Exploring the story 'Greenling'
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can discuss and explore the narrative of 'Greenling'.
Key learning points
- 'Greenling' is a picturebook text; it can be considered to be a fable.
- Fables usually explain the creation of the world, natural events and the origins of rituals or customs.
- Words can have multiple meanings; pupils can explore these through a 'word explosion'.
- In ‘Greenling’, vignettes offer glimpses into specific moments or aspects of the story.
- The Greenling has a positive effect on the Barleycorns and their local community.
Keywords
Fable - A fable is a short story, typically with animals as characters conveying a moral.
Moral - A moral is a lesson that can be learnt from a story or experience.
Word explosion - Word explosion is a vocabulary-building activity designed to encourage mind-mapping and creativity in generating words related to a specific topic or theme.
Vignettes - Vignettes are small, focused illustrations that often capture a specific moment or scene within a narrative.
Common misconception
Pupils may find it challenging to find synonyms and antonyms of words.
It would be useful to pre-teach or practise a word explosion before commencing the lesson.
Teacher tip
The illustrations in this text are incredibly rich and benefit from close analysis. Encourage pupils to spend time exploring each page.
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
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Who finds the Greenling?
Q2.Where is the Greenling found?
Q3.Which of the following best describes a picturebook text?
Q4.Which of the following are genres of text?
Q5.Which of the following are synonyms of the word 'rough'?
Q6.Which of the following are antonyms of the word 'hot'?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match the keywords to the definition.
a short story, typically with animals as characters conveying a moral
a lesson that can be learnt from a story or experience
a vocabulary activity designed to encourage mind-mapping & creativity
Q2.What are vignettes?
Q3.True or False? Mrs. Barleycorn is happy her husband brought home the Greenling.
Q4.Which of the following fruits and vegetables has the Greenling provided for the Barleycorns?
Q5.True or false? Words can have more than one appropriate definition.
Q6.Sequence the following events in chronological order.
To help you plan your 4 English lesson on: Exploring the story 'Greenling', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 4 English lesson on: Exploring the story '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.