'Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea': explaining a writer's structural choices
I can explain the effects of structural features.
'Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea': explaining a writer's structural choices
I can explain the effects of structural features.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- When we talk about how a text is structured, we mean what does the writer focus our attention on in each part and why.
- Writers make deliberate structural choices to create precise effects.
- Don't comment on word choices or devices – instead consider the effect of shifts in focus or narrative perspective.
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.
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.
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).
Lesson video
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