Understanding the genre of 'Mulan'
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain what a legend is.
Key learning points
- ‘Mulan’ is a legend which belongs to the genre of folklore.
- Folklore is a genre in which oral stories are passed down over time and they originate from a range of cultures.
- Legends are a type of folktale that reflect some element of true history and convey an important moral or lesson.
- ‘Mulan’ originated in China during a time of real war and it challenges ideas around the role of women.
- The legend of ‘Mulan’ is about a young girl who disguises herself as a boy in order to fight in the army.
Keywords
Folklore - a genre in which oral stories are shared and passed down over time
Legend - a type of folktale that reflects human elements that are believed to have taken place in true history
Moral - a lesson that can be learnt from a story or experience
Common misconception
Children may find it difficult to understand the difference between stories within the genre of folklore.
Explore the differences between legends and fairytales. For example, fairytales are more likely to involve magical or enchanting elements whereas legends tend to reflect some true element of history and focus on human actions and behaviours.
Teacher tip
Include illustrations from the book 'Mulan' by Michaela Morgan to support in telling the story. Encourage students to infer greater meaning from the images by asking questions. E.g. What can we infer about the characters' emotions from the illustrations on pages 2 and 3?
Equipment
You need a copy of the 2014 Oxford University Press edition of ‘Mulan' written by Michaela Morgan for this lesson.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What is a genre of text?
Q2.Order the following to show the structure of a narrative story.
Q3.What is a setting?
Q4.What is a character?
Q5.How are stories normally shared today?
Q6.Before written stories, how were stories told?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What type of story is 'Mulan'?
Q2.Which genre does a legend belong to?
Q3.What is the definition of folklore?
Q4.Which country does the legend of 'Mulan' originate from?
Q5.Who is the author of the version of 'Mulan' we are reading?
Q6.Why does 'Mulan' need to disguise herself as a boy?
To help you plan your 3 English lesson on: Understanding the genre of 'Mulan', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 3 English lesson on: Understanding the genre of 'Mulan', 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 'Mulan': reading unit, dive into the full primary English curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.