Christine Wells

2.1 WRITTEN TEXTANALYSE SPECIFIED ASPECT(S) OF STUDIED WRITTEN TEXT(S), SUPPORTED BY EVIDENCE

PLOT

1. Read the text.

2. Create a flow chart to show the progression of the story.

For each section, write a brief description from the story.

Include a picture to represent the section.

CHARACTERS

Any information about the characters is important to the story.

Characters develop and change during the novel as they face challenges and conflict.

1. List the characters in the text.

2. Choose 1 character and describe a challenge in their life.

3. Explain how they coped with it (aim for 3 ways).

4. List 6 quotes which support your ideas.

5. What do we learn about the type of person she/he is?

6. Explain what the author wants us to learn from this character and how they dealt with their challenges/conflict.

CHARACTER PROFILES

Choose 2 characters and create a personal profile for each one.

Character

Name

Age

Gender

Occupation

Interests

PROTAGONIST AND ANTAGONIST

The protagonist is the leading character in the story, the one that the audience empathises with.

The antagonist is the main character who is in opposition to the protagonist.

1. Identify the protagonist and the antagonist.

2. Brainstorm a list of at least 5 adjectives for the protagonist and 5 adjectives for the antagonist in the story.

3. Choose 3 adjectives for each person and locate a quote from the text that supports each adjective.

COMPARE AND CONTRAST

1. Create a Venn diagram to show the similarities and differences between 2 characters.

2. Choose 1 similarity and one difference and discuss what may have caused this similarity or difference.

ESSAY TOPICS

1. Analyse how a main character OR individual matures and takes action in a text you have studied.

2. Analyse how the growth OR breakdown of a relationship(s) affects the climax in a text you have studied.

3. Analyse how the writer has influenced your opinion of a choice made by a character OR individual in a text you have studied.

SETTING

Setting may include reference to time, place, historical or social context, or atmosphere.

1. Identify the 3 main settings in the text.

2. Choose 1 and create a brainstorm of adjectives to describe it.

3. Locate 3 quotes from the story that link to 3 of your adjectives.

4. Explain why the setting helps the reader to understand the characters.

5. Draw a picture of what you think your setting would look like.

SETTING & EFFECT

1. Explain the effect that the setting has on the life of the protagonist.

2. Imagine how the setting would affect you. Write a paragraph to describe how you would react to the setting.

3. Explain what you think the author wants us to learn about the protagonist by placing him/her in this setting.

THEMES

A theme is a broad idea, message, or moral of a story. The message may be about life, society, or human nature. Themes often explore timeless and universal ideas and are almost always implied rather than stated explicitly.

1. Brainstorm a list of possible themes.

2. For each theme, describe the relevant section of the novel where the theme is shown.

THEME AND MEANING

1. Choose one theme and discuss the meaning of your theme. What does it mean exactly?

2. Explain how this theme may be seen in today’s world.

3. What does the author want us to understand about this theme?

4. Identify any social issues that may be related to this theme. For example, health issues; power and violence related issues.

THEME & CHARACTERS

1. Choose 2 themes and list the characters that are linked to each theme.

2. Explain why you linked each character to the theme.

3. Include a quote for each.

4. Explain what you think the author wants us to learn about these characters by using this theme.

THEME IN ACTION

1. Choose a part of the text that shows one of the themes in action and create a short cartoon to show what happens.

Include dialogue from the text.

1. Create a collage of quotes from the story that are linked to the themes.

Split your poster into sections, each section will be for each theme. Place the quotes in the relevant section.

Use lettering/words from magazines and coloured paper.

ESSAY TOPICS

1. Analyse how the setting of a text you have studied influenced your understanding of the ideas in the text.

2. Analyse how an idea is developed in a text you have studied.

TECHNIQUES

Techniques include:

The style of language used (poetic techniques)

The narrative viewpoint of the text

Symbols

STYLE OF LANGUAGE

Repetition emphasises important ideas and links different parts of the novel.

1. Find 2-3 examples of repeated words, ideas or images from the text and record them.

STYLE OF LANGUAGE

Atmosphere and creating tension between characters is important to the text’s effectiveness.

Tension is achieved through the use of descriptive and emotive words to show stress or conflict.

The type of language used can help us understand the characters and the sort of people they are.

1. Locate at least 5 words or phrases that show stress or conflict

2. Explain what type of language the author uses. Is it formal or informal? Record an example to support your opinion.

3. Record an example of a character’s speech and explain what we learn about them as a person.

LANGUAGE FEATURES

Language features are used to add description, sound effects and help the reader visualise what is in the novel. These include: alliteration, assonance, simile, personification, metaphor, onomatopoeia, rhyme and repetition.

1. Choose 3 language features and find examples from the text.

2. For each one, write a sentence to explain why it is effective.

3. Link each language feature to a theme in the text. Explain why you linked it – what did it help you understand about the theme?

NARRATIVE VIEWPOINT

A first person story (“I”) has one character as narrator. The viewpoint may be less obvious in other novels but often the reader only finds out what one character learns or sees other characters from one person’s point of view.

1. Is the text written in first, second or third person?

2. Whose point(s) of view is the text told from? Identify whose voice is heard the most in the text.

3. Record an example from the text.

4. Draw a picture of the character and a speech bubble of them saying something that you found interesting from the text.

SYMBOLS

A symbol is a person, place, or thing comes to represent an abstract idea or concept -- it is anything that stands for something beyond itself.

1. Identify 3-4 symbols from the text.

2. Choose 3 and explain what its significance is, where it is seen in the text and which theme and character it is linked to.

ESSAY TOPICS

1. Analyse how symbols are used to develop an idea in a text you have studied.

2. Analyse how techniques of a genre or text type make a text particularly effective for you.

ASSESSMENT SCHEDULE

Achievement

Analyse specified aspect(s) of studied written text(s), supported by evidence.

Achievement with Merit

Analyse specified aspect(s) of studied written text(s) convincingly, supported by evidence.

Achievement with Excellence

Analyse specified aspect(s) of studied written text(s) perceptively, supported by evidence.