New
New
Year 10
AQA

'Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea': explaining a writer's structural choices

I can explain the effects of structural features.

New
New
Year 10
AQA

'Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea': explaining a writer's structural choices

I can explain the effects of structural features.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. When we talk about how a text is structured, we mean what does the writer focus our attention on in each part and why.
  2. Writers make deliberate structural choices to create precise effects.
  3. Don't comment on word choices or devices – instead consider the effect of shifts in focus or narrative perspective.

Common misconception

Analysing language features is enough.

The best analysis - with the richest commentary - will also spend time focusing on structural decisions a writer makes.

Keywords

  • Structure - The way a story is put together.

  • Structural features - Techniques a writer uses across a paragraph, chapter or story to organise the information.

  • Narrative voice - The perspective a story is told from.

  • Focus - The area of attention in a story or piece of writing.

  • League - A unit of measurement equivalent to three miles.

There are lots of great resources for teaching 'Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea'. Consider adding a trailer/video clip from a movie version to better demonstrate the underwater world described in this extract.
Teacher tip

Equipment

There is a copy of the extract from 'Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea’ available in the additional materials.

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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6 Questions

Q1.
What do we mean by the term 'structure' in English?
Correct answer: the organisation of a text
the language a writer uses
the context surrounding a text
Q2.
Adding one or more adjectives to describe a noun can make it ...
Correct answer: an expanded noun phrase.
a metaphor.
a simile.
imagery.
Q3.
What is being described here: 'A word that has the same meaning - or almost the same meaning - as another word.'
Correct Answer: synonym, Synonym, synonym., Synonym.
Q4.
'The area of attention in a story or piece of writing.' What is being described here?
Pace
Correct answer: Focus
Structure
Vocabulary
Q5.
What is the missing word for the definition of 'narrative voice'? The a story is told from.
Correct answer: perspective
direction
person
style
time period
Q6.
A league is a unit of measurement equivalent to ...
Correct answer: three miles.
five miles.
two miles.
four miles.

6 Questions

Q1.
Who wrote 'Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea'?
H.G. Wells
Correct answer: Jules Verne
Victor Hugo
Charles Dickens
Q2.
The story 'Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea' is written from which narrative perspective?
Correct answer: First-person
Third-person limited
Third-person omniscient
Second-person
A variety of different narrative perspectives
Q3.
'The way a story is put together.' What is being described here?
Correct answer: structure
tension
pace
context
consistency
Q4.
Which of the below can be considered a 'structural feature'?
alliteration
sophisticated vocabulary
Correct answer: narrative voice
Correct answer: contrast
Correct answer: shifts in pace or time
Q5.
In 'Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea' Verne describes the underwater forest in relation to other places on Earth ('the tropics' and 'the arctic'). What structural device is this?
Correct answer: contrast
shifts (in time)
withholding information
narrative voice
Q6.
Which of the below is the best comment analysing structural features?
Correct answer: Verne uses each paragraph to greater reveal the mysteries of this place.
Verne varies his use use of focus and pace.
Verne uses first-person perspective really well.
Verne focuses on the plant life in detail.

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