1.  To recognise how setting is used  To structure a critical essay

2. Talking in Whispers Planning a critical Essay

3.  To write a suitable introduction  To write three main points about setting used in the novel with the correct structure.  To write a suitable conclusion

4.  To identify key words from the essay question  To learn how to use the essay question to plan your response.

5. Choose a novel and show how the writer uses setting to highlight the key concepts and aspects of character in the opening chapters of that novel. Task – Copy out the essay question above in full in your jotter and underline the words which you consider to be the most important in the question.

6.  Choose a novel that you have read the beginning of in which the setting is an important aspect.  show how the writer uses setting to highlight key themes and aspects of character in the opening chapters of that novel.

7. Choose a novel that you have read the beginning of in which the setting is an important aspect.  show how the writer uses setting to highlight key themes and aspects of character in the opening chapters of that novel.  “Talking in Whispers”  Opening three chapters  Country of Chile in 1980s  The setting is used to show the dangerous and volatile situation, the fear that the people live under  The setting is used to highlight the theme of totalitarianism, oppression and fear  The weather is used to reflect the mood and situation of Andres

8.  To learn how to structure a critical essay  To write an introduction for a critical essay

9.  Critical essays always have the same structure. (Essentially a beginning, a middle and an end).  Introduction  3-5 Key points  Conclusion

10.  Paragraph 1 – Introduction  Paragraph 2 - Plot Summary  Paragraph 3 – Key Point 1  Paragraph 4 – Key Point 2  Paragraph 5 – Key Point 3  Paragraph 6 - Conclusion Main body of essay

11. Look at the work we did using the essay question. What aspects of setting in relation to the novel could we consider that will make up each of our key points?

12. Key Point  Point 1 will be about how the setting highlights the dangerous and volatile situation in Chile.  Point 2 will be about how setting is used to show the fear/oppression in Chile  Point 3 will be about how the weather reflects the mood and situation of the main character.

13. Writing an Introduction

14.  Work alone to answer the following questions and write your answers down: 1. What is the purpose of an introduction? 2. What do you think you should include in an introduction of a critical essay? 3. Why is it important to write a good introduction? Starter Activity – Solo Work – 5mins

15.  Title,  Author  Reference to the essay question,  Techniques that you will be writing about.  Summary of the plot

16.  T itle = “Talking in Whispers”  A uthor = James Watson

17.  Use the key words from the question to help you say what your essay will do  Try to avoid saying “I will...” or “I am going to...”  Use formal language - no slang!

18.  Tell the reader which techniques your essay will examine.  Don’t mention techniques you don’t write about. We are studying a novel –Techniques will include characterisation and setting ; used to highlight theme.

19.  I am going to tell you about a novel called “Talking in Whispers” by James Watson. In it Andres is on the run from the security forces and he meets two puppeteers that he joins forces with. James uses characterisation to show the reader the theme of oppression.  Task – What has this candidate done well and how could they improve on this attempt?

20.  I am going to tell you about a novel called “Talking in Whispers” by James Watson. In it Andres is on the run from the security forces and he meets two puppeteers that he joins forces with. James uses characterisation to show the reader the theme of oppression.

22. Why the introduction isn’t very good!  Doesn’t refer to the question!!!  Plot Summary is poor and irrelevant to the question  Doesn’t mention the technique of setting  There is no contextual information about the setting.  There is no mention of the fact that it is just the opening three chapters that will be considered.  It has little or no style!

23.  “Talking in Whispers” by James Watson is a powerful and claustrophobic novel set in Chile in the 1980’s. In Chile at this time the people live in constant fear of the totalitarian government with little freedom. In the opening chapters Watson uses the setting of Chile under this regime to convey the theme of the dangers of totalitarianism. In addition, Watson’s skilful use of setting assists the reader in understanding the climate of fear and oppression that the people live under daily. Also, his detailed use of setting allied with sensitive characterisation reveals important aspects of the central character of Andres in the early part of the novel.

24. Task  Write a good introduction for your essay remembering to use T.A.R.T.S. (Leave the plot summary for now, we will come to that later.  You may use the sentence below to help you start. Talking in Whispers” by James Watson is a powerful and claustrophobic novel set in Chile in the 1980’s.

25.  This should be very brief (No more than 8 jotter lines)  It should take an overview of the novel’s themes, plot and characters.  It should be focused towards the essay question Task  Try writing a short summary of “Talking in Whispers” now in your jotter. Summary of Plot

26.  Yes you guessed it your ever-thoughtful English teacher has only came up with another fantastic mnemonic to help you with writing critical essay.  This time for structuring key points  In this essay on Talking in Whispers you will therefore need 3 pearls of wisdom because there are 3 points. PEARLs of Wisdom

27. Each key point will have the same structure P oint – Topic sentence that introduces the point you are making E vidence – Quotation from text to support the point you are making introduced properly by giving the context. A nalysis – Explanation of how quotation supports your point and comment on any relevant techniques R elate to Question – Refer to question and explain How the quotation and analysis relate to the question. L ink – A sentence to link to the next key point.

28. To learn how to introduce a quotation properly.

29.  Remember you have to introduce the quotation properly by giving the context of the quotation. DON’T simply write, “for example...” or “Here is a quote...” because this is tedious for the marker to read and boring for you to write.  Instead you should give the context – what is happening at the time and who provides the quotation.

30. To learn how to write effective topic sentences.

31. A Topic Sentence is used to introduce the Point that you are making in each paragraph.  To write a good topic sentence you should include:  An opener such as “firstly”, additionally, “moreover”, or “finally”  Relevant words from the essay question  Task – Try to write a suitable topic sentence for each key point you will write.

32.  To learn how to select relevant evidence from a text  To learn how to analyse evidence from a text  To learn how to ensure you answer the question  To learn how to link ideas in an essay.

33. Look at the evidence and analysis tables and try to fill in any blanks. There is a table for each Key Point you will write in the essay. Key Point 1 – You have various sections filled in and you have to complete the table. Key Point 2 – You have the quotations selected for you and you have to complete the other sections. Key Point 3 – You have to fill in the whole table using the notes you took on the weather and Andres previously.