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Year 9

Exploring and evaluating the importance of Act 1

I can explain the structure of Act 1 and offer a personal perspective on key themes.

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New
New
Year 9

Exploring and evaluating the importance of Act 1

I can explain the structure of Act 1 and offer a personal perspective on key themes.

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Act 1 is considered a very important part of a play’s structure- it is sometimes referred to as the ‘set-up’.
  2. ‘Small Island’ is comprised of an ensemble cast and multiple narratives.
  3. Queenie’s pregnancy and the sailing of the Empire Windrush at the end of Act 1, create a dramatic transition into Act 2.
  4. The themes of ambition, betrayal, hope and belonging are prevalent in Act 1 and connect many of the characters.

Common misconception

That you should not use your own opinions or perspectives when exploring a text.

Being able to articulate your own opinions and perspectives is an important skill to have. They should be rooted in evidence from the text and should avoid speculation.

Keywords

  • Motivation - the willingness to do something or a reason to act or behave in a specific way

  • Theme - an idea that is explored in a text in different ways, to fully explore the complexity of that idea

  • Ensemble cast - a cast that comprises of many different main actors- there is not a single protagonist

  • Inciting - means to stir up or encourage an action, usually in a forceful, urgent way

  • Exposition - the establishing of key information, characters and setting in a text

Learning cycle 1 could be a whole class activity and made more visual by plotting the structure of Act 1 on a board or wall.
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
  • Depiction or discussion of sensitive content

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.
In what year was 'Small Island' first performed at the National Theatre?
2004
Correct answer: 2019
1989
1999
Q2.
In 'Small Island' what are the play's primary locations?
Correct answer: Jamaica
Dominican Republic
Correct answer: England
Scotland
Q3.
Starting with the first, put the plot events from 'Small Island' Act 1 in to chronological order.
1 - Hortense witnesses Michael and Mrs Ryder's affair
2 - Queenie and Bernard are married. He then signs up for the RAF
3 - We hear Gilbert's story about signing up for the RAF
4 - Gilbert is involved in a violent racist incident in the cinema. Arthur is shot
5 - Queenie discovers Bernard is alive, but decided not to come home after the war
6 - Hortense and Gilbert marry in order to migrate in the Empire Windrush
7 - Queenie discovers she is pregnant with Michael's baby
Q4.
In 'Small Island' which character says, "I'm done with this small island. I seen too much of the world now."
Correct answer: Gilbert
Hortense
Michael
Elwood
Bernard
Q5.
Complete this quote from Act 1 Scene 7 of 'Small Island'. Hortense states "England is my ..."
Correct Answer: golden life
Q6.
In the opening stage directions of 'Small Island' Act 1 Scene 8, what year is mentioned, and what event is highlighted?
1918; The start of World War I
1939; Pathé-style news footage of Jamaica preparing for a hurricane
1945; The end of World War II
Correct answer: 1948; Empire Day

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which term best describes a cast that comprises many different main characters, rather than a single protagonist?
Solo cast
Leading cast
Correct answer: Ensemble cast
Supporting cast
Q2.
Which character in 'Small Island' exhibits optimism about opportunities presented by the RAF?
Correct answer: Gilbert
Michael
Bernard
Kip
Arthur
Q3.
Who among the characters in 'Small Island' longs for a passionate, exciting life away from their life of "drudgery"?
Mrs Ryder
Celia
Hortense
Correct answer: Queenie
Miss Jewel
Q4.
Match the component from an Act 1 structure to its correct definition.
Correct Answer:Exposition,This introduces the characters and their relationships to each other.

This introduces the characters and their relationships to each other.

Correct Answer:Main Character,The character whose motivation and goals drive the story.

The character whose motivation and goals drive the story.

Correct Answer:Inciting event,An important part of the story that develops and furthers the plot.

An important part of the story that develops and furthers the plot.

Correct Answer:Plot point 1,Appears at the end of Act 1. It can push the story in a new direction.

Appears at the end of Act 1. It can push the story in a new direction.

Q5.
Which word beginning with "I", means to stir up or encourage an action, usually in a forceful, urgent way?
Correct Answer: incite, inciting, incitement
Q6.
What term describes the part of the story that pushes the narrative in a new direction and often marks a major escalation, appearing at the end of Act 1?
Inciting event
Exposition
Main Character
Correct answer: Plot point 1