English Skills: Thematic Analysis (Y10 - Y13)

People who study English Literature at school, college, or university often carry out thematic analysis of books. This means studying a book for common themes, to understand what the author is trying to say or what the deeper meaning behind the story is.

Our White Water Writers project challenges small groups of young people to write a book together in a week. We conduct analysis of these books to see what young people want to write about and what is important to them.

This downloadable resource pack asks you to become the researcher. The pack includes a selection of White Water Writers books written by young people from high schools across Staffordshire, Shropshire and Cheshire. We want to know what you think they’re really saying, and what is important to them.

The pack includes a lesson for you to follow along with, explaining how to conduct a thematic analysis. Follow the instructions, write up your findings and submit it to us. You’ll be developing independent research skills you can use during your GCSEs, A Levels and beyond!