Text Analysis: My Blood

Overview

Students read and analyse My Blood It Runs as a literary text, focusing on how structure and language features shape meaning and emotional impact. The lesson builds toward confident, evidence-based responses about themes and cultural/historical context.

Learning intentions

• Students will identify how key literary devices (including imagery, symbolism, and extended metaphor) shape the text’s meaning and audience response.
• Students will analyse how text structure (shifts in focus, sequencing of ideas, and paragraphing) influences interpretation.
• Students will explain connections between the text’s cultural and historical context and the social/moral/ethical positions it presents.
• Students will refine personal responses by comparing initial reactions with evidence from the text.

Success criteria

• I can name at least 3 language features/devices in My Blood It Runs and explain their effect on the reader.
• I can describe how the text’s structure guides my understanding of the theme(s).
• I can use quotations (or close paraphrases) to justify claims about culture, history, and ethical/social positions.
• I can evaluate how my response changes after deeper analysis of the text.

Curriculum links

• Literature — Examining literature: analyse the effect of text structures, language features and literary devices such as extended metaphor, symbolism, metonymy, allegory, and intertextual references.
• Literature — Examining literature: analyse how text structures, language features and literary devices create aesthetic qualities.
• Literature — Engaging with and responding to literature: analyse how literary devices and language features shape an audience’s preference about the social, moral or ethical positions in literary texts.
• Literacy — Analysing, interpreting and evaluating: analyse organisation of ideas in paragraphs/extended texts and evaluate its impact on meaning.

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–7 min · Hook and activating context Teacher displays two short prompts on the board: “What does identity feel like when it is contested?” and “How can memories become evidence?” Students free-write for 3 minutes, then pair-share for 2 minutes. Teacher collects 3–4 student ideas to use later when discussing theme.

2. 7–18 min · First reading for comprehension Teacher provides a guided reading, stopping at natural breaks (e.g., opening, midpoint, conclusion) to check understanding. Students annotate with a simple code:

• ★ = something I notice (language/imagery) -? = something I’m unsure about (meaning) -! = something that suggests a theme or ethical position Teacher asks comprehension check questions (see section below) and quickly clarifies misconceptions.

3. 18–30 min · Direct teach: devices + effect (teacher modelling) Teacher models an analysis using one short excerpt (2–4 sentences) from the text, thinking aloud through:

• device/feature spotted (e.g., imagery, symbolic object, extended metaphor)
• what it suggests about identity/connection/memory
• effect on audience (tone, emotion, respect/concern, sense of urgency) Students then complete a “Claim–Evidence–Effect” mini-table for a second excerpt in pairs.

4. 30–44 min · Cultural and historical context inquiry (small groups) Teacher gives each group one guiding focus card:

• Identity and belonging (cultural context)
• Memory and inheritance (historical context)
• Power, prejudice, and ethics (social/moral positions) Students use a structured discussion routine:
• What does the text say about the people/communities involved?
• Which lines best connect to that theme?
• What “world” does the text assume the audience understands (or should question)? Teacher circulates and prompts students to link back to specific language features and structure.

5. 44–55 min · Structure spotlight + paragraph analysis Teacher explains that meaning is shaped by how ideas are organised (e.g., sequencing, contrasts, shifts in viewpoint). Students examine one paragraph/section they annotated and answer:

• Where does the text shift (time, focus, emotion, argument)?
• How does that shift prepare the reader for the next idea?
• What is the most important sentence and why? Students write a short analysis paragraph (5–6 sentences) using at least: one quotation/close paraphrase, one device, and one comment about structure.

6. 55–60 min · Exit ticket (response refinement) Students answer: “My first impression was ___, but after analysing ___, I now think ___.” They must include one piece of evidence (quote/line reference).

Key themes (for student tracking)

• Identity, bloodlines, and belonging (how identity is expressed through body, ancestry, and memory)
• Memory as truth-telling (personal experience shaped by historical forces)
• Power and prejudice (social/moral stakes, ethical responsibility, respect)
• Connection to land, community, and culture (belonging beyond the individual)

Language features and literary devices to look for

• Imagery (sensory detail that builds emotional intensity)
• Symbolism (objects/ideas representing deeper meanings)
• Extended metaphor (a repeated comparison that carries theme across sections)
• Metonymy (a part standing in for a whole—e.g., body/“blood” for identity)
• Tone and voice (directness, urgency, reflection)
• Structural shifts (moving from description to reflection, past to present, claim to resolution)

Comprehension questions (during guided reading)

• What is the narrator/persona trying to make the reader understand about identity?
• Which moments feel most emotionally charged, and what language causes that feeling?
• How does the text move from personal memory to broader meaning?
• What ethical or social issue is the text challenging the audience to consider?
• What does the title suggest, and how is that idea developed in the body of the text?

Resources

• Copies of My Blood It Runs (or teacher-provided excerpt set if required by school policy)
• Annotation sheet with symbols (★?!)
• Claim–Evidence–Effect table (printed or digital)
• Focus cards for group inquiry (identity, memory, ethics)
• Sentence starters for writing:
• “The author uses ___ to suggest ___.”
• “This device affects the reader by ___.”
• “The structure shifts when ___, which changes the meaning because ___.”

Assessment

• Formative: teacher checks annotations and table entries during paired work (device + effect).
• Formative: group discussion evidence—students must reference specific lines when linking to cultural/historical context.
• Summative-for-the-day (lightweight): short analysis paragraph plus exit ticket using evidence and explanation of effect.

Differentiation

• Support: provide sentence starters and a model “Claim–Evidence–Effect” exemplar; offer a glossary of key terms (symbolism, metaphor, tone).
• Support: allow students to choose from two excerpt options (shorter or less dense) for the analysis table.
• Extension: challenge advanced students to compare two devices (e.g., symbolism vs. imagery) and evaluate which is more effective, justifying with evidence.
• EAL/SEN: pre-teach 5–8 critical words from the excerpt; offer alternative response formats (oral rehearsal before writing; paragraph frame with mandatory evidence line).