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Year 9 - English

Essay writing: using context in responses to 'Small Island'

'Small Island'

Unit Summary

In this unit, pupils explore the playtext adaptation of Andrea Levy's novel 'Small Island'. They first explore the transition from novel to stage, before reading the playtext in full and exploring key scenes in detail. They then plan and write an essay on the theme of 'hope' in the text.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to understand how context is used in a written response.

Key Notes

  • Context can refer to key concepts, such as colourism or colonial attitudes, which inform our understanding of the text.
  • Context refers to historical, social, literary and biographical information.
  • Context should not be presented as isolated facts.
  • Context should be relevant to the analysis and woven in the response.
  • Context should develop your ideas and give an insight into the writer's purpose and intention.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • Colonialism: The control by one country over another. At various points the British Empire controlled 56 countries.
  • Windrush generation: The people who emigrated on the HMT Windrush between 1948 and 1971.
  • Stage adaptation: Where a text, for example a novel or a film, is made into a theatrical production for the stage.
  • Diaspora: The spread of people from their original homeland.
  • Weave: In relation to context, when you embed into paragraphs rather than including as isolated facts.

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • That context refers just to historical facts.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

1. Explain this English learning goal in two key points.

Context can refer to key concepts, such as colourism or colonial attitudes, which inform our understanding of the text. Context refers to historical, social, literary and biographical information.

2. Define this language term and use it in a sentence. 'Colonialism'

The control by one country over another. At various points the British Empire controlled 56 countries.

3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.

Mistake: That context refers just to historical facts. Correction: Think about the 'big ideas' in the text and what has influenced and informed these. This all comes under the umbrella of context.

More Lessons In This Unit

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