Developing responses to 'The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane' through rich discussions
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can develop my own response to 'The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane’.
Key learning points
- Character traits can be explored through the text’s illustrations or words used by the characters.
- Different readers may interpret a text in different ways.
- Discussing books by building on other books and our own views can help us to deepen our understanding of a text.
Keywords
Character trait - Character traits are the special qualities that make a character in a story unique and interesting.
Coda - A coda is a concluding passage of text that adds closure to a piece of writing, after the text’s ending.
Connection - How a text relates to a reader, another text or the wider world can be called a connection.
Recommendation - A recommendation is a suggestion for a text that is well-suited to a reader’s age and their interests.
Common misconception
Edward isn't a likeable protagonist.
Edward Tulane is an anti-hero. An anti-hero is a flawed protagonist, often with ambiguous morals.
Teacher tip
Bull is described as a 'tramp' in the text. For these sessions, he is referred to as homeless - of no fixed abode. Pupils could track how Edward's character changes throughout the story by completing a role on the wall or emotions graph.
Equipment
You need a copy of the 2015 Walker Books edition of ‘The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane’, written by Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline, for this lesson.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.In 'The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane', what is the name of the girl Edward lives with on Egypt Street?
Q2.Who is the illustrator of 'The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane'?
Q3.Who fixed Edward's head when he was broken?
Q4.Which of the following character traits are shown by Edward in the text?
Q5.Match Edward's owners to what they call him in the text.
Susanna
Malone
Jangles
Edward
Q6.Which of the following events in 'The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane' take place in Memphis?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Who is Sarah Ruth's brother in the text?
Q2.Match the keywords to their definitions.
the qualities that make a character in a story unique and interesting
how a text relates to a reader, another text or the wider world
a suggestion for a text that is suited to a reader's age and interests
Q3.True or false? Pellegrina's story is a fairytale that soothes Abilene.
Q4.What is a purpose of a coda?
Q5.Match the following characters to their descriptions in the text.
Finds Edward in a fishing net; brings him to Nellie.
Bull's canine companion.
A young girl who is very poorly.
Q6.What new information does the reader find out in the coda?
To help you plan your 4 English lesson on: Developing responses to 'The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane' through rich discussions, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 4 English lesson on: Developing responses to 'The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane' through rich discussions, 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 'The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane': book club unit, dive into the full primary English curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.