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Year 9

Essay writing: using context in responses to ‘Small Island’

I can understand how context is used in a written response.

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New
New
Year 9

Essay writing: using context in responses to ‘Small Island’

I can understand how context is used in a written response.

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Context can refer to key concepts, such as colourism or colonial attitudes, which inform our understanding of the text.
  2. Context refers to historical, social, literary and biographical information.
  3. Context should not be presented as isolated facts.
  4. Context should be relevant to the analysis and woven in the response.
  5. Context should develop your ideas and give an insight into the writer’s purpose and intention.

Common misconception

That context refers just to historical facts.

Think about the 'big ideas' in the text and what has influenced and informed these. This all comes under the umbrella of context.

Keywords

  • Colonialism - The control by one country over another. At various points the British Empire controlled 56 countries.

  • Windrush generation - The people who emigrated on the HMT Windrush between 1948 and 1971.

  • Stage adaptation - Where a text, for example a novel or a film, is made into a theatrical production for the stage.

  • Diaspora - The spread of people from their original homeland.

  • Weave - In relation to context, when you embed into paragraphs rather than including as isolated facts.

If it has not been explored in depth already, Andrea Levy's essay "Back to My Own Country" provides excellent contextual information and exploration of her intentions when writing.
Teacher tip

Equipment

You will need access to a copy of the play 'Small Island' written by Andrea Levy and adapted for the stage by Helen Edmundson

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour

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.
Between which years is the play 'Small Island' set?
Correct answer: 1939 & 1948
1914 & 1921
1959 & 1969
2009 & 2019
Q2.
What year was the novel 'Small Island' first adapted for stage and performed?
2018
Correct answer: 2019
2017
2012
2015
Q3.
What is the definition of colourism?
The belief in the superiority of certain races over others.
Correct answer: Discrimination based on skin colour, favoring lighter skin over darker skin.
The division of society based on wealth and education.
The exclusion of individuals from a group or society.
Q4.
In 'Small Island', what connotations does the description "golden life" carry in the context of Little Hortense and colourism?
It emphasises the idea of darkness and obscurity.
Correct answer: It reinforces the colonial ideals of privilege associated with lighter skin.
It represents the concept of gender hierarchy.
It highlights the importance of education in societal hierarchies.
Q5.
Starting with the first, put these plot points from Act 1 Scene 1 in 'Small Island' in chronological order.
1 - Hortense hurries to prepare the classroom. Mrs Ryder is standing by the door.
2 - Hortense begins to tell the story of her childhood.
3 - Michael returns from school a grown man.
4 - The hurricane intensifies and Hortense reveals it is Michael she is waiting for.
5 - Michael rushes into the schoolhouse to Mrs Ryder .
6 - Hortense witnesses Mrs Ryder and Michael kissing.
7 - Hortense runs out into the hurricane and reveals what she has seen.
Q6.
In 'Small Island' which character says: "There is a whole world out there where real things are happening and people are really living their lives."
Queenie
Hortense
Correct answer: Michael
Bernard
Mrs Ryder

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What is the term used to describe the spread of people from their original homeland?
Exile
Correct answer: Diaspora
Colonisation
Nomadic
Q2.
What is the term for the control by one country over another?
Independence
Diaspora
Correct answer: Colonialism
Globalism
Q3.
'Small Island' is a stage adaption of a novel by Andrea Levy. What type of context is this?
Biographical
Correct answer: Literary
Social
Historical
Q4.
Andrea Levy, author of the novel 'Small Island', was a second generation migrant to Jamaican parents. What type of context is this?
Literary
Correct answer: Biographical
Social
Historical
Q5.
In which year was 'Small Island' first performed on stage and what is the significance of this date?
2008 alongside the British Banking crisis
1962 when Jamaica gained its independence
Correct answer: 2019 amidst the Windrush Scandal
2003 with the start of the Iraq War
Q6.
In every literature essay, you should include context. Match the type of context to its definition.
Correct Answer:Historical,What was happening when the text was written?

What was happening when the text was written?

Correct Answer:Biographical ,What are the life experiences of the author?

What are the life experiences of the author?

Correct Answer:Social,What were the shared values and ideas of the time period?

What were the shared values and ideas of the time period?

Correct Answer:Literary,What influenced the text's style or genre?

What influenced the text's style or genre?

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