Understanding the context of 'Front Desk'
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can develop my understanding of the authorial context, plot and themes of ‘Front Desk’.
Key learning points
- Understanding where and when a story is set enhances our understanding of characters and events.
- Understanding the authorial context enhances our understanding of why authorial choices are made.
- 'Front Desk' is a fictional story, but the plot of the narrative is based on real events from the author's childhood.
- Kelly Yang is the author of ’Front Desk’.
- 'Front Desk' was published in 2018 and it has won many book awards.
Keywords
Protagonist - the main character in a story
Immigrant - a person who comes to live permanently in a foreign country
Motel - a hotel designed mainly for motorists; they usually have rooms with parking directly outside
Plot - the series of events that make up a story
Theme - a central idea that the author intends the audience to engage deeply with
Common misconception
Pupils may confuse the author's life experience with those of the protagonist.
Learning cycle 1 draws explicit comparisons and discussion around the similarities between the two.
Teacher tip
Before beginning this writing unit, complete the Year 5 Reading unit 'Front Desk' so that pupils have a clear understanding of the story.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Who is the author of 'Front Desk'?
Q2.True or false? Kelly Yang based all of 'Front Desk' on her own childhood.
Q3.'Front Desk' is which of these?
Q4.Match the terms to their definitions:
the person who writes a text
the person who creates the drawings for a text
the main character of a text
Q5.Where is 'Front Desk' is set?
Q6.Select the appropriate age group for readers of 'Front Desk'.
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match the keywords to their definitions:
the main character in a story
a person who comes to live permanently in a foreign country
a hotel designed mainly for motorists
the series of events that make up a story
a central idea that the author intends the audience to engage with
Q2.The protagonist of 'Front Desk' is ...
Q3.Mia and her family immigrated from _____ to America.
Q4.Are Mia's experiences in 'Front Desk' the same experiences faced by all immigrants?
Q5.Which of the following are themes within the text 'Front Desk'?
Q6.Order the events from the author, Kelly Yang's, life:
To help you plan your 5 English lesson on: Understanding the context of 'Front Desk', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 5 English lesson on: Understanding the context of 'Front Desk', 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 2 English lessons from the 'Front Desk': persuasive letter writing unit, dive into the full primary English curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.