Skip to content
Oak National Academy
Oak National Academy
Teachers
Pupils
icon-background-square
New
New
Year 9

'Small Island': from page to stage

I can explain in detail how Edmundson adapted 'Small Island' for the stage.

Download all resources
arrow-right
Share activities with pupils
arrow-right
icon-background-square
New
New
Year 9

'Small Island': from page to stage

I can explain in detail how Edmundson adapted 'Small Island' for the stage.

Download all resources
arrow-right
Share activities with pupils
arrow-right
warning

These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

Switch to our new teaching resources now - designed by teachers and leading subject experts, and tested in classrooms.
View new resources
arrow-right

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Edmundson adapted the novel which means she developed Levy's original ideas to suit the form of a play.
  2. Edmundson is responsible for writing stage directions, chronology of events and developing characters through dialogue.
  3. Edmundson develops the multiplicity of Levy's original narratives using dramatic techniques.
  4. Edmundson uses patois, dialect and colloquial language to develop Levy's realistic characters.
  5. The use of direct address in the play mirrors the first person narratives in the novel, giving characters unique voices.

Keywords

  • Multiplicity - a large number of, or a variety of things

  • Dialogue - conversation and spoken interactions written for a play, book or film

  • Dialect - a variation of a language spoken in a particular part of the country or by a particular group

  • Jamaican patois - variation of English, or dialect, specific to Jamaican speakers

Common misconception

Edmundson did not write 'Small Island'.

Explore the conventions of a play. What would Edmundson have to have added to re-imagine the novel?


To help you plan your year 9 english lesson on: 'Small Island': from page to stage, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Using extracts from Levy's original novel can be a great way to compare the adaptations' similarities and differences.
speech-bubble
Teacher tip
equipment-required

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

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
supervision-level

Supervision

Adult supervision required

copyright

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

Skip lesson video

Loading...

Starter quiz

Download starter quiz

6 Questions

Q1.
Who wrote the original novel 'Small Island' in 2004?
Correct Answer: Andrea Levy, Levy, A Levy
Q2.
Who wrote the adaptation of 'Small Island' for the stage in 2019?
Correct Answer: Helen Edmundson, Edmundson, H Edmundson
Q3.
Where is 'Small Island' set?
Jamaica
unknown, but a city in the UK
England
Correct answer: it has two settings: England and Jamaica
London
Q4.
What term beginning with 'W' refers to the group of Caribbean migrants who arrived in the United Kingdom between 1948 and 1971?
Correct Answer: Windrush generation, Windrush, Windrush migrants
Q5.
'Small Island' includes a number of characters who migrated to Britain from Jamaica. Why was there a mass migration movement to Britain after World War Two?
Britain's welcoming attitude towards migrants
the voyage to Britain was cheap and luxurious
Britain's post-war prosperity
Correct answer: employment - there was a post-war labour shortage
Q6.
Which term is used to express the sense of belonging or allegiance felt by Caribbean migrants to the United Kingdom, particularly in the context of the Windrush generation?
Mother Island
Homeland
Correct answer: Mother Country
Home Country

Exit quiz

Download exit quiz

6 Questions

Q1.
'Small Island' is a play. What are the common features of a play?
Correct answer: They are designed to be performed on a stage
The are divided into chapters
Correct answer: They are divided into acts and scenes
Correct answer: They include dialogue
They have a single reader
Q2.
'Small Island' includes stage directions. What are the purpose of stage directions?
They can establish how the audience should enter the theatre
They can establish the dialogue between characters
Correct answer: They can explain how the set should look
Correct answer: They can explain how an actor should deliver their lines
Q3.
In 2017, it was revealed that the government was attempting to deport some citizens who had legally migrated to Britain in the 1940s-70s. This was known as the scandal.
Correct Answer: Windrush
Q4.
In 'Small Island' three of the characters tell their stories to the audience. This is an example of what dramatic technique?
First person
Correct answer: Direct address
Dialogue
Dialect
Q5.
In 'Small Island' Miss Jewel says: "Nuh fret nah, me sprigadee." This is an example of Jamaican patois. What is this?
dialogue created by a playwright
Correct answer: a dialect specific to Jamaican speakers
an accent from specific Caribbean regions
a language made up between Miss Jewel and Hortense
Q6.
Edmundson adapted Levy's original novel 'Small Island'. As the playwright, which of these would she be responsible for creating?
Correct answer: stage directions
plot
Correct answer: dialogue
characters
themes