Starter quiz
- Who wrote the original novel 'Small Island' in 2004?
- 'Andrea Levy' ✓
- Who wrote the adaptation of 'Small Island' for the stage in 2019?
- 'Helen Edmundson' ✓
- Where is 'Small Island' set?
- Jamaica
- unknown, but a city in the UK
- England
- it has two settings: England and Jamaica ✓
- London
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- What term beginning with 'W' refers to the group of Caribbean migrants who arrived in the United Kingdom between 1948 and 1971?
- 'Windrush generation' ✓
- 'Small Island' includes a number of characters who migrated to Britain from Jamaica. Why was there a mass migration movement to Britain after World War Two?
- Britain's welcoming attitude towards migrants
- the voyage to Britain was cheap and luxurious
- Britain's post-war prosperity
- employment - there was a post-war labour shortage ✓
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- Which term is used to express the sense of belonging or allegiance felt by Caribbean migrants to the United Kingdom, particularly in the context of the Windrush generation?
- Mother Island
- Homeland
- Mother Country ✓
- Home Country
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Exit quiz
- 'Small Island' is a play. What are the common features of a play?
- They are designed to be performed on a stage ✓
- The are divided into chapters
- They are divided into acts and scenes ✓
- They include dialogue ✓
- They have a single reader
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- 'Small Island' includes stage directions. What are the purpose of stage directions?
- They can establish how the audience should enter the theatre
- They can establish the dialogue between characters
- They can explain how the set should look ✓
- They can explain how an actor should deliver their lines ✓
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- In 2017, it was revealed that the government was attempting to deport some citizens who had legally migrated to Britain in the 1940s-70s. This was known as the ______ scandal.
- 'Windrush' ✓
- In 'Small Island' three of the characters tell their stories to the audience. This is an example of what dramatic technique?
- First person
- Direct address ✓
- Dialogue
- Dialect
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- In 'Small Island' Miss Jewel says: "Nuh fret nah, me sprigadee." This is an example of Jamaican patois. What is this?
- dialogue created by a playwright
- a dialect specific to Jamaican speakers ✓
- an accent from specific Caribbean regions
- a language made up between Miss Jewel and Hortense
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- Edmundson adapted Levy's original novel 'Small Island'. As the playwright, which of these would she be responsible for creating?
- stage directions ✓
- plot
- dialogue ✓
- characters
- themes
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Lesson Details
Key learning points
- Edmundson adapted the novel which means she developed Levy's original ideas to suit the form of a play.
- Edmundson is responsible for writing stage directions, chronology of events and developing characters through dialogue.
- Edmundson develops the multiplicity of Levy's original narratives using dramatic techniques.
- Edmundson uses patois, dialect and colloquial language to develop Levy's realistic characters.
- The use of direct address in the play mirrors the first person narratives in the novel, giving characters unique voices.
Common misconception
Edmundson did not write 'Small Island'.
Explore the conventions of a play. What would Edmundson have to have added to re-imagine the novel?
Keywords
Multiplicity - a large number of, or a variety of things
Dialogue - conversation and spoken interactions written for a play, book or film
Dialect - a variation of a language spoken in a particular part of the country or by a particular group
Jamaican patois - variation of English, or dialect, specific to Jamaican speakers
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