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Year 10
AQA

Exploring and emulating character description in Nemirovsky's 'Suite Française'

I can write an interesting character description.

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New
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Year 10
AQA

Exploring and emulating character description in Nemirovsky's 'Suite Française'

I can write an interesting character description.

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Share activities with pupils
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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. You can use prepositions to move seamlessly between parts of a character description.
  2. You can reveal aspects of your character’s personality and lifestyle through describing their outward appearance.
  3. Brackets can add more detail about the character in a description.
  4. You can use brackets in the middle or end of a sentence to add more information about a character.

Keywords

  • Condescending - having an attitude of patronising superiority

  • Dismissive - feeling that someone is unworthy of attention

  • Irreproachable - faultless; impossible to criticise

Common misconception

Pupils may incorrectly punctuate sentences when using brackets.

Full stops go outside of the brackets when the bracketed phrase is part of a larger sentence. Full stops go inside of the brackets when the bracketed phrase is a sentence in itself.

You may want to model a less effective character description in Learning Cycle 1 before showing a better model.
Teacher tip

Equipment

You will find extracts taken from 'Suite Française' in the additional materials for this lesson.

Content guidance

  • 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).

Lesson video

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Match the punctuation type to its purpose.
Correct Answer:colon,reveals information set up by the previous clause

reveals information set up by the previous clause

Correct Answer:brackets,adds extra information to a sentence

adds extra information to a sentence

Correct Answer:semi-colon,joins related clauses together without a conjunction

joins related clauses together without a conjunction

Q2.
Which sentence contains brackets?
Correct answer: Carolina worked as a scientist by day (microbiologist to be exact).
Carolina was a proud microbiologist - intelligent and independent.
Carolina worked in a field that brought her joy: microbiology.
Q3.
Which of the below is a preposition?
gentle
Correct answer: above
slowly
the
woman
Q4.
What is juxtaposition?
when two similar things are placed together
Correct answer: when different or opposing things are placed together
when a writer repeats a phrase at the beginning of consecutive sentences
Q5.
Which sentence is most effective at suggesting that a character is serious?
Correct answer: Her face was composed and tight.
Her wide eyes sparkled.
She swung her arms freely.
She combed through her hair with her fingers.
She looked straight ahead.
Q6.
Which sentence uses brackets correctly?
Correct answer: The museum's exhibit (which opens next month) features ancient artefacts.
The museum's exhibit (features which open next month) ancient artefacts.
The museum's exhibit which (open next month) features ancient artefacts.

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What does it mean to have irreproachable manners?
Correct answer: Their manners are impossible to criticise.
Their manners are unsatisfactory.
Their manners are inconsistent.
Q2.
Which description from 'Suite Française' suggests Madame Péricand is shrewd?
"…her face was pale and anguished …"
"Her clothes were black."
Correct answer: "The expression in her green eyes was as sharp as a cat's."
Q3.
Which word class might help us to seamlessly transition from describing one aspect of a character to the next?
noun
Correct answer: preposition
verb
Q4.
Which sentence does not use brackets correctly?
The company (founded in 1940), has over 1500 employees.
His face was haggard (he had not slept all night).
Correct answer: She worked tirelessly (day, night and everything in between.) for her family.
Q5.
Which action might show someone is being condescending?
They hold the door open for you.
Correct answer: They speak to you in simplistic language, assuming you do not know something.
They hug you when you are feeling low.
Q6.
In 'Suite Française', Nemirovsky seems to present Madame Péricand as ...
disorganised.
Correct answer: pretentious.
poor.

Additional material

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