Icon guide

Students should complete this task on their own.

Students should complete this task in pairs. Pair talk would work well with this activity.

This task may be completed in small groups.

This task should be modelled by the teacher. A model is provided, but teachers may want to complete an addition
class model ’live’ with the group.

The answers to this task should be written. Teachers may decide that some tasks without this icon should also be
written down – this is down to a teacher’s discretion.

This icon identifies the page number students can find the resource in the Sherlock Holmes student booklet.

This icon is a reminder that students will sit a fortnightly mastery quiz at the end of this lesson.
Mastery Content

In this lesson, students will be mastering the following:

Mastery Content:

• Bohemia is an area of central Europe.

• Watson uses metaphors to describe Holmes.
• Holmes is described as an observing machine.
• Watson explains that emotion would prevent Holmes from being such a good
detective.
 Do Now
List what they have learnt about Sherlock Holmes.
Sherlock Holmes stories
Explain that the extracts we have read are from A Study in Scarlet but we will now read
A Scandal in Bohemia.
Explain where Bohemia is.
Reading - A Scandal in Bohemia How will you manage the reading? Will you
5 minutes is enough time to read, gloss the vocabulary and ask any pre-prepared read to the class? Will they read sections?
comprehension questions you have. When will you stop to explain unfamiliar
Read from “To Sherlock Holmes” to “questionable memory.” words?
Metaphor Resource – Metaphor
Lesson Guide

Reread the passage to find metaphors.

Go through model of how to break down the metaphor. Will you need to reread the passage again to
Students attempt metaphor in pairs . help students understand the metaphor?
Note: This metaphor is challenging! Here are some pointers to help:

‘Grit’ refers to love.

The instrument is Holmes (he is an ‘observing machine’).
Love would disturb and disrupt his machine.

It does not matter if you need to make this explicit – i.e. explain it to students.
Hopefully, when they have secured the tenor and vehicle they will be able to discuss the
ground more openly and come up with insights into Holmes's character.

Writing about metaphor Will students need further support? Sentence

Teacher to model paragraph on first metaphor, focussing specifically on how to develop starters? Key words to include?
a good explanation. Students to write paragraph on the metaphor that they broke down.
There are two editing checks here – one for grammar and one which encourages
students to check the development of their explanation.
Fortnightly quiz How do you want to capture understanding?
Students complete quiz. Mini whiteboards?
If all correct, do extension by asking students to turn a wrong answer into a right one. If Physical ‘tickets’?
incorrect, address misconception and explain correct answer/get other student to explain Hand signals?
correct answer. Cold calling?
 Metaphors to describe Holmes
Tuesday 12 December 2023
Last lesson we learnt the following about
Sherlock Holmes:

• He is quiet in his ways

Do Now

• He is over six feet tall

• He is a consulting detective

What can you add to the

list?

Extension: Can you think of any negative character traits?

 In the last two lessons we met Dr. Watson
and Sherlock Holmes.
The passages we have read were taken
from a story called A Study in Scarlet.
The Adventures

A Study in Scarlet was the first Sherlock

Holmes story.

We’re now going to read a whole

Sherlock Holmes story: A Scandal in
Bohemia.
This story features in The Adventures of
Sherlock Holmes which is a collection of
stories about Sherlock Holmes.
 In Victorian times,
Bohemia was a region in
A Scandal in Bohemia
central Europe.

It was located to the east

of Germany.

Bohemia was an
independent kingdom,
with its own monarchy.
A Scandal in Bohemia

When Arthur Conan Doyle was writing, Bohemia was an

independent kingdom, with its own monarchy. Today, it is a
region of the Czech Republic. It is bordered by Germany, Poland
and Austria.
 We are going to read the first paragraph of A Scandal in
Bohemia (page 1). In this passage, Watson uses metaphor
to describe Holmes.

What can you remember about metaphor?

Metaphor

• A metaphor is a way of describing

something.
• It is not a literal description.

• You compare something to

something that it is not.

As we read, find the two metaphors used to describe

p. 13 Holmes.
 A Scandal in Bohemia Irene:
Chapter I. pronounced
TO SHERLOCK HOLMES she is always the woman. I have seldom I – reen – ee
A Scandal in Bohemia
heard him mention her under any other name. In his eyes she
eclipses and predominates the whole of her sex. It was not that he
felt any emotion akin to love for Irene Adler. All emotions, and that abhorrent:
one particularly, were abhorrent to his cold, precise but admirably disgusting,
balanced mind. He was, I take it, the most perfect reasoning and repulsive
observing machine that the world has seen, but as a lover he would
have placed himself in a false position. He never spoke of the softer gibe: sneer,
passions, save with a gibe and a sneer. They were admirable things
scoff
for the observer—excellent for drawing the veil from men's motives
and actions. But for the trained reasoner to admit such intrusions
into his own delicate and finely adjusted temperament was to grit: dirt
introduce a distracting factor which might throw a doubt upon all
his mental results. Grit in a sensitive instrument, or a crack in one instrument:
of his own high-power lenses, would not be more disturbing than a tool, implement
strong emotion in a nature such as his. And yet there was but one late: now dead
woman to him, and that woman was the late Irene Adler, of dubious
and questionable memory.
dubious:
uncertain,
suspicious
A Scandal in Bohemia In this passage, Watson uses metaphor to describe Holmes.

Talk to your partner. What metaphors did you find?

1. He was, I take it, the most perfect

reasoning and observing machine
that the world has seen.

2. Grit in a sensitive instrument,

or a crack in one of his own
high-power lenses, would not
be more disturbing than a
strong emotion in a nature
such as his.
 You may remember that there are three parts to a metaphor:

Tenor
The thing you want to try and
describe to your audience.
Metaphor

Vehicle
The imaginative idea you compare
it with to help your audience
understand it. This is the ‘made up’
bit.

Ground
The things the tenor and the vehicle
have in common.
 Let’s find the tenor, vehicle and ground in this metaphor used
to describe Holmes.
“He was, I take it, the most perfect reasoning and observing
machine that the world has seen.”
Tenor: The thing you want to
try and describe to your Sherlock Holmes
Metaphor

audience.

Vehicle: The imaginative idea

you compare it with to help An observing
your audience understand it. machine
This is the ‘made up’ bit.
Intelligent
Ground: The things the tenor Careful, exact
and the vehicle have in Notices every detail
common. Emotionless

What do the tenor and vehicle have in common?

 Find the tenor, vehicle and ground in this metaphor used to
describe Holmes.
“Grit in a sensitive instrument, or a crack in one of his own high-power
lenses, would not be more disturbing than a strong emotion in a nature
such as his.”

Tenor: The thing you want to

Metaphor

try and describe to your Sherlock Holmes

audience.

Vehicle: The imaginative idea

you compare it with to help A sensitive
your audience understand it. instrument
This is the ‘made up’ bit.

Precise, exact
Ground: The things the tenor
Something like love (grit) can
and the vehicle have in
common. upset him and prevent
him from working
effectively
 You need to write a paragraph on this question:
How does Watson describe Holmes in the introduction to A
Scandal in Bohemia?
Sherlock Holmes

You can structure your answer in this way:

1. State the part of Holmes that Watson is describing.

2. Introduce the quotation Watson uses to describe Holmes.

3. Explain what this quotation reveals to the reader about

Holmes.

Let’s do a paragraph together

 How does Watson describe Holmes in the
introduction to A Scandal in Bohemia?
1. State the part of Holmes that Watson is describing.
Sherlock Holmes

2. Introduce the quotation Watson uses to describe Holmes.

3. Explain what this quotation reveals to the reader about

Holmes.
A topic sentence.
You wrote many of
these in Year 7.
In the introduction to A Scandal in
Bohemia, Watson describes how cold and rational Introducing a
Holmes can be. Watson describes Holmes as ‘the quotation. We
most perfect reasoning and observing machine’. looked at this in
detail in Year 7 too.

Let’s look at bullet point three in more detail. It is the most

interesting part, but also the trickiest!
 How does Watson describe Holmes in the
introduction to A Scandal in Bohemia?
3. Explain what this quotation reveals to the Explains clearly what
reader about Holmes. the comparison tells
Sherlock Holmes

us about Holmes
By comparing Holmes to a machine,
Watson shows how scientific and calculating Develops the
Holmes is. Holmes is clearly very intelligent, and explanation, linking
must be able to make a number of calculations very the metaphor to what
we know about
quickly, which would be helpful to his work as a
Holmes
detective. Also, the
word ‘observing’ shows us how careful Holmes
is in noticing little details. Holmes is able to see Picking apart the
lots of things that most people miss. However, quotation and
the combination of these two things may exploring how
mean that Holmes is not an easy person to Holmes is different to
get on with. He may not be very sociable, or others
may not understand people’s emotions. More than one way
to interpret the
quotation
 WCF Task: You need to write a paragraph on this question:

How does Watson describe Holmes in the introduction to A

Scandal in Bohemia?
Sherlock Holmes

You can structure your answer in this way:

1. State the part of Holmes that Watson is describing.
2. Introduce the quotation Watson uses to describe Holmes.

3. Explain what this quotation reveals to the reader about

Holmes.
You can use your notes from the second metaphor to help
you write your answer.
 Self Assessment, give yourself a WWW/ EBI
target based on the checks below.
Check your writing

 Check 1: You have used a Topic Sentence.

 Check 2: You have selected evidence with an appropriate
quotation.
 Check 3: You have explained how your quotation proves
your Topic Sentence.
 Check 4: You have analysed key words and explored
inferences (what it suggests to the reader)and explained
what the ground of the metaphor tells us about Sherlock
Holmes.
 When you’ve finished, check your writing.

By comparing Holmes to a machine,

Watson shows how scientific and calculating
Holmes is. Holmes is clearly very intelligent, and
Check your writing

must be able to make a number of calculations very

quickly, which would be helpful to his work as a
detective. Also, the
word ‘observing’ shows us how careful Holmes
is in noticing little details. Holmes is able to see
lots of things that most people miss. However,
the combination of these two things may
mean that Holmes is not an easy person to
get on with. He may not be very sociable, or
may not understand people’s emotions.

 Is your explanation more than one sentence?

 Does your explanation explain what the metaphor tells us?
 Fortnightly quiz
Circle your answers to the fortnightly quiz
Mastery
 Fortnightly quiz
Tick and fix your answers

1. C, D 6. C
2. B, C 7. C, D
Review

3. C, E 8. D, E
4. B, C, E 9. A, B, E
5. A, E 10. A, C
 Love this lesson?
Have suggestions for improvements?
Does something need fixing?
Feedback

Please let us know!

Fill in this feedback form so that we can

keep improving.