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Year 9

Writing a letter from the British home front: tone, audience and purpose

I can write a letter detailing an imagined experience of the British home front during World War One, showing a deep understanding of tone, audience and purpose.

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New
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Year 9

Writing a letter from the British home front: tone, audience and purpose

I can write a letter detailing an imagined experience of the British home front during World War One, showing a deep understanding of tone, audience and purpose.

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. To write convincingly, you must have a secure understanding of tone, audience and purpose.
  2. Tone is created through carefully crafted methods.

Common misconception

Working out the tone, audience and purpose is an unnecessary step in planning. These things are always really obvious.

The foundations of convincing writing comes in the planning stage. This includes thinking carefully about tone, audience and purpose. Having a deep, rather than superficial, understanding of each will allow for a compelling piece of writing.

Keywords

  • Establish - begin, create, set up

  • Tone - the attitude and emotion of your voice - written or verbal

  • Purpose - the reason something is done; the motivation behind doing it

  • Memoir - a nonfiction account of something written from a person's memories

  • Methods - the tools a writer uses to create their work- structure and language choices are the most obvious examples

Learning cycle 2 will require the most time. Consider how long you wish your pupils to write during this learning cycle's independent task, and work out the rest of the timings from there.
Teacher tip

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

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).

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Before writing any text, it can be useful to consider its tone, audience and purpose. Match these key words to their definitions.
Correct Answer:tone,the attitude and emotion of your voice - written or verbal

the attitude and emotion of your voice - written or verbal

Correct Answer:audience,the person or people you intend your text to be read or seen by

the person or people you intend your text to be read or seen by

Correct Answer:purpose,the reason something is done; the motivation behind doing it

the reason something is done; the motivation behind doing it

Q2.
Vera Brittain wrote 'Testament of Youth' in 1933. Match 'Testament of Youth' to its tone, audience and purpose.
Correct Answer:tone,angry, anxious, despairing, formal, reflective

angry, anxious, despairing, formal, reflective

Correct Answer:audience,the wider public

the wider public

Correct Answer:purpose,to present the experiences of those on the home front

to present the experiences of those on the home front

Q3.
Letters were an important method of communication during World War One. Letters start with a greeting. Which greeting is correctly punctuated?
my darling sid
my darling sid,
My darling sid,
Correct answer: My darling Sid,
My darling, Sid,
Q4.
During WW1, soldiers fought on the front line. However, civilians experienced war on what is called the home front. Match the aspect of the home front to its impact.
Correct Answer:dread,fear their loved ones would never return to them

fear their loved ones would never return to them

Correct Answer:impotence,feeing powerless to help the war effort

feeing powerless to help the war effort

Correct Answer:hunger,there were food shortages and rationing was introduced in 1917

there were food shortages and rationing was introduced in 1917

Correct Answer:employment,many women were employed in industries traditionally worked by men

many women were employed in industries traditionally worked by men

Correct Answer:fear,of bombs and invasion

of bombs and invasion

Q5.
Vera Brittain wrote 'Testament of Youth' in 1933. In Chapter 4, why does she express anger at her mother's friends?
She says they aren't taking the war seriously.
Correct answer: She feels they patronise her when talking about the sacrifices she has made.
They refuse to buy the flowers she is trying to sell.
They don't support the war.
They encourage her to give up her studies and become a nurse.
Q6.
Starting with the first, order these events from an extract of Vera Brittain's 'Testament of Youth' in chronological order.
1 - Brittain recalls the anger she felt at young people being killed.
2 - Brittain reflects on how slowly the time passed during the war.
3 - Brittain remembers always feeling a sense of dread during the war.
4 - Brittain remembers imagining what it would be like if she heard Roland was dead.
5 - Brittain knew that if Roland died, university wouldn't help her get over him.
6 - Brittain remembers worrying war would change Roland as a person.
7 - Brittain remembers rereading Roland's letters and crying.

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Letters were an important method of communication during World War One. Letters end with a sign off. Which sign off is correctly punctuated?
with Love always, george
with love always george
with love always george.
Correct answer: with love always, George
with love always George
Q2.
Wilfred Owen was a British poet and soldier, most famous for his poems about World War One. How might you characterise the overall tone of his poems?
patriotic
optimistic
Correct answer: despairing
impotent
metaphorical
Q3.
Match each quotation from Vera Brittain's 'Testament of Youth' to its tone.
Correct Answer:frustration,I had little patience [...] for my mother's middle-aged acquaintances

I had little patience [...] for my mother's middle-aged acquaintances

Correct Answer:despair,life would seem so utterly empty and purposeless without him

life would seem so utterly empty and purposeless without him

Correct Answer:anxiety,fear that the War would come between us

fear that the War would come between us

Correct Answer:frantic,I began to look carefully through his letters

I began to look carefully through his letters

Q4.
In Vera Brittain's 'Testament of Youth', Brittain recalls how " telephone call" filled her with worry, in case it should bring bad news.
Correct Answer: every
Q5.
In Vera Brittain's 'Testament of Youth', Brittain recalls how the household clock marked off each "hour of " during World War One.
Correct Answer: dread
Q6.
In 'Testament of Youth', Brittain recalls her anger at older people who she felt were not affected by war in the same way as the young. She says they " " her.
Correct Answer: patronised