KS3 'Ostrich Boys' by Keith Gray end of unit assessment and creative extension task

This is a powerpoint presentation lesson which guides students from the moment you finish the novel 'Ostrich Boys' until the completion of an essay style close analysis assessment.

The powerpoint starts with debate/open questions about their thoughts on the story as a whole, and then narrows down to focus on Blake through a series of tasks.

There is a detailed planning stage where students are encouraged to gather information and quotes from the whole novel. I have created a slide with suggested sections/page numbers of the book that they can look at, which my low ability class found very useful.

The assessment focuses on the main character Blake, and how he has been presented throughout the novel. The presentation also reviews using PEE in essay writing and gives a suggested essay structure.

The powerpoint could be used over a series of lessons, for around a week after the reading of the novel.

I used this lesson last year with a lower ability class and was really pleased with the understanding of the character they demonstrated in their essays as a result.

There is an extension task at the end centred around analysing the front covers that have been used for 'Ostrich Boys' in the past, and encourages students to create their own front cover once they've finished reading the novel. Could also be used as a homework, or a completely separate task!