- Year 6
Identity and characterisation in 'No Country'
I can explore characterisation in a graphic novel.
Copyrighted materials: to view and download resources from this lesson, you’ll need to
- Year 6
Identity and characterisation in 'No Country'
I can explore characterisation in a graphic novel.
Copyrighted materials: to view and download resources from this lesson, you’ll need to
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Lesson details
Key learning points
- Characterisation is the way an author and illustrator develop the personalities and traits of the characters in a story.
- Readers can tell lots about characters through their appearance, dialogue, their actions and how they are depicted.
- Pages with no text can be called wordless (these can also be referred to as ‘silent’).
- Having explored the characters in greater detail, readers can make predictions about what might happen next.
Keywords
Characterisation - the way an author describes and develops the personalities and traits of the characters in a story
Character traits - the special qualities that make a character in a story unique and interesting
Body language - the way people communicate their thoughts, feelings, and emotions through their movements and gestures without using words
Prediction - an educated guess, based on evidence in the text or prior knowledge
Common misconception
Pupils may find thinking and speaking in role as the father or Beatrice challenging.
Drama activities, such as 'thought tapping' or 'hot seating' may be useful to provide pupils with examples of thoughts and speech.
To help you plan your year 6 English lesson on: Identity and characterisation in 'No Country', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 6 English lesson on: Identity and characterisation in 'No Country', 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.
Explore more key stage 2 English lessons from the 'No Country' and 'Frizzy': graphic novels exploring identity and belonging unit, dive into the full primary English curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Equipment
You need a copy of the 2021 David Fickling Books edition of ‘No Country’, written by Joe Brady and illustrated by Patrice Aggs, for this lesson.
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of upsetting content
- Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
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