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Year 1

The theme of identity

I can discuss the theme of identity, linking to my own experiences and what has been read.

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New
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Year 1

The theme of identity

I can discuss the theme of identity, linking to my own experiences and what has been read.

Download all resources
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Share activities with pupils
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These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. A theme is a big idea and focus of a book.
  2. A theme in 'Paddington' and 'Coming to England' is identity as both books explore characters moving from their home.
  3. Identity means who or what a person or thing is.
  4. Someone's identity may include their background, personality traits and interests.
  5. How someone perceives their own identity is personal to them and may be different to how others perceive them.

Keywords

  • Theme - a big idea or message that is important in a text

  • Opinion - a personal view about something

  • Similarities - things that are the same

  • Differences - things that are different

Common misconception

Pupils may not be aware of their own nationality or background.

Prepare this knowledge about pupils' backgrounds in advance. Use a globe or map to pinpoint and discuss different places around the world. Ensure you give children autonomy to discuss what they see as their culture regardless of place of birth.


To help you plan your year 1 english lesson on: The theme of identity, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Use the lesson as an opportunity to celebrate the children's identities, similarities and differences. You could focus on nationalities, interests, abilities etc. dependent on the cohort. Task B could be a written response that could be collated to create a class book of identity.
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Teacher tip
equipment-required

Equipment

You will need copies of the 2014 Harper Collins Children's Books edition of 'Paddington' by Michael Bond and the 2020 Macmillan Children's Books edition of 'Coming to England' by Floella Benjamin.

copyright

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), 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.
'Paddington' is a __________ book, which means it is made up.
non-fiction
funny
Correct answer: fiction
boring
Q2.
'Coming to England' is a __________ book, which means is is about real events.
Correct answer: non-fiction
fiction
imaginary
funny
Q3.
Put these main events in 'Paddington' in order.
1 - Mr and Mrs Brown meet a bear in Paddington Station.
2 - Mr and Mrs Brown name the bear Paddington.
Q4.
Put these main events in 'Coming to England' in order.
1 - Floella's parents emigrate to England.
2 - Floella and her siblings emigrate to England.
3 - Floella is honoured by the Queen.
Q5.
Which of these are opinions?
Correct answer: My favourite food is mango.
Flowers can be lots of different colours.
The capital city of England is London.
Correct answer: My favourite colour is blue.
Q6.
Which of these are facts?
I think that Trinidad is beautiful.
Correct answer: Floella Benjamin emigrated to England when she was eleven years old.
Correct answer: Floella Benjamin has brothers and sisters.
I like Floella Benajmin's clothes.

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Match each term to the correct example.
Correct Answer:fact,Floella travelled to England on a boat.
tick

Floella travelled to England on a boat.

Correct Answer:opinion,My favourite type of transport is cars.
tick

My favourite type of transport is cars.

Correct Answer:fiction book,'Paddington'
tick

'Paddington'

Correct Answer:non-fiction book,'Coming to England'
tick

'Coming to England'

Q2.
Which of these statements about opinions are correct?
Correct answer: Opinions are personal responses about something.
Correct answer: One person's opinion may be different to someone else's.
Everyone's opinion have to be the same.
Opinions are the same as facts.
Q3.
Which of these statements about 'Coming to England' by Floella Benjamin are true?
'Coming to England' is a fiction story.
Correct answer: 'Coming to England' is about the life of Floella Benjamin.
Correct answer: Floella Benjamin is the author of the book.
'Coming to England' is set in Paddington Station.
Q4.
Which of these statements about 'Paddington' by Michael Bond are true?
Correct answer: Paddington loves marmalade sandwiches.
Correct answer: Paddington emigrated from Peru.
Paddington is a non-fiction book because Paddington Station is a real place.
Paddington is a person.
Q5.
Complete the following sentence: 'Your __________ is what makes you, you.'
school
hair
Correct answer: identity
friend
Q6.
Which of these can be part of someone's identity?
Correct answer: what you enjoy
Correct answer: your nationality
other people's opinions
Correct answer: your feelings and how you think