Setting and Its Significance

Unit Context

Unit 4/30 of Voices of Courage and Resilience
Focus: Examining how the setting of the Secret Annex shapes characters and themes
Year 10 English according to the NSW Curriculum

Learning Objectives (outcomes aligned to NSW syllabus)

By the end of this 45-minute lesson, students will be able to:

Analyse the significance of setting in literary texts, specifically the Secret Annex, and explain how it influences character behaviour and development.
Identify and discuss specific textual features that create the setting and contribute to readers’ understanding.
Demonstrate skills in critical thinking and textual analysis by linking setting to themes of courage and resilience.
Use textual evidence to support interpretations in discussion and written form.

Related NSW English Curriculum Focus Areas:

EN4-3A: Respond to and compose texts for understanding, interpretation, critical analysis, imaginative expression and pleasure
EN4-4B: Use interaction skills to communicate and collaborate in a range of situations
EN4-7B: Analyse and evaluate how text structures and language features are used to influence audiences
EN4-8D: Use and describe language forms, features and structures of texts appropriate to a range of purposes, audiences and contexts

Lesson Sequence and Timings

Time	Activity	Details
0-5 min	Warm-up and Recap	Brief review of previous lessons on characters and themes in the Secret Annex. Question: "What have we learned about why the Annex is crucial to the story?"
5-15 min	Guided Exploration of Setting	Teacher-led close reading of selected descriptive passages depicting the Secret Annex. Highlight words/phrases that describe the confined space and atmosphere. Use visualisation techniques to immerse students.
15-25 min	Group Discussion	Students break into small groups (4-5 per group). Each group discusses how the setting influences one or two main characters (e.g., Anne Frank, Miep). Guiding question: "How does being confined to the Annex affect their moods, decisions, relationships?"
25-35 min	Class Share and Reflect	Groups present their insights. Teacher facilitates, drawing connections between confinement, fear, hope, and resilience. Highlight the psychological impact of setting on characters.
35-40 min	Individual Written Response	Students write a short paragraph answering: "Explain how the setting of the Secret Annex influences the behaviour of a character in the story. Use evidence from the text."
40-45 min	Plenary and Homework	Recap key points. Quick oral quiz or reflective question: "Why is the setting just as important as the characters in telling this story of courage?" Assign homework: Find a modern example of a place or situation that demands resilience and prepare a brief explanation for next lesson.

Detailed Teaching Notes

Warm-up and Recap (5 mins)

Use a KWL chart (Know, Want to know, Learned) focusing on what students know and want to know about the Secret Annex.
Encourage students to recall feelings or ideas about the location from previous readings.

Guided Exploration (10 mins)

Select vivid descriptive paragraphs (no more than 2-3 short extracts) showing:
The Annex’s physical confinement and limitations.
Emotional atmosphere (fear, hope, tension).
Model annotation on the board or visualiser: underline sensory details, emotive language.
Explain how setting not only describes place but creates mood and influences character psychology.

Group Discussion (10 mins)

Provide each group with guiding questions and specific character prompts.
Encourage referring to direct quotes.
Suggest considering questions like:
How do characters cope with being confined?
What changes in a character because of the setting?
How does the setting heighten tension or hope?

Class Share (10 mins)

Invite groups to present key insights.
Emphasise the link between setting and themes of courage and resilience.
Highlight how confinement creates challenges that develop characters.

Individual Written Response (5 mins)

Formative assessment: Use the paragraph to gauge understanding.
Provide sentence starters if needed (e.g., "The setting of the Secret Annex affects... because... For example...").

Plenary (5 mins)

Engage students in summarising why setting is more than background in literature.
Assign homework to encourage real-world connections and empathy.

Resources Needed

Copies of the text passage(s) describing the Secret Annex.
Whiteboard or visualiser for modelling annotation.
KWL chart template for warm-up.
Writing materials for paragraph task.

Differentiation and Extension

Provide scaffolds such as sentence starters or graphic organisers for paragraph writing.
For advanced students, challenge them to explore how setting influences narrative perspective or author’s purpose.
For students who need extra support, provide simplified texts or partner work with guided questions.

Assessment and Feedback

Ongoing formative assessment through group discussions and written paragraph.
Oral feedback during class sharing.
Homework provides opportunity to connect meaningfully beyond the text.

This lesson integrates NSW syllabus expectations for literature study by focusing on analysis, interpretation, and critical response, explicitly drawing on curriculum outcomes EN4-3A, EN4-4B, EN4-7B, and EN4-8D to develop students’ appreciation of setting as a powerful literary device shaping character and theme.

Teaching Instructions