Learning Objectives

– To know how to complete your IST.- To be able to analyse language

The Dahl Method

Children's author, Roald Dahl, explained that when he creates characters in his books, he "exaggerates all their good or bad qualities" to "make an impact".

Here is an example….

Mrs Pratchett is a nasty sweet shop owner from Dahl’s autobiography Boy.

Read the following extract and try to spot all the exaggeration that Dahl uses to describe her.

Her name was Mrs Pratchett. She was a small skinny old hag with a moustache on her upper lip and a mouth as sour as a green gooseberry. She never smiled. She never welcomed us when we went in, and the only times she spoke were when she said things like, “I’m watchin’’ you so keep yer theivin’ fingers off them chocolates!” Or “I don’t want you in ‘ere just to look around! Either you fork out or you’re out!”

You might say……

The writer uses adjectives like ‘small’, ‘skinny’ and ‘old’ to show how nasty she is.

He uses ugly images when he says she has a moustache.

He uses a simile to describe her sour mouth so that it seems as though she has just eaten a gooseberry.

The way she speaks sounds like she is horrible. When she says, “Either you fork out or you’re out!” she sounds very aggressive.

Homework Project PART 1

• In Chapter 9 of Skellig we meet Mina properly for the first time.

• How does Almond introduce her character?

• What do we know about her?

Use the tables to help you record your thoughts

Your example/quotation.

What does this say about Mina?

What she does

How she moves

What she looks like

Your example/quotation.

What does this say about Mina?

What she says

How she speaks

Anything else

Your question

“How does David Almond introduce the character of Mina in Chapter 9?”

Reading: Assessment Focus

• AF3 -deduce, infer or interpret information, events or ideas from texts

PEE

PointEvidenceExplanation

You should write at LEAST 3 PEE paragraphs.

Writing: Assessment Focus

• AF5 – use a variety of sentence structures.

• AF6 – write with technical accuracy of syntax and punctuation in phrases, clauses and sentences