Reading in depth

Exam preparation

The Breadwinner

This unit will help you to:Understand and interpret the detail of a

textUse detail from the text when answering

questionsDevelop your personal response to a textCompare characters in a text

Reading in Depth

Lesson Outcomes:

By the end of the lesson I will be able to:Find the relevant detail in a text. Interpret and comment on this detail.

Key words

Relevant, interpret, evidence

Understanding detail

Understanding detail in a text helps you to read between the lines.

While reading the story, be thinking about

individual interesting words and what they mean to you

how you feel about the characterswhat is your understanding of the meaning

Turn to page 19

Reading skills

Reading between the lines

Reading between the lines is a very important skill. You will needto

ask yourself if there is any other meaning than the obvious one in the text you are reading.

Think about what images the words create in your mind

For example:The parents of a boy of fourteen were waiting for him to come

home with his first weeks wages

Look again at the following extract from The Breadwinner.

The parents of a boy of fourteen were waiting for him to come home with his first week’s wages.

QuestionWhy is a 14 yr old

working?What job does he

do?Why are his

parents waiting for him / his wages?

Why aren’t his parents working? Or are they working?

Parents - implies protection / love

Boy - seems young - not important enough to be given a name

‘boy’ - working for a week – unlike contemporary culture

Using Evidence and Quotations

Learning Outcome:By the end of the lesson I will be able to

find evidence to support comments about a text

Keywords:

Point, Evidence, Explain, Language

Writing to Analyse1. Write in standard English2. Vary words and phrases when introducing

evidence, e.g.• This suggests…• This implies…• This could mean that…• This is evident when…3. If you do not have firm evidence to support your

point use words such as;• ‘might’• ‘it could mean’• ‘possibly’

How to PEE ( L )

P Point Make a point

E Evidence Give a quote as evidence to

support your point

E Explain Explain how your evidence

proves your point

(L) Language Use individual words in

the text to help explain how it makes you feel, how you understand the characters etc.

The PEE(L) Chain

The PEEL Chain.doc

Look at another sentence from the story. It is about the mother.

‘She looked tired and frequently sighed heavily.’

STARTERWrite the sentence in your yellow book and try to read between the lines. (2mins) Look at individual words

and think about the images and feelings they create.

think about what else the words could mean

What kinds of things have we understood about this sentence? What do the words TIRED, FREQUENTLY, SIGHED and HEAVILY suggest about the mother?

Reading between the lines

Asking those questions allows us to read between the lines; our answers may not be right, but by suggesting what we think might be happening, we can show an examiner wecan read in depthsee the characters as real peopleimagine different situations

Activity 1 – What do you learn about the relationship

between the mother and father? (Red Book)

Step 1: Re-read the story and write down details that seem particularly significant – any information about their relationship.

Step 2: Ask yourself questions such as the following:•Why has the writer used particular words?•What is the writer trying to tell the reader?•What is there about the characters’ behaviour and appearance that is particularly significant?

Step 3: Put the details together and answer the question, using evidence from the text to support your comments.

Activity 2Complete the chart below by finding an appropriate detail or quotation from The Breadwinner, pages 19–21, to support the comments about the boy. The first one has been done for you.

Comment on the boy Evidence

He looked younger than his age.

We are told that the boy was fourteen but that ‘He did not look older than ten or eleven years’.

He shows courage when dealing with his father.

He refuses to give in to his father.

He is very upset by what has happened.

He cares about his mother.

He shows courage when dealing with his father.

‘he went over to him biting his lower lip to keep in the tears’

He refuses to give in to his father.

‘the boy sank to the floor, but did not cry out’

He is very upset by what has happened.

‘he was sobbing bitterly, his face in the pillow’

He cares about his mother.

‘he raised his head and smiled at her’.

Lesson 3: Developing your Personal Response

Learning Outcome

• Develop your personal response to a text

• Write in a formal style

Key words

• Personal response

• Formal style

Developing your personal response to a text

The story of The Breadwinner will affect different people in

different ways, depending on life experience and backgrounds.

You need to be able to work out how YOU are affected by a story

and WHY. This is called a personal response.A question that targets a personal response is:

What do you think

of the way the father behaves in this story?

This question is asking you 2 things:

To answer this you need to spend some time thinking about the father.

Activity 4: Thinking about how the characters behave

Think carefully about the father’s behaviour.

Make notes in your yellow book about how he behaves towards his wife and son. You could think about::

Section 1• How he speaks and behaves towards his wife

Section 2• How he speaks and behaves towards his son

Section 3• Explain how you feel about his behaviour

Read and complete Activity 4 in your yellow book. Write your answers in full sentences. Remember to find evidence of the things you are saying from the text, for example, if you are saying that his behaviour is violent, include the quote from the text where he ‘beats him unmercifully’.

Turn to page 25

Comparing Texts

Learning Outcomes:By the end of the lesson I will be able to: compare characters in different texts, showing

their similarities and differences.Use connectives to link ideas

Key words compare Similarities differences

Connectives

Connectives are words that join one clause to another:

Write down those connectives that could be useful when comparing one thing with another, for example:

Whereasunlike

Did you get these ones?

• However• although• On the other hand• alternatively• Similarly• In contrast to• Nevertheless• In both cases• Both• They are similar (different) in that…

Writing a comparisonRemember: You need to write about the SIMILARITIES and the

DIFFERENCES Use a variety of connectives Always be looking to show you have extended your

vocabulary Check spelling and punctuation

TASK:Copy and complete the following grid to enable you to

have the information on both characters in one place. (10 minutes)

Weep Not My Wanton

1. Read again the first paragraph (lines 1-8).

• What kind of atmosphere has been created?

• Note down the words that the writer has included to give the reader this impression.

• What does this tell the reader about the rest of the story?

Weep Not My Wanton

1. Now read again the final paragraph (lines 74-80).

• What mood, atmosphere and emotions do you associate with ‘greyness’?

• How does this contribute to the atmosphere?

• What is the significance of the ‘gelded’ pigs?

Emasculate

1. To take away the strength of

2. To take away the masculinity of

3. To castrate

‘the young pigs, bloody and subdued’Subdue – to be conquered and overcome -

defeated

Writing an Analytical Essay

Learning Outcomes:By the end of the lesson I will be able to: Compare characters in different texts Plan and write a formal essay using standard English Use PEEL in my writing

Key words: analyse Standard English connectives

Compare the mothers in ‘The Breadwinner’ and ‘Weep Not My

Wanton’Which mother do you feel most sympathy with?

In pairs or small groups discuss:• The appearance of the mothers• How each mother deals with her husband• How each mother deals with her son• Whether each mother was right to act as she did• Other actions each mother could have taken

• Present your viewpoint back to the rest of the class

A comparison of the mothers in ‘The Breadwinner’ and ‘Weep Not my Wanton’

Aim to use PEEL to identify two similarities and two differences between the mothers

Paragraph 1: A short introduction that refers to the key words in the question and briefly discusses the context of the texts

Paragraphs 2 & 3: Make two points that show the differences between the mothers

Paragraphs 4 & 5: Make two points that show the similarities between the mothers

Paragraph 6: Explain and develop your own point of view. Which woman do you feel the most sympathy for

Example introduction

Paragraph 1: A short introduction that refers to the key words in the question and briefly discusses the context of the texts

This essay explores the differences and similarities between the mothers in ‘The Breadwinner’ and ‘Weep Not my Wanton’. Both texts were set in the past when divorce was rare and women were expected to obey their husbands. Also, poor children were expected to work and provide money to support their families.

Activity 7This will be your final assessed piece of work in this

unit. Remember there are two key aspects of learning in this unit:

1) Using PEE (L) accurately. Keep your points simple, use clear inverted commas (quotation marks ‘ …’) and make sure you explain HOW your evidence PROVES your point.

2) Showing your understanding of what you have read by how well you answer the question.

When you have finished your writing:

Assess your work by highlighting or underlining in different colours:

1. References and quotations

2. Connectives that you have used to identify points of similarity and difference

Exam

SILENCESILENCE

Exam: The Hitch-hiker

Assessment: The Hitch-hikerAs you read the following extract,

highlight words and phrases that tell

you something about either the

driver or the hitch-hiker. You could also make notes in the margins.

Use your notes and highlighting to help you answer the questions 1-5 on your

A4 worksheet:

Remember to give evidence from the text to support your points. PEE.

Writing a comparison need not be a difficult task.

For example, take a look at these two fruits: the humble apple and juicy orange

HomeworkWrite a 100-140 word comparison of one of

the following in your yellow book:

A mug and a glassA shoe and a slipperA radio and a T.V