Homeschool Guide: These lesson plans are a guide for parents. Content may contain errors — always cross-reference with official exam board specifications.

narrative & style in prose

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4 detailed 50-minute lessons with teaching scripts, worked examples, parent guides, and assessment criteria.

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Lesson Overview

Total Lessons: 4
Tier: Foundation and Higher
Duration: 50 minutes per lesson (200 minutes total)
Exam Boards: AQA, Edexcel, OCR, Eduqas, CCEA

Learning Objectives

Prerequisites

Materials & Equipment

Lesson 1: Introduction: narrative & style in prose

Duration: 50 minutes

Starter Activity (5 minutes)

Quick Recall

Write down everything you already know about narrative & style in prose. Then check against the key terms: key terms from narrative & style in prose. Use a mini-whiteboard or paper.

Main Content (35 minutes)

Parent/Teacher Guide:
Before lesson: Read the script below. Pre-teach key vocab: key terms from narrative & style in prose.
If stuck: Re-read the revision notes (link above), then break the content into smaller steps.
Extension: See the Stretch & Challenge ideas in Lesson 4.
Teaching Script (35 mins):
Mins 0-5 - Hook: "Today: narrative & style in prose. By the end you will be able to answer exam questions on it unaided. It connects to the rest of Latin because the ideas here recur across the spec."
Mins 5-20 - Direct Instruction: Work through the core ideas below one at a time; after each, ask your student to explain it back in their own words.
Mins 20-30 - Guided Practice: Model the worked example together, then let your student attempt the first practice question with guidance.
Mins 30-35 - Independent Practice: 2-3 practice questions from Lesson 3 below, with immediate feedback.
First Look

Start with the revision notes summary, then attempt: explain the key ideas of narrative & style in prose

Plenary (5 minutes)

Check Out

Your student states one thing they learned and one question they still have about narrative & style in prose.

Lesson 2: Core Concepts: narrative & style in prose

Duration: 50 minutes

Starter Activity (5 minutes)

Review Previous Lesson

Quick recap: write 3 key points from Lesson 1 on narrative & style in prose. Check them against the notes below.

Main Content (35 minutes)

Key Fact: Latin prose style analyses HOW an author writes, not just WHAT they say. Style includes word order, sentence length, rhythm, and rhetorical devices.
Key Fact: Word order in Latin is flexible and significant: placing a word first or last gives it emphasis. The first and last positions in a sentence are the most emphatic.
Key Fact: Hyperbaton is the separation of an adjective from its noun, which draws attention to both words and creates a literary effect (e.g. 'magna cum virtute' rather than 'cum magna virtute').
Key Fact: Reported speech (oratio obliqua) allows authors to present events through characters' perspectives, creating drama and showing different viewpoints without direct speech.
Key Fact: Tricolon (group of three) is a common rhetorical device: three parallel phrases build emphasis and climax (e.g. veni, vidi, vici).
Key Fact: Anaphora is the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses for emphasis: 'non illam... non illam... non illam' (not this... not this... not this).

Practice (10 minutes)

Q: explain the key ideas of narrative & style in prose

Answer:

Plenary (5 minutes)

Explain Back

Your student teaches the key points back to you without looking. Fill any gaps immediately.

Lesson 3: Application: narrative & style in prose

Duration: 50 minutes

Starter Activity (5 minutes)

Quick Recall

Recall the key terms: key terms from narrative & style in prose. Define each in one sentence.

Main Content (35 minutes)

Parent/Teacher Guide: Let your student attempt each question alone first, then compare with the model answer. Award method marks for correct working even if the final answer is wrong.

Work through the practice questions on the revision notes page for this topic.

Plenary (5 minutes)

Error Review

Review any questions answered incorrectly. Identify whether the error was knowledge, method, or reading the question.

Lesson 4: Exam Practice: narrative & style in prose

Duration: 50 minutes

Starter Activity (5 minutes)

Command Words

Review what these command words require: state (one point), describe (say what happens), explain (say why), compare (both sides), evaluate (judgement).

Main Content (35 minutes)

Extended Answer

Extended question: Full-Mark Response How does an author's prose style contribute to their narrative? Discuss with reference to at least three stylistic features, using examples from set text authors. (8 marks) <div class="

An author's prose style is central to how they tell their story and shape the reader's response. Word order is the most fundamental tool: because Latin allows flexible word order, authors can place key words in emphatic positions. Caesar, for example, often places the enemy tribe name first in a sentence to foreground the threat, or positions a key verb at the end for climactic effect. Tacitus exploits word order more subtly, placing a loaded adjective last in a sentence so it delivers a devastating final judgment, such as his description of Tiberius's reign ending with a damning final word. Rhetorical devices build power and persuasion. Cicero uses anaphora (repetition of words at the start of successive clauses) to create a mounting, overwhelming effect in his orations: 'non ego... non ego... non ego' insists on his point with increasing force. Caesar uses asyndeton (omission of conjunctions) for speed and urgency: his lists of Gallic tribes without 'et' create a sense of overwhelming numbers and rapid action. Tricolon (groups of three) gives prose a satisfying rhythmic climax, famously in 'veni, vidi, vici' but also in Cicero's legal arguments where three reasons build to a conv

Exam Tips: When analysing style, always name the device AND explain its effect — don't just identify it. Say 'the anaphora of 'non' creates a sense of mounting despair'. | For word order questions, explain what is in the emphatic positions (first and last) and why the author placed it there. | Compare different authors' styles: Caesar is clear and simple; Cicero is elaborate and rhetorical; Tacitus is compressed and ironic. | Support every stylistic point with a specific Latin quotation from the set text — vague references score no marks.
Common Errors: ✗ Latin word order is random and has no significance. ✓ Latin word order is highly deliberate. Authors position words for emphasis, contrast, and rhythm. The first and last words are always the most emphatic. ✗ Stylistic analysis is just about listing rhetorical devices. ✓ Identifying devices is only the first step; you must also explain the EFFECT of each device on the reader and how it serves the author's purpose. A list without explanation earns few marks. ✗ Caesar always writes in a simple, straightforward style. ✓ While Caesar's general style is clear and concise, he also uses rhetorical devices for effect: tricolon, asyndeton, hyperbaton, and carefully constructed reported speech to co
Stretch & Challenge (Grade 8-9):
  • Synoptic links: explain how narrative & style in prose connects to another Latin topic you have studied
  • Real-world: research one real-world use or example of narrative & style in prose
  • Critical: "What are the limitations of the models used in narrative & style in prose?"

Plenary (5 minutes)

Assessment Criteria
  • Got it: Confident explanation + correct worked examples
  • Getting there: Main points OK, needs support with detail
  • Not yet: Confused on key concepts - re-run Lesson 2

Homework & Consolidation

Recommended Resources

🎓 Smart Lesson (Guided)