- This topic has 53 replies, 8 voices, and was last updated July 13, 2025 by
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Summary for Lesson 1
In today’s lesson we began our work on 11+ comprehension, beginning by developing a “big picture” framework to analyse the 11+ with an overview of four key skills (connotation, imagery, structure & theme), discussing what literary analysis required of us and how we can think about viewing literature through a lens. Then, we focused on the key skill of connotation analysis, digging into the way connotation and denotation differ and how this can be used symbolically, metaphorically, and to create negative/positive associations. We practiced thinking about symbolic associations of imagery and then analysed a passage from a text together, unpicking the hidden meaning behind the text. I was super impressed by the level of analysis the class exhibited today, particularly when it came to thinking about underlying imagery being used and how this could create a particular atmosphere. Very well done everyone, keep up the wonderful job! 🙂
Connotation: https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/what-is-connotation-definition-examples/
Homework
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The author describes Crabby as a small person in size however she is also described as a terror. It also says that she had a bunched little body with has a bad connotation instead of saying small which has a better connotation. She is also described to have a sour look, floppy hair and skin and voice like a turkey which has a bad connotation. It makes us feel like she is rude and her parent don’t care about her. If the author wants to make Crabby feel like a good student he/she could say, she had loose hair not floppy hair.
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Dear Beth,
Here is my homework for this week:
I feel of Crabby as a very cruel and unkind person because the text says that she “coiled, uncoiled and sprang”. This shows that she is behaving in a very snaky way which makes she seem like a dangerous person that attacks others.I hope you enjoy it!
Kind Regards,
Karl
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Dear Beth,
Sorry for the late homework this week and the absence on your lesson. My homework is attached below.
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Summary for Lesson 2
In our lesson today we focused on poetry analysis and imagery. We learned about what makes a poem a poem, and how it is an art form where sound matters. We learned about the different terminology used when speaking about poetry (i.e., speaker, stanza, enjambment) and looked at how it is important to think about shape, imagery, sound, metaphor and rhythm. Finally the class applied this beautifully to an 11+ poem, analysing it in depth and thinking about the connotations, images and structure used by the poet. We answered some 11+ comprehension questions on it (which the class did very well) and spoke about several different categories of imagery to look out for in a text: colour, nature, light, religious, violent and sensory. Great work today everyone, well done 🙂
‘What makes a poem a poem’ video to watch if you haven’t seen before: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwhouCNq-Fc
Video we watched in class on poetry elements: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFNnbxCZPBU&t=23s
Poetry analysis link: https://www.matrix.edu.au/beginners-guide-poetry/how-to-analyse-a-poem-in-6-steps/
Homework
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I think the skin cracks like a pod means it is very dry because in the passage it says, “There is never enough water.” Perhaps it hasn’t rained for a long time causing the drought. The word ‘skin’ can also refer to people’s skin or the surface of the land.
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Dear Beth,
Here is my homework for this week. I hope you enjoy it!
I think “the sudden rush of fortune” makes you feel like water is valuable, almost like diamonds popping up from the ground or winning the lottery on your first try, changing your life in just one sudden moment.
Kind Regards,
Karl
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Summary for Lesson 3
Today we talked about structure, one of the most difficult concepts in 11+ comprehension. We looked at structural features, from the macro to the micro, and dug into different ways of conceptualizing what effect structure has. The class learned some techniques and tried them out beautifully and analysed a passage looking for different ways in which the structure and layout influenced our understanding. Well done today everyone, this is a tricky concept that you all dealt with beautifully. Keep it up and see you next week 🙂
Homework
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The author says, ‘At the bottom, she paused…’ Which intrigues the reader to continue reading to find out what is at the bottom of the stairs. It also says, ‘Next time, next time I’ll be ready.’ It ends on a cliffhanger to potentially want to read the next chapter.
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Dear Beth,
Here is my homework for this lesson. I hope you enjoy it! Here it is:
I think that the metaphor “path painted thick with fallen petals” means sadness, darkness and death. This is because healthy flowers usually represent happiness and life, so dead flowers with fallen petals would symbolise the opposite of that. Also, this is alliteration of the letter “p”, which makes the metaphor seem more important by emphasising it.
See you next week and have a great day!
Kind Regards,
Chenxi
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Summary for Lesson 4
In today’s class we thought about theme and deeper meaning in literature. We looked at poetry and how to pull deep symbolic meanings from below the surface of a text, thinking through a step by step process to unpicking meaning. We practiced with two different poems, discussing the way techniques helped to communicate broader themes, and did some partner work sharing our observations. Finally we thought about inference and complexity in analysis, which the class did brilliantly. Well done everyone, keep up the fab work and see you next week 🙂
Homework
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Summary for Lesson 5
In today’s class we continued our comprehension work, pulling together all the skills we’ve learned so far to tackle some high-marker questions. We revised the four pillars of comprehension- connotation, imagery, structure and theme- and then thought about P.E.E. and PETER to help us answer some in depth analysis. The students practiced this, looking at example answers and sharing their work with one another. Well done today everyone, really solid and sophisticated work. Keep up the amazing concentration and see you next week 🙂
Homework
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Extract from The Wild Robot.
How did Roz can in one piece whilst the other robots were shattered into pieces?
According to Brightbill what was the relationship between Roz and him?
What were the people who tried to catch Roz called?
Sorry for the late homework 😅
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Great questions William, well done! I love that you have a mixture of simple evidence questions and ones that require more inference, such as those focusing on the character relationships. To make this even better, have a think about maybe some higher mark questions too i.e., P.E.E. questions that ask the students to analyse the language being used. Overall super work well done 🙂
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Beautiful work Victor, well done! I love how deeply you have thought about the ways in which atmosphere is created and how you have also included the amount of marks you feel would work best for each question, great job! To make this even better, could you narrow down question 2 to an extract from the text to give the students a tighter focus? Overall super work well done 🙂
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Summary for Lesson 6
In today’s class we continued our work on comprehension, thinking about using the skills we have gathered so far effectively in analysis of a passage. We revised the four key building blocks, focusing particularly on imagery and how to think through its uses in writing. We connected imagery to theme and connotation then applied our thoughts to a passage, paying attention to the way atmosphere was created. We also looked at some very important tips from the 11+ such as reading as much as possible and improving vocabulary. Wonderful work everyone, well done for all your amazing ideas and keep it up! See you next week 🙂
Homework
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The author uses the word ‘grey’ which has a bad connotation. It makes the reader think about dark cloudy days and a creepy atmosphere The author could have wrote ‘silver’ which has a better connotation and makes the pebbles sound more interesting and more bright.
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Lovely work here William, well done! I love the way in which you have unpicked the imagery associated with the colour grey, paying attention to the negativity that the image suggests. You have spoken about connotation beautifully and given a great alternative too! To make this even better, have a think about the quote in context, what does it suggest about this extract that the author wants us to feel a creepy atmosphere? Overall fab work well done 🙂
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Dear Beth,
Here is my homework for this week. I hope you enjoy it.
Katniss’s role in her family is hunting for them food, and that is good to use in the Hunger Games, as you need to hunt for food to survive, or then you will starve to death. Since her dad died, she was the head of the family and kept them alive, which also makes her very important.
Kind Regards,
Chenxi
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Hi Beth, here is my homework.
-The author compares the peonies’ buds to snails eyes. Snails are slimy, so this creates a disgusting appearance.
-Nancy put her hand up to her throat, so that means she might have been startled, or something bad had just happened.
-The verbs make the flowers look like they have a mind of their own.
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Great ideas here Nolin, well done! You have come up with some really interesting analyses, thinking carefully about the ways in which imagery is used which I love. Your comprehension of the way in which particular emotions are evoked by the mood of the piece is outstanding and I really like the way in which you have unpicked what the author is suggesting. To make this even better, try to identify any literary techniques you can i.e., the first example is a simile. Overall fab work well done 🙂
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Summary for Lesson 7
In today’s class we looked at techniques, both language based and structural. We thought about a list of likely techniques to appear in an 11+ passage and had a go at writing them ourselves, thinking about how knowing techniques from the inside out helps us to analyse another author’s use of them. The class then analysed a Dickens passage, pulling it apart to examine the structure and language used, and thinking about features such as repetition, hyperbole, listing and contrast beautifully. Amazing work everyone, very well done for all your ideas and contributions, particularly when analysing the 11+ passage for today. Keep up the wonderful work and see you next week 🙂
Homework
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Dear Beth,
I hope you enjoy my homework and have a great week! Here it is:
The man is described as being very rude, despicable and disrespectful, as in the text, he says things such as ‘Hold your noise’ and ‘I’ll cut your throat’. That means that the man is attacking Pip and shouting at him loudly. The writer also uses repetition to show exactly how frightening he seems to Pip.
Kind Regards,
Chenxi
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Great ideas here Chenxi, well done! I love the way in which you have explained the importance of the quotations you’ve chosen and how they fit into the text and thought the identification of the repetition in the passage was a wonderful point that you expanded upon well. You’ve used some fantastic vocab such as despicable and have thought carefully about the character presentation. Just be careful to make ten points in order to achieve the ten full marks for this question, try to make a few P.E.E. paragraphs like this one to make sure you’re hitting those ten marks. Overall lovely work well done 🙂
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The man is described as a fearful and poor man. Perhaps he doesn’t have a home so he is threatening Pip to show him where his house is. The author also uses the repetition of the word ‘and’ which emphasises that he has lots of damaged belongings. The man might be deaf because after Pip say his name, the man says,“Give it mouth.” Telling us that he might not have heard it clearly the first time.
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Fab ideas here William, well done! I really like how you’ve explored the characterisation of the man as fearful and poor, and your interpretation that he might not have a home is a thoughtful addition to the analysis. You’ve also noticed the repetition of the word “and,” which helps to emphasize the man’s damaged belongings, excellent point! Just remember, to score full marks, you’ll need to make more specific points in your analysis. It would help to break down your ideas into more detailed P.E.E. paragraphs to really develop your thoughts and cover all aspects of the question. Overall, super work, you’re on the right track! Keep it up! 🙂
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Summary for Lesson 8
In today’s class we thought about breaking down analysis to core components in order to gain all the marks needed for a high mark question. We looked at example answers, thought about the terminology we should be using, and worked through the ways in which we need to unpack layers of analysis. The class completed a mini quiz on this and then looked at step by steps for comprehension before completing a high marker as a test of what they had learned. Really solid work guys, keep it up and remember it is one mark per point so keep unpacking, thinking of alternate interpretations etc. You’re doing fantastically so far! Well done 🙂
Homework
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1. The elephant
2.The elephant has caught the man and stomped on the man’s back
3. An elephant rifle
4a. A thing that is essential
b. strange
c. Dirty and unpleasant
d. Tyrannical
e. A threat or intimidation
5. Can’t find the second paragraph
6. The weather was wet because it says the mud and you get mud when the weather is moist and damp.
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Summary for Lesson 9
In today’s class we thought about revising our comprehension work, digging into everything we have learned over the past nine weeks and thinking through some of our core skills. We thought about analysis and how to apply it to an 11+ paper, with each student sharing a P.E.E. paragraph written on a high-mark question and receiving personalised feedback. We thought about techniques and how to articulate their effects and had a question-and-answer session to shore up any worries or queries. Well done today everyone, remember to write down any questions you have to share next week and good luck with revision. Fabulous work as ever 🙂
Homework
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Dear Beth,
Here is my Mini Mock. I hope you enjoy it and have a good day! Thank you for being such a wonderful teacher during this course, and I will definitely attend the next one. See you then, and thank you again!
Kind Regards,
Chenxi
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