Who is Frankenstein in the picture below?

You will be able to identify what we

TODAY WE ARE LEARNING ABOUT: expect from Gothic Literature.

So that… You will be able to explore a Gothic

Gothic Literature text.
L/Q: What are the conventions of
gothic literature? You will be able to identify features of
Gothic.

TODAY’S KEY WORDS ARE: Literature, Conventions, Expectations.

YOU WILL SHOW YOUR LEARNING BY…

• Discussing your ideas
• Reading and comprehending
• Identifying the conventions of Gothic Literature

LITERACY LINKS: Group discussion, comparison

NUMERACY LINKS: Dates
THE LANDMARK ASSESSMENT WILL BE…
“Victor Frankenstein is more of a monster than the creature he created”
To what extent do you agree?
Literature: written works that have been published.
Conventions: a way in which something is usually done.
Expectations: a storing belief that something will happen or be the case.
 2BA2: gain an overall understanding of Gothic Literature language features.

WHAT WILL WE BE
STUDYING THIS TERM?
 Gothic Literature

 Frankenstein!

 Gothic Short Stories

H OW W I L L W E B E S T U DY I N G ?
 Writing Tasks

 Quote Analysis

 Speaking and Listening Debates

 Writing Assessment
 2BA2: gain an overall understanding of Gothic Literature language features.

BACKGROUND
 The novel initially emerged as a leisurely indulgence for the educated and
rich – generally linked to women ‘idling’ away their time!

 Before such luxuries as TV, reading stories was a popular focus of family
entertainment – stories were often released (e.g. Dickens, Sherlock Holmes) in
instalments in newspapers and magazines and were loaded with exciting cliff-hangers.

 The Gothic genre, with its engaging and unpredictable features, then arose
as an appealing genre – it was sensational and mildly disturbing, in nature.
 2BA2: gain an overall understanding of Gothic Literature language features.

AC T I V I T Y 1
FILL-IN-THE-BLANK

An evil, often supernatural, being as

antagonist
(the protagonist is the main character, the
antagonist is the character who fights
against him).
 2BA2: gain an overall understanding of Gothic Literature language features.

Based on an old
superstitions or
subconscious fears.
 2BA2: gain an overall understanding of Gothic Literature language features.

Heightened emotions,
particularly dread, melancholy,
remorse and terror.
 2BA2: gain an overall understanding of Gothic Literature language features.

Medieval or foreign (often

European) setting.
 2BA2: gain an overall understanding of Gothic Literature language features.

Sinister locations, for example, ruins,

castles, dungeons, haunted houses, dark
forests, churches, graveyards, mountains,
wild landscapes.
 2BA2: gain an overall understanding of Gothic Literature language features.

Supernatural elements, for

example, ghosts, witches,
magic, religion.
 2BA2: gain an overall understanding of Gothic Literature language features.

Themes of good v. evil, light v.

dark, God v. the devil, life v.
death.
 2BA2: gain an overall understanding of Gothic Literature language features.

Young, innocent maiden as

victim. Women generally in
passive roles.
 ACTIVITY 2
DISCUSSION

From what you have learnt so far,

What do you expect from gothic fiction?
I expect Gothic fiction to be……
because……..
 2BA2: gain an overall understanding of Gothic Literature language features.

ACTIVITY 3
IDENTIFY.

Edger Allen Poe.

The Raven
Can you identify Gothic features in this text.
Go further: Can you explain the effect they may have
on the reader.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLiXjaPqSyY
 2BA2: gain an overall understanding of Gothic Literature language features.

ACTIVITY 4
EXPLAIN.
Is Edger Allen Poes story “The Raven” Gothic fiction?

I think “The Raven” is Gothic fiction because it has some conventions of

Gothic fiction, such as……. (Use at least 3 examples)

Go further: Do you think a modern reader would find this story

frightening? Explain.

Why would it be consider frightening in the 18th century?

Explain.
 2BA2: gain an overall understanding of Gothic Literature language features.

STARTER

In the back of your book write down as many

Gothic conventions as you can remember from
yesterdays lesson.
TODAY WE ARE LEARNING ABOUT: You will be able to identify what we
expect from Gothic Literature.
You will be able to explore three
So that… extracts from Gothic texts.
Gothic Literature
You will be able to evaluate which of
L/O: To be able to identify the key these three texts is the most ‘Gothic’.
conventions of Gothic literature. You will be able to compare the two
texts.

TODAY’S KEY WORDS ARE: Connectives, Comparison, Differences.

.
YOU WILL SHOW YOUR LEARNING BY…
• Working independently.
• Reading and comprehending two examples.
• Identifying the conventions of Gothic Literature.
• Comparing the two texts.

LITERACY and Numeracy LINKS: Group discussion, comparison

Connectives: a word or phrase whose function is to link other words and or ideas.
Comparison: a consideration of the similarities or differences between two things.
Difference: a way in which people or things are not the same.
You are going to look at two examples of extracts taken from Gothic novels
or short stories and investigate what makes them Gothic literature.
In mortal terror of people forcing an entrance at such an hour, and in such a
manner as to leave no doubt of their purpose, I would have turned to fly when Extract 1
I first heard the noise, only that I feared by any quick motion to catch their
Task 1: Read and identify the
attention, as I also ran the danger of doing by opening the door, which was all
Gothic conventions that have been
but closed, and to whose handlings I was unaccustomed. Again, quick as
lightning, I bethought me of the hiding-place between the locked door to my used.
husband’s dressing-room and the portiere which covered it; but I gave that up,
I felt as if I could not reach it without screaming or fainting. So I sank down Task 2: Write a PEE paragraph
softly, and crept under the table, hidden, as I hoped, by the great, deep, table- explaining why this extract is Gothic
cover, with its heavy fringe. I had not recovered my swooning senses fully, was literature.
trying to reassure myself as to my being in a place of comparative safety, for,
above all things, I dreaded the betrayal of fainting, and struggled hard for such The Grey woman is a Gothic novel
courage as I might attain by deadening myself to the danger I was in by because it has the
inflicting intense pain on myself. You have often asked me for the reason of Gothic convention…………….
that mark on my hand; it was where, in my agony, I bit out a piece of flesh with For example………….
my relentless teeth, thankful for the pain, which helped to numb my terror. I This shows……………. because it
say, I was but just concealed when I heard the window lifted, and one after
suggests……………..
another stepped over the sill, and stood by me so close that I could have
touched their feet. Then they laughed and whispered; my brain swam so that I
could not tell the meaning of their words, but I heard my husband’s laughter
among the rest – low, hissing, scornful – as he kicked something heavy that 10 minutes
they had dragged in over the floor, and which lay near me; so near, that my
husband’s kick, in touching it, touched me too. I don’t know why – I can’t tell
how – but some feeling, and not curiosity, prompted me to put out my hand, Go further: What happens next?
ever so softly, ever so little, and feel in the darkness for what lay spurned Can you use another Gothic
beside me. I stole my groping palm upon the clenched and chilly hand of a conventions and write what
corpse! happens next.
 Extract 2
Task 1: Read and identify the
Gothic conventions that have been
The intense horror of nightmare came over me; I tried to used.
draw back my arm, but, the hand clung to it, and a most
melancholy voice sobbed, “Let me in – let me in!” “Who Task 2: Write a PEE paragraph
are you?” I asked, struggling, meanwhile, to disengage explaining why this extract is Gothic
literature.
myself. “Catherine Linton,” it replied, shiveringly (why did I
think of Linton? I had read Earnshaw twenty times for Wuthering Heights is a Gothic
Linton). “I’m come home, I’d lost my way on the moor!” As novel because it has the
it spoke, I discerned, obscurely, a child’s face looking Gothic convention…………….
For example………….
through the window – Terror made me cruel; and, finding
This shows……………. because it
it useless to attempt shaking the creature off, I pulled its suggests……………..
wrist on to the broken pane, and rubbed it to and fro till
the blood ran down and soaked the bed-clothes: still it
wailed, “Let me in!” and maintained its tenacious grip,
10 minutes
almost maddening me with fear.
Go further: What happens next?
Can you use another Gothic
conventions and write what
happens next.
 ENGLISH LANGUAGE
PAPER 2 QUESTION 2

Use details from both sources. Write a

summary of the differences between
both texts.
[8marks]
 Wuthering Heights The grey women
Task 1
Create this table in your
books and write in the
differences between the
two texts.

Task 2
Use details from both sources.
Answer the exam style Write a summary of the
questions. differences between both texts.
[8marks]
Word bank Writing frame
Whereas
Instead Although both extracts have been taken from Gothic literuatre they have
However serval differences. Extract 1 has……………… for example “…………” this
On the other suggests………….. Whereas extract 2 has…………. for example “…………” this
hand suggests……….. Extract one also uses …………… for example “……….” this
Although suggests…….However, extract 2 uses…………... for example “………..” which
In contrast suggests………..

Go further: Can you write a summary of the similarities between both texts?
Self assess: use the mark scheme to mark your work.
7-8 marks
Shows an insightful combination and interpretation of both texts:
• Makes intelligible inferences from both texts
• Makes sensible references/use of textual detail relevant to the focus of
the question
• Statements show clear differences between texts

5-6 marks
Shows clear synthesis and interpretation of both texts:
• Makes clear inferences from both texts
• Selects clear references/textual detail relevant to the focus of the
question
• Statements show differences between texts

What went well:

Target for next time:

Go further: What other types of genre is Gothic similar to? 10 minutes

Explain.
Whilst I take the register THINK about the questions below – Get ready to
share your ideas after, I might pick you!

What is a
monster? Why are writers
fascinated by
them?

Can you think of Do monsters always

have to be real
any literary creatures or can they
monsters? be human?
 TODAY WE ARE LEARNING ABOUT: You will be able to explode a quotation
in order to analysis the language used.
L/O: How does Mary Shelley use So that… You will be able to understand writer’s
language to describe Frankenstein’s intentions and the effect on the reader.
“monster”? (Model lesson)
You will be able to construct a model
PEA paragraph as a class.

TODAY’S KEY WORDS ARE: Language, Effect, Reader, Writer.

YOU WILL SHOW YOUR LEARNING BY…

Discussing ideas Making notes A written task A creative response
Researching Group work An independent task Reading + discussing
Planning writing Analysing Reviewing work

LITERACY and NUMERACY LINKS:

Developing Securing Mastering

I can use PEA paragraphs to I can clearly explain the I can confidently explain the
write about the effect of writer’s use of language writer’s use of language
language and/or structure. and/or structural features. and/or structural features.
TODAY’S KEY WORDS ARE: Writer, Language, Effect, Reader, Writer, Monster.

Writer: A person who has written something.

Language: Using words/phrases to create certain effects on the reader.

Effect: When a writer intentionally causes/makes the reader do

something by selecting certain language.

Reader: A person who reads.

The effect on the reader…
is not that it makes them want to read on.
The examiner wants to see that you understand what impact the
writer is trying to have on the reader.

Is the writer trying to get the reader to feel something, think about
something, imagine something, question something, understand
something.
1: How does Victor Frankenstein feel after the monster comes to life?
Use a quotation to back up your answer.

2: Highlight words/phrases that Shelley uses to describe the monster

and annotate what they suggest.

How can I describe my emotions at this

catastrophe, or how delineate the wretch
whom with such infinite pains and care I had
endeavoured to form? His limbs were in Delineate = describe or
proportion, and I had selected his features as portray something precisely
beautiful. Beautiful!--Great God! His yellow Wretch = an unfortunate or
unhappy person
skin scarcely covered the work of muscles and Infinite = limitless or endless
arteries beneath; his hair was of a lustrous Endeavoured = try hard to do
black, and flowing; his teeth of a pearly or achieve something
whiteness; but these luxuriances only formed Scarcely = only just
a more horrid contrast with his watery eyes, Lustrous = shining
that seemed almost of the same colour as the Luxuriances =
dun white sockets in which they were set, his comfortable/elegant
shrivelled complexion and straight black lips. Dun = a dull greyish-brown
colour
 How do we answer this question?
Explore how Mary Shelley use language to describe
Frankenstein’s “monster”?
You will need to explain in You will need to pick out
detail and note the key words and phrases
impact. Make sure you talk about and use subject
the vocabulary and or terminology.
language features used to
describe the monster.

What type of
Bug It! paragraphs do we use
to answer this
question?
Box the command words.
Underline the key words. What does the
Glance back over the question.
‘A’ in PEA mean?
How do I write a PEA paragraph in response to this question?

Point: Step 1: You need to make

a point by answering,
How does Mary Shelley use
language to describe
Frankenstein’s “monster”?

How can I describe my emotions at this catastrophe, or

how delineate the wretch whom with such infinite pains
and care I had endeavoured to form? His limbs were in
proportion, and I had selected his features as beautiful.
Beautiful!--Great God! His yellow skin scarcely covered the
work of muscles and arteries beneath; his hair was of a
lustrous black, and flowing; his teeth of a pearly
whiteness; but these luxuriances only formed a more
horrid contrast with his watery eyes, that seemed almost
of the same colour as the dun white sockets in which they
were set, his shrivelled complexion and straight black lips.
How do I write a PEA paragraph in response to this question?

Point: Step 2: You need to

pick the piece of
Evidence: evidence that
supports your point.

How can I describe my emotions at this catastrophe, or

how delineate the wretch whom with such infinite pains
and care I had endeavoured to form? His limbs were in
proportion, and I had selected his features as beautiful.
Beautiful!--Great God! His yellow skin scarcely covered the
work of muscles and arteries beneath; his hair was of a
lustrous black, and flowing; his teeth of a pearly
whiteness; but these luxuriances only formed a more
horrid contrast with his watery eyes, that seemed almost
of the same colour as the dun white sockets in which they
were set, his shrivelled complexion and straight black lips.
How do I write a PEA paragraph in response to this question?
What do these connotations
Point: suggest? What does it make
How do they suggest that the the reader think,
monster is………? feel or imagine?
How does Shelley use language
Evidence: to describe the monster?

Word choice denotation and

Word class connotations / explain effect
Word choice / language of the language feature
/ language feature.
feature
 Model paragraph
Mary Shelley describes Frankenstein's ‘monster’ as
unnatural. Evidence to support this is, “His yellow skin
scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath.”
The adverb ‘scarcely’ means only just; almost and has
connotations of barely, infrequent and transparent. The
connotation transparent suggests the monsters skin is see
through, this is very unusual; freakish even which makes him
seem unhuman as he does not resemble a human being.
This could of made a Victorian reader feel scared because in
Victorian times there was a scientific revolution which
meant that scientific ideas like this were very new; some
Victorians believed that it was the work of magic rather than
the science we know today.
 Progress check.

In your books grade how you feel about

planning and writing a PEA paragraph.

I can do this – Independently, I

think I can plan and wirte a PEA
paragraph.

I ‘m getting there – With some

support, I think I can plan and
write a PEA paragraph.

I need help – With support, I

think I can plan and write a PEA
paragraph.
How can I describe my emotions at this catastrophe, or how delineate the wretch whom
with such infinite pains and care I had endeavoured to form? His limbs were in
proportion, and I had selected his features as beautiful. Beautiful!--Great God! His yellow
skin scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath; his hair was of a lustrous
black, and flowing; his teeth of a pearly whiteness; but these luxuriances only formed a
more horrid contrast with his watery eyes, that seemed almost of the same colour as the
dun white sockets in which they were set, his shrivelled complexion and straight black lips.

How can I describe my emotions at this catastrophe, or how delineate the wretch whom
with such infinite pains and care I had endeavoured to form? His limbs were in
proportion, and I had selected his features as beautiful. Beautiful!--Great God! His yellow
skin scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath; his hair was of a lustrous
black, and flowing; his teeth of a pearly whiteness; but these luxuriances only formed a
more horrid contrast with his watery eyes, that seemed almost of the same colour as the
dun white sockets in which they were set, his shrivelled complexion and straight black lips.

How can I describe my emotions at this catastrophe, or how delineate the wretch whom
with such infinite pains and care I had endeavoured to form? His limbs were in
proportion, and I had selected his features as beautiful. Beautiful!--Great God! His yellow
skin scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath; his hair was of a lustrous
black, and flowing; his teeth of a pearly whiteness; but these luxuriances only formed a
more horrid contrast with his watery eyes, that seemed almost of the same colour as the
dun white sockets in which they were set, his shrivelled complexion and straight black lips.
 TODAY WE ARE LEARNING ABOUT: You will be able to explode a quotation
in order to analysis the language used.
L/O: How does Mary Shelley use So that… You will be able to understand writer’s
language to describe Frankenstein’s intentions and the effect on the reader.
“monster”?
You will be able to construct a model
PEA paragraph as a class.

TODAY’S KEY WORDS ARE:

YOU WILL SHOW YOUR LEARNING BY…

Discussing ideas Making notes A written task A creative response
Researching Group work An independent task Reading + discussing
Planning writing Analysing Reviewing work

LITERACY and NUMERACY LINKS:

Developing Securing Mastering

I can use PEA paragraphs to I can clearly explain the I can confidently explain the
write about the effect of writer’s use of language writer’s use of language
language and/or structure. and/or structural features. and/or structural features.
How you feel about planning and writing a PEA
paragraph?

I can do this – Independently, I

think I can plan and write a PEA Sit at the back tables.
paragraph.

I ‘m getting there – With some

Sit at the middle
support, I think I can with some
tables.
plan and write a PEA paragraph.

I need help – With support, I

think I can with plan and write a Sit at the front tables.
PEA paragraph.
Now it’s your turn – write a PEA paragraph in response to the question,
Explore how Mary Shelley use language to describe Frankenstein’s “monster”?

First fill in your

20 minutes
planning sheet.

P: Mary Shelly uses language to describe the

monster as……..

E: This can been seen in the quote, “…….............”

Then write your
paragraphs in A: The ……… “…..” suggests….. because it implies
your books. …….. Which could imply……..

It illustrates to the reader......

It makes the reader……..
It intensifies the……. for the reader because
Developing

Point- Rephrase the question. I think that… The author wants us to … The character is… The theme… It is important
because…
Evidence – Ideally a direct quote but you can paraphrase (put it in your own words). Keep your quote short and succinct-
don’t forget to use quotation marks “ “.
Explain – how this supports your point. The word… shows us that…

Secure
Point- Rephrase the question. I think that… The author wants us to … The character is… The theme… It is important
because…
Evidence – Ideally a direct quote but you can paraphrase (put it in your own words). Keep your quote short and
succinct- don’t forget to use quotation marks “ “.
Explain – how this supports your point. The word… shows us that…Based on this evidence, it appears that…
Develop- This demonstrates that… This is significant because it suggests that…This demonstrates that the author wants
the reader to feel/think/believe…
Mastery
Point- Rephrase the question. I think that… The author wants us to … The character is… The theme… It is important
because…
Evidence & Explain – Ideally a direct quote but you can paraphrase (put it in your own words). Keep your quote short
and succinct- don’t forget to use quotation marks “ “ Based on this evidence, it appears that… This clearly suggests…
Analyse -Identify the word class or device; Only if you are 100% sure; and say what that specific word, phrase or device implies or hints at-
The word… shows us that… It is clear from the quote above that… This is significant because it suggests that… do this with more than one word,
phrase or device.

Effect on the reader - We can predict that … The author wants the reader to feel/ think/ believe…because…
 Self assess

What went well:

Even better if:

Confidence level:

Go further: Do you consider Frankenstein’s creation a monster? Explain.

 What do these connotations
Point: suggest? What does it make
How do they suggest that the the reader think,
monster is………? feel or imagine?
How does Shelley use language
Evidence: to describe the monster?

Word choice denotation and

Word class connotations / explain effect
Word choice / language of the language feature
/ language feature.
feature
Do you consider these people to be monsters?

‘No hands up questioning’ be ready with a

response because I might pick you.
 TODAY WE ARE LEARNING ABOUT: You will be able to use language for
effect.

So that… You will be able to show your awareness

of the audience.
L/O: How can I use language to describe
my own monster? You will be able to show your awareness
of features and form.

TODAY’S KEY WORDS ARE: Suspense, Tension, Onomatopoeia, Alliteration.

YOU WILL SHOW YOUR LEARNING BY…

Discussing ideas Making notes A written task A creative response
Researching Group work An independent task Reading + discussing
Planning writing Analysing Reviewing work

LITERACY and NUMERACY LINKS:

Developing Securing Mastering

I can use simple vocabulary I can use sophisticated I can use a range of
choices and language vocabulary choices and sophisticated vocabulary and
features for effect. language for effect. language features for effect.
 What are their How does
facial features? he/she stand? How do they
look at you?

What is their
personality? Monster How old is
he/she?
How do they
What does their
move?
voice sound
like?
How is the
monster built?
 Task: Write a description of your own monster
Use the extract from Word bank Success criteria
last lesson to help you. Unnatural
mammoth Ambitious adjectives.
Mythical Verbs/adverbs.
Consider Hideous
Similes/metaphors.
Would another Grotesque
Onomatopoeia.
Gruesome
student in the class Misshapen
Alliteration.
be able to draw Frightful Build tension/suspense.
Immoral Sentences for effect – short
your monster, sentence emphasis a certain
Wicked
based on what you Vile feature. Longer sentences go
have written? corrupt into detail about a certain
unpleasant feature.
Go further: Consider the questions we discussed last lesson: Do monsters always have
to be real creatures or can they be human?
Write a second description, this time of someone who appears to be human, but
posses an “inner-monster”.

20 minutes
 Swap your work.

Draw a picture of the monster, based on the

description you have been given.

Comment – What helped you draw the image?

Target – What could they do to improve?

15 minutes
Mary Shelley was born on 30th August 1797 in London, the daughter of
Mary Wollstonecraft, author of A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, a
famous feminist essay encouraging women to act for themselves and
William Godwin, a radical academic and author who counted William Blake,
Lord Byron and Percy Shelley amongst his friends.

Wollstonecraft died giving birth to Mary leaving her daughter in the care of
Godwin. As a teenager Mary met and fell in love with the charming young
poet Percy Shelley and the two ran away to Europe together however the
affair was rocked by the suicide of Percy’s pregnant wife in November 1816.
The couple married weeks later.

‘Frankenstein’ was published fourteen months later and became an instant

success but Mary’s literary achievements were marred by a series of tragic
personal events. From 1815 to 1819, three of her four children died in
infancy and in 1822 Percy drowned off the shore of Tuscany, leaving Mary a
widow and single mother.

Task 1: Draw a timeline to depict Mary Shelley's life.

Go further: What factors of her life could have influenced her book.
 TODAY WE ARE LEARNING ABOUT: You will be able to understanding who
Mary Shelley is.
Frankenstein So that… You will be able to explore why she
wrote Frankenstein.
L/O: To be able to gain an understanding You will be able to evaluate what
of the context of the novel. aspects of her life influenced the novel.

TODAY’S KEY WORDS ARE: Context, revolution, mythology.

.
YOU WILL SHOW YOUR LEARNING BY…
Discussing ideas Making notes A written task A creative response
Researching Group work An independent task Reading + discussing
Planning writing Analysing Reviewing work

LITERACY and NUMERACY LINKS:

Developing Securing Mastering

I can use simple vocabulary I can use sophisticated I can use a range of
choices and language vocabulary choices and sophisticated vocabulary and
features for effect. language for effect. language features for effect.
Context: is the background, environment, setting, framework, or surroundings of events or
occurrences that may have influenced the writer.
Revolution: a forcible overthrow of a government or social order, in favour of a new system.
Mythology: a collection of myths, especially one belonging to a particular religious or cultural
tradition.
Victor had a passion for science. His excitement, ambition and the desire
to achieve fame and distinction in the field of natural philosophy. It is
this that starts the mania that will end in destroying Victor's life. Victor
spends day and night in his laboratory. He develops a consuming
interest in the life principle (that is, the force which imparts life to a
human being). This interest develops into an unnatural obsession, and
Victor undertakes to create a human being out of pieces of the dead. He
haunts cemeteries at night. He tells no one of this work, and years pass
without his visiting home. Finally, his work is completed: one night, the
yellow eyes of the creature finally open to stare at Victor. When Victor
beholds the monstrous form of his creation (who is of a gargantuan size
and a grotesque ugliness), he is horror-stricken. He flees his laboratory
and seeks solace in the night. When he returns to his rooms, the
creature has disappeared.
 Victorian society The implications of Darwinism and
evolution haunted Victorian society. The
was deeply religious and idea that humans evolved from apes and
most individuals conducted amphibians led to a concern that
their lives according to the teachings humanity could revert to these primitive
of Christianity. Yet this was also an age of major states.
scientific progress and discovery. Ranging from Soon caricaturists were depicting Darwin
Darwin's Origin of Species to Strauss's Life of as an ape, underlining the threat that his
Jesus, new techniques and approaches theories seemed to pose to religion: if
undermined faith in the literal truth of the evolution by natural selection was true,
then at what point in evolution had
Bible. humans acquired a soul?

The greatest threat to the Christian faith was posed by science. A number of scientific developments began to shake society’s
belief in God during the 19th century, leading individuals to question man’s place in the universe.

The early 19th Century was a time of scientific discovery.

Explorers (like Robert Walton in the novel) had travelled to the
far ends of the earth discovering new lands and strange
people whilst scientists were pushing back the boundaries and
increasing our knowledge of the world through advancements
in Physics, Chemistry and Medicine. The recent discovery of
electricity was thought by some to be the key to life and
scientists had discovered by experimenting with frogs that
electricity could reanimate dead tissue. While many
embraced this new scientific world others feared it. Using
science to reanimate dead creatures frightened people and There was a debate between science and nature
others felt that such experiments were dangerous and feared here – messing about with human life was
the idea of man having the power of God to create life. considered trying to play God – therefore a sin!
 Cesare Lombroso was an Italian physician and psychiatrist, who was interested in criminal
anthropology. His 1876 book Criminal Man argued some people were born criminals - it claimed they
were ‘atavistic’, or throwbacks to an earlier (more primitive humans) stage of evolution. Lombroso believed
‘primitiveness’ could be read from the bodies and habits of such born criminals - for instance, facial features, body
type and tattooing, which he saw as a particular sign of criminality.

The theory of the ‘born criminal’ Victorian beliefs about criminals

In developing his theory, Lombroso performed autopsies In Victorian Britain, society often saw the lower working
on criminals and declared that they had discovered classes as these less evolved, criminal offenders. There
similarities between the look of these bodies and those of
were concerns about this dangerous class that was
"primitive humans“ and apes.
thought to lurk in London slums waiting for the
Based on these similarities, Lombroso proposed the opportunity to steal from and attack passers-by.
theory of the ‘born criminal'.

Lombroso concluded that criminals were physically

different. The physiognomy that he used to identify
prisoners included:
• an asymmetry of the face or head
• large monkey-like ears
• large lips
• a twisted nose
• excessive cheekbones
Illustration from a 19th century book
• long arms about physiognomy
• excessive wrinkles on the skin

Lombroso declared that males with five or more of these Glossary:

characteristics could be marked as born criminals. Atavistic (Atavism) – reverting to an earlier, more primitive stage of
Females, on the other hand, only needed three of these evolution, people who were considered primitive
characteristics to be born criminals. Lombroso also Primitive humans – less advanced humans from thousands of years
believed that tattoos were markings of born criminals ago, including apes
because they stood as evidence of insensitivity to Physiognomy – the assessment of a person’s personality based on
physical pain. their facial features and outward appearance
 Modern science vs Religious revival
The Era of Modern Science? A Time of Religious Revival?

The 19th century is often thought about as a However, the Victorian period is also a period of deep
period when modern science was founded religious revival. There was an evangelical revival in the
and beliefs shifted from traditional religion to Christian church, but also a large number of new dissenting
scientific explanations based on natural laws. cults.

Charles Darwin, the anxious amateur It was a golden age of belief in supernatural forces and
biologist who held off publishing his theory energies, ghost stories, weird transmissions and spooky
of evolution by natural selection for years for phenomena. For a long time historians ignored these beliefs
fear of the religious and social disturbance it as embarrassing errors or signs of the concerns produced by
might produce, was key to this shift in mind- the speed of cultural change.
set.
Religion and Science intertwined
His Origin of Species (1859) did indeed result
in a crisis of faith for many in the 1860s, In fact, it is much easier to grasp the religious and
before his ideas became embedded in the scientific strands of the century as closely
minds of British people in the last decades of intertwined. Every scientific and technological
the century. advance encouraged a kind of magical thinking
and was accompanied by a renewed belief in the
occult.
Glossary:
Religious revival – a return to religious values Because the advances in science were so rapid,
Evangelical revival – a return to the strict rules of the natural and the supernatural often became
Christianity as written in the Gospels (the Bible)
blurred in popular thinking, at least for a time. And
Dissenting cults – organised groups who disagree
with accepted religions and believe in other things no area of Victorian literary culture was left
The occult – supernatural or magical powers untouched by this interplay of science and magic.
 Two doctors set up ‘The Royal Humane Society’
in London in 1774. Their names were William
Hawes and Thomas Cogan, and they set up the
There were serious attempts, too, to society to do experiments and research about
reanimate (bring back to life) dead what made a body DEAD or ALIVE.
people. The scientist Luigi Galvani
found that frog’s legs twitched as if The spectacular tales of apparent resurrections
alive when struck by a spark of from the dead by the Society fed the public’s
electricity. concern that it was impossible to be sure
Galvani’s nephew, Giovanni Aldini, whether a person was truly dead and,
progressed from frogs legs to consequently, fears of being buried alive grew.
attempting the reanimation of hanged
criminals, making use of the ‘Murder
Act’ of 1752, which added the
punishment of dissection (cutting
bodies up) to hanging.
In 1803, Aldini was able to experiment
with some success upon George
Forster, who had been found guilty of
murdering his wife and child.
Onlookers report that Forster’s eye
opened, his right hand was raised and
clenched, and his legs moved
 The subheading for Frankenstein is ‘The modern day Prometheus’
Who is Prometheus?
In Greek mythology, Prometheus
"forethought is a Titan known for his
intelligence, who stole fire from Zeus and
gave it to mortals for their use.

Zeus then punished him for his crime by

having him bound to a rock while an eagle ate
his liver every day only to have it grow back to
be eaten again the next day. His myth has
been treated by a number of ancient sources,
in which Prometheus is credited with (or
blamed for) playing a pivotal role in the early
history of humankind.

Task: Why do you think Mary Shelly used this as a subheading for her novel?

Who is she referring to as the modern day Prometheus – Frankenstein or the monster? Why?

Go further: Considering the context you have looked at last lesson – Why do you think Mary Shelley
choose to write this story? (Consider mythology's links to religion and the supernatural)
 TODAY WE ARE LEARNING ABOUT: You will be able to show your
understanding of the novel.
So that… You will be able to explore key ideas of
Title: Reading Frankenstein. the novel.
You will be able to show your inference
skills.

TODAY’S KEY WORDS ARE: comprehension, inference, narrator.

.
YOU WILL SHOW YOUR LEARNING BY…
Discussing ideas Making notes A written task A creative response
Researching Group work An independent task Reading + discussing
Planning writing Analysing Reviewing work

LITERACY and NUMERACY LINKS:

Developing Securing Mastering

I can show a basic I can show a good I can show an exceptional
understanding of the novel. understanding of the novel. understanding of the novel.
Progress Check 1: Introduction.

1: When was Mary Shelley born?

2: Why did she write Frankenstein?
3: Why did she return to England?
Progress Check 2: Letter.

1: Who do you think was on the first sledge? Pick a quote from the
text to support your answer.
2: Who do you think was on the second sledge? Pick a quote from
the text to support your answer.
Progress Check 3: Chapter 1.

1: How does this quote “They have new and great powers” link to
the context of the novel?
2: How long had Victor been building his human body?
3: Why had the ‘beauty’ of Victors dream vanished?
Progress Check 4: Chapter 2.

1: Why couldn’t Victor sit still at breakfast?

2: Who killed Victors brother William?
3: Explain what Victor meant when he said “she and William were
the first victims of my success.”
Progress Check 5: Chapter 3.

1: What had changed the monster into an evil creature?

2: Why didn’t the monster want to fight Victor?
3: What did the monster want from Victor?
 Plenary

3 things you have learnt about the monster.

Three things I have learnt about the monster are…….
2 pivotal events that have happened so far.
The first pivotal point was…… and the second pivotal point was……
1 fact about Victor Frankenstein.
One fact about Victor Frankenstein is……
 Summarise

How did Victor Frankenstein feel

about his creation?

I think Victor Frankenstein felt……

about his creation because…..
End
 TODAY WE ARE LEARNING ABOUT: You will be able to use the text to
understand a character.
Title – Chapters 3 & 4: Understanding So that… You will be able to make inference to
help you understand a character.
the monster. You will be able to make a judgement on
a character based on what you have
learnt about them.

TODAY’S KEY WORDS ARE: Opinion, Rejected, summary.

.
YOU WILL SHOW YOUR LEARNING BY…
Discussing ideas Making notes A written task A creative response
Researching Group work An independent task Reading + discussing
Planning writing Analysing Reviewing work

LITERACY and NUMERACY LINKS:

Developing Securing Mastering

I can show a basic I can show a good I can show an exceptional
understanding of the novel. understanding of the novel. understanding of the novel.
 Understanding the monster
1. How did the monster feel when he first came alive? Use a quote.
(p. 19)

2. How did the monster help the family? Use a quote. (p. 19-20)

3. Name 3 things the monster learnt. (p.20)

4. Describe what happens on p.23-24.

5. Find two similes on p.23 (compares using “like” or “as).

6. What is your opinion of the monster after he’s killed William and
framed Justine? Give two reasons and explain. (at least 3
sentences)
End
 Understanding the monster
1. How did the monster feel when he first came alive? Use a quotation. (p.
19) When the monster first came alive he “was very frightened”. The
light was bright and “dazzled” him. He was “afraid of the darkness” and
ran away.
2. How did the monster help the family? Use a quotation. (p. 19-20) The
monster helped them by collecting firewood and put “it in front of their
door”. This way they had more time to grow their vegetables.
3. Name 3 things the monster learnt. (p.20-21). He learned how to speak,
he learned history and geography, he learned new ideas and feelings e.g.
disgust.
4. Describe what happens on p.23-24. The creature met a child. He wanted
him as his friend. He found out that he was Frankenstein’s brother so he
strangled him out of revenge.
5. Find two similes on p.23 (compares using “like” or “as). “like a lion rips
an antelope.” “I didn’t wanted to be hunted like an animal.”

6. What is your opinion of the monster after he’s killed William and framed
Justine? Give two reasons and explain. (at least 3 sentences)
 The Monster

Summarize what you have learnt

about the monster,

The monster was ………… when he

was first born. He spent a lot of time
…………… because……………….

The monster learnt………………

The monster became evil

when……………

The monster only wants……………

 Using this quote, highlight how the
monster might feel rejected.
“I longed to obtain food and shelter… finding the door
open, I entered. An old man sat in it, near a fire, over which
he was preparing his breakfast. He turned on hearing a
noise; and perceiving me, shrieked loudly and quitting the
hut, ran across the fields with a speed of which his
debilitated form hardly appeared capable.”
Perceiving: become aware or conscious of something / come
to understand.

Shrieked: high piercing sound.

Debilitated: in a very weakened and infirm state.

 PEED Paragraph
P: The monster has been treated…
and therefore feels…
E: This is shown when …
E: I believe this is unfair because…
D: This may explain why he goes on
to commit crimes because…
Go further: Can you find another quote from Chapter 4 and explain
why the monster might feel rejected using PEED paragraph.

End
 TODAY WE ARE LEARNING ABOUT: You will be able to use the text to
understand a character.
So that… You will be able to make inference to
Title – Reading Frankenstein. help you understand a character.
You will be able to make a judgement on
a character based on what you have
learnt about them.

YOU WILL SHOW YOUR LEARNING BY…

Discussing ideas Making notes A written task A creative response
Researching Group work An independent task Reading + discussing
Planning writing Analysing Reviewing work
Developing Securing Mastering
I can show a basic I can show a good I can show an exceptional
understanding of the novel. understanding of the novel. understanding of the novel.

Can you spot the mistake? You’re (A contraction of you are).

This is used as a short form of you
You’re homework is due in on Wednesday. are.
It is your turn to present you’re ideas to the class.
Your (possessive adjective).
I think your going to love this film. This is to show that something belongs
to someone.
 Home work
Research task

What do you know about the Scientific revolution?

What was the Scientific revolution? What happened? What did they
discover? How did this affect or change society?
Present your findings in an interesting and imaginative way.
Poster /Power Point / Information booklet.
Chapter 5 – The second creature.




Go further: What did you learn about the monster and Victor Frankenstein?
Chapter 6 – Death of a friend.




Go further: What did you learn about the monster and Victor Frankenstein?
Chapter 7 – The promise.




Go further: What did you learn about the monster and Victor Frankenstein?
1: When did the monster threaten to
reappear?

2: Who was killed in Chapter 6?

3: Where did Victor spend 2 months and

why?

4: What did Victor decide to do at the end

of Chapter 7?
Chapter 8 – Murder by the lake.




Go further: What did you learn about the monster and Victor Frankenstein?
Chapter 9 – My search begins.




Go further: What did you learn about the monster and Victor Frankenstein?

To finish – summarise what you thought of the story.

I thought the story was……….because………

“I longed to obtain food and shelter… finding the door open, I entered. An old man sat
in it, near a fire, over which he was preparing his breakfast. He turned on hearing a
noise; and perceiving me, shrieked loudly and quitting the hut, ran across the fields
with a speed of which his debilitated form hardly appeared capable.”
“I longed to obtain food and shelter… finding the door open, I entered. An old man sat
in it, near a fire, over which he was preparing his breakfast. He turned on hearing a
noise; and perceiving me, shrieked loudly and quitting the hut, ran across the fields
with a speed of which his debilitated form hardly appeared capable.”
“I longed to obtain food and shelter… finding the door open, I entered. An old man sat
in it, near a fire, over which he was preparing his breakfast. He turned on hearing a
noise; and perceiving me, shrieked loudly and quitting the hut, ran across the fields
with a speed of which his debilitated form hardly appeared capable.”
“I longed to obtain food and shelter… finding the door open, I entered. An old man sat
in it, near a fire, over which he was preparing his breakfast. He turned on hearing a
noise; and perceiving me, shrieked loudly and quitting the hut, ran across the fields
with a speed of which his debilitated form hardly appeared capable.”
“I longed to obtain food and shelter… finding the door open, I entered. An old man sat
in it, near a fire, over which he was preparing his breakfast. He turned on hearing a
noise; and perceiving me, shrieked loudly and quitting the hut, ran across the fields
with a speed of which his debilitated form hardly appeared capable.”
 THINK

Humans are the real monsters.

To what extent do you agree with this statement?
 TODAY WE ARE LEARNING ABOUT: You will be able to explore how a reader
might empathise.
Discussion. You will be able to explore the methods
So that… Shelley uses to create this.
L/O: Who do I most empathise with in
You will be able to evaluate your ideas
the novel; Dr Frankenstein or the and summarise your point of view.
monster?

TODAY’S KEY WORDS ARE: Perspective, Viewpoint.

YOU WILL SHOW YOUR LEARNING BY…

Discussing ideas Making notes A written task A creative response
Researching Group work An independent task Reading + discussing
Planning writing Analysing Reviewing work

LITERACY and NUMERACY LINKS:

Developing Securing Mastering

I can make some comments I can clearly explain my I can confidently explain my
that are rooted in my personal opinion, based on personal opinion, based on
personal opinion and use evidence. evidence.
evidence to justify this.
 Talk show
In groups’ of three

Decide who will be: Frankenstein, the monster and show

host.

Collect your activity card and complete the task.

Practise in your group ready to show the class your act.

 Dr Frankenstein

• How did you feel when the Task

creature came alive?
• Why did you run away?
In groups of three you are going
• How did you feel when you to put on a talk show!
found out William had been
murdered?
• Why did you allow Justine to You are Dr Frankenstein.
be executed, if you knew the
creature had killed him?
Write down your responses to
• How did you feel when the the following questions from Dr
creature told you he was
lonely? Frankenstein perceptive.
• Why did you create a
companion for him and then Go further: Is there anything else
dump the body? you would like to add about your
relationship with the monster?
 The monster
• How did you feel when you Task
were created?
• How did you feel when your
creator abandoned you? In groups of three you are going
• How did you feel by the way to put on a talk show!
people react to you?
• How did you feel when you met
the family? You are the Monster.
• How did you feel when you read
Frankenstein’s notes?
Write down your responses to
• How did you feel when you
spoke to the old man? the following questions from the
• How did you feel when Felix monsters perceptive.
drove you away with a stick?
• How did you feel when the Go further: Is there anything else
family left?
you would like to add about your
• How did you feel when Victor
destroyed your last hope? relationship with Dr
Frankenstein?
 The host Task
What do you mean by…?
process of is the main idea..? In groups of three you are going
to put on a talk show!
What is an example of..?
Summarize..
You are the show host.
Identify…
Explain…. In your own words. Write down some questions you
Explain the process of… would like to ask Dr Frankenstein
Explain why you…. and the monster – using the
question stems to help you.
How did you feel when…?
What are you going to do…? Go further: Whose side do you
want to take? Write a closing
paragraph to end the show with
your opinion.
 Who do you empathise with and why?

The monster? Or Dr Frankenstein?

 TODAY WE ARE LEARNING ABOUT: You will be able to explore how a reader
might empathise.
Extracts 1 You will be able to explore the methods
So that… Shelley uses to create this.
L/O: Who do I most empathise with in
You will be able to evaluate your ideas
the novel; Dr Frankenstein or the and summarise your point of view.
monster?

TODAY’S KEY WORDS ARE: Empathy, sympathy.

YOU WILL SHOW YOUR LEARNING BY…

Discussing ideas Making notes A written task A creative response
Researching Group work An independent task Reading + discussing
Planning writing Analysing Reviewing work

LITERACY and NUMERACY LINKS:

Developing Securing Mastering

I can make some comments I can clearly explain my I can confidently explain my
that are rooted in my personal opinion, based on personal opinion, based on
personal opinion and use evidence. evidence.
evidence to justify this.
 Who should the reader empathies
with and why?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRppXdKDY_c
 Frankenstein’s perspective…
Read the extract.

Identify the words/phrases and sentence forms

which evoke a feeling of empathy within the
reader.

How does Mary Shelley present his experience?

How does Mary Shelley create empathy?
How does she want the reader to react to his story?
 Frankenstein’s perspective
How does Mary Shelley create empathy?
I had worked hard for nearly two years, for the sole
purpose of infusing life into an inanimate body. For
this I had deprived myself of rest and health. I had
desired it with an ardour that far exceeded
moderation; but now that I had finished, the beauty
of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and
disgust filled my heart. Unable to endure the aspect
of the being I had created, I rushed out of the room,
continued a long time traversing my bed chamber,
unable to compose my mind to sleep.
 The monster’s perspective…
Read the extract.

Identify the words/phrases and sentence forms

which evoke a feeling of empathy within the
reader.

What is her viewpoint about the way the monster

remembers his birth?
How does Mary Shelley create empathy?
How does she want the reader to react to his story?
 The Creature’s perspective
How does Mary Shelley create empathy?
It was dark when I awoke; I felt cold also, and
half frightened, as it were, instinctively, finding
myself so desolate. Before I had quitted your
apartment, on a sensation of cold, I had covered
myself with some clothes, but these were
insufficient to secure me from the dews of night.
I was a poor, helpless, miserable wretch; I knew,
and could distinguish, nothing; but feeling pain
invade me on all sides, I sat down and wept.
 Plenary

Who do I most empathise with in the novel; Dr

Frankenstein or the monster?

Explain your reasons.

 Frankenstein’s perspective
How does Mary Shelley create empathy?
I had worked hard for nearly two years, for the sole
purpose of infusing life into an inanimate body. For
this I had deprived myself of rest and health. I had
desired it with an ardour that far exceeded
moderation; but now that I had finished, the beauty
of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and
disgust filled my heart. Unable to endure the aspect
of the being I had created, I rushed out of the room,
continued a long time traversing my bed chamber,
unable to compose my mind to sleep.
 The Creature’s perspective
How does Mary Shelley create empathy?
It was dark when I awoke; I felt cold also, and
half frightened, as it were, instinctively, finding
myself so desolate. Before I had quitted your
apartment, on a sensation of cold, I had covered
myself with some clothes, but these were
insufficient to secure me from the dews of night.
I was a poor, helpless, miserable wretch; I knew,
and could distinguish, nothing; but feeling pain
invade me on all sides, I sat down and wept.
 How does Mary Shelley How does Mary Shelley create How does she want the reader
present his experience? empathy? to react to his story?

Dr Frankenstein Dr Frankenstein Dr Frankenstein

What is her viewpoint about How does Mary Shelley create How does she want the reader
the way the monster empathy? to react to his story?
remembers his birth?

The Monster The Monster The Monster

 Make sure you have a response to
this question.

Who do I most empathise with in the novel; Dr

Frankenstein or the monster?

Explain your reasons.

Go further: Put yourself in Frankenstein shoes….

What would you have done differently?
 TODAY WE ARE LEARNING ABOUT: You will be able to explore how a reader
might empathise.
Extracts 2 You will be able to explore the methods
So that… Shelley uses to create this.
L/O: Who do I most empathise with in
You will be able to evaluate your ideas
the novel; Dr Frankenstein or the and summarise your point of view.
monster?

TODAY’S KEY WORDS ARE: Empathy, sympathy.

YOU WILL SHOW YOUR LEARNING BY…

Discussing ideas Making notes A written task A creative response
Researching Group work An independent task Reading + discussing
Planning writing Analysing Reviewing work

LITERACY and NUMERACY LINKS:

Developing Securing Mastering

I can make some comments I can clearly explain my I can confidently explain my
that are rooted in my personal opinion, based on personal opinion, based on
personal opinion and use evidence. evidence.
evidence to justify this.
Expectations for this lesson….
You will need to read two different extracts and identify the words / phrases and sentence
forms which evoke a feeling of empathy within the reader.

You will then pick one quotation and explain in a PEE paragraph why it evokes a feeling of
empathy within the reader.

So by the end of the lesson you should have,

Two highlighted extracts stick into your books

Two PEE paragraphs written into your books

Example of PEE paragraph:

P: Mary Shelley evokes empathy for The Monster in Chapter 5 page 89.
E: For example “It was indeed a long time before I was able to distinguish between the
operations of my various senses.” The monster is explaining that it took him a while to
understand different smells, sights and sounds.
E: This quote evokes empathy within the reader because it emphasizes the monsters innocent
demeanour, as like a baby he had to learn about the world around him and this would make a
reader sympathize with the monster because he had to do this alone, which would have been
very frightening and confusing.
 Frankenstein’s perspective…
Read the extract.

Identify the words/phrases and sentence forms which evoke a feeling of

empathy within the reader.

Pick one quotation and explain in a PEE paragraph why it evokes a feeling of
empathy within the reader.

P: Mary Shelley evokes empathy for Frankenstein in Chapter…… page…….

E: For example “………………..” (Explain what the quote means in your own words)
E: This quote evokes empathy within the reader because………..

Go further: Extend your ‘E’ by considering the structure of the story,

I think Mary Shelley wants the reader to have empathy for Frankenstein at this
point in the story because…………
 Monster’s perspective…
Read the extract.

Identify the words/phrases and sentence forms which evoke a feeling of

empathy within the reader.

Pick one quotation and explain in a PEE paragraph why it evokes a feeling of
empathy within the reader.

P: Mary Shelley evokes empathy for The Monster in Chapter…… page…….

E: For example “………………..” (Explain what the quote means in your own words)
E: This quote evokes empathy within the reader because………..

Go further: Extend your ‘E’ by considering the structure of the story,

I think Mary Shelley wants the reader to have empathy for Frankenstein at this
point in the story because…………
 Plenary

Who do I most empathise with in the novel; Dr

Frankenstein or the monster?

Explain your reasons.

 What do we mean
What do we mean by “evil”?
by “good”?

How might we describe Dr Frankenstein?

Is he “good” or “evil”?
 TODAY WE ARE LEARNING ABOUT: You will be able to define the meaning
of good and evil.
So that… You will be able to explore key
Victor Frankenstein quotations from the novel.
L/O Is Dr Frankenstein good or evil? You will be able to evaluate your opinion
of Dr Frankenstein

TODAY’S KEY WORDS ARE: Good, Evil.

YOU WILL SHOW YOUR LEARNING BY…

Discussing ideas Making notes A written task A creative response
Researching Group work An independent task Reading + discussing
Planning writing Analysing Reviewing work

LITERACY and NUMERACY LINKS:

Developing Securing Mastering

I can make some comments I can support my I can support my
that are rooted in my understanding with relevant understanding with judicious
personal opinion and use references from the text. references from the text.
evidence to justify this.
 Victor Frankenstein
Victor Frankenstein grows up in Geneva dreaming of becoming a famous
scientist. As a young man he attends university at Ingolstadt where he
discovers the secret of life and brings a hideous monster to life.
Abandoned and unloved the monster proceeds to kill Victor's youngest
brother, best friend, and wife; he also indirectly causes the deaths of
two others, including Victor's father. Torn by remorse, shame, and guilt
tries to hide his terrible secret but is unable to escape the consequences
of his actions.
Victor changes over the course of the novel from a romantic youth
enthralled by science into a disillusioned, guilt-ridden shadow of his
former self determined to erase the evidence of his scientific
experiments. Victor loses his humanity after the experiment and
becomes increasingly isolated from his family and the rest of the
world around him. Eventually he commits his entire life to
revenging himself upon the monster. At the end of the novel,
having chased his creation to the North Pole, Victor relates his
story to Robert Walton and then dies.
With its range of narrators the novel leaves the reader with
contrasting interpretations of Victor: a mad scientist, transgressing
all nature’s boundaries without respect, or a brave explorer of
unknown scientific fields, not to be held completely responsible for
the consequences of his actions.
 Investigation

You will be investigating Dr Victor Frankenstein.

Does Mary Shelley present him as “good” or
“evil”?

Collect at least 2 quotations from each chapter.

Do they make him good or evil?
Good? Evil?
• As a child Victor was an • When he created the
“innocent and helpless monster he “rushed out of
creature” (Chapter 1) the room” (Chapter 5)
• “I received a lesson of • “A thirst for knowledge”?
patience of charity and self (Chapter 2)
control” (Chapter 1) • “During which I payed no
• “I began the creation of a visit to Geneva” (Chapter 4)
human being” (Chapter 4)
 Victor’s Childhood
Chapter 1

• I am by birth a Genevese, and my family is one of the most

distinguished of that republic.
• My father had filled several public situations with honour and
reputation. He was respected by all who knew him.
• My mother’s tender caresses and my father’s smile of
benevolent pleasure while regarding me, are my first
recollections.
• I was their plaything and their idol, and something better –
their child, the innocent and helpless creature bestowed on
them by Heaven.
• It may be imagined that while during every hour of my infant
life I received a lesson of patience, of charity, and of self-
control, I was so guided by a silken cord that all seemed but
one train of enjoyment to me.
 Victor’s teenage years
Chapter 2

• I was capable of a more intense application, and was more

deeply smitten with the thirst for knowledge.
• The world was to me a secret which I desired to divine.
• No human begin could have passed happier childhood than
myself. My parents were possessed by the very spirit of
kindness and indulgence.
• It was the secrets of heaven and earth that I desired to learn.
• I read and studies the wild fancies of these writers with
delight; they appeared to me treasures known to few besides
myself.
• If I could banish disease from the human frame and render
man invulnerable to any but a violent death!
 His mother’s death
Chapter 3

• On the third day my mother sickened; her fever was

accompanied by the most alarming symptoms.
• She died calmly; and her countenance expressed affection
even in death.
• I need not describe the feelings of those whose dearest ties
are rent by that most irreparable evil.
• It is so long before the mind can persuade itself that she…can
have departed forever – that the brightness of a beloved eye
can have been extinguished.
• The sound of a voice so familiar and dear to the ear can be
hushed, never more to be heard.
 Victor’s obsession with his studies
Chapter 4

• From this day natural philosophy, and particularly chemistry,

in the most comprehensive sense of the term, became nearly
my sole occupation.
• Two years passed in this manner, during which I paid no visit
to Geneva, but was engaged, heart and soul, in the pursuit of
some discoveries which I hoped to make.
• I became acquainted with the science of anatomy: but this
was not sufficient; I must also observe the natural decay and
corruption of the human body.
• I was encouraged to hope my present attempts would at least
lay the foundations of future success…It was these feelings
that I began the creation of a human being.
• Winter, spring, and summer passed away during my labours;
but I did not watch the blossom of the expanding leaves.
 Victor’s creation
Chapter 5

• How can I describe my emotions at this catastrophe?

• Unable to ensure the aspect of the being I had created, I
rushed out of the room.
• I slept, indeed, but I was disturbed by the wildest
dreams…and I thought I held the corpse of my dead mother in
my arms.
• I had gazed on him while unfinished…it became a thing such
as even Dante could not have conceived.
• This was the commencement of a nervous fever, which
confined me for several months.
How does Victor Frankenstein change?
P: At first, Frankenstein is presented as good/evil because…
E: For example…
A: This suggests that…

P: As the novel develops, Frankenstein is presented as…

E: For example…
A: This shows that Frankenstein is…

GF: Overall, I would argue that he is good/evil because…

 Plenary

In your opinion, is Dr Victor Frankenstein good

or evil? Explain why?

Who is the real monster? Frankenstein or the

Creature?
Year 8 Frankenstein Apprentice Task
TODAY WE ARE LEARNING You will be able to identify how to answer
exam-style questions.
ABOUT:
You will be able to apply the skills needed to
So that… gain maximum marks.
seas
Frankenstein You will be able to evaluate how effective you
L/O: How do I critically evaluate have been.
a text?

TODAY’S KEY WORDS ARE:

Frankenstein, Creature, Monster
YOU WILL SHOW YOUR LEARNING BY…
• Deconstructing exam-style questions and mark schemes
• Analysing models of effective analysis
• Applying these skills to a critical evaluation question.

LITERACY LINKS: Reading Comprehension and Sentence Starters

NUMERACY LINKS: Exam timings.

THE LANDMARK ASSESSMENT WILL BE…

A student, having read ‘Frankenstein’ said: “Victor Frankenstein is more of a monster than
the creature he created.” To what extent do you agree?
 Year 8 Progression Wall:
Comprehension and Critical Reading
Developing

 I can make some inferences about a character’s feelings and how they react in different
circumstances.
 I can use PEA paragraphs to write about the effect of language and/or structure.
 I can make some comments about effect on the reader/audience.
 I can make some comments that are rooted in my personal opinion and use evidence to
justify this.
 I can include some accurate use of subject terminology, with some comments.
Spelling, punctuation and grammar (focus identified by class teacher) not to be included in
assessment outcome.

• I can show some control of a range of punctuation, with some accuracy.

• I can use a range of sentence structures with some accuracy, including simple, compound
and complex sentences.
• I can sustain the use of Standard English mostly with control.
• I can spell more complex words with some accuracy (including homophones).
 Year 8 Progression Wall:
Comprehension and Critical Reading
Securing

 I can make clear inferences about the writer’s intention using an increasing range of
evidence.
 I can clearly explain the writer’s use of language and/or structural features.
 I can make clear comments on the effect on the reader/ audience.
 I can support my understanding with relevant references from the text.
 I can clearly explain my personal opinion, based on evidence.
 I can include clear and accurate use of a range of subject terminology, with clear comments.

Spelling, punctuation and grammar (focus identified by class teacher) not to be

included in assessment outcome.

• I can use of a clear range of punctuation, mostly with success.

• I can use a clear range of sentence structures securely and accurately.
• I can clearly sustain the use of Standard English, with control.
• I can spell more complex and irregular words with general accuracy.
 Year 8 Progression Wall:
Comprehension and Critical Reading
Mastering

 I can make confident inferences about a text that show I understand the intentions of the
writer, using well selected evidence.
 I can confidently explain the writer’s use of language and/or structural features.
 I can make confident comments on the effect on the reader/audience.
 I can support my understanding with judicious references from the text.
 I can confidently explain my personal opinion, based on evidence.
 I can include a more sophisticated range of subject terminology, making more thoughtful
comments.

Spelling, punctuation and grammar (focus identified by class teacher) not to be included in
assessment outcome.

I can consistently use a wide range of accurate punctuation for effect.

I can use a wide range of appropriate sentences structures for deliberate purpose and effect.
I can confidently sustain the use of Standard English, with secure control of complex
grammatical structures.
I can show a high level of accuracy in spelling, including more ambitious words.
 BUG it!
(Box it, Underline, Glance)
This is another aspect of the
This is the focus of the question,
question, expressing sympathy
stating the creature is a murderer.
towards Frankenstein.

A student, having read ‘Frankenstein’ said: “The creature is

a murderer and this makes me feel sympathy towards Victor
Frankenstein.” To what extent do you agree?

This part of the question wants us to prove

that the statement is true.
 Evidence Language analysis Effect on the reader. Context

“William is dead!” Short sentence creates The reader would feel

shock exclamation mark hatred towards the
emphasises feelings of creature because he
“that sweet child” dread and loss. killed an innocent child;
Adjective ‘sweet’ implies who had nothing to do
William was an innocent with the creatures
boy. Noun ‘child’ misfortunate. Also feel
connotes purity and sympathy towards Victor
youth this adds to the because William was his
horror of the act because brother; his family.
it emphasises how
senseless his death was.
 Here is a model paragraph that responds to the question…
It is without a doubt, that the creature is a murderer. This is evident when the creature
murders William, Frankenstein’s younger brother. “William is dead!” and “that sweet
child” are lines taken from the letter Frankenstein’s father wrote in chapter 7. Shelley
uses a short sentence to create a sense of shock and the use of an
exclamation mark emphasises feelings of dread and loss for the family.
Furthermore, the adjective ‘sweet’ has connotations of innocent and
kind which suggest that William didn’t
deserve his death
because he was a kind hearted boy. Also the noun
‘child’ connotes purity and youth which further
implies that the creature is a murderer because it
emphasises the horror of the act. Ultimately, this
makes the reader feel hatred towards the creature
because he killed an innocent boy. Also this will make
the reader feel sympathetic towards Victor because
 Now it’s your turn…

Draft the next paragraph, using the plan we have

created together.

Remember to write in PEACE paragraphs where

possible.

Can you include context in your paragraph?

 Remember to check your SPaG!
1. Plurals (more than one of something) do not require an apostrophe: the GCSE’s are coming up soon; the boy’s
are playing football, should be the GCSEs are coming up soon; the boys are playing football.
2. Make sure your verb tense is consistent and your subject agreement is correct- particularly with the verb to
be: I am; you are; he/she/it is; we are; they are; I was; you were; he/she/it was; we were; they were.
3. Take care with prepositions: A preposition is a word or set of words that indicates location (in, near, beside, on
top of) or some other relationship between a noun or pronoun and other parts of the sentence (about, after,
besides, instead of, in accordance with). A preposition isn't a preposition unless it goes with a related noun or
pronoun, called the object of the preposition.
4. TiPToP paragraphs. Every time you write about a new Time, Person, Topic or Place you need to start a new
paragraph. This must be clearly identified either by an indentation from the left or by leaving a line.
5. Vary sentence starts. Avoid starting with a noun, particularly the subject for each sentence. Try starting with a
connective, verb, adverb or adjective.
6. Choose the correct homophone, pay particular attention to their (belongs to them), they’re (they are), there (a
place), off (opposite of on), of (expressing a relationship), where (a place), were (past tense to be), to
(towards), too (more or additional), two (the number).
7. Apostrophes for omission (to show there’s a missing letter)- that’s, don’t, isn’t.
8. Grammar- no such thing as off of. You can get off a train or eat off a plate.
9. Apostrophes for possession or to show belonging the train’s whistle, the year’s end.
10. Commas: for lists, to separate ideas (clauses) in a sentence, and to include additional non-essential
information (they can be used in a similar manner to brackets).
11. Demonstrate at least five different types of punctuation, think about including : ; - ! ? ... , ()
12. A lot is two words. A lot should always be spelled as two words. The meaning of a lot depends on the context.
Usually, it means “many” or “to a great extent.”
 SPaG Focus!
Capital letters and full stops.

when frankenstein created The monster He ran away

the reader Feels empathy for victor

When he is first born, the Monster is scared

 Using the mark schemes on your
table mark your paragraphs.

Create a success criteria / checklist

for your assessment.
 A student, having read ‘Frankenstein’ said: “Victor Frankenstein is more of a monster
than the creature he created.” To what extent do you agree?
point Evidence Analysis Context Effect reader

Answer the Find a Pick a key If it is relevant Remember

question to quotation that word. think about the QUIF
create your backs up why attitudes of the
point. you agree or Explore time and how This makes the
disagree. connotations. they relate to reader……beca
I agree with the your point. use……..
statement Show your What do they
because…… comprehension suggest? A Victorian Remember
by explain audience…. there can be
I disagree with when/where/ Why do they more then one
the statement what/why for support your effect on the
because… the quote. point? reader.

End
The story of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is about…………. In
this essay I will argue that the …………..is more of a monster.

I ……….with the statement because………..for

example………….this suggests that……………….is more of a
monster because…………

I …………with the statement because……….for example……..this

suggests that…………………is more of a monster because…………

Overall I believe that …………………..is the real monster

because………………..
The story of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is about…………. In
this essay I will argue that the …………..is more of a monster.

I think Victor is the real monster because………..

for example………….this suggests that Victor is more of a
monster because…………

I think Frankenstein is the real monster because…………

For example……………this suggests that Frankenstein is more
of a monster because…………..

Overall I believe that …………………..is the real monster

because………………..
 Landmark Assessment

A student, having read ‘Frankenstein’

said: “Victor Frankenstein is more of a
monster than the creature he created.”

To what extent do you agree?

 Here is a model paragraph that responds to the same question…
It is without a doubt, that the creature is a murderer and I
strongly agree that we feel sympathy for Victor Frankenstein.
This is particularly evident when the creature murders William,
Frankenstein’s younger brother, as a ploy to seek revenge. In
chapter 7, Victor receives a letter from his father in which he
states “William is dead!” shortly followed by “- that sweet child”.
Here, Shelley uses a short sentence to create a sense of shock
and the exclamation mark at the end emphasises the feelings of
dread and loss that are felt by Victor’s father and of course
Victor himself. Furthermore, the adjective “sweet” implies that
William was an innocent boy, who did not deserve his death,
and the noun “child” connotes purity and youth which further
adds to the horror of the act. Ultimately, this makes the reader
feel hatred towards the creature for killing a child and feel
undoubtedly sympathetic towards Victor.