a children's story about magical and imaginary beings and lands

a genre in which oral stories are shared and passed down over time

refers to characters that are considered moral and kind

refers to characters that are considered extremely immoral, wicked or wrong

a distinctive characteristic or aspect of something

Exploring the genre of 'Hansel and Gretel'

English

In 'Hansel and Gretel’, children discussed the key features of a fairy tale and had rich discussions about the plot and characters within. In ’Blackberry Blue’, pupils will read a modern fairy tale, which draws upon traditional fairy tales and cultural influences.

In 'Anansi and the Antelope Baby’, pupils discussed the features of a traditional tale. In ’Hansel and Gretel’, pupils will read or listen to a fairy tale. They will discuss the features of a fairy tale and have rich discussions about the plot and characters within.

In this unit, pupils read and explore the classic fairy tale 'Hansel and Gretel'. They use inference to develop their comprehension of the text and characters. Finally, pupils will explore the key themes and engage in rich discussions.

'Hansel and Gretel': reading

Depiction of scary, confusing or unsettling events or characters placed in danger, including creation of a scary atmosphere through the use of music and sound.

Depiction or discussion of upsetting content

Depiction or discussion of famine, disease, natural disasters.

Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

the sharing and passing down of stories orally

Which of the following are features of fairytales?

support your visual understanding of what is happening

What do Anthony Browne's illustrations do? 

What problem do Hansel and Gretel's family face?

Hansel dropped small stones to show them the way.

Gretel collected leaves from the trees to show the way. 

Hansel dropped sticks on the path to show them the way.

How did Hansel and Gretel find their way back home from the forest?

a made up story with talking animals and magic

Which of these best describes a fairytale?

Starting with the first, put these parts of a fairytale in the correct order. 

What is the correct description of a fiction book?

Emmeline Pankhurst: Little People Big Dreams

Which of these would you be likely to see in a fairytale?

a traditional story which has elements of magic and fantasy

an information text about a real person's life

a text that provides real facts or information

a type of writing that can evoke emotion and can rhyme

Match the word to the correct definition. 

Content guidance

Depiction or discussion of upsetting content

Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Adult supervision required

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

Exploring the genre of 'Hansel and Gretel'

Lesson outcome

Content guidance

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