Understanding the plot of 'Jabberwocky'
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can understand the plot of 'Jabberwocky’.
Key learning points
- 'Jabberwocky' was written in 1871 by Lewis Carroll and included in his book 'Alice Through the Looking Glass'.
- Speaking in a clear and engaging tone is important when reading a poem aloud.
- Nonsense words are completely made up words that do not have a meaning.
- 'Jabberwocky' tells the story of a young man defeating a dangerous creature: the Jabberwock.
- Summarising the verses helps the reader to be able order the key moments chronologically.
Keywords
Narrative poem - a type of poem that tells a story
Nonsense - spoken or written words that have no meaning or make no sense
Stanza - a part of a poem consisting of two or more lines arranged together as a unit
Summarise - to briefly recollect the main points in a piece of writing
Common misconception
Pupils may find it difficult to understand the plot due to all the nonsense words.
The nonsense words do not have a definition. We can read them alongside the real words to understand the plot.
Teacher tip
There are lots of different versions of 'Jabberwocky' that can be used to support and enhance pupils' understanding. You could refer to different pictures and videos from online sources as a visual aid.
Licence
Lesson video
Loading...
Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Select the definition of a poem.
Q2.Which of these is a person who writes a poem called?
Q3.Select the rhyming words.
Q4.Select the types of fiction texts.
Q5.If something does not make sense, this means ...
Q6.What is a summary of a story?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Who wrote 'Jabberwocky'?
Q2.Which famous book included 'Jabberwocky'?
Q3.True or false? The boy defeats the Jabberwock.
Q4.What is a narrative poem?
Q5.Which of the following are nonsense words?
Q6.Put the key moments from 'Jabberwocky' in chronological order.
To help you plan your 4 English lesson on: Understanding the plot of 'Jabberwocky', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 4 English lesson on: Understanding the plot of 'Jabberwocky', 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 'Jabberwocky': narrative writing unit, dive into the full primary English curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.