Study Hub

Study Guides

This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.

Back to Study HubBrowse Year 4 English Guides

Year 4 - English

Presenting a narrative based on 'The Borrowers'

'The Borrowers': narrative writing and reading

Unit Summary

In this unit, pupils explore 'The Borrowers' through reading and writing activities. They sequence key events, analyse the setting and characters and write a descriptive setting piece. Pupils also plan, write, and edit sections of the build-up, developing their narrative writing skills.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to present a section of the build-up of 'The Borrowers'.

Key Notes

  • A range of skills are involved in presenting to ensure that the audience are engaged and understand you.
  • Building suspense for the audience is the main purpose when presenting a section of a narrative build-up.
  • Eye contact, projection and diction are important for ensuring the audience can hear and understand you.
  • Pace, body language and tone are crucial for conveying the atmosphere and a character's emotions in a narrative.
  • Pace, body language and tone can be altered in different ways to support the building of suspense.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • presenting: the act of verbally sharing something with an audience
  • projection: using our voice to speak powerfully and clearly
  • pace: the speed or rhythm at which we speak
  • body language: how we use movements and gestures to communicate meaning and feelings
  • tone: the pitch of our voice and how this is used to convey a message appropriately

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • Pupils may speak very quickly, quietly and not look up from their page when presenting their narrative writing.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

1. Explain this English learning goal in two key points.

A range of skills are involved in presenting to ensure that the audience are engaged and understand you. Building suspense for the audience is the main purpose when presenting a section of a narrative build-up.

2. Define this language term and use it in a sentence. 'presenting'

the act of verbally sharing something with an audience.

3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.

Mistake: Pupils may speak very quickly, quietly and not look up from their page when presenting their narrative writing. Correction: Techniques for effective presenting are explicitly identified, explained and modelled throughout both learning cycles.

More Lessons In This Unit

Browse all guides in the Year 4 English guide library.