Starter quiz
- Which pet do the Barleycorn's own?
- a dog ✓
- a cat
- a mouse
- a rabbit
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- What is Mrs. Barleycorn's initial reaction to the Greenling?
- She is grateful that her husband found the Greenling.
- She says that the Greenling should be returned to the wild. ✓
- She does not care whether her husband looks after the Greenling or not.
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- Inference means to...
- find key details or information in the text and extract them.
- predict what might happen from what we have already read.
- use clues from within the text to draw conclusions. ✓
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How might the following person be feeling?- angry
- worried
- excited ✓
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How might the following person be feeling?- happy
- sad ✓
- jealous
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- How does Mr. Barleycorn show he cares for the Greenling?
- He waters the Greenling. ✓
- He leaves the Greenling alone.
- He brings the Greenling inside to keep it safe. ✓
- He shouts at the Greenling
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Exit quiz
- Match the following keywords to their definitions.
- character traits⇔special qualities that make a character in a story unique ✓
- body language⇔how characters communicate without words, using movements and gestures ✓
- motives⇔a person’s reasons for doing something ✓
Referring to their body language, how might the character in this image be feeling?- annoyed
- amazed ✓
- angry
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- True or False? A character's feelings and emotions can only be understood by their body posture.
- True
- False ✓
- Which of the following can help readers understand a character’s motives?
- actions ✓
- a character’s name
- dialogue ✓
- thoughts and decisions ✓
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- Select the examples of body language.
- facial expressions ✓
- posture ✓
- tone of voice
- hand movements ✓
- speaking volume
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- True or False? Mrs. Barleycorn's character traits change from the beginning of the text to the end?
- True ✓
- False
Worksheet
Presentation
Lesson Details
Key learning points
- A character's body language can give clues about what they are thinking or feeling.
- Body language is used in ‘Greenling’ to convey the characterisation of the Barleycorns and the Greenling.
- Understanding a character's motives helps us to understand the story and empathise with the characters.
- A reader’s own experiences can also support inferring a character’s motives.
Common misconception
Pupils may have difficulty understanding characterisation through body language.
Play a game where children use body language to convey different feelings and thoughts and their partner needs to guess.
Keywords
Character traits - Character traits are the special qualities that make a character in a story unique and interesting.
Characterisation - Characterisation is the way an author and illustrator describes and develops the personalities and traits of the characters in a story.
Body language - Body language is the way people communicate their thoughts, feelings, and emotions through their movements and gestures without using words.
Inference - Inference means to use clues from within the text to draw conclusions.
Motives - Motives refer to a person’s reasons for doing something.