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Any one have any ideas on how to teach language analysis at KS3, other than the simple 'point, evidence, and explain' model or annotating a text?
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
If appropriate, I sometimes use the 'iceberg' model as a way of freeing up their analytical bains - have you heard of this? You draw the Iceberg and divide it in to 3 parts - the idea being that the word or phrase you are trying to analyse goes in to 'the tip of the iceberg' (you have to dig deep underneath surface layer to get a better understanding - all sorts of ouns can be used..). In the second layer, we brainstorm all the words/feelings and associations to the word or phrase in the 'tip of the iceberg'. In the final, bottom layer, we create a response, using some of the words in layer 2. EG - Question: What impression does the writer give of the sun's heat?
Top layer 1: 'The sun beat down its rays on the boy'
Layer 2: Aggresive, venegeful, excessive heat, painful
Layer 3 'the writer creates the impression that the heat is excessive by making it sound as if the sun is aggressive - it is deliberately attacking the boy. The writer is emphasising how painful the sun is.
(A brighter student might refer to personification)
Anyway - this looks great when done visually (I often add animations such as the Titanic heading towards its impending doom on the surface layer) and it acts as a writing frame with the less confident when faced with language analysis type questions. Probabaly best for middle/less able.
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