Exploring and engaging with themes in 'Greenling’
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can identify and engage with the key themes in ‘Greenling’.
Key learning points
- ‘Greenling’ can be considered a fable, its moral might link to the conservation & preservation of the environment.
- A theme is a big idea, topic or message that recurs within a story.
- Some of the themes of 'Greenling' are sustainability, acceptance and the power of nature.
- Revisiting a text can allow readers to discuss questions that focus on themes that are not explicitly stated in the text
Keywords
Fable - A fable is a short story, typically with animals as characters conveying a moral.
Theme - A theme is a big idea, topic or message that recurs within a story.
Convey - To convey means to communicate a message to the reader directly or indirectly.
Community - A community is a group of people who come together, support each other, and share common interests or goals.
Common misconception
Pupils may find identifying a moral message from the text challenging.
You could support identification by drawing pupils' attention to moral messages they might have gained from previous texts shared with the class.
Teacher tip
You may wish to split up the class into groups during Task A to discuss the changes and transformation found in the text. Pupils could create mind maps in groups which could then be shared with the whole class.
Equipment
You need a copy of the 2015 Templar Publishing edition of ‘Greenling’ written and illustrated by Levi Pinfold, for this lesson.
Licence
Lesson video
Loading...
Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Who is the publisher of 'Greenling'?
Q2.A personal response to a text is...
Q3.True or False? The Greenling has a positive effect on the Barleycorns and their local community.
Q4.Which of the following examples demonstrate sustainability?
Q5.Based on their titles, which of the following texts could link to 'Greenling''s themes around the environment?
Q6.What is a moral?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match the following keywords to their definitions.
Q2.What is meant by the term community?
Q3.Which of the following are possible themes within 'Greenling'?
Q4.True or False? Taking greater care of the environment could be a moral message a reader gets from the text, ‘Greenling’.
Q5.How might the theme of change and transformation be conveyed in the text?
Q6.How might the theme of the wild be conveyed in the text?
To help you plan your 4 English lesson on: Exploring and engaging with themes in 'Greenling’, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 4 English lesson on: Exploring and engaging with themes in 'Greenling’, 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 'Greenling': reading unit, dive into the full primary English curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.