The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night time Lesson 8 - PowerPoint

Lesson 8 of an educational English resource delves into the intricacies of the novel "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time". The session starts with a 'Do Now' activity, challenging students to complete a crossword puzzle with clues from the earlier chapters of the book, specifically chapters 2 to 67. As the lesson unfolds, students are tasked to read chapters 71 to 79, and engage in various challenges that encourage deeper analysis of the text. The Bronze Challenge prompts students to consider how the protagonist, Christopher, plans to demonstrate his intelligence and what his future aspirations are. The Silver Challenge encourages students to infer Christopher's self-perception and his understanding of independence. The Gold Challenge invites students to critique the term 'special needs' through Christopher's perspective, highlighting how the term might be misleading by citing examples from Christopher's life.

Further into the lesson, students delve into Christopher's character and the challenges he faces within his family dynamics. Through a series of Bronze, Silver, and Gold Challenges, students explore themes such as the impact of Christopher's behaviour on his parents' marriage and the implications of his mother's statements about her health. The challenges encourage students to draw inferences from the text and consider the underlying tensions and conflicts between characters. As the lesson concludes, a Learning Review prompts students to evaluate the potential suspects in the murder of Wellington, the dog, and to gather evidence that might implicate Mrs Shears, Mr Shears, Christopher's father, or another character. This exercise not only reinforces comprehension and analytical skills but also engages students in the detective work central to the novel's plot. Worksheets are provided to support the activities, and references for further reading on topics such as autism and food preferences are included to enrich the learning experience.