Understanding character in 'The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark'
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can describe Plop’s appearance and personality.
Key learning points
- Characterisation is the way an author describes and develops the characters in a story.
- Appearance is how a character looks on the outside.
- Personality refers to what a character is like on the inside.
- Plop is a cute, fluffy barn owl who is clumsy but friendly.
- The author’s characterisation of Plop makes him a likeable character, which is engaging for the reader.
Keywords
Characterisation - the way an author describes and develops the characters in a story
Character traits - the special qualities that make a character unique and interesting
Appearance - how a character looks on the outside
Personality - what a character is like on the inside
Common misconception
Children may find it hard to identify character traits for Plop for the inside of the owl template.
Reread specific pages aloud to the children and discuss Plop's actions and what this tells us about his character e.g. when he hears noises he goes down from his tree to explore - this tells us he is curious.
Teacher tip
The tasks would work well as a group activity. Pupils could complete the character descriptions on large sugar paper and these could then be displayed in the classroom.
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.In Chapter 1, Plop met a young boy who said the dark was...
Q2.In Chapter 2, Plop met an old woman who said the dark was...
Q3.In Chapter 3, Plop met a Scout who said the dark was...
Q4.What is a character in a story?
Q5.Order the following events from Chapter Three.
Q6.Match the reading strategy to what it means.
finding information directly from the text
using clues from the text to draw conclusions
talking to others about the meaning of what we have read
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What is the definition of characterisation?
Q2.Match the keywords to the correct definitions.
the special qualities that make a character unique and interesting
how a character looks on the outside
what a character is like on the inside
Q3.Which of the following describe Plop's appearance?
Q4.Which of the following describe Plop's personality?
Q5.Select the statement that is true about Plop.
Q6.Order the following events from 'The Owl who was Afraid of the Dark'.
To help you plan your 2 English lesson on: Understanding character 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: Understanding character 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.