Lesson Introduction: Exploring Fear in "Jekyll and Hyde"
Objective
To engage Year 11 students in understanding the theme of fear in Robert Louis Stevenson’s Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, preparing them for their GCSE answers.
Setting the Scene: A Dramatic Reading and Reflection
To kick off the lesson on fear in Jekyll and Hyde, we will begin with a dramatic reading of a key excerpt from the novella. Choose an excerpt that vividly captures the essence of fear—perhaps the moment Hyde first appears or Jekyll's transformation scene. Here’s how we will structure this part of the lesson:
Activities
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Dramatic Reading (10 minutes)
- Select a powerful passage that evokes fear, such as the description of Hyde's first encounter with Utterson or Jekyll’s terrifying transformation.
- Invite a few students to read different parts aloud to bring life to the narrative. Encourage them to use expressive tones to convey the anxiety and horror felt by the characters.
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Immediate Reactions (5 minutes)
- After the reading, ask students to jot down their immediate emotional reactions. What words or phrases struck them as particularly frightening? What images did they conjure up in their minds?
- Facilitate a brief discussion where students share their thoughts and feelings. Encourage them to use descriptive language and relate their reactions to their own experiences of fear.
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Fear Mapping (10 minutes)
- On a whiteboard or flip chart, create a "fear map." Start by writing the word "Fear" in the centre.
- Invite students to contribute their reactions and thoughts, branching out from the centre to explore different aspects of fear illustrated in the text, such as the fear of the unknown, the fear of one’s darker self, and societal fear of the 'other.'
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Connecting Themes to Questions (10 minutes)
- Introduce key GCSE exam questions related to the theme of fear in Jekyll and Hyde. Examples could include:
- “How does Stevenson evoke a sense of fear in the novella?”
- “In what ways does fear affect the characters' decisions and relationships?”
- Guide students to connect their reactions on the fear map to these questions. Prompt them to think critically about how Stevenson uses language and structure to create a fearful atmosphere.
Conclusion
Wrap up the introduction by emphasising the importance of personal engagement with the text. This activity not only sets the tone for analysing the theme of fear but also prepares students to articulate their thoughts in their GCSE answers effectively.
By harnessing the power of dramatic expression and personal reflection, students will foster a deeper understanding of fear as a central theme in Stevenson’s work, which will serve as a foundation for their further study and analysis.