Woman in Black - Revision I

THE Woman in black

Susan Hill

Why study?

• English Literature GCSE

• In May you will have to take an exam paper called ‘Exploring Modern Texts’.

• It is 1 hour 30 minutes long.• It is worth 40% of your Eng Lit GCSE.

The Exam

• The exam paper has 2 sections.

• Section A is a question on Modern Prose or Drama. This will be on The Woman in Black.

• Section B is a question on Exploring Cultures. This will be on .....................

Section A

• You will have a choice of two questions – you only answer ONE of them.

The book in the exam..• If you have your own copy of the book – please ensure your name

is on it clearly!

• With your own copy, you may highlight any important quotes etc and write on the book to help with your revision.

• HOWEVER – the copy that you have in the exam – is a CLEAN copy that we provide.

• School copies MUST NOT be written in and cannot be taken home. This is because we MUST ensure we have enough copies for you in the exam – we cannot risk some getting lost/left behind at home.

Students, please note...

• When I am referring to the book it is written with capitals – The Woman In Black.

• When I am referring to the character in the book – it is written in lower case – the woman in black.

Lesson 1

• To examine the conventions of a Victorian ghost story.

• To understand what you need to know for your exam.

What you need to know

• You will be expected to know about:

• The ideas/themes/issues from the novel.• Characterisation.• Settings.• The writer’s language and techniques.

What you need to show

• That you can analyse language (or structure or form)• Analyse the ideas/themes /settings.• That you understand context and the impact it has on

the writing.• You can use a range of detail to support your

response.

• You will also be expected to have your spelling and syntax accurate throughout the essay. There are marks for this.

The Woman In Black background

• Written by Susan Hill.• Written in 1983.• Inspired to write a ghost story by ‘The Turn Of

The Screw’ by Henry James.

• Novel set in latter half of 19th century and first half of 20th century.

Introduction

• ‘I really wrote it as an exercise almost. I love traditional English, classic, ghost stories, particularly Victorian ghost stories which are virtually always dependent upon atmosphere... I wanted to see if I could take all the ingredients of those classic ghost stories and rework them. The first thing was to make a list of what the ingredients of the classic English ghost story are.’

Susan Hill

In pairs, draw up a list of what you consider to be the important elements of a classic ghost story. You should have at least 5.

Feedback

The Turn of the Screw

• Written by Henry James in 1898. (Late Victorian)

• Read through the synopsis on the next slide. What elements of a classic ghost story are apparent?

• An unnamed narrator listens to a male friend reading a manuscript written by a former governess whom the friend claims to have known and who is now dead. The manuscript tells the story of how the young governess is hired by a man who has found himself responsible for his niece and nephew after the death of their grandparents who were raising the children after their father died. He lives in London and has no interest in raising the children. The boy, Miles, is attending a boarding school whilst his sister, Flora, is living at the country house in Essex. She is currently being cared for by the housekeeper, Mrs. Grose. The governess's new employer gives her full charge of the children and explicitly states that she is not to bother him with communications of any sort. The governess travels to her new employer's country house and begins her duties.

• Miles soon returns from school for the summer just after a letter arrives from the headmaster stating that he has been expelled. Miles never speaks of the matter, and the governess is hesitant to raise the issue. She fears that there is some horrid secret behind the expulsion, but is too charmed by the adorable young boy to want to press the issue. Shortly thereafter, the governess begins to see around the grounds of the estate the figures of a man and woman whom she does not recognize. These figures come and go at will without ever being seen or challenged by other members of the household, and they seem to the governess to be supernatural. She learns from Mrs. Grose that her predecessor, Miss Jessel, and Miss Jessel's illicit lover Peter Quint both died under curious circumstances. Prior to their death, they spent most of their time with Flora and Miles, and this fact takes on grim significance for the governess when she becomes convinced that the two children are secretly aware of the presence of the ghosts.

• Later, Flora runs away from the house while Miles plays music for the governess. They notice and go to find her. The governess and Mrs. Grose find her in a clearing in the wood, and the governess is convinced that she has been talking to Miss Jessel. When Flora is forced to admit this, she demands to never see the governess again. Mrs. Grose takes Flora away to her uncle, leaving the governess with Miles. That night, they are finally talking of Miles' expulsion when the ghost of Quint appears at the window. The governess shields Miles, who screams at her as he attempts to see the ghost. The governess tells him that he is no longer under the control of the ghost, and finds that Miles has died in her arms.

Victorian gothic ghost stories..

• Read through the sheet on gothic fiction.

• Highlight any elements of this tradition that are used in The Woman In Black.

Have you got all of these from our work so far?

1. The isolated location2. 1st person narrator3. The growing unease of the protagonist4. The use of women and children5. The sightings and the physical appearance of the ghost6. A haunted house7. Madness8. A curse9. Revenge10. Superstition11. Darkness12. Death

What do these elements add to the story?

On Setting Overall, the isolated locations of the stories help to make them eerie,

because it means that the protagonists are cut off from any help. They can’t call the police, run to a neighbour or to a crowded, public place of safety.

On Narrator In all of the stories, the narrator makes it eerie because he (invariably a

male narrator) builds up the tension, so we expect it to be scary. He signposts the reader when something bad is about to happen.

On Ghosts All of the ghosts in the stories are only glimpsed ; shadowy spectres in the

fog (and it’s always foggy!), which makes it eerie, because you are not sure if the mind is playing tricks on you or if it is real.

Analysis: Your turn

What are the intended effects of TWO of these

devices (how does it help to make the story eerie)?1. The isolated location

2. The 1st person narrator

3. The growing unease of the protagonist

4. The use of women and children

You will feedback your answer to the whole class.

Make notes on the other groups’ feedback.

Homework for lesson 5

• You need to know a little more about why Susan Hill chose to set her story 100 years earlier.

Research the time that Susan Hill set her book. There are many reasons she chose this period that have a direct bearing on the plot. Find out at least FIVE reasons that she chose to set her book in this time period.

Homework for lesson 5

• You need to know a little more about why Susan Hill chose to set her story 100 years earlier.

Research the time that Susan Hill set her book. There are many reasons she chose this period that have a direct bearing on the plot. Find out at least FIVE reasons that she chose to set her book in this time period. (Some examples: technology, women, Clean Air Act 1956 etc)

Lesson 2 ‘Christmas Eve’

• To analyse the effectiveness of the opening of The Woman In Black.

Introduction

• Discuss briefly what happens in this chapter.

• Feedback.

Introduction

• This chapter is important. It seems unusual because it introduces characters and a setting that we do not meet again.

• This was deliberately done by Hill.

• Discuss the following questions:

Introduction

• Why introduce the characters of Arthur’s wife and step-family, if they do not appear again?

• Why will Arthur’s wife’s name in this chapter become more significant later?

• Why set this at Christmas time?• What might be the significance of the name

‘Monk’s Piece’?• Why do you think Kipps loved Edmund, the

youngest, ‘more deeply than any.’?

Close text focus

• Read from pg 18 ‘The lonely country house....’ to the end of page 20.

Text focus

• What sort of an atmosphere is Hill creating here? Why? Find two quotes that show this.

• How does this extract foreshadow the events to come?

• What main features of ghost stories can you identify from this passage?

MARCELLUS: Some say that ever 'gainst that season comes

Wherein our Saviour’s birth is celebrated,The bird of dawning singeth all night long.

And then, they say, no spirit dare stir abroad.The nights are wholesome. Then no planets strike,

No fairy takes, nor witch hath power to charm,So hallowed and so gracious is that time.

MARCELLUS: Some people say that just before Christmas the rooster crows all night long, so that no ghost dares go wandering, and the night is safe. The planets have no sway over us, fairies' spells don’t work, and witches can’t

bewitch us. That’s how holy that night is.

Hamlet (William Shakespeare) – Act 1 Scene 1

Marcellus and other watchmen have just seen the ghost of Hamlet’s father (the old King). The appearance of the ghost indicates to them and to the audience that there is something wrong in Denmark. One of the watchmen – Horatio – sees the ghost as an ill omen boding violence and turmoil. The ghost does not speak and seems to disappear when the cock crows. Then, Marcellus says the speech above. Horatio is later proved to be right – and the appearance of the ghost does foreshadow the later tragedies of the play.

Kipps is calmed by these words. Are these words calming or is there another meaning in the use of these words? Does it make a difference if you know the reference or not? Does it matter if you don’t?

Character development..

• Trace Kipps’ feelings from the start of the passage to the end of it...

• Fill in the tension graph on the next slide. Next to each graph point write a word from the passage to show the feeling.

Tension graph

‘At first’

High

Medium

increasing

low‘amused’

‘from the house’

Character development..

• Write a SQEEL paragraph, answering the following question:

• What do we learn about Arthur Kipps’ state of mind from this passage and how does that prepare the reader for what is to come?

Peer assessment

• Swap books with the person opposite you.

• Read through their work. Give them a WWW and EBI, based on the following ideas:

• Have they used an appropriate quote?• Have they shown changes in Kipps’ character?• Have they written about the reader • Have they referred to later plot developments?• Have they analysed a particular word in detail and considered

its effect?

Example exam question

• How effective is the first chapter, ‘Christmas Eve’ in introducing characters and ideas which are important to the novel as a whole?

Monk’s Piece - homework

• Monk’s Piece could be contrasted with the house at Eel Marsh.

• Re-read the 3rd paragraph on pg 10 and the 3rd and 4th paragraph on pg 12.

• Draw a picture of Monk’s Piece and around the picture, list the facts we learn about it from these passages.

Plenary

• Review your learning:

• What do you learn about Mr Bentley in this chapter?

• How is this chapter important for setting the scene/atmosphere for the rest of the novel?

Lesson 3 ‘A London Particular’

• To analyse the use of the weather to create an atmosphere.

Introduction

• Read pg 25.

• In pairs, list 10 words used in this passage about the fog.

• ‘A London Particular’ is the name for the types of fog experienced in London before the Clean Air Act of 1956 (hint for your homework from lesson 1).

Pathetic Fallacy

• This was a term coined by the writer John Ruskin.• It means attributing human feelings to the weather and the

natural world.

• Eg ‘it was menacing and sinister’.

• Why do you think Hill uses Pathetic Fallacy at the beginning of this chapter? What effect does it have on the reader?

• What type of language device is pg 25, paragraph 2, line 4? What impression does it give?

Close text focus

• Re-read the dialogue between Kipps and Mr Bentley, from ‘I don’t think I ever told you..’ (pg 28) to ‘as a jaunt’ (pg31).

• In pairs, sum up 4 things that Kipps learns from this conversation.

• Feedback.

Close text focus

• In this passage, what language devices does Hill use to create an air of mystery about Alice Drablow?

• In pairs, find 3 with an example for each one.

• Swap one of your books with another pair. Have they got a device you haven’t got? Write it down! Swap once more and do the same again.

Hopefully you got these...

• Short sentences.• Incomplete sentences.• Use of pauses.• Kipps repeating Bentley’s words.• Rhetorical questions.

• Any that you were missing, add a quote from the passage.

Close text focus

• Pg 31 ‘like something from a Victorian novel’

• What is Hill doing here by writing this? What effect does it have on the reader?

• Pg 29 Notice how Mr Bentley answers about Alice Drablow having children. What devices does Hill employ here? What is the significance of the church bell ringing before he answers?

Supernatural

• Pick out all of the references to the supernatural in this chapter.

Homework

• Re-read Chapter 3 ‘The Journey North’.• List what else we discover about Alice Drablow.

Describe Samuel Daily from this chapter.

• Look at:• http://literatureguides.philipallan.co.uk/

bookpage.aspx• Click on the section on weather.

Plenary

• Chapter review:

• Discuss – do you think Mr Bentley is being deliberately vague or is he just being old?

• What’s your evidence?

• Feedback.

Lesson 4 ‘The Funeral of Mrs Drablow’

• To synthesise information in this chapter to imagine Kipps’ point of view.

Introduction

• Pg 40-45.

• Pick out 8 words that suggest that Kipps is content and happy at Crythin Gifford.

• What is the effect of using these words at the beginning of the chapter?

Close text focus

• Re-read pg 48 paragraph 3 ‘However, towards the end of it..’

• Note how long this paragraph is. Hill presents the Woman in Black in such detail.

• In pairs, pick out all of the clues that Hill gives us that the woman is a supernatural presence (even though Kipps doesn’t realise it yet).

Imagine...

• That you are Kipps writing a letter back to Stella about your arrival in Crythin Gifford.

• You are going to write 3 paragraphs:

• 1st – Your arrival and what you think of the Gifford Arms.• 2nd – What you, as a Londoner, think of the local people

(see pg 42-43 to help). How the locals react when you mention Mrs Drablow.

• 3rd - The funeral and the sight of the woman in black – remember what Kipps felt for her at this point.

In pairs..

• Plan for this letter. Pick out words/phrases you could use from the text to use in your letter.

• You have 10 minutes.

On your own..

• Write the letter to Stella.

• 30 minutes.

Self analysis

• Underline any words that came from the text.

• Highlight any words that you think create a sense of tension for the reader. Give you a WWW and EBI

• Do you think you have captured Kipps’ character? How have you managed to do this/what did you need to do to do this?

• I will mark this and give you a WWW and EBI.

Plenary

• Chapter review:

• Who is Mr Jerome and what was his business?

Homework• From before:

• You need to know a little more about why Susan Hill chose to set her story 100 years earlier.

Research the time that Susan Hill set her book. There are many reasons she chose this period that have a direct bearing on the plot. Find out at least FIVE reasons that she chose to set her book in this time period.

The next lesson is entirely based on your research. You MUST do this.

Lesson 5

• To gather your information and make significant links with the novel.

Task

• In groups of 4, you are going to focus on one aspect of the context of the novel.

• You will prepare a presentation about your focus, teaching it to the rest of the class. The presentation will be next lesson, so all you preparation needs to be completed today.

Task

• The different aspects are:

• Technology and transport• Position of women in society• The natural environment/weather

In your presentation...

• You need to give the facts you have found out.• You need to link them to the relevant parts of

the novel.• You need to show why it was necessary for Hill

to set in her novel in the time that she did, why it wouldn’t work in the 1980’s when it was written.

• Find relevant and important quotes.

Lesson 6

• To teach your ideas to the rest of the class.

Task

• Students give presentations and others make notes whilst they do so.

Lesson 7 ‘Across The Causeway’

• To analyse the setting of Eel Marsh.

Introduction

• Discuss why you think ‘Nine Lives Causeway’ may have been so called. Why do you think Hill chose to call it by this name?

Task

• In pairs, find all of the references to sounds in this chapter. You should be able to find at least 5....

• Feedback

Did you find?

• Keckwick clucked at the pony• The marshes lay silent• The trotting of the pony’s hooves• The rumble of the wheels• Harsh weird cries from birds• Smart noise of pony’s hooves ceased, to be replaced

with hissing, silky sort of sound• Rough scraping of the cart• Faint keening of the wind• ‘rawk rawk’ of a hidden bird

Task

• What effect do these references to senses have on the reader?

• Spend 5 minutes discussing and making notes.

• Then write a short paragraph, using a quote, explaining your thoughts.

Close text focus

• Read from pg 67 ‘I did not believe in ghosts’ to the repetition on pg 68 ‘I did not believe in ghosts’.

• Re-read pg 18/19 ‘And then came..’ to ‘..more ghastly detail.’

Close text focus

• Kipps realises that the woman in black is a ghost. How does she differ from a ‘traditional’ ghost?

• How does Hill suggest that the woman in black IS still a ghost?

• What is the effect on Kipps of the realisation that she is a ghost?

• HOW is the appearance of the woman now more frightening than when she appeared at the funeral (pg 48-52)? What has changed?

The causeway...

• Look at the pictures on the following slides of an Island in Northumberland called Holy Island. It is connected to the mainland by a causeway that floods once a day......

Also known by its Celtic name as Lindisfarne, Holy Island is accessible only at low tide, twice daily, by a three mile long causeway, built in 1954.

The tide comes in very rapidly and is very dangerous.

Last year, 15 cars got stuck trying to cross the causeway as the tide came in.

The hut in the middle of the causeway, is an ‘escape hut’ for anyone who does attempt to cross and gets their car stuck. It’s for people only. The cars just have to wait till low tide and are usually a write-off.

Holy Island, from the mainland, at High Tide.

The causeway...

• Draw a diagram of Eel Marsh House and its surroundings as accurately as possible using details from pg 60-66.

• Around the diagram, label with quotes.

Plenary

• Compare your picture with the picture of Monk’s Piece. What are the differences? Any similarities?

• Sibilance

Homework

• http://literatureguides.philipallan.co.uk/bookpage.aspx

• Click on the Flash Revise cards. Print these out – they will be very useful for your revision.

Lesson 8 ‘The Sound of a Pony and Trap’

• To analyse tension in chapter 6 and the novel so far.

Homework: Exam question

• Write about two places in the novel where setting is important to the story.

• Describe these places and briefly say what happens in each of them.

• Say why they are important to the story, explain the atmosphere of each place and what the writer wants the reader to think or feel.

• Explain how successful she has been. Give your reasons.

Language used..

• Read the second paragraph on pg 74.

• In pairs, list all of the emotive words used in this paragraph.

Language used..

• Choose 3 of your words and explain the effect of using this word on the reader. Remember Hill chose every word deliberately to build up tension.

• Eg The description of the horse ‘in panic’ makes the reader feel that there is something for humans to panic about too. It is not just the horse who is starting to panic – but Kipps himself and ultimately the reader too.

For the teacher...

• Using lolly-sticks, choose a student who then chooses a word and tells the others what they have written.

• Someone else with that word must then read back what they said – and then choose another word from their writing. They read what they said – and then another student with the same word also tells their ideas and so on.

• Do this 6 or 7 times.

Close text focus

• Re-read from the top of page 79 to the top of page 81.

• Draw up a table to show the comparison between the way that the two men are described at this point..

Kipps Keckwick

Appearance

Speech (what they say and how they say it)

Body Language

Reaction to each other

Relevant quote

Tension....

• Trace the tension from the start of the novel to the end of Chapter 6.

• Fill in the tension graph on the next slide. Next to each graph point write a word from the Chapter to show the feeling.

Tension graph

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6

High

Medium

increasing

low

Tension....

• Write a short paragraph describing how the tension builds and falls within these 6 chapters.

• Think:• Why does Hill do this?• What’s the effect of having low tension prior to

high tension?• What’s the effect on the reader?• Is this an effective way to scare the reader?

Tension..

• Swap books.

• Has the other person explained themselves clearly?• Did they use a quote?• Did they refer to Hill directly?

• Give them a WWW and EBI based on this.

• Swap again – so that 2 people will have given you feedback.

Tension..

• Pass the books back.

• Having read someone else’s work, and seeing the EBI’s and the questions on the previous slide, rewrite the start of the paragraph to make it clear, confident and detailed.

Plenary

• Underneath your paragraph, write a response. Do you think you have now written a better paragraph? Why?

Lesson 9 ‘Mr Jerome is Afraid’

• To start to consider the characters from the novel.

• To explore what we learn about Mr Jerome, and also what we learn about Kipps’ state of mind in this chapter.

Introduction

• Discuss – why did Kipps change his mind about going back to London?

• Feedback

Task

• In pairs, list the characters we have met so far in the novel:

Task

• In pairs, list the characters we have met so far in the novel:Arthur KippsEsme + her sonsMr BentleyTomesSam DailyKeckwickThe landlordThe woman in black(Mrs Drablow) – have we ‘met’ her?

Task• For each of these characters, find one quote to sum up something

about their character:

Arthur KippsEsme + her sonsMr BentleyTomesSam DailyKeckwickThe landlordThe woman in black(Mrs Drablow) – have we ‘met’ her?

Close text focus

• Re-read the whole of the passage which details Kipps’ visit to the offices of Jerome, from pg 87 to the middle of pg 91.

Close text focus

• Write down any factual knowledge we gain from this visit.

• Find 2 quotes for Kipps and 2 quotes for Mr Jerome, that clearly show Mr Jerome’s fear and panic and Kipps’ cheerfulness.

Close text focus• Key quote:

• Pg 89 ‘Not another living soul,’

• This quote clearly demonstrates Hill’s use of irony.What did Kipps mean and what can we interpret from his words ‘living

soul’?

Try using this phrase in a sentence:

It is ironic when Kipps finishes Mr Jerome’s sentence by saying ‘Not another living soul,’ because.........

A letter

• Kipps returns to the Gifford Arms after seeing Mr Jerome and writes to Mr Bentley.

• Read the paragraph on pg 91, where Kipps explains what he put in the letter.

• You are going to write this letter to Mr Bentley. USE the paragraph as your plan. USE words/phrases from the passage.

• 20 minutes.

A letter

• Swap books with another student.

• Use the passage on pg 91 to mark their work.

• Have they included everything that Kipps said that he wrote?

• Have they written in paragraphs?• Have they used words from the passage?

• Give them a WWW and EBI.

Plenary

• Discuss – why does Mr Jerome’s reaction add to the mystery?

Lesson 10 ‘Spider’ and ‘In The Nursery’

• To analyse how Hill is building up a Conspiracy of Silence.

• To explore what contribution Spider makes to the plot.

Introduction

• What do the words ‘Conspiracy of Silence’ mean?

• Can you think of any times that a character has said nothing when they know something more?

Conspiracy of Silence

• Describes an agreement (spoken or unspoken) between a group of people to say nothing and to give no information to others outside of the group. Very often, they do not discuss the secret within the group either.

Conspiracy of Silence

• Use the reference on the following page.

• You will be put into groups of 3 and given 2 references to concentrate on.

• Re-read the pages you have been given and choose 1 important quote from each that you think shows this conspiracy of silence particularly well.

Conspiracy of Silence

• Daily’s comments (pg 37)• The landlord’s introduction (pg 42)• Mr Jerome (pg 47)• Kipps’ conversation with a farmer (pg 56)• Keckwick’s silence (pg 62)• Keckwick’s behaviour (pg 80-81)• Kipps’ reflections on the landlord’s behaviour (pg 82-83)• The landlord’s willingness to discuss mundane matters but

not Kipps’ experience at Eel Marsh House (pg 85-86)• The encounter with Jerome (Chapter 7)

Conspiracy of Silence

• In your group of 3, use your 2 quotes to write a good SQEEL in response to the following question:

• How does Hill make it clear to the reader that there is a conspiracy of silence within Crythin Gifford?

• Don’t forget:

Conspiracy of Silence SQEEL• Statement – your opening sentence should tell me what the whole

paragraph is going to be based on.• Eg. Hill creates a conspiracy of silence by using the body language of the

landlord.• Quote – Embed your quote into the paragraph. Don’t say – ‘this quote

shows.....’. Say: The landlord did not answer Kipps when he enquired about Mrs Drablow, but instead ‘His face flickered with.....what? Alarm, was it?’

• Explain and Expand What devices/words does Hill use to get the idea across (eg questions and pauses)? What is the effect on the reader? How does this affect Kipps? How does this quote show a conspiracy?

• Language Is there a particular word that emphasises a conspiracy? (egThe word ‘flickered’ suggests that he knows more than he is saying and perhaps is debating with himself whether to say anything. Ultimately though. He decides to keep quiet – keeping in with the idea of conspiring against Kipps.’

SQEEL• Swap each of your books with another group.

• Still in your groups, label the 5 parts of SQEEL.• Give a WWW and EBI based on the following:• Have they answered the question?• Have they chosen a USEFUL quote?• Have they referred to Hill?• Have they written about the effect on the reader?

• Sign and date the mark.

• Swap back. Having read someone else’s work, and the WWW and EBI you have been given, complete the following sentence:

• In order to improve my work, next time I need to ..............

Spider

• You may well be asked about the contribution Spider makes to the plot and atmosphere.

• Use the tension graph on the next slide. Show how Hill uses Spider to build and relax the tension...

• Remember to find the quote to prove your decision.

Tension graph

‘Beginning

of’ Chapter 9

High

Medium

increasing

low

‘spirited, lively and alert’

‘End of Chapter 9’

Plenary

• What else do we find out? Answer, in pairs, in sentences.

• Who is Jennet Humfrye?• Where was she living?• What happened to her?• Why is this an issue?• What was her son called?• What happened to him after he was born?• What did Jennet feel about letting him go?• Who was Rose Judd?

Homework

• Read the description of the nursery:

• Pg 120 line 12 to page 121 line 22

• This nursery is of its time and shows very different attitudes to toys in modern times.

• Clearly attitudes to race, gender and religion have changed over time.

• Choose 1 toy for each of these attitudes (race, gender and religion) and write a short piece on what attitudes these toys show in the late 19th century and how these attitudes have changed.

Lesson 11 ‘Whistle and I’ll Come To You’

• To analyse the effects of language to create fear.

Introduction

• The title of this chapter is adapted from the title of another ghost story ‘Oh Whistle and I’ll Come To You, My Lad’ written in 1910 by MR James.

• Why do you think Hill does this?• Do you think the reader needs to know this?

Close Text Focus

• Read from the start of the chapter to the top of pg 125 ..’inexplicably, opened.’

• There are a number of language devices used in this passage that Hill uses to create fear......

• Copy the chart on the next slide and find the devices, considering WHY Hill chose to write them and what they do to the audience.

Close Text FocusLanguage Device

Quote Pg number Effect

Simile (more than one)

Questions

Short sentences

Rule of 3

More Close Text Focus

• Re-read pg 126 from ‘For a very long time,........’ to the end of the first paragraph on pg 127, ‘...enough to confront and overcome it.’

• In pairs, make a list of all the words in this passage which create fear.

More Close Text Focus

• Using your list of words, write numbers next to them, ordering them from 1 (creates most fear) onwards.

• Consider the top two that you thought created the most fear.

• Write these two words down and after each one, justify your thinking. WHY do you think they are the most terrifying? What effect do they have on the reader?

More Close Text Focus

• Create a class ‘top five’ words list, through a show of hands.

• Feedback your views on the list you created as a class.

Other ideas to consider and discuss and make notes on....

• Pg 122, 2nd paragraph. Hill shows Kipps recalling his childhood. Why does she do this? How does that affect how we read the rest of this chapter?

• The sense of sound is used a lot in this chapter. Find 5 examples of this and discuss why this sense makes it more frightening.

• Pg 130 – why is the near-death of Spider so distressing and frightening?

Use what you’ve worked on....

• Imagine you were given an essay title:

• Explore how Hill creates fear in the chapter ‘Whistle and I’ll Come To You’?

• In the exam, you will only have time to write 3 or 4 paragraphs.

• Using your work so far this lesson, pick 4 different ideas you could use to answer this question.

Planning

• For each of your different ideas, write the Statement and choose the Quote.

Homework

• Choose ONE of your Statement and Quote ideas and write the SQEEL to complete it.

Plenary

• Write ONE of your statements on a post-it note and stick it on the whiteboard.

• Now choose ONE statement that you hadn’t got in your planning and copy it into YOUR book! If time – find the quote that you could use with the statement.

Lesson 12 ‘A Packet Of Letters’ and ‘The Woman In Black’

• To explore the morality of the story of The Woman In Black.

• To consider the effectiveness of the ending of the story.

Introduction

• What does the word ‘moral’ mean?

• Discuss. Decide on a definition and write it down.

• Decide on a class definition.

Introduction

• ‘Concerned with the principles of right and wrong behaviour and the goodness or badness of human character.’

Introduction

• ‘I also think that ghost stories should have to have a point beyond frightening. It’s all very well to be frightened, but there has to be a point and I never really write anything which hasn’t got a point. I do think that there is a moral point to The Woman In Black, but that came later.’

Susan Hill

What do you think the point of the story is? What moral point might it be making?

Close Text Focus – Chapter 11

• Re-read the end of pg 150 from ‘I asked myself unanswerable questions...’ to the end of the first paragraph on pg 151 ‘...a man might range himself on one side or the other.’

Close Text Focus – Chapter 11

• Susan Hill is a Christian writer and ‘The Woman In Black’ is a morality tale.

• ‘Now, I realised that there were forces for good and those for evil doing battle together......’

This idea is central to the Christian faith. Now you know the background to the woman in black – do you think Jennet is evil or a victim of evil? Does she deserve our sympathy or condemnation?

• Divide into 2 groups – those who believe Jennet is evil and those who think she is a victim.

• In your groups, make notes on WHY you believe that. Pick out incidents and evidence from the text (Chapters 1 – 11) to back up your opinion.

• You will almost certainly want to refer to the context of how unmarried women giving birth were treated for this.

Debate!

• Hold a debate discussing your opinions.

• In the exam, it is good to hold a strong opinion and be able to back it up.

Close Text Focus – Chapter 12

• Re-read from pg 158 ‘And then, quite suddenly.....’ to the end of the first paragraph on pg 159 ‘The woman had disappeared.’

• The woman in black appears for the last time.• A central belief of Christianity is that all sins

are forgivable.

Close Text Focus – Chapter 12

• What are your feelings about Jennet Humfrye now?• Can Jennet be forgiven?• Can evil ever ultimately triumph over good?

• Following your debate, and considering the questions above, write a short response showing your opinion about the woman in black, using the sentence starters to help you, if you wish:

I do/do not think Jennet is evil because .......I think Jennet can/cannot be forgiven because....

The end....

• Chapter 12 comes full circle and reminds us that Kipps is now at Monk’s Piece.

• On pg 156, he refers to Esme watching him tell the story.

• The last line refers to the step-children.

• Why do you think Hill uses this technique of bringing us into the present and then going back to the past?

Discuss, in pairs and make notes.

The end...

• The story ends abruptly with three short sentences.

• Why is it so abrupt? Is this effective? What do you think the tone of the last word ‘Enough’ is?

A review... (homework)

• The Daily Express has described the book as ‘Heartstoppingly chillling.’ The Guardian described it as ‘A rattling good yarn, the sort that chills the mind as well as the spine.’

• You are going to write a review of the ending for your homework. I will mark this, giving you a WWW and EBI.

A review...

• Do you think the ending is effective?

• There are many right answers to questions on effectiveness as you are invited to share your thoughts as an individual with the examiner and to show your appreciation of the writer’s craft. You must however, refer to the reader and to the writer’s purpose in your answer.

A review• So you need to refer to:

• The story as a moral tale.• The deliberate use of Esme in the last chapter.• The use of the short sentences at the end and their effect on the

reader.• Was the ending obvious or not?• YOUR thoughts on whether this was a scary tale or not.

• On the next slide is an example of a review of the whole story. It does not refer to the language devices that Hill uses, however it gives a clear opinion and refers to aspects of the book.

This is a good example of a story written in the gothic horror genre style. The book begins with a family sitting around the fire telling each other ghost tales. The father of the family keeps silent as he listens to the stories that his family is telling each other. He walks out of the room when they ask him to join in and spin a spooky yarn, because he doesn't want to tell the tale that has haunted his dreams ever since he was a young man. The tale he has to tell is far more horrifying, chilling and disturbing than his family could imagine. Even more shocking is that the tale he has to tell is true!

It's like a real, traditional English ghost story - the sort that taps into our deepest fears, challenges our rational beliefs and engages our imagination. It's a story of tragedy, impotent rage, insane hatred and terrible revenge for past injustices wreaked upon innocent by-standers in the present. The haunted landscape, changing from bright sunshine to impenetrable fog, the raging storms, the isolation of the dismal house, the build-up of tension and anxiety and the slow breakdown of disbelief in a darker reality are described so well, that we can easily share in the terror.

This is a most beautifully told story with wonderful descriptions of the countryside, the haunted house and the marshes that surround it. At times I felt as if I were inside the house - cautiously entering the haunted rooms and creeping around in the dark with only a candle to light the way. It's full of surprises and unexpectedly heartbreaking too. A wonderful atmospheric read that kept me turning the pages faster and faster until all too soon I reached the end.

Plenary

• Give out post-it notes.

• Divide your board into 2.• 2 boxes – ‘scary’, ‘not scary’

• Students write their names on the note and stick it showing their opinion.

• Call on some of the students (using the names on the notes) to explain their reasoning.

Homework

• Do the 2 tasks on revising the story.

• http://literatureguides.philipallan.co.uk/booksubpage.aspx

Lesson 13

• To explore some of the more unusual themes in the book.

Themes

• In pairs, list what you consider to be the main themes from The Woman In Black.

• 3 minutes – then feedback and write on the board.

• Copy any down you didn’t already have.

Did you have these:

Themes

Nature and the supernatural

ChildhoodRevenge

Religious Faith

Death

Sleep

Fear

Focus on a theme...• Divide the class into 9 groups and assign each group one of the

following themes: nature/supernatural, sleep and childhood (so that 3 groups are covering the same theme).

• Each group needs to explore their given theme.• Find quotes (include page numbers) with relevant and useful quotes.• Explain the effect of any quotes.• What might Hill be trying to say about these themes?

• Work on A3/sugar paper/power-point for 25 minutes.• You will then feedback your ideas to the rest of the class, ensuring

that everyone has made notes.

Nature/supernaturalThe fog, pg 81, pg 114 – 122, the description of the

house and marshes, the sightings of the woman in black.

SleepNote references to sleep, - almost every chapter, consider

its importance , pg 43, consider dreams. What can sleep represent? Sleep deprivation usually leads to what?

ChildhoodWhich children are in the book? Pg 51 – are you certain

these are real? The child in the marshes, the nursery.

Feedback your ideas..

• Make notes as people do so.

Exam question

• How does Susan Hill explore the theme of revenge in this novel? You should make detailed reference to Christian beliefs and moral attitudes of the time and the language used to express these ideas in the novel.

Homework

• Read through the 3 spider diagrams for next lesson.

• Don’t forget – you can print these out to help with your revision.

• http://literatureguides.philipallan.co.uk/booksubpage.aspx

Lesson 14

• To analyse some of the characters in The Woman In Black

Characters

• In pairs, list all of the characters you can remember from The Woman In Black.

Characters you might be asked about....

• These are the characters you could be asked about:Arthur KippsMr BentleyTomesSam DailyKeckwickThe landlordThe woman in blackMr JeromeAlice DrablowStellaEsme and her family

This list is not exhaustive though.

Discuss....

• In groups of 3, discuss which character you have most sympathy for. You need to have reasons to back up your opinions.

• Feedback and discuss as a class.

Arthur Kipps

• You may well be asked about Arthur Kipps himself.

• You will be expected to know his character well, how (and why) he changes throughout the novel from the naive young man to the older narrator, how Hill presents his character and how she makes us feel using Kipps’ character.

Example questions:

Arthur Kipps is both the narrator and a central character in the ghost story. How does he change from the young lawyer about to travel to Crythin Gifford to the middle-aged step-father who feels compelled to write his story?

Consider Kipps’ role in The Woman In Black and how effectively Hill portrays him.

Group work

• In small groups, you need to decide on 4 significant moments that affect Kipps and his character.

• Try to find 4 moments throughout his time at Crythin Gifford and his life – any question will expect you to examine a variety of moments from the novel as a whole.

• Copy out the table on the next slide and fill it in.

What happens (briefly)?

What does it show about his character?

Quote Devices used by Hill to affect the reader.

Pg number

Planning• In the same groups, plan 4 main points you could make in order to

answer:‘Consider Kipps’ role in ‘The Woman In Black’ and how effectively Hill

portrays him.’

Remember – this question is asking you consider Hill as a writer and how she creates this made-up character– not just evaluate Kipps as a character.

• 10 minutes

• The feedback and write ideas on board. Copy any you didn’t have...

Ideas..

• Use of first person• Contrasts between Kipps as a young man and

middle-aged man.• His reaction as a Londoner to the country folk.• Repetition (eg ‘I did not believe in ghosts.’)• His reactions to events.• The abrupt ending.

Other characters..

• Exam question:

Choose two of the following characters and write about their importance in the novel:

Mr Bentley, Mr Samuel Daily, the landlord of the Gifford Arms, Keckwick.

• Write about their role in the novel, referring to what they say or do.

• Write about what Kipps thinks about them.• Write about what you think about them and their role.

Other characters..

• To gain at least a C – you must write about characterisation – not just what they are like as characters, but what role do they play in the story?

• You need to show you are aware that these are not real people, but have been created by the author for a reason – to tell a good ghost story and to frighten the reader. This, the genre, is more important than character – and for this reason, some of the characters are deliberately undeveloped – because their role is functional.

• Show you are aware of this.

Plan for this question..

• Use the table on the following slide to plot out ideas.

• Work in pairs – and choose the same 2 characters!

Character

Role in the story

What does Kipps think of them?

What do you think of them?

Useful quotes (and pg numbers)

Plenary - discuss

• In your view, which character in The Woman In Black is most successfully presented?

Homework• For your homework – and for revision – use the chart to analyse other

minor characters (clearly don’t do the 2 you have covered in class):Mr BentleyTomesSam DailyKeckwickThe landlordMr JeromeStellaEsme and her familyThe woman in black

Use: http://literatureguides.philipallan.co.uk/bookpage.aspx• Click on the section on minor characters to help.

Lesson 15

• To understand what is meant by ‘style’.

• To analyse the style of the novel.

Discuss

• With reference to a novel – what do you think the term ‘style’ might refer to? What ideas have we learnt, that you might write about if you have a question on the style of the novel?

Get a good grade..

• You should refer to the story – but you will gain no marks for just re-telling the story.

• When you write about style you are showing you understand the novel as a construct – that has deliberately ‘built’ by the author.

• Your job when answering these sorts of questions is to show that you understand how Susan Hill put her novel together.

Style• The genre she has chosen to use.• The viewpoint from which the story is told.• How the settings add to the story.• How the weather and natural environment add to the story.• How dialogue and conversation are used and how realistic they

are in presenting characters.• The order of events.• Withholding information in order to create tension and

atmosphere (eg Sam Daily not telling Kipps the whole story in Chapter 3).

• Use of imagery and words to create descriptions and atmosphere.• Symbolism.

Exam Questions

• Write about two places in the novel where setting is important to the story.

• Describe these places and briefly say what happens in each of them.

• Say why they are important to the story, explain the atmosphere of each place and what the writer wants the reader to think and feel.

• Explain how successful she has been. Give reasons for your views.

Exam Questions

• Why do you think Susan Hill called her story ‘The Woman In Black’? How effective is it as a title?

• Write about the appearance and the importance of the ghost in the story.

• Write about religious beliefs at the time.• Explain your feelings about what she does and

her intentions.

Exam Questions

• A critic described ‘The Woman In Black’ as a ‘rattling good yarn, the sort that chills the mind as well as the spine.’ What methods does Hill use to create suspense and tensions in the novel?

Exam Questions

• Write about two episodes in the novel that you think are frightening.

Write about:• What happens• The techniques used by Hill to frighten the

reader.• Why you think these events are important.

Carousel...

• You are going to become experts in a certain idea related to style.

• You will teach the ideas to another group and learn their ideas too.

• You will then write a SQEEL for one of the ideas from the OTHER groups (not the one you are expert in) in your next lesson, which will be marked against the GCSE marking criteria.

Carousel....• Divide the class into 7 groups.

• Each class to have one sheet giving information about the following ideas:

• A ghost story• Viewpoint• Place and setting• Weather and natural environment• Imagery and language• Dialogue• Symbolism

Carousel...

• You will have 6 - 8 minutes to make as many notes as possible from the information you have been given.

Carousel instructions...

• Then (if this were a group of 4), 2 people will move around the room to each group, and 2 people will stay where they are for the others to move to.

• The 2 people moving will teach their idea to the other 2. The seated 2 must make notes on what they are told.

• The seated 2 will then teach their aspect back. The moving 2 will also make notes.

• Keep moving round till they are back to their original group. So everyone should have made notes on every idea.

Plenary

• Spend some time in your groups ensuring that everyone has the same information and could write a paragraph about each of the ideas.

• Next lesson you will write a paragraph about one of the ideas you were taught today.

Lesson 16

• To be aware of the GCSE marking criteria.• To write a SQEEL paragraph on style.• To analyse an essay.

Introduction

• Use the mark scheme from:

http://store.aqa.org.uk/resourceZone/pdf/english/AQA-47101F-W-SMS.PDF pg 5 (Foundation)

ORhttp://store.aqa.org.uk/resourceZone/pdf/

english/AQA-47101H-W-SMS.PDF pg 5 (Higher)

Mark scheme

• With your students, however it suits your group best, study the mark scheme.

• They will be writing a SQEEL today, and a Timed Essay next lesson – so please relate what you do to this – so they can think what to do.

Writing your own...

• Get back in the groups that you were in last lesson.

• You WILL NOT be working in groups for the SQEEL paragraph – this is for organisation only.

Write a SQEEL paragraph...• Answer this question. Write one paragraph – 20 minutes:

• How does Hill use............................... effectively in ‘The Woman In Black’.

Students will be given one of the following phrases to insert:• The conventions of a ghost story• Viewpoint• Place and setting• Weather and the natural environment• Imagery and language• Dialogue• Symbolism

• Students should be given the word for the group clockwise from them. This is so the expert group can be the markers for this paragraph.

Marking..

• Pass all of your groups SQEEL paragraphs onto the group clockwise from you. They are the experts in this area and will mark the paragraphs.

• Each group needs to read the paragraphs and, using the official mark scheme, decide TOGETHER on a mark for each paragraph. Write this on the paper.

• Underneath, write a WWW and EBI linked to the words from the mark scheme.

Planning...

• Choose one or both of the essay titles on the next slide.

• Plan for 10 minutes (on each).

• Depending on your teacher – plan on your own - or in pairs.

• At the end of the 10 minutes, you have should have about 3 or 4 points to make for each essay title, along with pg numbers for relevant quotes.

Planning...

• How does Susan Hill present the theme of the supernatural in The Woman in Black?

• Is either the woman in black or Jennet Humfrye a victim to feel sorry for or someone to despise because she causes the deaths of little children and terrorises adults?

Marking

• Look at the example essay(s).

• In your groups, using the official marking scheme, decide on a Banding. Write the Band number on the sheet, along with 2 reasons why you chose that band number.

Marking - plenary

• http://literatureguides.philipallan.co.uk/BookFiles/9/334/Woman_SampleEssays.pdf

• Read through the notes made and the comments given by the examiners. Discuss as a class.

EITHER

• Near the start of the novel Arthur Kipps says ‘I did not believe in ghosts.’ How does Hill show the way Arthur changes during the novel?

Write about:• what happens to Arthur and how these things change him• the methods Hill uses to show the changes in Arthur

OR

• How does Hill present the woman in black as a figure of mystery and fear in the novel?

Write about:• who the woman in black is and what happens to her• the methods Hill uses to make her a mysterious frightening figure.

EITHER

• A critic described The Woman in Black as ‘a rattling good yarn, the sort that chills the mind as well as the spine. ’ What methods does Hill use to create suspense and tension in the novel?

OR

• How effective is the first chapter, ‘Christmas Eve’, in introducing characters and ideas which are important in the novel as a whole?

Topics for timed essay next lesson..

• Foundation:Arthur Kipps OR The woman in black

• Higher:Suspense and tension OR The first chapter

Mark scheme Foundation – pg 5, 12 and 13

Mark scheme Higher – pg 5, 12 and 13

http://store.aqa.org.uk/resourceZone/pdf/english/AQA-47101H-W-SMS.PDF

Lesson 17

• Timed Essay – 45 minutes

EITHER

• Near the start of the novel Arthur Kipps says ‘I did not believe in ghosts.’ How does Hill show the way Arthur changes during the novel?

Write about:• what happens to Arthur and how these things change him• the methods Hill uses to show the changes in Arthur

OR

• How does Hill present the woman in black as a figure of mystery and fear in the novel?

Write about:• who the woman in black is and what happens to her• the methods Hill uses to make her a mysterious frightening figure.

EITHER

• A critic described The Woman in Black as ‘a rattling good yarn, the sort that chills the mind as well as the spine. ’ What methods does Hill use to create suspense and tension in the novel?

OR

• How effective is the first chapter, ‘Christmas Eve’, in introducing characters and ideas which are important in the novel as a whole?

Lesson 18

• To learn what to revise and resources to help you.

Websites

http://store.aqa.org.uk/resourceZone/pdf/english/AQA-4710-W-TRB-U1-WOMAN-IN-BLACK.PDF

http://literatureguides.philipallan.co.uk/booksubpage.aspx#

http://literatureguides.philipallan.co.uk/bookpage.aspx

Bookhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/Woman-Black-Philip-

Allan-Literature/dp/1444110268/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1320233035&sr=8-5

Essay titles

• See the list of essay titles. Try to sit one of these at least once every 2 weeks.

• You must use only 45 minutes to do each essay.

How to get a C and beyond..

• Know your text - READ IT AGAIN. Think about it from the writer’s point of view and from the reader’s point of view.

• Discuss your ideas with friends to get different viewpoints.

• Study the mark scheme.• PRACTISE answering questions. Make sure you PLAN

when you write an answer.• Don’t use long quotations.• Know what your Assessment Objectives are (see next

slide).

Assessment ObjectivesAO1• respond to texts critically and imaginatively; select and evaluate

relevant textual detail to illustrate and support interpretationsAO2• explain how language, structure and form contribute to writers’

presentation of ideas, themes and settingsAO3• make comparisons and explain links between texts, evaluating

writers’ different ways of expressing meaning and achieving effects

AO4• relate texts to their social, cultural and historical contexts; explain

how texts have been influential and significant to self and other readers in different contexts and at different times

GOOD LUCK!