DNA: Context

Teaching Ideas

Lesson Objective: To understand the relevance of the author, and of social and scientific context, to an understanding of
DNA

Success Criteria: • To understand key facts about Dennis Kelly

• To understand key facts about the play’s social and scientific context
• To apply facts about the author and contemporary events to understanding elements of the novel

Starter
Dennis Kelly: In His Own Words
The DNA – Context PowerPoint has five quotations from Dennis Kelly to prompt discussion about the author and the setting of
the novel. These could be discussed as a teacher-led activity, or alternatively they are timed to change every minute, so could be
discussed by students in pairs as they enter the classroom.

Before moving on, it is useful to get students’ thoughts on the relevance of the quotations, and to move this on to a discussion
of the relevance of context – how does our knowledge of an author or an era shape our understanding of a work of literature?

Main Activities
Dennis Kelly and Social and Scientific Context
The following activities are independent and could be approached in a number of ways. Essentially, students are asked to
research the author, and the social and scientific context of DNA. The accompanying Research Sheets include suggested
websites and questions to direct students’ research. Please note that some of the sites feature adult language and themes,
which could potentially be triggering to students. It is advisable to check the links first and read/watch the material to
assess its suitability for your group.

It could be that the Research Sheets have been given out prior to the lesson as homework, and that this is a class opportunity for
students to share their findings. Alternatively, the class could be divided in half, with half researching the author and half the social
and scientific context, before coming together to teach each other what they have learnt. Another option is that each student
could study each area in turn – although there is a considerable amount of material so this may well take more than one lesson.
Research could be presented in a number of ways. Students could simply make notes in their books, give written answers to the
research questions on the Research Sheets, or it can be fun for students to produce a study guide for peers.
The PowerPoint includes some Top Tips for Research, to guide students through the process.

Applying
Once students have completed their research, it is useful to ask them to apply what they have learnt to their understanding of
the play. The PowerPoint has six discussion questions, which are also available on Question Cards – these can be handed out
to students and rotated around the class so that each pair has an opportunity to discuss the questions in turn.

Plenary
Factoids!
Without looking at their notes, students should now try to write down five facts about Dennis Kelly and the social and scientific
context of the play. This could be done as a beat-the-clock group exercise or as a class activity, writing on the whiteboard.