Teacher Notes
These notes support a five-week unit with Year 9 students. The packet is generic and public: it does not contain a class program, a school calendar, student data or any formal reporting instrument. Adapt the sequence to your context.
Purpose and scope
The unit teaches students to analyse how Jurassic Park builds a convincing scientific world, distributes responsibility across characters and systems, and turns a disaster into an argument about control. It focuses on context, genre, structure, worldbuilding, character, theme, narration, evidence, adaptation and argument. The central discipline is the shift from retelling events to explaining how the novel's choices produce meaning.
The packet contains 16 public pages: this overview and 15 resources. The index states the count, and the sources and provenance page records the copyright position.
Text access and copyright
- The novel is in copyright. Students should use their own copies or a licensed class set.
- Do not upload scans, long extracts or chapter files to a public site or shared drive.
- Short quotations for analysis are appropriate; keep them brief and always give the page number.
- Do not reproduce the film's stills, poster, logo, script or soundtrack.
- If you screen the film, use a licensed copy and short extracts rather than uploading it.
- Check your school's copyright guidance and film viewing policy before screening anything.
Before the unit
- Decide which sections of the novel you will study closely; the whole novel is too long for a five-week close reading.
- Prepare two or three short passages for modelling, using your own copy.
- Check the film's rating and content advice if you plan to use extracts.
- Set up a quotation log template that students can complete as they read.
- Decide how students will form seminar groups and how long each presentation will run.
- Identify a colleague who can review sensitive content and student creative work.
Pacing
| Week | Core sequence | If time is short | If time allows |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Context, genre, plot and structure, worldbuilding. | Combine context and genre; use a timeline rather than a full plot study. | Compare the novel's opening with a second science-fiction opening. |
| 2 | Character and power, themes and motifs, narration, close reading. | Keep the power map and one close-reading paragraph; set the motif tracker as homework. | Run a close-reading clinic with three short passages. |
| 3 | Argument, adaptation, essay planning, seminar preparation. | Keep the claim-and-reasons plan and the adaptation comparison; shorten the seminar. | Hold a structured debate on responsibility for the disaster. |
| 4 | Drafting, redrafting, creative response, feedback. | Keep one analytical paragraph and one creative scene; reduce the redraft to one pass. | Run two rounds of peer feedback with different readers. |
| 5 | Seminar, reflection, transfer, consolidation. | Use a written reflection instead of a live seminar; keep the transfer analysis. | Record a class seminar or publish a class anthology, with permission. |
Lesson routines
| Routine | Time | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Claim check | 5 minutes | Test whether a sentence is a topic, an opinion or a contestable claim. |
| System map | 10 minutes | Show how a decision, a system and a consequence connect. |
| Who knows? | 5 minutes | Identify what a character knows, what the reader knows and what is hidden. |
| Motif tracker | 10 minutes | Record three appearances of a repeated image and explain what changes. |
| One change | 5 minutes | Each student makes one evidence-based revision after feedback. |
Differentiation
Differentiation is built into the task design rather than published as a separate student page. The same core concepts apply to all students; the amount of scaffolding, the choice of response mode and the complexity of the analysis can vary.
| Need | Support | Extension |
|---|---|---|
| Reading a long novel | Provide a section-by-section focus sheet with two questions per section. | Ask students to trace a motif across the whole novel without a focus sheet. |
| Understanding the science | Provide a glossary of five key terms and a simple systems diagram. | Ask students to evaluate which scientific ideas the novel explains well and which it simplifies. |
| Understanding structure | Provide a partially completed timeline with the main phases labelled. | Ask students to explain how the viewpoint shifts create suspense. |
| Analysing character | Provide a character map with role, want and obstacle columns. | Ask students to argue that a secondary character is more important than they first appear. |
| Using evidence | Provide the context-quotation-explanation-link frame and one model. | Ask students to find a passage that complicates their claim. |
| Building an argument | Provide a claim and two reasons; ask students to find evidence for each. | Ask students to argue the opposing case before answering it. |
| Creative writing | Provide a scene planner with the situation and obstacle already framed. | Ask students to write two versions of the same scene from different viewpoints. |
| Speaking | Allow a recorded seminar, a small-group presentation or a co-presented talk. | Ask for an unscripted question segment and a longer argument. |
Sensitive content
- Animal attacks and injuries. The novel contains described violence, injury and death. Warn students before close study of these sections and avoid dwelling on graphic detail.
- Children in danger. Some students may find the children's peril distressing. Allow a way to step out without attention and check in privately.
- Film extracts. Check the rating, sound levels and content advice. Do not assume that a clip is suitable because students have seen the film.
- Genetic science. Some students may connect the novel to disability, illness or family experiences. Do not require personal disclosure, and correct inaccurate or stigmatising claims.
- Corporate ethics. Discussions of profit, risk and responsibility can become heated. Keep the focus on reasoned argument rather than on naming real companies or individuals.
- Creative work. Do not require students to write about their own fears or experiences. Offer a fictional or analytical alternative.
- Online publication. Check permissions, comments and personal information before anything goes public.
Formative feedback
| Look for | Feedback that moves learning forward |
|---|---|
| Retelling the plot | "What does this event show about the system, and which choice in the writing makes that visible?" |
| Blaming one character | "What made that character's action possible, and who else contributed to the conditions?" |
| Theme without evidence | "Where does the novel show this idea, and what changes between the first and second appearance?" |
| Quotation without context | "Who is speaking, where, and what has just happened?" |
| A claim no one would dispute | "Who could reasonably disagree with this? Rewrite it so they could." |
| A token counterargument | "What is the strongest reason someone might read the novel differently?" |
| Film details in a novel analysis | "Is this in the novel, or are you remembering the film? Check the page." |
Seminar setup
- Give each student a short presentation slot and a clear time limit.
- Ask for a claim, two pieces of evidence and one question.
- Model a seminar response that builds on another student's idea.
- Use a simple observation sheet for the audience: claim, evidence, question, response.
- Leave time for discussion after each presentation.
- Collect the written plans so the thinking is visible even if the delivery is uneven.
Materials
- Students' own copies of the novel or a licensed class set.
- Printed quotation log and planning templates from this packet.
- A projector for modelling close reading and timelines.
- Short, cleared film extracts if you choose to compare the adaptation.
- A secure folder for drafts and anonymous feedback.
- Paper, markers and index cards for system maps and motif trackers.
Checking the unit
- Does the unit move from context and genre to evidence and argument?
- Do students use short, accurately contextualised quotations from their own copies?
- Can students explain how the park's systems depend on people and assumptions?
- Do students distinguish the novel from the film?
- Is the strongest counterargument represented fairly?
- Are sensitive sections handled with care and without requiring disclosure?
- Is there a plan to respond to feedback and correct errors?
This packet is a teaching resource, not a formal reporting instrument. It contains no scores, bands, weightings or confidential school material.