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 she does
How she moves
What she looks
like
What does this say
about Mina?
Your example/quotation.
What she says
How she speaks
Anything else
What does this say
about Mina?
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
Point
Evidence
Explanation
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