Trailer

Play to students the opening titles and music of the play, covering the screen, up until just before Rita's entrance. Ask students to listen and try to guess what is going on simply from listening. Then ask students to discuss in pairs the following questions: what do you think is happening in the opening sequence. What atmosphere does the music/other noises/silences create?

After this activity show a selection of stills from the opening sequence. Ask students the same questions again, as well as the broader question: how do these stills help the audience gain an understanding of setting and action in the opening sequence?

During feedback ask students to consider a range of ways that directors convey information to the audience, and ask students to consider what the audience's impression would be with different music/different shots during the opening sequence.

Main Attraction

Explain to students that it is crucial that they learn to analyse texts in detail, referring to evidence from the text to support their ideas, both for their English Literature coursework, but also for their other coursework pieces, and also for their examinations. Explain that for the purposes of their Drama coursework, students need to analyse lines spoken by characters, stage directions and other dramatic devices, and the punctuation used in characters' speeches (to indicate tone, emotion etc).

Ask students to draw a table as shown in appendix one (below) or use the table below. Ask students to read Act One scene one until the end of Frank's telephone conversation with his wife. Students should write down in the table any details they can pick up about Frank, and the textual evidence which supports their ideas. (The variety of things they should look for is indicated in the table.)

Ask students to feedback their ideas in pairs, to share ideas and to create a fuller selection of ideas.

Now show students the opening sequence of the film, up to just before Rita's entrance. Ask students to complete their table but this time for the film. Again ask students to feed back their ideas in pairs.

Finally, ask students to circle any similarities in terms of the things they have learned about Frank, and to underline any differences.

End Credits

Ask students to vote on which version they find most effective to show the audience Frank's character. Explain that as well as using textual evidence to support their ideas and analyse this, they also need to be able to comment on the effectiveness of the writer's language/effects etc.

Remind the students that they need to be able to express their ideas in an appropriately form style. Ask students to use a writing frame (if needed) or to use discourse markers and causal connectives to write one paragraph in which they write, using textual evidence, about one similarity between the two texts, and one difference. Having done this, ask students to underline textual evidence, discourse marks and causal connectives in one another's work. Ask pupils to set themselves a target based on this criteria for improving their critical writing.