From Conjecture to Analysis

This lesson enables students to understand the difference between, on the one hand, jumping to a random conclusion about a text and, on the other, attempting to understand and explain what the text may mean.

It can be used either a starter discussion or, with the worksheet, as a main activity. Furthermore, it can be repeated with other example pieces of text on future occasions.

It begins by getting students to consider what is meant by the terms ‘conjecture’ and ‘analysis’, and which might be more valuable in reading texts. Then it gives them an exercise in which they try to organise a group of statements from most conjectural to most analytical.

I found, after doing this exercise a couple of times, that my students became much more aware of the pitfalls of jumping to random conclusions when trying to understand their set texts and unseen poems.