Building comprehension of 'The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark'
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can discuss the plot of 'The Owl who was Afraid of the Dark'.
Key learning points
- Using a range of strategies helps to build our understanding of a text.
- Retrieving means finding information directly from the text.
- Searching for clues within the text helps us to infer greater meaning and draw conclusions.
- Having rich discussions improves our understanding and offers opportunities for hearing different ideas.
- Plop met a Scout who told him about why he thinks night time is ‘fun’.
Keywords
Comprehension - Reading comprehension refers to our understanding of the text.
Retrieve - In reading, retrieve means to find information within the text.
Inference - Using inference means to draw conclusions from clues within the text.
Common misconception
Pupils may think that they should always have the same answer as their partner.
Teach the pupils that when retrieving information, there is likely only one answer. However, discussion questions, like in Task B 4, the children's answers may be different and that is what makes the reading experience unique.
Teacher tip
When asking children questions during reading lessons, always encourage them to answer in full sentences. Giving them sentence starters will help with this.
Equipment
You need a copy of the 2014 Farshore edition of ‘The Owl who was Afraid of the Dark’ by Jill Tomlinson for this lesson.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match the keywords to their definitions.
what happens in a story
a person or animal in a story
where the story takes place
Q2.Match the keyword to the correct definition.
writing that tells a story
a story which is made up or imagined
a text that contains facts and true information
Q3.Order the following events from Chapter One.
Q4.Order the following events from Chapter Two.
Q5.True or false? Plop says that he loves the dark after meeting the old woman.
Q6.The old woman in Chapter Two liked the dark because…
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match the keyword to the correct definition.
our understanding of the text
to find information within the text
to draw conclusions from clues within the text
Q2.What was Plop trying to do at the beginning of Chapter Three?
Q3.Match the character Plop has met so far, to the word they used to describe the dark.
exciting
kind
fun
Q4.Order the following events from Chapter Three.
Q5.Why might we discuss a text with others?
Q6.True or false? Plop enjoyed his time in the dark when he was with the Scouts round their fire.
To help you plan your 2 English lesson on: Building comprehension of 'The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 2 English lesson on: Building comprehension of 'The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 1 English lessons from the 'The Owl who was Afraid of the Dark': reading unit, dive into the full primary English curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.