Setting Influence

Overview

In this lesson (7 of 23), students examine how setting in two cultural identity novels shapes characters’ choices, feelings, and behaviour. They will map settings and explain how context and place influence meaning and tone.

Learning intentions

Students will:

• WALT map settings in both novels and track how each setting shapes characters’ experiences.
• WALT analyse how language features and imagery connected to setting create tone and meaning.
• WALT connect ideas about context (historical, social, cultural) to character actions and points of view.
• WALT use comprehension strategies (visualising, questioning, inferring) to interpret and evaluate setting’s influence.

Success criteria

Students can:

• I can identify key setting elements (place, time, social conditions) in both novels.
• I can map each setting to at least two character impacts (choices, emotions, relationships, identity).
• I can explain how writer’s language (for example, sentence patterns and imagery) shapes the tone of a setting scene.
• I can use evidence from the text to justify my explanation.

Curriculum links

• Literature — analyse how language features such as sentence patterns create tone, and literary devices such as imagery create meaning and effect.
• Literature — explain the ways that ideas and points of view may represent the values of individuals and groups in literary texts, drawn from historical, social and cultural contexts.
• Literature — share opinions about the language features, literary devices and text structures that contribute to the styles of literary texts.
• Literacy — use comprehension strategies such as visualising, predicting, connecting, summarising, monitoring, questioning and inferring to interpret and evaluate ideas in texts.

Lesson structure (45 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Warm-up (visualise). Teacher displays two short excerpt excerpts (one from each novel) showing a setting moment and asks: “What do you notice about place and atmosphere?” Students underline setting words and silently visualise the scene.

2. 5–12 min · Mini-teach (setting + tone). Teacher models a “setting impact chain” using one example: setting → language/imagery → tone → character effect. Emphasise sentence patterns (active vs passive, long vs terse) and imagery. Students highlight one sentence and discuss (with a partner) how it makes them feel and why.

3. 12–22 min · Guided mapping (graphic organiser). Teacher distributes a two-novel graphic organiser with sections: Setting snapshot, Writer’s language cues, Tone words, Character impact, Evidence quote. Students complete the organiser for one selected scene per novel using teacher-provided sentence starters:

• “The setting feels…”
• “This influences the character by…”
• “The writer’s imagery suggests…”

4. 22–34 min · Small-group analysis (compare contexts). Teacher assigns groups of 4 with roles: Evidence Finder, Tone Checker, Character Impact Explainer, Discussion Summariser. Students compare the two settings: “What is similar or different, and what does that show about values or identity shaped by context?” They record one comparative claim supported by evidence.

5. 34–40 min · Whole-class share (quick accountable talk). Teacher prompts: “Which language choice most strongly shapes the tone of the setting, and how does it affect the character’s identity?” Students share one prepared insight, then class votes: “Strongest evidence” (using criteria: clear link + accurate quote + explanation).

6. 40–45 min · Exit ticket (summarise + infer). Teacher hands out an exit ticket:

• “In one sentence, explain how setting influenced a character in Novel A or B.”
• “Name one language/imagery cue and its effect on tone.” Students write independently, then submit.

Resources

• Two short setting excerpts (one per novel) pre-selected by teacher
• Two-novel graphic organiser (Setting snapshot / Language cues / Tone / Character impact / Evidence)
• Highlighters or coloured pens (or digital annotation tool)
• Sentence starter strips (for character impact and tone explanations)
• Role cards for group discussion (Evidence Finder, Tone Checker, etc.)
• Exit ticket slips
• Dyslexia-friendly reading options: audio recordings of excerpts and a simplified reading copy with larger font and line spacing

Assessment

• Teacher observation during mapping (checks for correct identification of setting elements and character impacts).
• Formative questioning during partner discussion: “What language cue did you use, and what effect did it have?”
• Exit ticket evaluation against success criteria (setting identification, impact explanation, evidence use, tone/language link).

Differentiation

• Support (scaffold graphic organiser): provide a partially filled model for one section (example completed) and a word bank of tone words (e.g., tense, hopeful, oppressive, reflective).
• Support for EAL: allow key ideas to be recorded as brief bullet points; sentence starters include prompts for “because/so/this suggests”.
• Dyslexia-friendly options: offer audio versions of excerpts, provide typed copies with increased spacing, and permit tracking finger/line guides.
• Extension (advanced learners): for the assigned character, create an alternative setting and write a short “setting swap” paragraph explaining how the character’s choices and tone would change. Include at least one language feature choice (for example, change a sentence from active to passive or vary sentence length) to show impact on tone.