Saffy's Angel 03

Saffy’s Angel: Lesson 4 17

Lesson 4: Dialogue and Character Teacher’s Prompt Page: The Wheelchair Girl Framework objectives for the unit: Word 14 – define and deploy words with precision Sentence 11 – vary sentence s entence structure to lend pace, variety and emphasis Reading 12 – comment on how writers convey setting, character and mood S & L – promote, justify or defend a point of view

Lesson outline

Learning objectives for the lesson: • To give pupils insight into how dialogue can can create character. • To ensure pupils pupils are fully fully involved involved with with PSHE and Citizenship issues.

Introduction: Objectives explained/Integrated starter

Development (incl. Guided seminars)

Plenary

Homework (if applicable)

Teacher reads pp.46–48 and draws attention to the use of dialogue to create and develop character.

Teacher initiates discussion of limitations on Sarah.

Class read out from their dialogue Sarah’s last speech and discuss how society could better help the physically challenged.

Pupils complete the reading of Chapter Four.

Pupils do exercise, listing alternatives to ‘said’.

Independent group work on novel’s impact and the on-going project.

Resource RS 10: ‘Don’t Use “Said”, Use Something Else Instead’ exercise (p.18) pages RS 11: ‘Let’s ‘Let’s Chat’ dialogue writing frame (p.19) Teaching Teaching and learning advice: • Teacher explains to to pupils that this lesson lesson looks closely at the way character is is created and developed developed through through dialogue, and specifically focuses on Sarah. • Teacher reads aloud aloud pp.46–48, and then, using an an OHT, OHT, focuses on section beginning beginning ‘The girl in the wheelchair…’ wheelchair…’ (p.47) to ‘“Yes, ‘“Yes, all right,” said Saffron and she felt happier than she had for ages.’ (p.48) drawing attention to the natural flow of conversation, the sparing use of the speakers’ names and the way information is interspersed in authorial commentary to create and develop character. Distinguish between ‘stating’ and ‘showing’. • Pupils are given given 5 minutes to to complete complete chart ‘Don’t ‘Don’t Use “Said”’, “Said”’, finding as many alternatives alternatives as possible. possible. • Teacher initiates initiates a discussion, with Citizenship and and PSHE implications implications of the limitations limitations imposed on Sarah Sarah by her physical condition and her attempts to overcome them. • Pupils in pairs do the empathetic empathetic exercise exercise ‘Let’s ‘Let’s Chat’, creating further dialogue. Differentiation Differentiation can be achieved achieved by having the G&T groups create the dialogue without the aid of the writing frame.* • In the plenary, plenary, pupils begin the discussion discussion of motor-impairment motor-impairment by reading out from their dialogue dialogue Sarah’s Sarah’s last speech on her feelings. • The discussion is broadened broadened by the teacher to to speculate on how how we view physically-challenged physically-challenged people people and what improvements, improvements, emotional and practical, society could introduce to help them. Chapter Four summary: Saffy’s Saffy’s minor accident has been caused by a collision with the wheelchair of her neighbour, Sarah, and a friendship now develops between the two girls. The strong-minded Sarah encourages Saffron to search for the stone angel that she remembers having stood in the garden of her home in Italy.

© Hodder Murray 2005. www.hodderliterature.c www.hodderliterature.co.uk o.uk


Resource Sheet 10

Don’t Use ‘Said’, Use Something Else Instead ‘Don’t say “said”!’ the teacher screeched.

Dialogue can get quite boring if every time a character speaks the writer uses the word ‘said’. See how many alternatives you can find in 5 minutes.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Barked

Growled

Muttered

Uttered Volunteered

© Hodder Murray 2005. www.hodderliterature.co.uk


Resource Sheet 11

Let’s Chat ‘I don’t know your name,’ she said, as they went along the road together. ‘Sarah,’ said the girl, and Saffy said, ‘Oh yes,’ as if it was a name she had known all along, but forgotten for a moment. (page 48)

• Without reading pages 50 and 51, imagine how the above conversation might carry on. Use the writing frame to help you. • Set the conversation out using speech marks.

Sarah asks about Saffron’s name

Saffy replies, explaining the reason behind the colourful names in her family

What might Sarah say in return?

Saffy mentions again that she is adopted

Sarah’s reply has been done for you ‘So were you shocked when you found out you were … well, you know, a bit of an outsider?’ asked Sarah, suddenly coming to a halt in her wheelchair.

Saffy’s answer (you’re on your own here!)

Sarah says she too feels a bit of an outsider because of her wheelchair, and explains her feelings

Now read through the whole of your conversation. Does it all hang together? Now read pages 50 and 51.



Lesson 5: Numinous Qualities Teacher’s Prompt Page: Do Squirrels Go to Heaven? Framework objectives for the unit: Word 14 – define and deploy words with precision Sentence 11 – vary sentence structure to lend pace, variety and emphasis Reading 12 – comment on how writers convey setting, character and mood S & L – promote, justify or defend a point of view

Lesson outline

Learning objectives for the lesson: • To reflect on religious viewpoints. • To provide interactive group works. • To explore in role.



Plenary


Text-prompted discussion of reincarnation.

Extract from The Upanishads prompts discussion of reincarnation.

Pupils share their insights into Saffy’s motivation then complete questions on sheet for use in the documentary.

Finish reading Chapter Five. Begin character chart or on-going work on documentary.

Spelling exercise on words of a religious nature.

Attempts at defining an angel, and why a stone angel should be important to Saffy. Resource RS 12: ‘Rebirth’: An extract from The Upanishads (p.21) pages RS 13: ‘R.E. Spellings’ (p.22) RS 14: Picture of the stone angel (p.23) RS 15: ‘The Documentary: Saffy the Stowaway Girl’ (p.24) RS 16: ‘Character Chart: Mrs Warbeck’ (p.25)

Teaching and learning advice: • Teacher explains to pupils that this lesson looks at manifestations of religious beliefs, an extract from a Hindu sacred text and a Christian icon, an angel. • Teacher reads out first two pages of Chapter Five and pauses to prompt discussion of Caddy’s tongue-in-cheek question ‘Do squirrels go to heaven?’. Prompts will include: Do animals have souls? What is a soul? What evidence can we find of a soul’s existence? Quick spelling exercise on words of a religious nature. • To develop the discussion, teacher reads from The Upanishads and the class respond to the concept of reincarnation. What would they most like to come back as and why? • The teacher moves on to angels and speculates on what an angel might be. On the sheet provided, pupils to draw and label their own ideas of what the angel might look like, before searching the internet for an image for comparison.* • Pupils, in pairs, spend 5 minutes discussing why an inanimate object, the stone angel, might be so important to Saffy as to make her stow away to retrieve it. • Pupils should write their reasons on the mini-whiteboards (or plain A4 paper). • Pupils share their insights into the stone angel’s iconic significance to Saffy. • In the final 20 minutes, pupils need to work on their project, using the chart – ‘The Documentary: Saffy the Stowaway Girl’. • Group/pupils doing Mrs Warbeck should begin the character chart on her and update it in subsequent lessons. Other groups need to devise a similar chart for their character, for on-going use. Teacher works with the upper ability group to extend their understanding of characters and how to use the role of investigator in this process. Chapter Five summary: It may be that in order to cool Caddy’s interest in him, Michael is fabricating a relationship with a girlfriend. Sarah’s mother, Mrs Warbeck, headmistress of a local private school, invites Saffy to a meal – after which Sarah again expresses her determination to reunite Saffy with her angel.



Resource Sheet 12

Rebirth Below is an extract from The Upanishads , composed around the eighth century BCE, and central to the development of Hinduism. In it, Gangyayani, the Guru, is talking to his pupil Gautama. Gangyayani said, ‘You are worthy of the sacred knowledge, Gautama, for you have not fallen into conceit. Come, I will explain it to you.’ He said, ‘All those who depart from this world go to the moon. In the former half of the month it waxes by their breaths, and with its latter half it causes them to be born again. This, the moon, is the door to the heaven-world: the one who answers it sends onward, but the one who does not answer becomes rain here, and it rains him down. He is reborn here in one place after another as a worm, a flying thing, a fish, a bird, a lion, a boar, a snake, a tiger, a person, or something else, according to his actions, according to his knowledge.’

Reincarnation is the belief that after death some part of the soul can be reborn in a new body, human or animal.



Resource Sheet 13

R.E. Spellings Circle the correct version.

1.

SOLL

SOLE

SOUL

2.

PREIST

PRIEST

PREEST

3.

FUNERRAL

FUNERAL

FUNNERAL

4.

CREASION

CREASHUN

CREATION

5.

SACCRED

SACRED

SAYCRED

6.

MIRICLE

MIROCLE

MIRACLE

7.

PREDJUDICE

PREJUDICE

PREGUDICE

8.

MARRIAGE

MARIAGE

MARIDGE

9.

CAROL

CARROL

CAROLE

HYMM

HYMN

10. HYM

How many other religious words can you think of in 2 minutes?



Resource Sheet 14

The Stone Angel In the box below, draw the stone angel as you imagine it to be.

In pairs, you have 5 minutes to discuss why the angel is so important to Saffy. Decide which of your reasons is the best and write it down.



Resource Sheet 15

The Documentary: Saffy the Stowaway Girl Look at the following list of characters:

INDIGO – CADDY – ROSE – SARAH – MR CASSON – MRS CASSON – MRS WARBECK • Find out, wherever possible, their full names and list them in the chart below. In the box to the right of the name write a brief description of their status and what aspect of Saffy’s ‘drama’ they are in a position to describe. • Give them a rank order of who is the most important witness and who is the least by putting a number in the box to the left (1 is highest; 7 is lowest). You may wish to change your opinion as you read the book, so enter the ranks in pencil.

Rank

Full name

Status and what they can tell us about Saffy

• If you are a reporter in the documentary, use the space below to write down five questions to ask a character about how they feel about Saffy stowing away. • If you are a character, see if you can anticipate questions and plan your responses. Work as a group.

1 2 3 4 5



Resource Sheet 16

Character Chart: Mrs Warbeck AGE: ______________________________________ OCCUPATION: ____________________________ ADDRESS: _________________________________ ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________ (Draw a picture of what you think Mrs Warbeck looks like!)

Attitude to Saffy Find the examples in the book by looking up the page references, and decide what each one tells us about how Mrs Warbeck feels about Saffy. Can you find other examples?

Page 64: ‘“You kept her out far too late last night,” said Sarah’s mother, not smiling.’

Pages 85–86: The nose stud incident

Page 93: ‘“Obviously I am scared of your mother!” said Saffron.’

Page 117: ‘“If you had explained to us about Saffron being born in Siena …”’



Lesson 6: Personal Choices Teacher’s Prompt Page: The Nose Stud Question Framework objectives for the unit: Word 14 – define and deploy words with precision Sentence 11 – vary sentence structure to lend pace, variety and emphasis Reading 12 – comment on how writers convey setting, character and mood S & L – promote, justify or defend a point of view

Lesson outline

Learning objectives for the lesson: • To give pupils insight into individual feelings. • To ensure pupils are fully involved with PSHE and Citizenship issues.



Plenary


Teacher reads pp.84–88, concerning the acquisition of nose studs.

Discussion of teenage fashion for body-piercing and attitude to it.

Pupils do exercise on sensory descriptions and feelings.

Pupils in pairs complete sheet ‘Personal Choices’.

Feedback from pupils on their ‘Personal Choices’ emphasising importance of balance.

Do the ‘Discussion Tennis’ part of the sheet. Read rest of Chapter Six.

Resource RS 17: ‘Making Sense of It’ exercise (p.27) pages RS 18: ‘Personal Choices’ exercise (p.28) RS 18: ‘Discussion Tennis’ exercise (p.28) Teaching and learning advice: • Teacher explains to pupils that this lesson looks at personal feelings and choices. • Teacher reads aloud pp.84–88, the episode in which Saffy and Sarah go to town and acquire nose studs, and asks for pupils’ experiences of the same. • Teacher prompts the issue of pain (Saffy ‘went sick and grey and dizzy’ (p.86)) and ties this in with discussion of sensory apprehension and the improvement to descriptive writing made by the inclusion of feelings. • Pupils complete the ‘Making Sense of It’ exercise. • The teacher initiates a spontaneous class debate of the nose stud question, prompting among other things what school rules are; what parents’ attitudes are likely to be; why Saffy succumbs to peer group pressure and ‘had to have one’; and the dangers involved. • Pupils in pairs complete the ‘Personal Choices’ exercise. • Pupils feed back their answers to ‘Personal Choices’. There is potential for discussion of Citizenship issues about the importance of individuality and choice whilst bearing in mind the need to balance these with respect for rules of society, in the school and workplace. • Teacher goes briefly over the ‘Discussion Tennis’ extension exercise. Chapter Six summary: Caddy’s feelings for Michael persist notwithstanding his revelations about a girlfriend. Saffron and Sarah go into town and on the spur of the moment have nose studs inserted. Mrs Warbeck is furious and wrongly blames Saffy for her daughter’s actions.



Resource Sheet 17

Make Sense of It When writing descriptions, people often write just about what can be seen. To make descriptions fresher and more lively you should APPEAL TO THE SENSES. List below the five senses in order of what you consider their importance. The first one could be SIGHT.

1

SIGHT

2 3 4 5 Now imagine you are having a nose stud or body-piercing. Which sense would be used to describe the experience? Write your description in three parts:

My feelings before the ‘operation’

My feelings during the ‘operation’

What I felt like afterwards



Resource Sheet 18

Personal Choices Why do people have a nose stud (or similar body-piercing jewellry)? What are your personal feelings on it? Why is Saffy at first reluctant to have one? Do you think she was right to simply do what Sarah told her? Why did Sarah’s mum have such strong objections? What would you say to Sarah’s mum to convince her that it was Sarah’s right to choose to have one and that it was a good thing?

Discussion Tennis ‘I have thought of everything,’ said Sarah.

Write down three good points that Sarah might not have thought of; points which Saffy could have made had she really and truly been determined not to go along with the plan. Then add Sarah’s counter-points, i.e. what she would say to get round Saffy’s objection.

Saffy’s 1st objection Sarah’s counter Saffy’s 2nd objection Sarah’s counter Saffy’s 3rd objection Sarah’s counter


Saffy's Angel 03

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