The Demon Headmaster - Lesson 2 - PowerPoint

The second lesson in the series on 'The Demon Headmaster' by Gillian Cross invites students to delve deeper into the narrative through a variety of engaging activities. The lesson begins with volunteers reading out their diary entries, written from the perspective of the character Dinah, which were crafted during the previous lesson. The rest of the class is encouraged to listen attentively and provide constructive feedback, focusing on the quality of the content, suggestions for improvement, and whether the key events and details have been captured effectively. This peer review process not only enhances listening skills but also allows students to gather insights that they can incorporate into their own writing.

Following the diary readings, the class moves on to explore Chapter Three of the novel, where Dinah and the readers are introduced to the enigmatic Headmaster for the first time. Students engage in a discussion about the Headmaster's peculiar characteristics, the odd behaviour of the school children, and the atmosphere that Gillian Cross creates in this chapter. They are tasked with drawing and labelling the Headmaster, using direct quotations from the text to accurately depict his appearance, voice, and actions. An extension task challenges students to write a monologue as Dinah, reflecting on her encounter with the Headmaster. The lesson concludes with presentations of the Headmaster illustrations, where students assess each other's work, considering the accuracy and effectiveness of the portrayal and what they have learned about this central character through the exercise.