Woman in Black Chapters 5-6

Context & Curriculum Alignment

This lesson plan is designed for Year 7 students (age 11-12) studying English Literature, focusing on chapters 5 and 6 of The Woman in Black by Susan Hill. It aligns with the National Curriculum for England, specifically targeting the following key stage 3 English objectives:

• Reading:
  • Develop positive attitudes to reading, and understanding of what they read, by listening to and discussing a wide range of fiction, poetry, plays, non-fiction and reference books or textbooks (NC English KS3).
  • Understand how language, including figurative language, vocabulary choice, grammar, and organisational features, can create effects and influence the reader (NC English KS3).
• Vocabulary Development:
  • Increase their vocabulary, understanding new words and making meaning from context (NC English KS3).
• Literary Analysis:
  • Analyse how authors develop characters and settings, and how these contribute to the overall atmosphere and theme (NC English KS3).

---

Learning Objectives

By the end of this 60-minute lesson, students will be able to:

1. Comprehension: Summarise the key plot points of chapters 5 and 6 and explain how suspense is built. (NC KS3 Reading - comprehension)
2. Vocabulary: Identify and understand challenging vocabulary from these chapters, using context clues or dictionaries. (NC KS3 Vocabulary development)
3. Literary Analysis: Analyse how Susan Hill creates a ghostly and eerie atmosphere through setting and language. (NC KS3 Literary analysis)
4. Cultural-Language Sensitivity: Engage confidently in group discussions adapting language use depending on their proficiency (English, Korean or Arabic speakers).

---

Differentiation Summary

Group	Support Strategies	Challenge Strategies
Lower-level English/Korean/Arabic speakers	Pre-teach vocabulary using images and synonym match activities; bilingual glossaries; simplified summaries; sentence starters for discussion	Use graphic organisers to sequence events; scaffolded analysis questions
Higher-level students	Explore more complex figurative language (e.g. metaphor, personification); predict story outcomes and justify with text evidence; create short character diary entries	Develop their own questions for peer discussion; write a brief paragraph evaluating Hill’s atmosphere-building techniques

---

Materials

• Copies of The Woman in Black, chapters 5 and 6
• Bilingual vocabulary lists (English-Korean, English-Arabic)
• Graphic organisers (plot sequence, atmosphere chart)
• Whiteboard/interactive board
• Mini whiteboards and pens for quick writes
• Dictionaries and thesauri (physical or digital)

---

Lesson Structure (60 minutes)

1. Do Now (10 minutes)

Objective: Activate prior knowledge and prepare vocabulary

• Activity:

  • Students receive a worksheet with 8 key vocabulary words from chapters 5-6 (e.g. “desolate,” “apparition,” “gloom,” “foreboding,” “shrouded,” “eerily,” “tremulous,” “clamour”).
  • Task: Match words to definitions (scaffolded with pictures for lower-level learners; dictionary use encouraged for higher-level).
  • Quick pair/share (mixed language pairs) to discuss any unfamiliar words, using bilingual glossaries.

• Formative Assessment: Teacher circulates, noting vocabulary understanding and language use.

---

2. I Do (10 minutes)

Objective: Model comprehension and analysis techniques

• Teacher reads aloud a selected eerie passage from chapter 5 (approx. 2 paragraphs), using expressive intonation to emphasise atmosphere.
• Think-aloud: Teacher explains their thought process — “I notice the author uses words like ‘desolate’ and ‘shrouded’, which make the place sound bleak and mysterious… it sets a gloomy mood.”
• Teacher shows on whiteboard a simple graphic organiser: “How does the language create mood?” with example answers.
• Highlight use of figurative language like personification and metaphor in the extract.

---

3. We Do (20 minutes)

Objective: Collaborative comprehension and literary analysis

• Activity 1:

  • Split class into mixed language groups (4 groups of 5 students) ensuring at least one higher language level student per group.
  • Each group reads a short section from chapter 6 (assigned paragraphs).
  • Task 1: Use graphic organiser to note what happens (plot) and how atmosphere is created (language, setting, tone).
  • Scaffold: Sentence starters on strips (e.g., “The author creates suspense by...”, “This makes me feel...”).

• Activity 2:

  • Groups present key findings to class in a 2-minute presentation (encourage visuals or drawings).
  • Prompt questions for discussion:
    • How does Susan Hill make the reader feel uneasy?
    • Which words or phrases stood out?

• Differentiation:

  • Lower level: Focus on summarising events and identifying basic adjectives.
  • Higher level: Delve into why Hill uses specific descriptive words and predict what might happen next.

---

4. You Do (15 minutes)

Objective: Independent written reflection and vocabulary application

• Task:

  • Students write a short paragraph (5-7 sentences) responding to:
    “Describe how the atmosphere in chapters 5 and 6 affects your feelings as a reader. Use three new vocabulary words.”

• Scaffolding:

  • Sentence starters available (especially for lower-level students).
  • Higher-level challenge: Include and explain a figurative language device.

---

5. Plenary & Formative Assessment (5 minutes)

• Quick round of 3-2-1 Exit Tickets:

  • 3 new words I learned today.
  • 2 ways the author builds suspense.
  • 1 question I still have.

• Teacher collects responses to assess comprehension, vocabulary acquisition, and points needing reteaching.

---

Additional Scaffolding & Support Strategies

• Use of visual aids to connect vocabulary to meaning (e.g., eerie fog photo for “shrouded”).
• Peer support: Mixed language groups with buddy system.
• Provide bilingual vocabulary lists with phonetic transcription.
• Use of mini whiteboards for students to write guess meanings of unfamiliar words before confirming.
• Encourage use of bilingual dictionaries/apps for Korean and Arabic speakers.

---

Extensions & Cross-Cultural Connections

• Invite students to share ghost stories or traditional tales of the supernatural from their cultures (Korean, Arabic, English). Compare how atmosphere is created differently or similarly.
• Suggest higher-level students write a brief diary entry from Arthur Kipps’s perspective using new vocabulary.

---

This structured, multi-modal lesson ensures all learners access and engage deeply with The Woman in Black while meeting the National Curriculum requirements through well scaffolded comprehension, vocabulary, and literary analysis activities.