Autobiography - Lesson 6 - Suspense PowerPoint

In the sixth lesson of an educational series on suspense, students are tasked with exploring how writers create a sense of suspense within a text. The objective is to learn and apply the P.E.E. method—Point, Evidence, Explain—when analysing and writing about literature. This technique encourages students to make a point about the text, support it with evidence, and then elaborate on that evidence to explain its significance in detail. The lesson uses an extract from the gripping narrative 'Touching the Void' to illustrate how suspense is crafted through language, punctuation, and sentence structure. Students are invited to delve into the text, identifying and explaining elements that contribute to the suspenseful atmosphere.

As part of the lesson, learners engage with the concept of suspense, questioning what it entails and how it affects the reader's experience. They are provided with a mind map to organise their thoughts on how the author of 'Touching the Void' builds suspense. Additionally, they use a structured table to analyse specific points in the text, such as the portrayal of confusion and pain, and how these elements enhance the tension. To cement their understanding, students are prompted to write a detailed response about the protagonist Joe Simpson's harrowing experience, focusing on his thoughts and feelings as conveyed through the author's choice of language. This exercise not only deepens comprehension but also hones the students' analytical and explanatory skills in literary criticism.