Pre-1914 Short Stories

The Signalman
 Learning Objective
To analyse how a writer’s language choices
create a sense of location.

Success Criteria
• To identify key information in the text.
• To select quotations from the text to support your viewpoint.
• To write a structured paragraph about the writer’s language choices.
 Predictions
Today, we are going to be reading an extract from The Signalman by
Charles Dickens.

Task:
Think – Pair – Share
What do you think this text might be about?
When do you think it might be set?
What genre might it be?

Hint:
Do you know anything about this author already?
Could this help you with your predictions?
 Vocabulary Challenge
Choose a word from the list below.
Complete the tasks below in relation to this word:
1. Use a dictionary to find the definition.
2. Use the word in a sentence.

perturbed perplexed disconcerting

agitated tense distressed

Take Notes
Make a note of the other definitions as we take
class feedback.
 Active Reading
As we read the text, consider the question below:

How does the writer make the scene

seem unsettling or unusual to the reader?

unsettling
Creating a feeling of anxiety
or uneasiness.

unusual
Remarkable or interesting
because it is different to
the expected.
 Information Hunt
Complete the activity sheet to
identify key information from the text.

Pause for Thought

Discuss briefly with your
peer partner – what kinds
of things made the scene
feel unsettling or unusual?
 Structured Writing
How does the writer make the scene seem unsettling or unusual to the reader?
Task:
Use the quotations you have collected to answer this question using an IEEL structure.

Success Criteria
• Identify a quotation that answers the question.
• Explain how the quotation answers the question.
• Explore another meaning of the quotation.
• Link either one of your ideas (explain or explore)
with another quotation or idea in the text.
Example
The writer makes the scene seem unsettling and unusual to the reader when he
describes the location as ‘this great dungeon’. This metaphor makes the setting
seem like a prison and suggests that there is no escape for the men. It also makes
it sound dark and frightening. The writer continues to make the reader feel
unsettled by describing the ‘black tunnel’ which seems ominous and hazardous.
 Plenary
Using three or four different colours, use the success criteria below to peer assess
your partner’s paragraph.
How does the writer make the scene seem unsettling or unusual to the reader?

Success Criteria
• Identify a quotation that answers the question.
• Explain how the quotation answers the question.
• Explore another meaning of the quotation.
• Link either one of your ideas (explain or explore)
with another quotation or idea in the text.

Swap your work back. Use your feedback to improve your work
– is there anything from the success criteria you can add to
make your analysis even better?
 Moving On
Return to your notes from the starter.
Using a different coloured pen, add your new learning from today’s lesson
in your answers to these questions.
Were you right?

What do you think this text

might be about?
When do you think it might be set?
What genre might it be?