Starter quiz
- What is a narrative?
- writing that is made up or imagined
- writing that tells a story ✓
- writing that always gives true information
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- What is a protagonist in a story?
- the narrator of the story
- the main character in a story and the one whom the plot revolves around ✓
- the person who wrote the story
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- Complete the sentence: An __________ is a person who writes books.
- poet
- author ✓
- illustrator
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- Which of the following are examples of genre?
- adventure ✓
- mystery ✓
- fantasy ✓
- cook book
- dictionary
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- Select the correct definition for the genre of 'fantasy'.
- a literary genre that builds suspense and plot for the reader to solve
- a genre in which a fictional plot takes place in a real historical setting
- a genre of fiction involving magical elements, set in an imaginary world ✓
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- What is the correct definition of to 'borrow'?
- taking something without permission and with no intention of returning it
- taking something that belongs to someone else with the intention of returning it ✓
- paying for something to gain permanent ownership of it
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Exit quiz
- What type of text is ‘The Borrowers’?
- non-fiction
- fantasy fiction ✓
- fairy tale
- information text
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- Who is the author of ‘The Borrowers’?
- Mark Norton
- Mary Norton ✓
- Arrietty Clock
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- When was ‘The Borrowers’ first published?
- 1901
- 1952 ✓
- 1997
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- True or false? 'The Borrowers' is a story about giant people who live in an English house.
- True
- False ✓
- What is the Clock's family home made from?
- items they have bought from a shop
- items they have borrowed from the human “beans” upstairs ✓
- items they have been gifted by the human “beans”
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- Order these key events from the story.
- 1⇔A lady called Mrs May tells a little girl called Kate about the Borrowers.
- 2⇔Pod gets “seen”. Homily decides that Arrietty should be allowed to go borrowing.
- 3⇔On this trip, Arrietty encounters “Boy” in the garden and they become friends.
- 4⇔The human “beans” realise their things are going missing.
- 5⇔Mrs Driver hires a rat catcher to catch the Borrowers, but they escape.
- 6⇔The story ends as it began: with Mrs May and Kate sewing their quilt.
Worksheet
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Presentation
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Lesson Details
Key learning points
- ‘The Borrowers’ is a fantasy fiction text written by Mary Norton in 1952.
- ‘The Borrowers’ is about miniature people, who secretly live under the floorboards of an English house.
- The protagonist in ‘The Borrowers’ is Arrietty, who is the daughter of Pod and Homily.
- It is important for stories to have a clear structure so that readers can understand and enjoy them.
Common misconception
Pupils may have different ideas about which parts of 'The Borrowers' constitute the opening, build-up, climax and resolution.
Ensure that pupils know that the way one person summarises may be different to another person's summary. If possible, print the story staircase on A3 sized paper to make Task B more accessible.
Keywords
Fantasy fiction - a story which is made up or imagined and involves magical elements
Summarise - to pull out the key events and ideas from the text
Structure - the order of events within a narrative that gives it a coherent and engaging flow
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