Character, setting and plot in 'The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark'
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explore the story through discussing the characters, setting and plot.
Key learning points
- Making a prediction means deciding what you think will happen next in a story.
- One person's prediction may be different to another person's.
- Narrative openings introduce the characters, setting and plot.
- Plop meets an old woman who likes the dark and says it is 'kind'.
Keywords
Character - a person or animal in a story
Setting - where the story takes place
Plot - what happens in a story
Common misconception
Pupils may find it hard to think of reasons they like the dark.
Brainstorm ideas beforehand as a class and if possible use two adults to model hot-seating before the children start the task.
Teacher tip
You may want to read Chapter Two ahead of this lesson so children have a strong understanding of the plot before they engage in the tasks.
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.True or false? 'The Owl who was Afraid of the Dark' is a non-fiction text.
Q2.Who is the author of 'The Owl who was Afraid of the Dark'?
Q3.True or false? Owls sleep in the day time.
Q4.What is the main character called?
Q5.What is the big problem in the story so far?
Q6.Who does Plop meet on the ground in Chapter One?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Order the following events from Chapter One.
Q2.Match the keywords to their definitions.
Q3.What is a prediction?
Q4.Who did Plop meet in Chapter Two?
Q5.Finish this sentence. The old woman liked the dark because…
Q6.Order the following events from Chapter Two.
To help you plan your 2 English lesson on: Character, setting and plot in '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: Character, setting and plot in '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.