Exploring Character Change

Overview

This lesson is part of a scheme of work on A Woman in Black by Susan Hill aimed at Year 8 students (age 12-13). It builds towards the assessment question: How does Arthur Kipps change throughout the novel? The lesson will focus on analysing character development through close reading, specifically aligned with the National Curriculum for England’s key stage 3 English programme of study.

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National Curriculum Links

• Reading - comprehension and understanding:
  • "Read and evaluate texts critically and support this with textual references."
  • "Draw inferences such as inferring characters' feelings, thoughts and motives from their actions, and justifying inferences with evidence."
• Writing - composition:
  • "Write effectively for different purposes and audiences, selecting the appropriate form and using other similar writing as models for their own."
• Spoken Language:
  • "Use spoken language to develop understanding through speculating, hypothesising, imagining and exploring ideas."

Specific Learning Objectives (English KS3)

• Analyse how a character’s personality and motivations change over the course of a narrative (England National Curriculum KS3 English: Reading - 2e)
• Use quotations adeptly to support explanations of character development (Reading - 2a)
• Use discussion to explore interpretations of character and theme (Speaking and Listening - 1f)
• Structure written responses that address thematic and character change with evidence from the text (Writing - 4a)

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Lesson Details

Duration

45 minutes
Class size: 8 students

Resources

• Copies of A Woman in Black excerpts showing key moments of Arthur Kipps’ character development (e.g., early scenes, mid-point moments, climax)
• Character change tracking chart (provided worksheet)
• Whiteboard and markers
• Audio version excerpt (optional, to enhance engagement)
• Example paragraph modelling character change analysis

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Lesson Structure

1. Starter (5 minutes)

• Activity: Quick-write and pair-share on the prompt:
  “Think about any character you’ve read before who changes throughout a story. What kinds of changes do they go through? How do authors show this change?”
• Purpose: To activate prior knowledge about character development, prepare minds for analysing Kipps.

2. Introduction to Character Change (5 minutes)

• Tutor briefly explains the concept of character change (internal and external) using everyday examples and introduces Arthur Kipps as the focus.
• Show a simple visual timeline on the whiteboard outlining the novel’s narrative arc with three points: Beginning, Middle, End.

3. Guided Close Reading (15 minutes)

• Split excerpts into three packets representing Beginning, Middle, and End appearances of Arthur Kipps.
• In pairs, students read and annotate with focus questions:
  • What is Arthur like here?
  • What emotions or thoughts does he express?
  • What language clues suggest change?
• Use tracking chart to note findings under ‘Kipps at Start / Middle / End’ columns with quotes.

4. Class Discussion (10 minutes)

• Reconvene whole class. Each pair shares key insights per stage of Kipps' characterisation.
• Tutor prompts to connect stages:
  • How has Arthur changed?
  • What events might have influenced this change?
  • How does Susan Hill’s writing help us understand Arthur’s transformation?
• Create a collaborative mind-map on the whiteboard synthesising observations.

5. Modelling Written Analysis (5 minutes)

• Tutor projects a short model paragraph answering:
  “How does Arthur Kipps change from start to end of A Woman in Black?”
• Analyse structure and use of quotations, highlighting linking words and clear explanation.

6. Plenary and Homework (5 minutes)

• Plenary question:
  “If you were Arthur Kipps, which part of your change would be hardest to experience? Why?”
• Homework:
  Task students to write a paragraph explaining Arthur’s change using one quotation from each stage (Start, Middle, End) to support their ideas.

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Assessment Opportunities

• Formative: Pair annotations and mind-map contributions provide ongoing insight into students’ understanding of character change.
• Summative: Homework paragraph will be assessed for evidence use, reasoning (how and why Kipps changes), clarity of writing, and coherence.

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Differentiation & Challenge

• Support: Provide sentence starters for annotation (e.g., “In this extract, Arthur feels... because...”) and easier-access extracts for lower reading ability students.
• Challenge: Encourage higher-attaining students to discuss how Kipps’ change links to broader themes such as fear, guilt, or grief and to consider narrative techniques like foreshadowing or unreliable narration.

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Extension Idea (Optional)

• Use drama techniques such as ‘hot-seating’ where one student plays Arthur Kipps at the start, middle, or end and others ask questions to explore feelings and perspectives, deepening empathetic understanding.

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This scheme helps develop critical reading skills aligned to the KS3 National Curriculum with a clear, scaffolded pathway leading to a focused written assessment about character change in A Woman in Black. The lesson balances analysis, discussion, and writing within a manageable 45-minute timeframe for a small class.