Exploring themes in 'The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark'
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explore the key themes in the story and give a personal response.
Key learning points
- Plop is a young barn owl who is initially scared of the dark but gradually learns to appreciate the night time.
- Plop meets lots of characters who all help him in overcoming his fear of the dark.
- A personal response is what you think and how you feel about the story, including whether you liked it or not.
- The theme in a story is the big idea or lesson that the author wants you to explore and understand through reading.
- Key themes in ‘The Owl who was Afraid of the Dark’ are curiosity and courage.
Keywords
Personal response - what you think and how you feel about the story and whether you liked it or not
Theme - the big idea or lesson that the author wants you to explore and understand through reading
Curiosity - a strong desire to know or learn something
Courage - the ability to do something that frightens you
Common misconception
Pupils may think that Plop was not brave because he was scared of the dark.
Explain to the children that bravery/ courage is all about facing your fears and doing something even though it might frighten you.
Teacher tip
Children should have read the whole text ahead of this lesson. Depending on reading ability, it could be read to them aloud, or the children could read the text themselves or in pairs.
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.What type of text is 'The Owl Who was Afraid of the Dark'?
Q2.True or false? The author of 'The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark' is Jill Tomlinson.
Q3.True or false? Plop is just the same as every other barn owl.
Q4.Match the character from the story to the word they used to describe the dark.
exciting
kind
fun
Q5.Which of the following describe Plop's appearance?
Q6.Which of the following describe Plop's personality?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.True or false? Your personal response to a story should be the same as your partner's.
Q2.Match the character from the story to the word they used to describe the dark.
necessary
wonderful
beautiful
Q3.True or false? Plop changes his mind about the dark by the end of the story.
Q4.Match the keywords to their correct definitions.
the big idea or lesson that the author wants you to explore
the ability to do something that frightens you
a strong desire to know or learn something
Q5.Select the themes that could be found in 'The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark'.
Q6.Select the themes that could be found in 'The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark'.
To help you plan your 2 English lesson on: Exploring themes 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: Exploring themes 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.