Reading ‘The Twisted Tree’: Martha and Stig’s relationship
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can continue to understand the plot and track Martha and Stig's relationship.
Key learning points
- Martha's dream tells her that she can only save Mormor from torment if she goes to the tree.
- Martha kisses Stig but he pulls away and she feels humiliated.
- The draugr appears and kills Stig and Gandalf.
- Martha calls on her ancestors to help her against the draugr.
- Martha visits Hel.
Keywords
Subside - become less intense or severe
Sacrifice - slaughtering something as an offering
Constellation - a group of stars forming a pattern
Reincarnate - reborn in another body
Frenzied - wildly excited or uncontrollable
Common misconception
The Norns are whimsical and conventionally beautiful.
Look at the descriptions of the Norns. Their beauty lies in their power and wisdom. They are "gnarled" and "wrinkled", which adds an air of authority to their presence. They are also described as "fierce".
Teacher tip
The discussions in Learning Cycle 2 can also be completed as a written or thinking task, if discussion is not a viable option.
Equipment
You will need access to the text 'The Twisted Tree' by Rachel Burge, published by Hot Key Books, 2019.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Depiction or discussion of serious crime
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision required
Licence
except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.In 'The Twisted Tree', which character can be described as the protagonist with supernatural abilities?
Q2.Which word can be described as 'the development of events outside a person's control, regarded as predetermined by a supernatural power'?
Q3.In 'The Twisted Tree', the island of Skjebne is a fictional place, what does its name mean?
Q4.In 'The Twisted Tree', what are the Norns?
Q5.According to Martha's great-grandmother Karina, why is Mormor trapped in the tree in 'The Twisted Tree'?
Q6.In 'The Twisted Tree', how do Martha's inherited abilities connect her to her family's history?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.In 'The Twisted Tree' which word is not used to describe the draugr?
Q2.In 'The Twisted Tree', whose letter tells Martha that the Norns will reveal her fate?
Q3.In 'The Twisted Tree', Burge uses the same word to describe both the tree and the Norns, which word is it?
Q4.In 'The Twisted Tree' which god does Martha demand to see, in order to save Stig?
Q5.Which of these answers is not true with reference to Martha and Stig's relationship in 'The Twisted Tree'?
Q6.In 'The Twisted Tree' what happens to both Gandalf and Stig?
To help you plan your 7 English lesson on: Reading ‘The Twisted Tree’: Martha and Stig’s relationship, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 7 English lesson on: Reading ‘The Twisted Tree’: Martha and Stig’s relationship, 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 3 English lessons from the 'The Twisted Tree': fiction reading unit, dive into the full secondary English curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.