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Year 2

Sequencing and making connections about 'The Children of Lir'

I can make connections linked to my own experiences and sequence events in a story.

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New
New
Year 2

Sequencing and making connections about 'The Children of Lir'

I can make connections linked to my own experiences and sequence events in a story.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Traditional tales try to teach us a lesson about something.
  2. Thinking about those lessons can help us change something in our lives.
  3. The Children of Lir teaches us to be resilient in the face of challenges.
  4. Sequencing events in a story means we put them in the order in which they happened.
  5. Sequencing key parts of the story helps to summarise the whole story.

Keywords

  • Jealousy - a feeling of envy about what someone else has or what someone can do

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

  • Moral - a lesson that can be learnt from a story or experience

  • Chronological - following the order in which a series of events happened

  • Sequencing - placing events in order

Common misconception

Children may find it difficult to identify the main events in the story and they may try to include too much information.

Explain that the main events are the most important moments in the story. Without these moments, the story would not flow. Pick out some elements of the text that are minor moments and share these as non-examples.


To help you plan your year 2 english lesson on: Sequencing and making connections about 'The Children of Lir', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Some children may find it difficult to think of six main events in the story. You could provide images of the key moments in the story. Ask them to sequence these events and then write a sentence to summarise each moment.
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Teacher tip
equipment-required

Equipment

You need a copy of the 2011 Oxford University Press edition of ‘The Children of Lir’ by Maire Buonocore and Isabelle Arsenault for this lesson.

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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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6 Questions

Q1.
In 'The Children of Lir', the Queen is of the children.
proud
Correct answer: jealous
supportive
afraid
Q2.
Which of these are features of traditional tales?
Correct answer: heroes and villains
rhyme
headings
Correct answer: themes
Q3.
Where do the swans meet up once the storm has passed?
at the castle where they grew up
Correct answer: on a rock out at sea
in a lighthouse
on a pond in a park
Q4.
True or false? King Lir forgave the Queen for turning his children into swans.
Correct Answer: False, false
Q5.
True or false? The swans found their father sitting by the lake, playing a flute and waiting for them to come home.
Correct Answer: False, false
Q6.
What is the first thing you should do if you are struggling to read an unfamiliar word?
look it up in a dictionary
look at the title of the book
Correct answer: try to sound the word out using your phonics knowledge
ask a friend to read it for you

6 Questions

Q1.
What is a theme in a traditional tale?
a summary of a story
Correct answer: a big idea, topic or message that appears in a story
the reader's favourite part of a story
Q2.
Which of these is a theme in 'The Children of Lir'?
wisdom
Correct answer: jealousy
Correct answer: love and family
kindness and generosity
Q3.
What is a moral?
a piece of interesting information from a story
a summary of a story
Correct answer: a lesson that can be learnt from a story
Q4.
What is the moral of 'The Children of Lir'?
If you lie often, people won't believe you when you tell the truth.
Hard work and preparation pay off.
Correct answer: Be resilient in the face of challenges.
Be responsible and you will be rewarded.
Q5.
Place these events in chronological order.
1 - The Queen was banished from the kingdom.
2 - King Lir threw the Queen's wand into the sea.
3 - There was a huge storm out at sea.
Q6.
How can we show resilience?
celebrate differences
show kindness to everyone
Correct answer: keep on trying, even when things seem tough
be silly to make others laugh