Today is rung 9 of 12 on this topic
Literary analysis — how the writing creates the meaning
Can do: Explains how specific choices — structure, imagery, point of view — produce the effect on a reader.
Why it matters
High-school English is almost entirely this. The skill is moving from what happens to how the writer made it happen.
What it looks like when it's wobbly
Writes about the character as if they were a real person, with nothing about the author's choices.
⏱️ Two-minute check
"Why did the author choose a first-person narrator here? What would change in third person?"
Solid looks like: Reasoning about the effect of the choice, not just the content.
The full activity for this topic · 25 minutes
Change One Thing
- 1Read a strong passage and note its effect.
- 2Rewrite it changing exactly one thing: person, tense, or the order of information.
- 3Read both aloud and describe precisely what changed for the reader.
- 4Repeat with a different change.
- 5Write a paragraph explaining why the author's original choice was the right one.
If it's too hard
Change first person to third and discuss the difference.
If it's too easy
Analyse structure across a whole chapter — what's withheld, and when it's revealed.
Say this
"That's what happened. How did the writing make you feel it? What choice did the author make?"