Classwork: Opening of The Sound of Thunder by Ray Bradbury
Look at the book covers:
1.
Describe what you can see on the
cover.
2. Write a list or words that you would
associate with the images displayed
on the front covers.
3. Make a prediction about what the
novel will be about.
4. Justify your decision with examples
from the front covers.
What do you predict about the novel
from the use of dark colours?
Saturday, September 16, 2023
What might the
colours brown and
black represent?
Does it reveal
anything about the
story?
How do you
think the
image might
link to the
story?
What might the
colour orange of the
writing represent?
Why might the large dinosaur be on the front
cover and what might it tell us about the story?
Classwork: Opening of The Sound of Thunder by Ray Bradbury
Saturday, September 16, 2023
Read the blurb
In 'A Sound of Thunder,' a science fiction short story set in 2055, time travel
allows the common man to experience the past in ways never before thought
possible. Eckels, an avid hunter, pays $10,000 to travel back to the age of
dinosaurs to hunt a Tyrannosaurus rex.
Time Safari, Inc., the time-travel outfitting agency, wants to make sure its
customers understand the risks involved. They do not guarantee safety, relating
the deaths of six guides and twelve hunters in the previous year. But they do
guarantee dinosaurs, and Eckels cannot refuse this trip of a lifetime.
What are four things we learn from the blurb
about the story? Write them in your copybooks
Read page 1
The sign on the wall seemed to quaver under
a film of sliding warm water.
Eckels felt his eyelids blink over his stare,
and the sign burned in this momentary
darkness:
TIME SAFARI, INC.
SAFARIS TO ANY YEAR IN THE PAST.
YOU NAME THE ANIMAL.
WE TAKE YOU THERE.
YOU SHOOT IT.
List four things you learn about
the Safari.
The sign on the wall seemed to quaver under
a film of sliding warm water.
Eckels felt his eyelids blink over his stare,
and the sign burned in this momentary
darkness:
TIME SAFARI, INC.
SAFARIS TO ANY YEAR IN THE PAST.
YOU NAME THE ANIMAL.
WE TAKE YOU THERE.
YOU SHOOT IT.
Why is the sentence
effective?
How does this hook in the
reader?
Analyse the opening
How do you think Eckles is feeling and why?
How does this make the reader feel and why?
The sign on the wall seemed to quaver under a film of sliding warm
water.
Eckels felt his eyelids blink over his stare, and the sign burned in this
momentary darkness:
Why does the
writer introduce
the theme of time
travel through the
sign?
TIME SAFARI, INC.
SAFARIS TO ANY YEAR IN THE PAST.
YOU NAME THE ANIMAL.
WE TAKE YOU THERE.
YOU SHOOT IT.
Why has the writer repeated the personal pronoun ‘you’?
What does the
verb tell the
reader?
How might this link
to evil and
badness?
The opening of the story shows…
The reader is introduced the sign
‘ The sign on the wall seemed to quaver’
The sign is telling people…
Bradbury has used the personification of ‘quaver’ to show…
As a result, this makes the reader…
The writer is foreshadowing…
Next, the reader is introduced to the character of…
‘Eckels felt his eyelids blink over his stare,’
At this point, Eckles is…
Bradbury has used the verb ‘blink’ to show…
Eckles seems as though he is in a daydream as…
The reader is…
because…
The sign is introduced before the character of Eckles suggesting…
Finally, the reader sees the sign
’YOU NAME THE ANIMAL.WE TAKE YOU THERE.YOU SHOOT IT’
The sign is stating…
Bradbury repeats the personal pronoun ‘you’. This is effective as…
Furthermore, the verb ‘shoot’ suggests…
The reader thinks…
as…
The use of short sentences could be to foreshadow…
Mind map all you have learnt about the opening.
A Sound of Thunder
Classwork- How does Ray Bradbury use language to
describe Eckles in the opening to the story?
1.
Saturday, September 16, 2023
What do the images show? When are they from? Can you give approximate times?
A
B
D
C
F
E
2.
3.
G
Which of these times is the most interesting to you? Why? If you could travel back in time to a specific
time- when would you go? Why?
If time travel was possible, do you think it would be safe? Explain why.
A Sound of
Thunder
page 2
How does Ray Bradbury use language to describe
Eckles in the opening to the story?
Write down 10 words that describe how
the characters will be feeling in this
section of the text you have just read.
What do we learn about Eckles and the trip from the section you have a read?
1. What is the feature?
2. What does this tell us about Eckles?
3. What does a reader assume about his character?
4. Why do you think he is feeling this way?
5. A reader feels worried for Eckles. Explain why.
6. It is clear Eckles is nervous, explain why you think he is going
through with it.
Warm phlegm gathered in Eckels’ throat; he swallowed and pushed it down.
The muscles around his mouth formed a smile as he put his hand slowly out
upon the air, and in that hand waved a check for ten thousand dollars to
the man behind the desk.
“Does this safari guarantee I come back alive?”
7. Eckles is anxious. Explain why.
8. Should a reader feel worried? Explain why.
Why is the use of a question effective?
Why does Bradbury include the word ‘alive’?
What do we learn about Eckles and the trip from the section you have a read?
1. What is the feature?
2. What does this tell us about the trip?
3. What does a reader assume about his character?
4. Does the trip seem positive? State why
6.What could this be foreshadowing?
5.The colours might be symbolising what about the trip?
Eckels glanced across the vast office at a mass and tangle, a snaking and
humming of wires and steel boxes, at an aurora that flickered now orange, now
silver, now blue. There was a sound like a gigantic bonfire burning all of Time,
all the years and all the parchment calendars, all the hours piled high and set
aflame.
7.Why might Ray Bradbury have included both “bonfire” and “burning”?
8.What do you think will happen?
9.Why does Bradbury use so many “fire” words? What could this be a metaphor for?
How does Ray Bradbury use language to describe Eckles in the opening to the story?
Bradbury presents Eckles’ character to be…
Firstly, the writer uses an adjective ‘Warm phlegm’
this shows…
making a reader think…
Next, the writer includes verbs ‘he swallowed and
pushed it down’
This is effective as…
It shows Eckles is…
This tells the reader…
Then, the writer uses an adverb ‘slowly’
Which shows Eckles is feeling…
Making the reader assume….
By using the verbs and nouns ‘waved a check for ten
thousand dollars’
The reader is aware…
Showing Eckles’ character to be…
How does Ray Bradbury use language to describe Eckles in the opening to the story?
Then, the writer uses an adverb ‘slowly’
Which shows Eckles is feeling…
Making the reader assume….
By using the verbs and nouns ‘waved a check for ten
thousand dollars’
The reader is aware…
Showing Eckles’ character to be…
What have we learned about Eckles so far?
A Sound of Thunder
Eckels
Classwork- How has Ray Bradbury structured the text to interest the
reader?
1.
Recap:
Define the term time travel.
2. Look at the pictures, what do you
think time travel would be like?
3. Do you think the money Eckles is
spending on time travel could be used
for anything better?
4. If you had the money to time travel
back in time, would you?
5. What do you think would be the best
part of travelling back in time? Why?
Saturday, September 16, 2023
A Sound of
Thunder
page 3
How has Ray Bradbury structured the text to interest
the reader?
Text Structure:
How has the writer structured the text
to interest the reader?
You could write about:
What the writer focuses your attention
on at the beginning.
How and why the writer changes the
focus as the extract develops.
Any other structural features that you
think help to develop the experience of
time travel.
“Frankly, yes. We don’t want anyone going who’ll panic at the first shot. Six Safari leaders were killed last year, and a dozen hunters. We’re here to give you the
severest thrill a real hunter ever asked for. Traveling you back sixty million years to bag the biggest game in all of Time. Your personal check’s still there. Tear it
up.” Mr. Eckels looked at the check. His fingers twitched.
“Good luck,” said the man behind the desk. “Mr. Travis, he’s all yours.”
They moved silently across the room, taking their guns with them, toward the Machine, toward the silver metal and the roaring light.
First a day and then a night and then a day and then a night, then it was day-night-day-night. A week, a month, a year, a decade! A.D. 2055. A.D. 2019. 1999! 1957!
Gone! The Machine roared.
They put on their oxygen helmets and tested the intercoms.
Eckels swayed on the padded seat, his face pale, his jaw stiff. He felt the trembling in his arms and he looked down and found his hands tight on the new rifle.
There were four other men in the Machine. Travis, the Safari Leader, his assistant, Lesperance, and two other hunters, Billings and Kramer. They sat looking at
each other, and the years blazed around them.
“Can these guns get a dinosaur cold?” Eckels felt his mouth saying.
“If you hit them right,” said Travis on the helmet radio. “Some dinosaurs have two brains, one in the head, another far down the spinal column. We stay away from
those. That’s stretching luck. Put your first two shots into the eyes, if you can, blind them, and go back into the brain.”
The Machine howled. Time was a film run backward. Suns fled and ten million moons fled after them. “Think,” said Eckels. “Every hunter that ever lived would
envy us today. This makes Africa seem like Illinois.”
The Machine slowed; its scream fell to a murmur. The Machine stopped.
The sun stopped in the sky.
The fog that had enveloped the Machine blew away and they were in an old time, a very old time indeed, three hunters and two Safari Heads with their blue metal
guns across their knees.
“Christ isn’t born yet,” said Travis, “Moses has not gone to the mountains to talk with God. The Pyramids are still in the earth, waiting to be cut out and put up.
Remember that. Alexander, Caesar, Napoleon, Hitler - none of them exists.” The man nodded. “That” - Mr. Travis pointed - “is the jungle of sixty million two
thousand and fifty-five years before President Keith.”
“Frankly, yes. We don’t want anyone going who’ll panic
at the first shot.’
Why is speech an effective opener?
How does this interest the reader?
We want to read on for what reason?
Why is structuring the first person pronoun ‘we’ on
the opening sentence effective?
‘A week, a month, a year, a decade!’
Why is a list used?
The repetition of ‘a’ is effective why?
We want to read on for what reason?
Why is structuring an exclamation mark at the end
effective?
‘Gone!’
Why is a short sentence used?
How could this be foreshadowing danger?
We want to read on for what reason?
How do we feel for Eckles at this point?
Why is a short sentence featuring an exclamation
mark effective?
‘The Machine howled.’
The Machine slowed; its scream fell to a
murmur.
The Machine stopped.’
Why is repetition used?
The repetition of ‘machine’ is effective why?
We want to read on for what reason?
Why is the repetition of verbs used?
Why is structuring a capital ‘M’ for ‘Machine’ effective for
the reader?
‘The sun stopped in the sky.’
Key word:
sibilance
What is repetition of the ‘s’ sound called?
The repetition of the ‘s’ sound is effective why?
We want to read on for what reason?
How does this link to the Biblical story of Adam and Eve?
What might the repetition of the ‘s’ sound be foreshadowing
for Eckles character and how might this make a reader feel?
How has Ray Bradbury structured the text to interest the reader?
The writer opens with speech
‘“Frankly, yes. We don’t want anyone going who’ll panic at the first shot’
This is effective because…
It makes us want to read on because…
Also, by using the personal pronoun ‘we’ at the beginning it interests us because…
The writer includes a list
‘‘A week, a month, a year, a decade!’
This is interesting to the reader because…
The exclamation mark is suggesting…
The writer uses a short, simple sentence ‘‘Gone!’
This could be foreshadowing…
A reader is therefore interested as…
The writer includes sibilance ‘The sun stopped in the sky.’
This is interesting to the reader as…
It might be foreshadowing…
Also, it references the serpent in the Garden of Eden therefore implying…
How has Ray Bradbury structured the text to interest the reader?
The writer opens with speech
‘“Frankly, yes. We don’t want anyone going who’ll panic at the first shot’
This is effective because…
It makes us want to read on because…
Also, by using the personal pronoun ‘we’ at the beginning it interests us because…
Next, the writer includes a list
‘‘A week, a month, a year, a decade!’
This interests a reader as we feel as though…
The exclamation mark is suggesting…
Also, the writer uses a short, simple sentence ‘‘Gone!’
This could be foreshadowing…
A reader is therefore interested as…
Furthermore, the writer uses repetition ‘The Machine’
This is effective as…
In addition, the capital ‘M’ is suggesting…
This interests the reader due to…
Finally, the writer includes sibilance ‘The sun stopped in the sky.’
This is interesting to the reader as…
It might be foreshadowing…
Also, it references the serpent in the Garden of Eden therefore implying…
Classwork- Using descriptive features
Recap:
1. What is sibilance?
2. What do we know about the character
Eckels so far?
3. What does Mr Travis talk about when
he is introduced? What effect does
this have on the reader?
4. Try to improve this sentence:
“The huge dinosaur roared loudly and the
green trees shook.”
Saturday, September 16, 2023
Which features?
Sam gulped as he ran his
eyes up and down the
huge, scaly, green T-Rex
that loomed over him.
Which features?
The baby dinosaur
was small, cute and
cuddly.
Which features?
He felt like a frightened
child as he stood there,
pulling his head into his
collar, hiding from the
dinosaur.
Which features?
The wind whipped round
him viciously, cutting into
his eyes, bringing tears
that rolled swiftly down his
face.
Can you improve these sentences?
1. The dinosaur was big.
2. The man stood next to the
trees.
3. There were lots of trees and a
lake.
How could you use these descriptive features on this picture?
• Five senses
• Adjectives
• Adverbs
• Similes
• Alliteration
• Metaphors
• Personification
How could you use these descriptive features on this picture?
• Five senses
• Adjectives
• Adverbs
• Similes
• Alliteration
• Metaphors
• Personification
The ground shakes angrily with each
huge step. The monster’s breathing is
loud and rasping. Louder. Louder. It
roars as it breathes. The stench is
becoming thicker and the moisture
exhaled from its lungs makes the
atmosphere like sitting in a gas attack.
How could you use these descriptive features on this picture?
• Five senses
• Adjectives
• Adverbs
• Similes
• Alliteration
• Metaphors
• Personification
The ground shakes angrily with each
huge step. The monster’s breathing is
loud and rasping. Louder. Louder. It
roars as it breathes. The stench is
becoming thicker and the moisture
exhaled from its lungs makes the
atmosphere like sitting in a gas attack.
To write a description of the pre-historic dinosaur era from the viewpoint of Eckles.
Write at least two paragraphs in your books to describe this picture:
Include:
• Five senses
• Adjectives
• Adverbs
• Similes
• Alliteration
• Metaphors
• Personification
Finished? Highlight where in your work are the descriptive features.
Classwork- Persuasive features
Recap:
1. Describe the picture to the right.
Include 3 descriptive features.
2. Improve this sentence: Eckles quickly
ran away.
3. Write 3 sentences that could
persuade people to use time travel.
Saturday, September 16,
2023
What is the feature that is being used?
Write another example of the feature being used
”We need to revise for exams in
order to make our future the best
it can possibly be.”
What is the feature that is being used?
Write another example of the feature being used
Is your neighbour
living with a
secret?
What is the feature that is being used?
Write another example of the feature being used
Give as little as £2 a month.
As little as £2 a month can help feed
starving children.
Will you help?
What is the feature that is being used?
Write another example of the feature being used
Act now!
Time Travel Company Leaflet
• TASK: Create a leaflet for your own time travel company.
Decide what your specialty will be:
 Bringing fans back to relive famous sporting moments
 An area of history, e.g. The Romans, World War Two, the Titanic, etc.
 Psychological therapy – revisit moments in your life where you wish you had acted differently
 Your leaflet must look like a leaflet. This is not a poster!
 Your leaflet should include:









Company name on front cover (make it bold so it stands out)
Brand logo and colours
A slogan (“I’m lovin’ it”)
Explain what the company does and to what moments in the past it can take you to – describe these
moments in a rich and exciting way!
Attention grabbing images (of moments your clients can visit)
Speak directly to your audience using ‘you,’ ‘your,’ ‘yourself,’ etc.
Prices, address (maybe a map of location), opening times, telephone number, email
Dates for exciting events or special offers
Use persuasive adjectives, e.g. dazzling, remarkable, exhilarating, etc.
Homework:
Finish your
leaflet and read
A Sound of
Thunder
pages 4 and 5
A Sound of
Thunder
pages 4 and 5
Write down 10 words that describe
what Eckels sees when he gets out of
the time machine.
Classwork- How does Bradbury use descriptive writing?
1.
2.
Recap:
Improve this sentence- The tree was big and green
Improve this sentence: The angry lizard was big and
scary
3. Do people always think about their actions?
How might this link to Eckles?
Saturday, September 16, 2023
A Sound of
Thunder
pages 6 – end of
page 7
Look at the end of page 7:
It came on great oiled, resilient striding legs….
“Why, why,” Eckels twitched his mouth. “It could reach up and grab the moon.”
1. Pick out two phrases that make the T-Rex sound huge –explain your
choices.
2. Pick out the similes. (A comparison using like or as.) Choose one that
makes the T-Rex seem dangerous and like a killing machine. Write a
detailed explanation of what picture it makes you see and how it
makes you feel.
3. Metaphors are comparisons that do not use like or as. An example is
“thick rope of muscle.” Choose one that makes the T-Rex sound
powerful and explain it.
4. Bradbury commits two ‘sins’ in the way he starts sentences; what are
they? (Think about repetition and “And”).
5. Using similar techniques write a description of an encounter with a
strange or frightening creature.
Classwork- To respond to a statement about the story
Recap:
1.
Summarise in 2 sentences what has happened in the
story so far
2. Image you have a piece of paper. Crumple it up.
Squash it as tightly as you can. Stamp on it. Now,
pick up the damaged paper. Unravel the paper and
straighten it out. Is it the same as it was?
How could this link to time travel?
3.
How would you feel in Eckels’ position? Would you
also be scared? Why? Why not?
Saturday, September 16, 2023
A Sound of
Thunder
pages 8 - 9
‘I like the way the writer brings the fear of what Eckles saw to life, it is as though you are there with him.’
Do you agree with the statement?
The Monster, at the first motion, lunged forward with
a terrible scream. It covered one hundred yards in six
seconds. The rifles jerked up and blazed fire. A
windstorm from the beast’s mouth engulfed them in
the stench of slime and old blood. The Monster
roared, teeth glittering with sun.
The rifles cracked again, Their sound was lost in
shriek and lizard thunder. The great level of the
reptile’s tail swung up, lashed sideways. Trees
exploded in clouds of leaf and branch. The Monster
twitched its jeweller's hands down to fondle at the
men, to twist them in half, to crush them like berries,
to cram them into its teeth and its screaming throat.
Its boulder stone eyes levelled with the men. They
saw themselves mirrored. They fired at the metallic
eyelids and the blazing black iris.
‘I like the way the writer brings the fear of what Eckles saw to life, it is as though you are there with him.’
Do you agree with the statement?
I agree with the statement that the writer brings the fear of
what Eckles saw to life, it is as though you are there with him.
Point: The writer uses adjectives to make the reader feel…
Evidence: ‘terrible scream’
Explanation: This is scary because…
P: The writer uses verbs to…
E: ‘The Monster roared, teeth glittering with sun.’
E: By saying ‘roared’ we know the dinosaur is…
‘I like the way the writer brings the fear of what Eckles saw to life, it is as though you are there with him.’
Do you agree with the statement?
I agree with the statement that the writer brings the fear of what Eckles saw to life, it is as
though you are there with him.
Point: The writer uses adjectives to make the reader feel…
Evidence: ‘terrible scream’
Explanation: This is scary because…
P: The writer uses verbs to…
E: ‘The Monster roared, teeth glittering with sun.’
E: By stating ‘roared’ we know the dinosaur is…
P: The writer includes a metaphor
E: ‘Trees exploded in clouds of leaf and branch.’
E: This makes it sound like a war zone because…
The verb ‘exploded’ suggests…
P: The writer includes a simile to show…
E: ‘to crush them like berries’
E: This is effective because…
By using the verb ‘crush’ it creates fear due to…
Moreover, berries are often red suggesting…
Classwork- To the story A Sound of Thunder so far
Recap:
1.
Mind map everything you know the story so far
A Sound of
Thunder
Saturday, September 16, 2023
A Sound of
Thunder
pages 10 –
end of page 11
Homework - Storyboard Eckles’ story so far.
Use a quotation instead of saying what happened
Classwork- To analyse the character of Eckels in A Sound of Thunder
Recap:
1.
Mind map everything you know about Eckels
Eckels
2. Do you think Eckles has time travelled before?
Why, why not?
Saturday, September 16, 2023
Look at the following quotations about Eckles.
Please answer in complete sentences.
How is Eckles presented?
‘In the Time Machine, on his face, Eckels lay shivering. He had found his way
back to the Path, climbed into the Machine.’
‘Eckels sat there, shivering.’
‘It’s his shoes! Look at them! He ran off the Path.’
‘Eckels fumbled his shirt. “I’ll pay anything. A hundred thousand dollars!”
‘like a sleepwalker he shuffled out along the Path.’
•
•
•
•
How is Eckles presented in your quotation?
Which key word would you analyse and what does it tell you about Eckles?
How does a reader feel and why?
What could the writer be telling us about our actions?
When it came to killing the T-Rex, Eckles was…
In the Time Machine, on his face, Eckels lay shivering. He had found
his way back to the Path, climbed into the Machine.
By stating ‘on his face’ it tells the reader…
The verb ‘shivering’ tells us…
The reader thinks that Eckles is…
they would think this as...
Next, Eckles is shown to be…
‘Eckels sat there, shivering.’
The writer uses repetition to show…
Eckles has moved from being ‘on his face’ to ‘sat’ suggesting…
The reader feels…
this is due to…
When it came to killing the T-Rex, Eckles was…
In the Time Machine, on his face, Eckels lay shivering. He had found his way back to the Path, climbed into the Machine.
By stating ‘on his face’ it tells the reader…
The verb ‘shivering’ tells us…
The reader thinks that Eckles is… they would think this as...
Next, Eckles is shown to be…
‘Eckels sat there, shivering.’
The writer uses repetition to show…
Eckles has moved from being ‘on his face’ to ‘sat’ suggesting…
The reader feels…
this is due to…
Eckles is shown to have…
‘It’s his shoes! Look at them! He ran off the Path.’
Eckles made the mistake of…
The use of short sentences and exclamation marks show…
At this point, a reader thinks…
Furthermore, Eckles is shown to be…
‘Eckels fumbled his shirt. “I’ll pay anything. A hundred thousand dollars!”
Eckles is trying…
The verb ‘fumbled’ is implying…
He mentions ‘pay’ and an amount of money showing her thinks…
The reader dislikes Exkles here as…
However, they feel pity for him due to...
Finally, Eckles is…
‘like a sleepwalker he shuffled out along the Path.’
Eckles has been sent to…
The simile ‘like a sleepwalker’ tells us…
In addition, the verb ‘shuffled’ shows his movement to be…
A reader thinks…
The writer is perhaps suggesting that people…
Homework - To analyse the character of Eckles in A Sound of Thunder.
Grade 1 – Will write a summary of the key character or theme.
Grade 2 – Will make clear points supported with relevant evidence and a
clear explanation of ideas.
Grade 3 – Will explore writer’s methods and intention and evaluate the
effect on the reader.
Grade 4 – Will develop a clear analysis of the key language and structure
with relevant subject terminology and alternative meanings.
Grade 5 – Will make links to a variety of contexts and explore the effect
this has on the meaning of the text.
Read pages
12 – end