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Year 10
AQA

Developing reading skills and personal responses to non-fiction texts

I can make predictions about two unseen non-fiction texts and develop a personal response to them.

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New
New
Year 10
AQA

Developing reading skills and personal responses to non-fiction texts

I can make predictions about two unseen non-fiction texts and develop a personal response to them.

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Asking questions about the writer and time of publication can help us understand the perspective of the writer.
  2. Asking questions about the genre, audience and publication can help understand the writer’s intentions.
  3. Analysing non-fiction is important because it helps us understand why information is being offered to us in that way.
  4. Developing a personal response is important because it helps us to see how the text fits with our world view.

Common misconception

That you don't need to analyse non-fiction texts - just absorb the information.

Analysing non-fiction texts is essential because it helps us understand who is offering us this information and why are they offering it to us.

Keywords

  • Non-fiction - prose writing that is informative or factual rather than fictional

  • Predict - say or estimate that (a specified thing) will happen in the future or will be a consequence of something

  • Prose - written or spoken language in its ordinary form, without metrical structure

  • Informative - providing useful or interesting information

  • Personal response - reflection of one's thoughts, feelings, and opinions on a particular topic or piece of literature

It would be useful for pupils to highlight or make a note of the questions in LC1 so that they can apply them to future non-fiction texts.
Teacher tip

Equipment

You will need a copy of 'My struggle with a tiger' by Charles Jamrach and 'Gorilla recaptured after escape from London zoo' by Kevin Rawlinson which can both be found in the additional materials.

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Supervision

Adult supervision required

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.
'Prose writing that is informative or factual rather than fictional' is the definition of?
Fiction
Correct answer: Non-fiction
Personal narrative
Anecdote
Q2.
A text that provides useful or interesting information is the definition of which word beginning with 'I'?
Correct Answer: Informative
Q3.
Complete this sentence: If a writer uses "I", it suggests that the text is written in person.'
Correct answer: first
second
third
Q4.
Which reading skill can help you before reading a complex text?
clarifying
questioning
summarising
Correct answer: predicting
Q5.
Complete this sentence to fill the blanks: Contextual information can include; __________, __________ and _________.
Correct answer: when the text was written
Correct answer: who the text was written by
Correct answer: what the text is about
how the writer uses language
why the writer has made specific choices
Q6.
In a first-person narrative, which pronoun is typically used to refer to the narrator?
He
They
Correct answer: I
You
She

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which of the below can be helpful in predicting what an article is going to be about?
Correct answer: the title
Correct answer: the author
Correct answer: where it is published
its length
Correct answer: the year it was published
Q2.
'Reflection of one's thoughts, feelings, and opinions on a particular topic or piece of literature' is the definition of a response.
Correct Answer: personal
Q3.
Which of the following factors might contribute to the implication that Jamrach may want to portray himself as brave in his encounter with a tiger in the article 'My Struggle with Tiger'?
Correct answer: It was published in 1879.
The title implies an encounter with a tiger.
Correct answer: It was published in 'The Boy's Own Paper'.
Q4.
'Written or spoken language in its ordinary form, without metrical structure' is the definition of .
Correct Answer: prose
Q5.
Rawlinson's article, 'Gorilla recaptured after escape...', is written over a hundred years after Jamrach's 'Tiger' article - how do you think this might affect attitudes towards animals in captivity?
Correct answer: Rawlinson's article is likely to be more sympathetic.
Jamrach's article is likely to be more sympathetic.
There isn't likely to be any change in attitude.
Q6.
Which of the following factors from Rawlinson's article, 'Gorilla recaptured after escape...', might suggest a less emotional, personal response to the animals?
It was written by a man.
It was published in a national newspaper.
Correct answer: It appears to be third-person narrative.

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