New
New
Year 6

Exploring a fictional mystery in the Victorian era

I can summarise the key events of a mystery based on a journalistic report and I can empathise with a character from the report.

New
New
Year 6

Exploring a fictional mystery in the Victorian era

I can summarise the key events of a mystery based on a journalistic report and I can empathise with a character from the report.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Our persuasive letter must include a summary of the mystery.
  2. We can base the details of this summary on a journalistic report about the mystery.
  3. The letter must also give reasons that will persuade Holmes to investigate the crime.
  4. We can generate these reasons by empathising with the main character.
  5. We can record all these ideas in note form.

Keywords

  • Journalistic report - a newspaper or magazine report

  • Inference - a conclusion drawn from information and evidence in a text

  • Mystery - a puzzle or problem that requires solving

  • Summarise - to pull out key information and ideas from the text

  • Empathise - to get inside a character's head

Common misconception

Pupils may struggle to identify what the key points are to summarise.

Refer to the model letter - it summarises the mystery in only a couple of sentences, but we are still very clear what has happened. We need to do the same here.

This lesson is the first step towards the writing outcomes for the rest of the unit. You may wish to find images and other media to hook children in to the story of 'The Hound of the Baskervilles' (but please note there may be slight plot differences from the newspaper article shown here).
Teacher tip

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of serious crime

Supervision

Adult supervision required

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which words best describe the kinds of case that Sherlock Holmes might want to take on?
simple
Correct answer: challenging
Correct answer: unusual
straightforward
Q2.
Match the sections of a persuasive letter to their purpose or meaning.
Correct Answer:salutation,to greet the recipient of the letter

to greet the recipient of the letter

Correct Answer:introduction,to explain the purpose of the letter

to explain the purpose of the letter

Correct Answer:conclusion,to persuade the recipient to act

to persuade the recipient to act

Correct Answer:sign-off,to give your name and say goodbye

to give your name and say goodbye

Q3.
Where in a persuasive letter would we most likely find the key reasons why we think the issue should be investigated?
introduction
Correct answer: paragraph 1
Correct answer: paragraph 2
conclusion
Q4.
Which persuasive language feature has been used in the following sentence? 'I look forward to hearing how you plan on helping.'
flattery
Correct answer: presumption
veiled threat
rhetorical question
Q5.
Which persuasive language feature has been used in the following sentence? 'I am certain that you are the only person capable of resolving this matter.'
Correct answer: flattery
veiled threat
rhetorical question
presumption
Q6.
Which of the following is a rhetorical question?
It would be a shame if anything were to happen to them.
Correct answer: Wouldn't it be a shame if something were to happen to them?
Will something happen to them?

6 Questions

Q1.
Where are we most likely to find a journalistic report?
Correct answer: in a newspaper
in a poem
in a fiction book
in a catalogue
Q2.
Which of these are synonyms for a 'mystery'?
Correct answer: a puzzle
a solution
Correct answer: a problem
a creation
Q3.
Which of these events happen in 'The Hound of the Baskervilles'?
Correct answer: Sir Charles Baskerville dies.
Sir Henry Baskerville dies.
Correct answer: Sir Henry Baskerville returns to Baskerville Hall.
Correct answer: Sir Charles Baskerville has a terrified expression.
Q4.
Which two of the following points would be appropriate to include in a summary of the mystery in 'The Hound of the Baskervilles'?
A howl was heard.
Agnes Morton thinks the Hound killed Sir Charles.
Correct answer: Sir Charles was found dead surrounded by dog prints.
Correct answer: Local people are linking his death to the legendary Hound.
Q5.
What is the main purpose of the introduction in our persuasive letter?
to give the key reasons why we think Holmes should investigate
to use lots of persuasive techniques to persuade Holmes to help
Correct answer: to explain the mystery and summarise what has happened
Q6.
Which of the following are strong reasons we could give to Sherlock Holmes for why he should investigate the mystery in 'The Hound of the Baskervilles'?
Correct answer: to ensure that no-one else dies
Correct answer: because the police have failed to solve the mystery
Correct answer: to ensure that the community can feel safe again
because Dartmoor is a bleak place

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