Year 9 - English
Skim reading and close reading: Wilfred Owen's 1917 letter to his mother
Literary perspectives from the First World War
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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 and compare texts written about the First World War. They first read Beck's 'Propping up the line', Mansfield's 'The Fly' and Wilfred Owen's 1917 letter home to his mum. They finally read Brittain's 'Testament of Youth', and then plan and write a comparative response.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to show a thorough understanding of a 1917 letter that Wilfred Owen sent to his mother from the trenches of World War One.
Key Notes
- Wilfred Owen (1893-1918) was a British poet and soldier.
- Owen is best known for his stark, unflinching and graphic poems about World War One.
- Making predictions about what a text might be about is a helpful preparatory step before reading something.
- Skimming and scanning a text involves quickly reading something, and gathering its main ideas and overall tone.
- Close reading involves carefully considering a writer's methods and their effects.
Vocabulary To Learn
- nonfiction: writing that is factual rather than made up; the opposite of fiction
- skimming and scanning: the act of quickly reading over a text, gathering its keywords, tone and main ideas
- close reading: carefully, thoughtfully and slowly examining a text and considering the choices the writer made
- gist: the main idea or essence of something, often brief and in a simplified form
- tone: a writer's attitude or emotional stance; encompasses the mood, feeling and overall atmosphere
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Skimming and scanning means you just aren't reading a text properly.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain this English learning goal in two key points.
Wilfred Owen (1893-1918) was a British poet and soldier. Owen is best known for his stark, unflinching and graphic poems about World War One.
2. Define this language term and use it in a sentence. 'nonfiction'
writing that is factual rather than made up; the opposite of fiction.
3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.
Mistake: Skimming and scanning means you just aren't reading a text properly. Correction: Reading is a skill and, often it is good not to dive into its most difficult skill - analysis - immediately. Instead, giving yourself some time with the text, its title and overall ideas can allow for a deeper understanding in the long run.
More Lessons In This Unit
- Analysing the presentation of the gas attack: Ian Beck's 'Propping Up the Line' Study Guide
- Comparing texts about World War One in comparative analytical paragraphs Study Guide
- Comparing texts about World War One using comparative topic sentences Study Guide
- Creative writing in the third person inspired by Katherine Mansfield's 'The Fly' Study Guide
- Debating different interpretations of Katherine Mansfield's 'The Fly' Study Guide
- Exploring the presentation of the boss in 'The Fly' by Katherine Mansfield Study Guide
- Ian Beck's 'Propping Up The Line': Alice's experiences on the Home Front Study Guide
- Improving a letter: deliberate verbs and precise adjectives Study Guide
- Improving the style of a letter: sentence structure and rhythm Study Guide
- Katherine Mansfield's 'The Fly' (1922): exploring character foils and symbolism Study Guide
- Letter writing: planning, using Vera Brittain's 'Testament of Youth' as stimulus Study Guide
- Letter writing: planning, using Wilfred Owen's 1917 letter as stimulus Study Guide
- Reading 'Propping Up the Line', a short story about World War One by Ian Beck Study Guide
- Reading Katherine Mansfield's short story, 'The Fly' (1922) Study Guide
- Skim reading and close reading: 'Testament of Youth' by Vera Brittain Study Guide
- Symbolism and motif in Ian Beck's short story, 'Propping Up The Line' Study Guide
- The presentation of trauma in Ian Beck's short story, 'Propping Up the Line' Study Guide
- Understanding why people write about war Study Guide
- Using sentence structure to create rhythm in writing about World War One Study Guide
- Vivid descriptive writing using Ian Beck's 'Propping Up The Line' as stimulus Study Guide
- World War One: propaganda and trench warfare Study Guide
- Writing a letter as a soldier in the trenches of World War One Study Guide
- Writing a letter from the British home front: tone, audience and purpose Study Guide
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