a main character or central figure in a story or narrative

the process of building a unique character with depth, personality and clear motivations

the special qualities that make a character in a story unique or interesting

a character analysis activity which encourages readers to infer

Developing a character profile for Lila from 'The Firework Maker's Daughter'

English

In this unit, pupils learnt to write a diary entry from a character's perspective with heightened emotions from a fictional context. In 'Into the Forest', pupils will learn to develop their skills of writing a diary from a fictional character's perspective. 

In 'The Journey' unit, pupils learned how to convey character's emotion in a diary using informal tone and language in the first person. In this unit, pupils will continue to develop their skills of conveying emotion through writing. 

Pupils explore the text's opening by summarising events and using inference to understand character traits and relationships. They identify Lila's emotions in the opening and use empathy to develop thoughts that convey these. Pupils then plan and write a diary entry from Lila's perspective.

'The Firework Maker's Daughter': reading and diary writing

Historic or outdated representations of people that may portray inequality or injustice.

Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour

It is the character who drives the action and is the central figure.

It is the character that is first introduced.

How do you identify the protagonist in a story?

It is a description of a character's appearance.

It is the process of building a unique character with depth and personality.

What does **character development** mean?

the special qualities that make a character unique

exploring a character's actions and what they say

retrieving the exact traits from the text

Which character traits can we infer about Lila from her love of learning about fireworks?

Which character traits can we infer about Lila from her defiance of her father in pursuit of her dreams?

Who is the protagonist in 'The Firework-Maker's Daughter'?

Which relationship is central to the plot of the story?

He has traditional views on the role a girl should play.

Why does Lalchan think that it is inappropriate for Lila to be a firework-maker?

How did Lila feel when she discovered her father had shared the secret to firework-making with Chulak instead of with her?

True or false? Lila respected her father's wishes about her future.

She defied her father in pursuit of her dream.

She challenged stereotypes of the role girls should play.

Content guidance

Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour

Adult supervision recommended

This lesson will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

Developing a character profile for Lila from 'The Firework Maker's Daughter'

Lesson outcome

Content guidance

This lesson will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.