Starter quiz
- Who was Isabella Bird?
- a renowned painter
- an influential politician
- a writer and explorer ✓
- a famous musician
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- What are the missing words in the title of Isabella Bird book: A ______ life in the ______ mountains.
- "Gentlewoman's" and "American"
- "Lady's" and "Canadian"
- "Lady's" and "Rocky" ✓
- "Gentlewoman's" and "Rocky"
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- Isabella Bird travelled in which century?
- 16th
- 18th
- 19th ✓
- 20th
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- Which of the following verbs is in the present participle form?
- running ✓
- ran
- runs
- run
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- Which of the following is the best definition of a narrator?
- the main character in a story
- the person who writes the story
- the voice that tells the story ✓
- the setting of the story
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- Which of the following is a synonym for describe?
- explain
- interpret
- depict ✓
- analyse
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Exit quiz
- Match the words on the left with their synonyms on the right.
- perspectives⇔viewpoints ✓
- in media res⇔in the middle of the drama ✓
- panorama⇔wide view ✓
- Match the words on the left with their function when discussing perspective.
- foreground, background, above⇔for placing and positioning people and objects ✓
- firstly, then, lastly⇔for showing the sequence of how we view a scene ✓
- swept, zoomed, focused⇔to indicate how closely or not we look at something ✓
- What is the best argument for shifting perspective from the external landscape to inner feelings?
- to show the range of the narrator's perspectives
- to show what the landscape looks like
- to reveal how the narrator feels
- to show the impact of the landscape on the narrator ✓
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- Which words from the following sentence (taken from 'A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains') show how triumphant Bird felt: "This was the climb; but at last the Peak was won."?
- climb
- at last
- peak
- won ✓
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- When deciding on the perspective for a piece of writing, what should you decide first?
- the name of the narrator
- the position of the narrator ✓
- the age and sex of the narrator
- the motivations of the narrator
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- Which of the following is true of a piece of descriptive or narrative writing?
- You need to start at the begining and work through the account chronologically.
- Beginning in the middle of the action (in medias res) can be effective. ✓
- You need to decide if the account is going to be personal.
- You can shift perspective for specific effects. ✓
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Worksheet
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Presentation
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Video
Lesson Details
Key learning points
- Perspective refers to literal viewpoint and an opinion.
- Examples of perspective include: in media res, panoramic, external and internal.
- Words for explaining perspectives include: focus, zoom, trace, notice.
- When planning to write about a scene, the first decision is where to position the narrator.
- When describing a scene, focus on three key points and include words and phrases.
Common misconception
Students may think that all writing should begin at the beginning and move through the middle to the end.
Encourage them to think about how stories, especially films, often start with an exciting scene.
Keywords
Perspective - a particular point of view; this can be both literally what you see but also what you feel and think
In medias res - Latin for “in the middle of things”; this refers to writing that starts in the middle of the plot or action
Panoramic - a panorama is an unbroken view of the whole region surrounding an observer
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