Pat Barker's 'The Silence of the Girls': understanding the extract
I can show understanding of Pat Barker's ‘The Silence of the Girls’ through comprehension and annotation.
Pat Barker's 'The Silence of the Girls': understanding the extract
I can show understanding of Pat Barker's ‘The Silence of the Girls’ through comprehension and annotation.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- Briseis is a character from Greek mythology; she is given to Achilles (a renowned warrior) as a prize of war.
- Pat Barker wrote ‘The Silence of the Girls’ from the first person perspective of Briseis.
- The novel begins with Briseis in her home city of Lyrnessus which is under attack from the Greeks.
- Barker creates tension and suspense through descriptions of Achilles, the battle and hints about Briseis's future.
- When annotating a text, you can use a range of symbols and notes to help develop an understanding of the text’s ideas.
Keywords
First person - the narrator of the story is a character in the story, using pronouns like ‘I’ and ‘me’.
Perspective - point of view.
Tension - what readers feel when they start to anticipate something bad is going to happen.
Suspense - the state the reader is held in as they wait for an anticipated conflict, event or outcome to occur.
Annotate - to make short notes on, and about, a text.
Common misconception
When annotating, you should highlight, underline and circle interesting things. You don't need to write anything down as you will remember what you thought.
Symbols, highlights and underlinings are all useful, but only if accompanied by short written notes which remind you what it was you found interesting. Otherwise your symbols become meaningless.
To help you plan your year 8 english lesson on: Pat Barker's 'The Silence of the Girls': understanding the extract, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 8 english lesson on: Pat Barker's 'The Silence of the Girls': understanding the extract, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 3 english lessons from the Myths, legends and stories that inspire unit, dive into the full secondary english curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Equipment
You will need a copy of 'The Silence of the Girls' by Pat Barker published by Hamish Hamilton in 2018.
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
- Depiction or discussion of upsetting content
- Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
- Depiction or discussion of sexual violence
Supervision
Adult supervision required
Licence
Lesson video
Loading...
Starter quiz
6 Questions
As I heard his battle cry, I shivered.
You must have heard of Achilles.
Achilles was known as a brutal warrior. She feared him hugely.
narrator is a character in the story, using pronouns like "I" and "me"
point of view
what we feel when we anticipate something bad is going to happen
the state we are held in as we wait for something bad to occur
to make short notes on, and about, a text
Exit quiz
6 Questions
the narrator; royalty in Lyrnessus
enslaved by Mynes
a renowned warrior; claims Briseis after raiding Lyrnessus
married to Briseis
a king; Achilles has to give him Briseis