Year 6 - English
Exploring characters' emotions
'When the Sky Falls': reading
Study Hub
Study Guides
This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
In this unit, pupils read and explore the novel, 'When the Sky Falls'. They discuss the historical context and explore the main characters and their motives. Finally, pupils spot comparisons and connections between the characters and explore the key concepts and themes within the text.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to describe key events in Chapters 35, 36 and 37 and you can explain how the author's descriptions and language choices help to show characters' changing emotions.
Key Notes
- In this section of the book, Joseph learns from Mrs F that his father has died in the war.
- Joseph goes through a range of emotions, including denial, anger and guilt.
- The author uses descriptions of Joseph's actions, speech and thoughts to depict these emotions.
- The author also makes specific language choices to enhance certain emotions.
- We make inferences about emotions based on evidence within the text.
Vocabulary To Learn
- emotions: strong feelings that result from a person's circumstances, mood or relationships with others
- infer: draw a conclusion from information and evidence in a text
- evidence: information or facts to show something is true
- language choices: particular words or phrases used by the author to convey a certain image or feeling
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Pupils may struggle to see the evidence on which they have based their inferences about characters' emotions.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain this English learning goal in two key points.
In this section of the book, Joseph learns from Mrs F that his father has died in the war. Joseph goes through a range of emotions, including denial, anger and guilt.
2. Define this language term and use it in a sentence. 'emotions'
strong feelings that result from a person's circumstances, mood or relationships with others.
3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.
Mistake: Pupils may struggle to see the evidence on which they have based their inferences about characters' emotions. Correction: We automatically infer as we read; encourage pupils to look back and think, 'What made you think that? What clues did the author give us?'.
More Lessons In This Unit
Browse all guides in the Year 6 English guide library.