Transcript Short Stories Revision Session

Short Stories Revision Session
Learning Objectives:
• To revise the short stories briefly
• To understand the structure of the exam
• To be able to tackle the exam
The exam…
• It is 1 hour 30 minutes long
• Each section has 45 minutes
Section A: Short Stories (Sunlight on the Grass):
• 45 minutes
• You get a choice of TWO questions
• Only answer ONE
• BUT, answer both a and b in this question
How do I get an A?
Sooo…….
• In pairs, you have the name of a short story in
front of you
• Underline the key words
• Zoom in – analyse the connotations of these
words and WHY they have been chosen and
the EFFECT they have on the reader
• Zoom out – how do these key words/titles link
to the wider themes of the story?
Mock question…
• Explore the ways that beginnings/
endings make the reader feel.
Each table has a different story
One pair look at the beginning, annotate and prepare 4 bullet
points with evidence about how the start makes you feel and
WHY.
One pair look at the end, annotate and prepare 4 bullet points
with evidence about how the end makes you feel and WHY
How do I write about this?
The start of ‘When the Wasps Drowned’ creates a tense mood of expectancy.
The use of the word “that” at the start implies that the summer the story is set
in is significant, yet does not tell us why. This acts as a narrative hook for the
reader. This heightened sense of expectancy is further emphasised by Wigfall’s
constant reference to the semantic field of death; the flower beds “dried up”
and the sheets were “listless” in the air. It is almost as if everything is dying in
the heat and sets up a sinister atmosphere. Wigfall plays on this hot and almost
claustrophobic atmosphere by continuing to mention how oppressive the heat
is and referencing “screams.”
Zooming in
Zooming out and effect
Your go!
• Turn your best point into a PEE paragraph
• Remember to zoom in and out
• For the highest grades, really explore the
connotations of words and the effect the
writer is trying to create
In summary…
• Timing is very important
• Remember to zoom in and out for the highest
grades
• Try and offer the examiner something
different and look for PERCEPTIVE points
• Revise the stories and know them well!! (there
isn’t really time in this exam to read anything)