All About Aesop
, illustrated by Aśka
Learning intention:
I am learning to identify characteristics of an author’s writing style so that I can compare All About Aesop with other texts by the same author.
Success criteria:
- I can identify similarities between texts by the same author
- I can identify characteristics of the author’s style
- I can use knowledge of author’s style to identify other texts by the author
After reading the play ‘All About Aesop’, read the play ‘Strange, But Almost True’ found in Touchdown’s Issue Four (April 2022). Explain that both plays have the same author ( but do not mention this to students). Tell students to think about what characteristics define that author’s style. Children will be assisted through modelled think aloud by the teacher.
Students get into groups of four and complete a placemat where they will write their own ideas on their quarter of an A3 sheet before choosing the best ideas for the middle. They will be looking for similarities between the two plays. Guide them towards looking at word choice, characters, plot and setting.
Answers to consider and include:
- uses puns to create character names (A. Sopp, Noah Lott)
- plays are both in the form of an interview by a professor (perhaps even the same character)
- writes about known topics but makes them absurd (the interviewee debunks common knowledge with nonsense)
- uses puns in the dialogue
Once groups have shared their answers with the class, ask what characteristics might help identify other works by the author. Write points of the discussion on the board.
Answers include:
- use of puns
- use of absurdity
- use of history
Display a range of images in random order on the board from a variety of authors, ensuring there are key examples of Bill Condon's work. Ask students to identify which of them are Bill Condon’s poems or plays, and to give reasons.
Using the explore link on The School Magazine website you will be able to search for several examples of Bill Condon's work using his name as a search term.