create rhythm
Myths, legends and stories that inspire
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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 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 vary your sentence types and lengths to improve the rhythm of a paragraph of creative writing inspired by Natasha Bowen's 'Skin of the Sea'.
Key Notes
- A complex sentence is made up of a main clause and a subordinate clause.
- Complex sentences are divided by a comma when the subordinate clause begins the sentence.
- Writers use a range of sentence types and lengths in their work to create rhythm and pace.
- You should consider the rhythm of your own writing just as you would consider which word to use, or which technique.
Vocabulary To Learn
- rhythm: the beat, flow, or pattern of a piece of music or writing.
- oscillate: to move repeatedly from side to side.
- defiant: boldly disobedient.
- subordinate clause: a clause of a sentence which doesn't make sense by itself.
- complex sentence: a sentence made up of a main clause (a sentence which makes sense by itself) and a subordinate clause.
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- The term complex sentence is a synonym for a long sentence.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain this English learning goal in two key points.
A complex sentence is made up of a main clause and a subordinate clause. Complex sentences are divided by a comma when the subordinate clause begins the sentence.
2. Define this language term and use it in a sentence. 'rhythm'
the beat, flow, or pattern of a piece of music or writing.
3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.
Mistake: The term complex sentence is a synonym for a long sentence. Correction: A complex sentence is a technical term. It refers to a sentence that has a main clause and a subordinate clause. Sentences can be long but if they don't have a subordinate clause, they are not a complex sentence.
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
- Improving and proofreading a piece of narrative writing 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
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