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Year 4 - English

Exploring the moral and characters in 'The Happy Prince'

'The Happy Prince': narrative writing and reading

Unit Summary

In this unit, pupils write a full narrative based on a rewritten version of the classic 'The Happy Prince'. Pupils write an opening, build-up, climax and resolution, focusing on all parts of the narrative arc in turn and building a full understanding of how each narrative section builds on another.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to discuss the moral and the characters' emotions in 'The Happy Prince'.

Key Notes

  • Expressing the thoughts and emotions of a character helps the reader understand the character more.
  • Different character traits appear in the story and we use these to draw conclusions to infer a moral from the story.
  • A moral is a lesson that can be learnt from a story; readers' interpretations of a moral may differ.
  • The characters' emotions change throughout the narrative.
  • We can look at each character's speech and actions to understand their emotions fully.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • character trait: part of your personality, belief system and behaviour
  • moral: a lesson that can be learnt from a story or experience
  • emotions: strong feelings that result from a person's circumstances, mood or relationship with others

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • Pupils may find it difficult to understand the characters' emotions.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

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

Expressing the thoughts and emotions of a character helps the reader understand the character more. Different character traits appear in the story and we use these to draw conclusions to infer a moral from the story.

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

part of your personality, belief system and behaviour.

3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.

Mistake: Pupils may find it difficult to understand the characters' emotions. Correction: Tell pupils that exploring what the characters say and how they act helps to infer what they are feeling.

More Lessons In This Unit

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