Exploring vocabulary in 'The Wolf, The Duck and the Mouse'
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can summarise the story and understand the vocabulary used within it.
Key learning points
- The author’s choice of vocabulary is precise and ambitious and is used to convey meaning to the reader.
- Repetition of keywords can enhance and support storytelling.
- Multiple words can be used to describe the same thing, e.g. “gobbled”, “munched” and “feasted”.
- Character speech is used to show the perspective and feelings of different characters and this impacts how it is read.
- Summarising a story helps us to build our understanding of a text and the meaning behind it.
Keywords
Vocabulary - the words we know and use to communicate to others
Repetition - the deliberate use of words or phrases that are repeated for emphasis or other effect
Speech - the words a character speaks to communicate
Summarise - to pull out the key information and ideas from the text
Common misconception
Children may notice a familiar word being used in a new way and not understand its meaning, e.g. making a "toast".
Explore words that have more than one definition and how we can infer meaning through understanding the context in which it has been used.
Teacher tip
Make sure you give the children opportunity to re-read the text either as a class, independently or in pairs, supporting those who have not secured sufficient phonics knowledge.
Equipment
You will need a copy of the 2017 Walker Ltd. edition of ‘The Duck, The Wolf & The Mouse’ written by Mac Barnett and illustrated by Jon Klassen for this lesson.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Who is the author of 'The Wolf, The Duck and The Mouse'?
Q2.Who is the illustrator of 'The Wolf, The Duck and The Mouse'?
Q3.Which character is portrayed as least kind?
Q4.What is vocabulary?
Q5.What is repetition in writing?
Q6.What does summarising mean?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which of the following are key linguistic features in 'The Wolf, The Duck and The Mouse'?
Q2.What does the word "woe" mean?
Q3.Which of the following words are used as alternative verbs to describe the action of having "eaten"?
Q4.What is speech?
Q5.True or false? All of the characters' speech should be read in the same way.
Q6.Match the vocabulary from the story to the correct definition.
a noisy fight, disturbance or commotion
a medicine or treatment for a disease or injury
a large container of something
To help you plan your 2 English lesson on: Exploring vocabulary in 'The Wolf, The Duck and the Mouse', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 2 English lesson on: Exploring vocabulary in 'The Wolf, The Duck and the Mouse', 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 Wolf, The Duck and the Mouse': book club unit, dive into the full primary English curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.