Exploring concepts and themes in 'A Kind of Spark' | English

Starter quiz

Match the words to their meanings.
- relished
  
  ⇔
  
  enjoyed ✓
- violated
  
  ⇔
  
  damaged or intruded upon ✓
- mortified
  
  ⇔
  
  shocked and embarrassed ✓
- malevolent
  
  ⇔
  
  evil ✓
Match the words to their meanings.
- defaced
  
  ⇔
  
  damaged ✓
- remorse
  
  ⇔
  
  regret ✓
- provoked
  
  ⇔
  
  deliberately upset ✓
- silkily
  
  ⇔
  
  smoothly ✓
Which characters helped Addie when Emily provoked her, as well as just after?
- Audrey ✓
- Mr Allison ✓
- Jenna
- Miss Murphy
Why was Nina especially angry with Miss Murphy during their meeting?
- because she let Addie hit Emily
- because she withheld information from them in the meeting ✓
- because she had interrupted her filming
- because she had treated Keedie badly too
What does Mr Allison do to try and decrease the tension in the meeting?
- asks Miss Murphy to leave
- asks Addie to leave
- suggests that they reschedule the meeting ✓
- brings in the thesaurus
Which characters below showed bravery in dealing with the situation involving Addie and Emily?
- Jenna
- Mr Allison ✓
- Audrey ✓
- Emily

Which word best completes the following sentence? 'The __________ crowd waited for Addie to start speaking.'
- deliberate
- smattering
- expectant ✓
- marvelling
How would you describe the reaction to Addie's speech?
- negative
- hostile
- positive ✓
- concerned
- ecstatic
Which of the following positive things happen at the end of the book?
- The plaque is installed. ✓
- Audrey gives Addie a thesaurus. ✓
- Bonnie is released.
- Miss Murphy is fired.
Which word best completes the following sentence? 'Addie found that the cows made good __________: they seemed to listen to everything she said.'
- jibes
- temples
- cud
- confidants ✓
Which of these concepts link best to the story?
- friendship ✓
- revenge
- despair
- greed
- understanding ✓
Which of these themes link best to the story?
- 'Different people can get along if they put in the effort.' ✓
- 'Adults don't understand children.'
- 'Things that happened in the past can teach us about the present.' ✓
- 'There's no point trying to change things on your own.'

When we read texts, we connect them to our own experiences and to 'big ideas'.
We can identify these 'big ideas' using concepts and themes.
Readers may interpret texts differently based on their reading of the material or their own experiences and beliefs.
We can support our views about concepts and themes linked to a text by providing evidence.

Pupils may struggle to understand the idea of a 'concept'.

Spend a moment coming up with a list of concepts like 'hope', 'fear' and 'happiness' that you can refer back to.

Evidence - the information from a text that can support or justify our reasoning
Concept - an abstract idea like ‘hope’ or ‘fairness’
Theme - a central idea of a text that the author wants us to think deeply about