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Year 9 - English

Understanding questions and writing thesis statements on '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 the expectations of an essay question and write an effective thesis statement.

Key Notes

  • Annotating an essay question is a good way to understand the focus.
  • A thesis is a clear overarching argument supported by the whole text.
  • An effective thesis statement will focus on the big ideas and make reference to the whole text.
  • Topic sentences start each paragraph and will focus on a specific character or moment in the text.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • idealistic: viewing something as perfect even if the reality suggests something different
  • thesis: the overarching argument to an essay supported by the entire text
  • topic sentence: the first sentence of a paragraph; it states the paragraph's main idea
  • aspiration: a hope or ambition of achieving something

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • That planning is not something that needs to be practiced.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

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

Annotating an essay question is a good way to understand the focus. A thesis is a clear overarching argument supported by the whole text.

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

viewing something as perfect even if the reality suggests something different.

3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.

Mistake: That planning is not something that needs to be practiced. Correction: What are the benefits of practising planning over writing whole essay responses? Not only is planning a very important part of the writing process, but an efficient way to practise essay writing.

More Lessons In This Unit

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