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Year 2

Linking to personal experiences and feelings in 'Don't Cross the Line!'

I can understand the themes in the story and link them to my own personal experiences.

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New
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Year 2

Linking to personal experiences and feelings in 'Don't Cross the Line!'

I can understand the themes in the story and link them to my own personal experiences.

Download all resources
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Share activities with pupils
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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. A theme is a big idea, topic or message that appears in a story.
  2. Themes in a story are used to convey deeper meaning and messages to the reader.
  3. Readers can interpret themes and their importance in a story in different ways.
  4. 'Don't Cross the Line!' explores the themes of authority, rule-breaking, identity and collaboration.
  5. Stories can create a personal response linked to the reader's own views or personal experiences.

Keywords

  • Theme - a big idea, topic or message that appears in a story

  • Authority - the power or right to give orders

  • Hierarchy - how people are organised according to importance and authority

  • Collaboration - the action of working together

  • Challenge - to disagree with or object to something

Common misconception

Children may think that breaking rules is always a bad thing.

Help the children to understand appropriate examples of when breaking rules or challenging authority is appropriate.

Widen the discussion around challenging authority to link it to current world affairs that the children may have heard about.
Teacher tip

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What is 'Don't Cross the Line' about and how is the story mainly told?
Citizens having a party, told mainly through words.
Correct answer: Citizens not being allowed to cross the line, told mainly through illustrations.
Citizens fighting, told mainly through words.
Q2.
Order the events in the story 'Don't Cross the Line'.
1 - A citizen approaches the line and a guard stops them.
2 - The guard says the right-hand page is reserved for his Army General.
3 - Gradually, more and more disgruntled citizens enter the left-hand page.
4 - A ball accidentally crosses the line.
5 - The guard starts to let citizens across the line.
6 - The Army General arrives and is furious, demanding the guard is arrested.
7 - The citizens stand up for the guard, demand what is fair, and defeat the General
Q3.
How do the citizens manage to cross the line and defeat the General in 'Don't Cross the Line'?
Correct answer: They work together to persuade the guard and fight for what is fair and right.
They push the guard over so he can't stop them.
They persuade the Army General to let them across.
Q4.
Match the vocabulary to the correct definition.
Correct Answer:opinion,A personal view or judgement about something.

A personal view or judgement about something.

Correct Answer:interpretation,The meaning a person infers from something.

The meaning a person infers from something.

Correct Answer:justify,To give a reason or explanation for something.

To give a reason or explanation for something.

Correct Answer:layout,The way the content is arranged on the page.

The way the content is arranged on the page.

Q5.
What messages do you think the author and illustrator convey through the story?
You should always follow rules.
Correct answer: Some rules are not fair or just.
Rules are always right and fair.
Correct answer: Sometimes you have to break rules to stand up for what is right and fair.
Q6.
How can we uncover deeper meaning behind a story?
Read it once and pay attention to the words.
Correct answer: Consider the hidden messages the author is trying to convey.
Correct answer: Discuss the meaning of the text with others.

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which statement is the best summary of ‘Don’t Cross the Line’?
It tells the story of how to cross a line.
It tells the story of how to obey rules and order.
Correct answer: It tells the story of how people work together to stand up for what is fair.
Q2.
What is a theme in a story?
The title of the story.
The name of the main character in the story.
Correct answer: A big idea, topic or message that appears in a story.
Q3.
Tick all the themes that are explored in 'Don't Cross the Line'.
Correct answer: authority
Correct answer: collaboration
environment
family
Correct answer: rule-breaking
Q4.
Mach the theme to the correct definition.
Correct Answer:authority,The power or right to give orders.

The power or right to give orders.

Correct Answer:collaboration,The action of working together.

The action of working together.

Correct Answer:rule-breaking,The action of breaking rules.

The action of breaking rules.

Correct Answer:identity,The different aspects of who we are.

The different aspects of who we are.

Q5.
What is hierarchy?
How tall a person is.
Correct answer: How people are organised according to importance and authority.
The rules that people make.
Q6.
When is it appropriate to challenge authority or break rules?
When you don't like the person making the rules.
Correct answer: When the rules are genuinely not just or fair or pose harm to others.
When you don't like the rule and the impact it has on you.