LESSON AIMS
To recognise how setting is used
 To structure a critical essay

Talking in Whispers
Planning a critical Essay
LESSON OBJECTIVES
Learn to write about texts
 Learn how to structure critical essays

SUCCESS CRITERIA
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

LESSON AIMS
To identify key words from the essay question
 To learn how to use the essay question to plan
your response.

ESSAY QUESTION
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.
UNDERSTANDING AND USING THE ESSAY
QUESTION
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.

UNDERSTANDING AND USING THE ESSAY
QUESTION CONTINUED.
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



LESSON AIMS
To learn how to structure a critical essay
 To write an introduction for a critical essay

CRITICAL ESSAY STRUCTURE

Critical essays always have the same structure.
(Essentially a beginning, a middle and an end).
Introduction
 3-5 Key points
 Conclusion

ESSAY PLAN AND STRUCTURE
Paragraph 1 – Introduction
 Paragraph 2 - Plot Summary
 Paragraph 3 – Key Point 1
Main body of
 Paragraph 4 – Key Point 2
essay
 Paragraph 5 – Key Point 3
 Paragraph 6 - Conclusion

MAIN BODY OF ESSAY
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?
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.

Writing an Introduction
Starter Activity – Solo Work – 5mins

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?
INTRODUCTION - IN THE
INTRODUCTION, INCLUDE THE KEY
INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR TEXT:
START WITH TARTS
 Title,
 Author
 Reference
to the essay question,
 Techniques that you will be writing
about.
 Summary of the plot
INTRODUCTION – T.A.R.T.S
Title = “Talking in Whispers”
Author = James Watson
REFER TO QUESTION
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!

TECHNIQUES
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.
INTRODUCTION EXEMPLAR 1

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?
INTRODUCTION EXEMPLAR 1

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.
INTRODUCTION EXEMPLAR 1

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.
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!

EXEMPLAR 2

“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
INTRODUCTION
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.
 Use the sentence below to help you start.
“The Truman Show” by Peter Weir is a powerful and
moving comedy drama in which there is an
interesting character.
Summary of Plot

This should be very brief (No more than 12
jotter lines) and should take an overview of the
films themes, plot and characters.
Task
 Try writing a short summary of “The Truman
Show” now in your jotter.
KEY POINT – P.E.A.R STRUCTURE
Each key point will have the same structure
Point – Topic sentence that introduces the point you are
making
Evidence – Quotation from text to support the point you are
making introduced properly
Analysis – Explanation of how quotation helps your
point
Response – Your personal opinion – What is the writer encouraging you
to feel about the character at this point
INTRODUCTION TO QUOTATION

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 is speaking.
ACTIVITY 5 – WORK IN PAIRS (5 MINS)



Look at the example of a Key point written about the
poem “The Identification” by Roger McGough and try
to identify the Point, Evidence Analysis and Response
in this Key Point.
Highlight or underline each section using a different
colour.
D:\English Teaching\S3 and S4\S3 4\Int
1\Resources\poetry\The Identification\Key Point 1 teacher's copy simplified.doc
ACTIVITY 6 – (PAIRED ACTIVITY 10 MINS)

Often there will be more than one quotation for each key point,
as in this example.

Do the same as before (highlight or underline each section –
Point, Evidence, Analysis and Response for this key point
written about “The Prize of Peril”.

Also choose a different colour and highlight the introduction to
the quotation this time.
D:\English Teaching\S3 and S4\S3 4\Int
1\Resources\prose\short stories\The Prize of Peril\prize of
peril essay pupil copy.doc

POINT (TOPIC SENTENCES)
To write a good topic sentence you should
include:
An opener
 Words from the essay question
 An introduction to the point you want to make
