Fate and Blame

Overview

Today students analyse how Willy Russell presents fate and tragedy in the final scenes of Blood Brothers. They will use extracts, identify techniques, and develop a discussion response using evidence and subject terminology.

Learning intentions

• Students will analyse how the narrator and writer create tension and allude to tragedy in the final scenes of Blood Brothers.
• Students will identify and explain the effects of key language techniques (for example foreshadowing, symbolism, metaphor, rhetorical questions).
• Students will make an inference about responsibility for the tragedy and support it with accurate references to the text.
• Students will participate in a structured discussion and use the marking grid to self-assess.

Success criteria

• I can identify techniques in short quotations and explain their impact on the reader.
• I can make a claim about who or what is most to blame for the final tragedy and support it with at least two quotes.
• I can extend others’ ideas or challenge them politely with relevant reasons and evidence.
• I can summarise my final thinking using a complete sentence and an appropriate ending to the given quote.

Curriculum links

• Reading — making inferences and referring to evidence in the text.
• Reading and writing — using age-appropriate vocabulary including linguistic and literary terminology to discuss reading and spoken language.
• Key stage 3 English — students apply and understand skills and processes through analysis of literature (prose/poetry/drama) and attentive interpretation of language.
• Discussion for learning — students elaborate and explain clearly their understanding and ideas.

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–8 min · Starter: Technique match (low-confusion). Teacher displays 6 quotes and a separate list of techniques on the board; students match each quote to the correct technique and write a one-word justification. Students match and justify, then volunteer answers; teacher confirms and quickly models one example effect.

Quotes to use:

• “The devil’s got your number” → (metaphor / symbolism depending on teacher focus)
• “Shoes upon the table” → (symbolism)
• “They say if either twin learns that he was once a pair, they shall both immediately die.” → (foreshadowing / tragic warning)
• “And do we blame superstition for what came to pass Or could it be what we, the English, have come to know as class?” → (rhetorical questions / contrast)

Technique bank: symbolism, foreshadowing, hyperbole, metaphor, simile, rhetorical questions, contrast.

2. 8–20 min · Direct teach: Narrator, fate, and tension. Teacher explains that Russell uses the narrator to guide the audience’s expectations, hint at what will happen, and raise questions about responsibility for tragedy. Students annotate a short set of lines (provided by teacher) with a simple two-column method:

• Column A: What signals fate/tragedy? (e.g., warning, omen, narrator comment, rhetorical question)
• Column B: How does it affect tension? (e.g., creates dread, makes tragedy feel inevitable, pushes reader to question blame)

3. 20–32 min · Guided group task: “Who’s most to blame?” Teacher sets the discussion question: Who or what is most to blame for the final tragedy? Explain what has influenced your views. Teacher reminds students the focus is blame and evidence, not just “what happens”. Students in groups use a quick note frame:

• Claim (one sentence)
• Evidence (two quotes)
• Technique (name at least one technique and effect)
• Reasoning (link technique/evidence to fate/tragedy and blame)

Students also use one sentence stem to start respectful challenge:

• “Another way to see it is … because …”

4. 32–46 min · Structured discussion: top-band speaking. Teacher runs a round-table discussion (or teacher-led turn-taking), ensuring each student contributes once. Students discuss, using success criteria for discussion quality: clear communication, purposeful language, subject terminology, respectful challenge, and building on others (“Adding to that…” / “I agree because…”).

Teacher prompts with one follow-up question if ideas drift:

• “Which specific quote shows that fate is being set up, and what technique makes it feel inevitable?”

5. 46–53 min · Self assessment using the grid. Teacher gives students 2–3 minutes to reflect, then asks them to set one target for improvement using the grid language (for example: clearer structure, stronger use of subject terms, or asking thoughtful questions). Students choose one “Needs Work / Getting There / Secure / Excellent” area and write a single target sentence.

6. 53–60 min · Plenary: complete the fate line. Teacher displays the final task prompt: Finish the quote: “They say if either twin learns that he was once a pair, ……………………………….” Students complete the sentence from memory/notes, then one student reads theirs aloud; teacher confirms accuracy and links the ending to foreshadowing/tragedy inevitability.

Resources

• Printed or projected extracts from Blood Brothers (final scenes) including the narrator lines and the fate warning sentence.
• Quote-and-technique matching cards (or slide) and a technique bank.
• Simple two-column annotation sheet (signals vs effect).
• Discussion note frame (claim, evidence, technique, reasoning).
• Discussion marking grid for self assessment (printed or on slides).
• Timer for structured speaking turns.

Assessment

• Formative: teacher checks starter matches and asks for one-word effect justifications.
• Formative: during group discussion, teacher listens for evidence-based claims, correct technique naming, and respectful interaction.
• Exit/plenary: students complete the foreshadowing quote accurately and can state the effect (brief verbal check or quick written sentence).

Differentiation

• Support: provide sentence stems for claiming, reasoning, and challenging; offer a model “annotation” example on the board showing how to fill Column A/Column B.
• Support for weaker readers: highlight key words in quotations (for example “if”, “immediately”, warning terms) and allow matching with fewer choices first.
• Extension: students add a second technique and explain a subtler effect (e.g., how contrast in the narrator’s rhetorical questions shifts blame between superstition and class).
• EAL/SEN: allow annotations with minimal writing first (ticks, short phrases), then add one full sentence for discussion and plenary; encourage rehearsal before speaking in groups.