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Book Notes lets you make notes on English course books and poems. Choose a title from the menu screen and you will be able to read the full text online. They are all fully searchable with notes made by Bitesize experts or you can always add your own, it's as simple as clicking on the text and finding the passage you want. All your work is saved automatically each time you log off.

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Play GCSE Bitesize games in English, Maths, Science, History, RS, Business studies, French, German and Spanish.

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Revise the poems and revisit your notes before your exam.

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Questions and information about An Inspector Calls - perfect Lit P2 SA revision!

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Introduction

If you want to buy An Inspector Calls, click on the relevant link below.

The play in performance

This is a play that has been very successful in performance: how might the way in which the play is performed draw the audience's attention to the main ideas in it?

To answer this you should consider such things as:

Acting - how the actors should play particular episodes

Casting - who would be suited to the various roles

Set - what kind of stage set would work best for this play

Lighting, sound and music - what effects (FX) of lighting, sound and music would help make the play's ideas more clear?

This task will work best if you are able to consider the play in at least one version that you have seen, as well as the 1954 film version, directed by Guy Hamilton.

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Eva's letter

The Inspector tells Mr. Birling that Eva Smith/Daisy Renton "left a letter...and a sort of diary". The letter could be to her nearest relative or to Gerald Croft. Write - as you imagine Eva would have done - the letter and diary entries (between 1910 and 1912) for the key events in her life, from her starting to work for Birling & Co. to her suicide.

Eva leaves Brumley for two months.

(*Dated by Titanic's maiden voyage.) The diary is also mentioned on pages 179 and 193 (Penguin edition).

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Eva's life - the media version

Suppose that Eva's diary is discovered by a journalist who decides to present an item on her suicide for a Brumley newspaper, or for a local radio or TV broadcast (this is strictly anachronistic but could be done as a modern retrospective account). In a newspaper this could be a single report, or a series over several days (as comments are made by the Birlings, Gerald Croft and their solicitors). A broadcast account would perhaps take longer to prepare - but might still be inaccurate.

Remember that not all of the people involved would tell the truth (or the whole truth) about what happened. Try to obtain interviews/comments from some of the characters in the play and others, such as:

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Who is to blame?

Who is to blame for Eva's death? Consider how each of the Birlings and Gerald Croft influences what happens to Eva - what part does each play in the chain of events leading to her death?

Give an account of this chain of events in the order in which each event occurs (see dates above).

Say how far each character is at fault for what he or she has done to Eva.

Then judge how far each is right or wrong in his or her attitude now to what was done - admitting or denying guilt.

In conclusion, try to assess how responsible, and how ready to admit responsibility, each of the five is.

Is there any connection between the age of each character and his or her readiness to accept blame?

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Responsibility

The most important theme of the play, it could be argued, is responsibility.

See how often the words "responsible" and "responsibility" appear, and in what senses.

At the beginning of the play Mr. Birling gives his (limited) view of responsibility in a long speech. Mr. Birling's definition of responsibility is immediately followed by the arrival of the Inspector. The Inspector gives his (very wide) explanation of responsibility immediately before he leaves.

Comment on these speeches and compare them.

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Consider how Mr. Birling's comments reveal his views:

How do Mr. Birling's earlier comments on the unlikelihood of war, the probable success of capitalists in eliminating strikes and on the unsinkability of the Titanic affect our view of what he says on responsibility? (The play's audience, in 1946, would be aware of two world wars, the General Strike and the sinking of the Titanic).

Is Mr. Birling a "hard-headed" businessman, as he claims, or a "hard-hearted" character?

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In 1912 there was no welfare state in Britain. Poor people often depended on charity. But wealthy people, such as Mrs. Birling, in the play, usually controlled the charity.

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Show how the Inspector demonstrates by bringing out Eva's dealings with the Birlings and Gerald, that his view, not Birling's is right.

What are the "fire and blood and anguish" he refers to in his final speech?

What point is Priestley making by placing this line in a play published in 1946?

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The Inspector's identity may affect how we view his comments.

How is our view of the Inspector's statements affected by his apparently supernatural character?

Comment on his claim that "we are members of one body".

After he leaves, says the Inspector, the Birlings and Gerald can divide responsibility among themselves.

How do they apportion blame when he leaves?

Is Birling concerned about the same things that worry Sheila and Eric?

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Sheila is worried earlier in the play by her mother's self-righteous denial of blame. After the Inspector goes she is worried by the attempt to dismiss his visit as a mere practical joke.

Consider the idea that the Inspector, by his visit, gives the family a second chance which is lost by the failure of the majority to learn their lesson.

How significant in determining the play's conclusion is Gerald's eventually siding with the view of the parents (The Inspector has foreseen a suicide about to happen. They may, by a change of heart, prevent it - but the chance is missed and the suicide occurs).

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Who is the Inspector?

Who or what is the Inspector? In the text there are many clues. Examine each of these and try to interpret it. Write an essay, discussing how these clues and the Inspector's general behaviour contribute to the audience's idea of who he is and how correct his statements are.

The clues are:

The timing of his entry (noted by Eric);

His method of working: "one person and one line of enquiry at a time" (A policeman would not insist on this. A real policeman would interview people alone. This Inspector already knows; he wants the others to see what they have done.)

His asking Birling why he refused Eva's request for a pay rise.

His statement that it is his duty "to ask questions".

His saying that he never takes offence.

His statement that he does not see much of the chief constable.

His failure to be alarmed by Birling's threats.

His reply to Birling's question: "You sure of your facts?" - "Some of them - yes". Not all, because not all have happened yet: Eva Smith has not yet killed herself, it would seem.

His concern for moral law not for criminal law.

His statement: "some things are left to me. Inquiries of this sort, for instance".

Sheila's recognition of his authority and supernatural knowledge - as shown in her warnings to Gerald and to her mother .

His statement about the impression he has made on Sheila: "We often do on the young ones".

His impatience to "get on" with his questioning followed by his statement that he hasn't "much time". A police officer would take as much time as was needed. It is as if he needs to finish before the moment at which Eva will decide whether or not to end her life.

His saying, "I don't need to know any more", once he has shown the Birlings and Gerald what each has done.

His final speech, which has nothing to do with criminal law, but which is a lecture on social responsibiility and the perils of ignoring it.

The Birlings' discovery that no such officer is on the local police force.

The Inspector's telling Sheila there is "no reason why" she should "understand about" him

Eric's saying "He was our police inspector all right" followed by Sheila's comment "Well, he inspected us all right"

His foreknowledge of Eva's death.

His intimate knowledge of Eva's life and despite the fact that he never spoke to her

His prediction of a massive social catastrophe ("fire and blood and anguish") which clearly refers (for the Birlings) to the First World War and (for the audience) to both World Wars.

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In the 1954 film of An Inspector Calls, the Inspector does not leave the Birlings' house as in the play: he is left alone in Mr. Birling's study; Birling returns to ask him a question, and finds the room empty. Is this too blatant a way of suggesting that the Inspector is some kind of supernatural or angelic being? Some commentators on the play have suggested that his name contains a pun - it sounds like "Ghoul".

A "ghoul" is an evil demon, which eats the flesh of the dead, or, metaphorically, a person obsessed by, or who profits by, another's death. After he has gone the Inspector is said by Birling to have exploited Eva's alleged death to frighten the "victims" of his supposed practical joke. Is it more important to know who the Inspector is, or what he has to say? Should Priestley (the playwright) have made him more obviously spooky?

Write an essay discussing the character of the Inspector, his method of discovering the truth, the effect he has on each of the other characters, both while he is with them and after he has gone. Give your view of who (or what) he is, and why you think this.

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What next?

At the end of the play there are many possibilities, and we cannot say with certainty what might happen.

Continue the story either as a play-script or as a third-person narrative with conversation. You may, if you wish, continue beyond the arrival of the real police officer. He or she, of course, is not likely to exert the same power over the Birlings and Gerald as the Inspector of the play has.

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1912 and 1946

This task is suitable for treatment as a written or spoken response. You should consider the question of why a play first performed in 1946 should be set in 1912. Why does Priestley choose this particular time?

In order to answer this you should consider the following points:

The play opens with a scene of great luxury: a wealthy family is celebrating an engagement in a very lavish fashion. This will be obvious to an audience that has spent the years of the Second World War without the luxuries that the Birlings are so abundantly enjoying (rationing of many luxury - and basic - goods continued into the 1950s). Although Churchill (a Conservative) is seen as a war hero for leading the fight against Nazism (he led a coalition government of Labour, Conservative and Liberal elements) a Socialist government has won a landslide victory in the 1945 General Election. Priestley was a supporter of the Labour party, and made many broadcasts on radio in which he tried to persuade people of the merits of socialism.

In order to do this, Priestley sets the play in a time before there was a welfare state in the United Kingdom, and when employers had great power over their workers.

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Lower costs and higher prices

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The Crofts and the Birlings

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Mr. Birling's idea of progress

What is Mr. Birling's view of the likely results of technological change (see his comments on cars and aeroplanes)?

Is he right to link scientific advances with progress in politics and international relations? Why does he believe that there will be no war? How far do we trust his judgement? What do we know that he does not about the future? Consider his comment that the Titanic is unsinkable.

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Being above the law (or playing golf with the Chief Constable)

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Charity and the welfare state

Because this is 1912, there is no system of benefit payments for impoverished people; Eva has to approach a committee of which Mrs. Birling is the chairman, but is refused help.

Show how Mrs. Birling exploits her position to make her feel self-important, while denying help to those who really need it.

Do you think she does this for genuinely charitable reasons, or for other motives?

What might these be?

Mrs. Birling claims that her organization has done a lot of good work in deserving cases: is a deserving case, in her opinion, one of genuine need, or one where the applicant pleases her?

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Young men and wild oats

This play depicts a common situation from the early years of the 20th century - young women from the middle classes would not be sexually active before marriage. This has nothing to do with virtue - but much to do with securing a good match. (After marrying, or even becoming widowed or divorced, middle-class and wealthy women could be more active if they chose.) But poorer women could sometimes be seduced in return for material rewards (that would not be so attractive to those with wealth of their own).

How does Gerald's relationship with Eva reflect the moral atttiudes of his class at this time?

Do you think that it is right for Gerald to begin his affair with Eva, when he has no real commitment to her, and would not consider marrying her?

Why can Gerald not marry Eva, and why is he quite ready to marry Sheila Birling, when it is obvious that he does not really love her?

What do we learn from the various references in the play to the Palace Theatre, "women of the town" and the woman who wanted Eva to go to the Theatre bar?

How does Eric's relationship with Eva reinforce the idea that women of Eva's class can be used as playthings by the wealthy, and then discarded?

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The customer is always right

Sheila is able to have Eva sacked from Millwards' shop by threatening the manager that her family will close its account there unless Eva goes.

How does this reflect the class system of the time, by showing the enormous influence that a few wealthy people could exercise?

Could the manager have refused?

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Silver spoons and spoilt brats

Eric and Sheila have great faults, of which they become ashamed when the Inspector tells them of Eva's fate.

How far are these faults not so much in the children's nature, as the result of the way they have been brought up?

What do we learn about Eric's education, and why might this explain his lack of responsibility?

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The honours system

At the start of the play, Mr. Birling hints to Gerald, that he will soon be knighted (become Sir Arthur Birling) in return for his work in the Conservative Party.

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Conclusion

When you have looked at all of these ideas, you should consider the question in a more general sense:

The Inspector, in his final speech, tries to show how both the First World War, and the Second, which had just ended when Priestley wrote the play, were the result of attitudes and behaviour such as those of powerful and wealthy families like the Birlings.

This may explain why all the worst features of such families seem to be present in the Birlings: they represent the worst qualities of their class.

Do you think Priestley has made the play's argument more convincing by the inclusion in it of such people, or are they too awful to be believable?

This play is set in 1912. In what ways might you argue that it has a relevance, not only to the Britain of 1946, but also to the country as it is today?

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Use of evidence

This is critical. Always give examples or refer to details in the story to support your comments. You may use quotation, too: lots of short quotation (where the point of quoting is obvious) is better than very lengthy quotations of less obvious relevance. When you quote, introduce with a comma or colon (, or :), and enclose what you quote in inverted commas.

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© Andrew Moore and Graham Payne, 2002; Contact me

Use the search box on the left or the link below to go to Amazon.com for books, video tapes, DVDs and much more.

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Introduction If you want to buy An Inspector Calls, click on the relevant link below. The play in performance This is a play that has been very successful in performance: how might the way in which the play is performed draw the audience's attention to the main ideas in it?

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English Language P2 requires you to analyse writers' viewpoints. The @guardianopinion page has lots of columns on topical issues. Education, the environment, tech, weather & issues such as homelessness often appear on GCSE papers.

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Latest opinion, analysis and discussion from the Guardian. CP Scott: "Comment is free, but facts are sacred"

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A great reading list for KS4 and KS5. We use extracts from lots of these books in lessons.

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Books are sometimes windows, offering views of the world that may be real or imagined, familiar or strange. These windows are also sliding glass doors, and readers have only to walk through in imagination to become part of whatever world has been created or recreated by the author. When lighting conditions are just right, however, a window can also be a mirror. Literature transforms human experience and reflects it back to us, and in that reflection we can see our own lives and experiences as part of the larger human experience. Reading, then, becomes a means of self-affirmation, and readers often seek their mirrors in books. Rudine Sims Bishop, 'Mirrors, Windows and Sliding Glass Doors'
This list has been compiled from texts revisited, discovered and explored while putting together an EMC course last term about teaching diverse literature. It is by no means definitive and apologies in advance for any glaring omissions. In part, this is unavoidable because we have limited each author to one entry. If you do have futher suggestions then please feel free to add them to the thread below. And look out for a companion list later this term, aimed at younger secondary readers.
Half of a Yellow Sun By Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Lives pull apart and collide again in this gripping story set around civil war in 1960s Nigeria.
Chernobyl Prayer By Svetlana Alexievich
Real life accounts from those who experienced the Chernobyl nuclear disaster first hand. Harrowing, but vital reading
By Monica Ali
Traces the story of Nazneen as she moves to London from her Bangladeshi village and transforms from shy teenager, with no English, to bold and dignified woman.
Between the World and Me By Ta-Nehisi Coates
Told in the form of a letter from the author to his adolescent son, in which he tells the story of his own awakening to the truth about history and race through a series of revelatory experiences.
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao By Junot Diaz
Tracks the story of Oscar, a Dominican boy living in New Jersey and dreaming of being the next J.R.R. Tolkein, and his colourful family, as they travel from the Dominican Republic to the US and back.
What is the What? By Dave Eggers
Valentino is separated from his family and forced to leave his small, Sudanese village. He joins thousands of other orphans on their long walk to Ethiopia, where they find safety - for a time. Along the way he encounters enemy soldiers, liberation rebels and deadly militias, hyenas and lions, disease and starvation. Yet there are experiences ahead that will test his spirit in even greater ways than these...
Everything is Illuminated By Jonathan Safran Foer
A brilliant novel that switches back and forth in time and centres around a young man travelling in the Ukraine, clutching in his hand a tattered photograph. He is searching for the woman who fifty years ago saved his grandfather from the Nazis.
In the Sea There Are Crocodiles By Fabio Geda
At the age of ten, Enaiatollah Akbari was left alone to fend for himself. This is the heartbreaking, unforgettable story of his journey from Afghanistan to Italy in an attempt to find a safe place to live. Based on a true story.
Refugee Tales Ed. by David Herd and Anna Pincus
Fantastic collection inspired by Chaucer's Canterbury Tales in which writers collaborate with refugees to create fiction and non-fiction pieces based around their experiences.
The Reluctant Fundamentalist By Mohsin Hamid
The reader is addressed directly by a mysterious stranger in a cafe in Lahore, Pakistan. An unsettling, narratively innovative novel that raises important questions about Western values.
The Swimming Pool Library By Alan Hollinghurst
In writing an older man's biography, William Beckwith uncovers not only a tragedy of twentieth-century gay repression, but also bitter truths about his own privileged existence.
The Hairdresser of Harare By Tendai Huchu
A portrayal of life in modern Zimbabwe set around a hairdressing salon in which stereotypes are confounded and relationships stretched to the limit.
The Book of Night Women By Marlon James
Harrowing novel about life for slaves on a Jamaican sugar plantation at the end of the 18th century, centred around the complex character of Lilith and island-wide plans for a revolt.
This is London By Ben Judah
Reportage that tells the story of London through the voices of those who are often not heard - its immigrants.
By Jackie Kay
The death of legendary jazz trumpeter Joss Moody exposes an extraordinary secret. Unbeknown to all but his wife Millie, Joss was a woman living as a man. The discovery is most devastating for their adopted son, Colman, whose bewildered fury brings the press to the doorstep and sends his grieving mother to the sanctuary of a remote Scottish village.
The Namesake By Jhumpa Lahiri
Brought up as an Indian in suburban America, Gogol Ganguli finds himself itching to cast off his awkward name, just as he longs to leave behind the inherited values of his Bengali parents. And so he sets off on his own path through life, a path strewn with conflicting loyalties, love and loss...
Small Island By Andrea Levy
Gripping story set in 1948 London around four different characters, including an RAF pilot from Jamaica, who moves to Britain after the war, his wife, Hortense, and their landlady, Queenie Bligh.
Two Caravans By Marina Lewycka
Funny and engaging novel set around a group of workers from around the world picking strawberries in rural Kent.
How to Read the Air By Dinaw Mengestu
Jonas wants to make sense of his life - past, present and future. He hits the road, tracing the route that his parents - young Ethiopians in search of an identity as an American couple - took thirty year earlier to Nashville, Tennessee.
Black Mamba Boy By Nadifa Mohamed
One boy's walk to freedom from Somalia to Britain at the end of the Second World War.
By Toni Morrison
Acclaimed classic: Sethe's new home is not only haunted by the memories of her past but also by the ghost of her baby, who died nameless and whose tombstone is engraved with a single word - Beloved.
The Lives of Others By Neel Muckherjee
Calcutta in 1967, a time of revolution. A once prosperous family implodes when young man, Supratik, becomes involved in extremist politics
The Argonauts By Maggie Nelson
A genre-bending memoir that offers fresh and fierce reflections on motherhood, desire, identity and feminism. At its centre is a love story between Maggie Nelson and the artist Harry Dodge, who is fluidly gendered.
The Fishermen By Chigozi Obiama
Tragic events unfold when four young brothers in Western Nigeria encounter a madman who predicts that the oldest will be killed by one of the others.
The Spider King's Daughter By Chibundu Onuzu
An unlikely romance develops between two 17 year olds from different sides of the tracks in Lagos, Nigeria.
A Distant Shore By Carly Phillips
An exploration of the complex life and history of Solomon - how he came from Africa to live in an English village, and how he develops a relationship with fellow villager, Dorothy.
Country of Refuge Ed. by Lucy Popescu
Powerful collection of short fiction, memoir, poetry and essays exploring what it really means to be a refugee.
My Father's Daughter By Hannah Pool
Memoir in which the author, born in Eritrea, but brought up by an adoptive family in England, goes back to the place of her birth to meet the surviving members of her family - and to see first hand the life of poverty and oppression that could so easily have been her own.
The God of Small Things By Arundhati Roy
Classic story set in Kerala, Southern India. Twins, Rahel and Estha, grow up among the banana vats and peppercorns of their blind grandmother's factory amid scenes of political turbulence. Notable for its innovative structure and handling of time as well as its gripping narrative.
Ours Are the Streets By Sunjeev Sahota
Imtiaz Raina returns to Yorkshire after burying his father in Pakistan. The journey has changed him, though, as we find out in the form of a letter, written to his wife and baby daughter, explaining what has happened to him and what he is planning to do.
Ghana Must Go By Teya Selasi
The story of the Sais, a Nigerian-Ghanaian family living in the US. When the father is the victim of a grave injustice their lives spiral out of control, taking the story around the world - New York, London, West Africa, New England.
Between Shades of Gray By Ruta Sepetys
1941. One night fifteen-year-old Lina, her mother and young brother are hauled from their home by Soviet guards, thrown into cattle cars and sent away, deported to Siberia. An unimaginable and harrowing journey has begun.
By Elif Shafak
Powerful novel set in Turkey and London in the 1970s, exploring pain and loss, loyalty and betrayal, the trials of the immigrant, the clash of tradition and modernity, as well as the love and heartbreak that can tear families apart.
The Good Immigrant Ed. by Nikesh Shukla
Twenty one black, Asian and minority ethnic voices explore the immigrant experience in Britain today.
By Zadie Smith
Brilliant novel following the lives of four Londoners after they've left their childhood council estate, grown up and moved on to different things.
The Color Purple By Alice Walker Stunning and established classic set in the deep-South of America between the wars and following the turbulent life of Celie. Fingersmith By Sarah Waters
Ingenious tale of fraud, insanity and secrets set in London, 1862.
A Boy's Own Story By Edmund White
An unnamed narrator's comes of age during the 1950s. Beset by aloof parents, a cruel sister, and relentless mocking from his peers, he struggles with his sexuality, seeking consolation in art and literature, and in his own fantastic imagination.
The Book Thief By Marcus Zusak 1939. Nazi Germany. Liesel, a nine-year-old girl, lives with a foster family. Her parents have been taken away to a concentration camp. Liesel steals books. This is her story and the story of the inhabitants of her street when the bombs begin to fall.

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Mirrors, Windows and Sliding Glass Doors: Book List for Sixth Formers and Confident Older Readers

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Books are sometimes windows, offering views of the world that may be real or imagined, familiar or strange. These windows are also sliding glass doors, and readers have only to walk through in imagination to become part of whatever world has been created or recreated by the author.

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Lots of revision videos on his YouTube channel.

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I am an English teacher dedicated to making AQA GCSE English Language and Literature easy to understand. My videos break down challenging concepts into simple steps to help you succeed. Check out mrbruff.com/proof for evidence of how my content can impact your exam results! TikTok: @mrbruff Twitter/X: @mrbruffenglish Buy my revision guides in paperback on Amazon*: Mr Bruff’s Guide to GCSE English Language https://amzn.to/2GvPrTV Mr Bruff’s Guide to GCSE English Literature https://amzn.to/2POt3V7 Power and Conflict poetry guide (ebook) https://bit.ly/2PS8bw6 Mr Bruff’s Guide to ‘Macbeth’ https://amzn.to/2GxYO5p Mr Bruff’s Guide to ‘An Inspector Calls’ https://amzn.to/2GxXJKT Mr Bruff’s Guide to ‘Romeo and Juliet’ https://amzn.to/2GvL0s5 Mr Bruff’s Guide to Grammar: https://amzn.to/2GJCBSj and many more titles!

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Exam board content from BBC Bitesize for students in England, Northern Ireland or Wales. Choose the exam specification that matches the one you study.

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Exam board content from BBC Bitesize for students in England, Northern Ireland or Wales. Choose the exam specification that matches the one you study.

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You can use the visual prompts to practise GCSE Language P1 SB. Lots of writing inspiration!

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This site provides (completely free) writing prompts and exercises to help you get started with creative writing and break through writing blocks - and some fun anagram vocabulary games.

Generate random story ideas, plots, subjects, scenarios, characters, first lines for stories and more. Did I mention it's all free? Have fun :-)

- Update March 2022: the Anagram Game now includes a choice of dictionaries
- The site now includes an Anagram Solver
- The Scrabble Trainer now includes practice in J, K, Q, X and Z words

Generate a random first line for a story.

Prompts to encourage freewriting.

Generate a plot-line at the click of a button.

Generate two characters, a setting, a situation and a theme. Change the elements until you are happy with your plot.

Another freewriting exercise. Make connections between random nouns.

Writing prompts to help with dialogue writing.

Create a 'What If?' scenario to write about.

Browse my collection of writing exercises.

For poets and songwriters. Enter a word to find rhyming and similar-sounding words.

Generate a selection of words and use the suggestions to kick-start your writing.

Create your own story title.

Create a character outline.

There's now a section dedicated to writing prompts for children of primary/elementary school age.

Generate a fictitious,'English-sounding' town name.

Get plot ideas for your own story-writing by looking at the plots of over 100 popular films.

Use images to help you write.

Generate random traits for your characters.

Generate an occupation for your character.

Choose first and last names for characters.

Develop your character into a well-rounded person, quirky habits and all.

Exercise your brain and keep your vocabulary in good shape with this free anagram game.

Another anagram game - each word must contain the middle letter.

Enter a list of letters and discover all the words you can make with them.

Have fun improving your Scrabble vocabulary.

Because every aspiring author needs a back-up plan...

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This site provides (completely free) writing prompts and exercises to help you get started with creative writing and break through writing blocks - and some fun anagram vocabulary games. Generate random story ideas, plots, subjects, scenarios, characters, first lines for stories and more. Did I mention it's all free?

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Their resources on Dickens, Hardy, Barrett Browning and C19 non-fiction texts are great for all KS4 and KS5 students. You can access the website from our eRevision board in the Harris block!

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Their website is perfect for English Language Paper 1 Section B GCSE revision.

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Another world

Another world

Question time!

What has caused the trail in the snow that Jackson is following?

What might the orb in the sky be?

Why is Jackson following it?

What does he have in his hands, and why might it be important?

Why is the noise coming from the orb 'disconcerting'?

What is Jackson's destination?

What will happen when he reaches it?

Perfect picture!

Can you draw what Jackson is holding in his hands?

Story starter!

Jackson had been following the trail for several hours. Hood drawn up over his head to protect him from the savage wind, he continued to trudge along. The only sounds Jackson could hear were the crunch of his feet as they penetrated the layer of snow underneath him, and the faint, disconcerting hum that came from the orb in front.

The key to it all, he was sure, lay in the object he held carefully in his frozen hands. The boy wasn't quite sure how he would use it, but he hoped that its purpose would reveal itself when he reached his destination...

Sentence challenge!

Onomatopoeia is when a word sounds like its meaning. Can you find any onomatopoeia in the story starter?

Can you think of other onomatopoeia that might be relevant to Jackson's adventure?

Think about the wind perhaps, or the object that Jackson is carrying.

Sick sentences!

These sentences are 'sick' and need help to get better. Can you help?

Jackson walked along the path. Jackson could see an orb in front of him. Jackson felt cold. Jackson felt afraid.

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Another world What has caused the trail in the snow that Jackson is following? What might the orb in the sky be? Why is Jackson following it? What does he have in his hands, and why might it be important? Why is the noise coming from the orb 'disconcerting'?

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The AHS English account can be found here - follow for revision advice and useful links.