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Year 6

Exploring relationships and perspectives

I can consider Addie’s relationships with other characters in ‘A Kind of Spark’ and explore different perspectives on a plot point.

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Year 6

Exploring relationships and perspectives

I can consider Addie’s relationships with other characters in ‘A Kind of Spark’ and explore different perspectives on a plot point.

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.

Switch to our new teaching resources now - designed by teachers and leading subject experts, and tested in classrooms.

These resources were created for remote use during the pandemic and are not designed for classroom teaching.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Looking at interactions between characters can tell readers about their relationships.
  2. Addie and her older sister, Keedie, are both autistic; they have both had different experiences of growing up autistic.
  3. Authors give us lots of clues about relationships between characters.
  4. We can adopt the perspectives of different characters to understand plot points more fully.

Keywords

  • Relationships - connections and interactions between individuals within a narrative

  • Evidence - information or facts that show something is true

  • Perspective - point of view

Common misconception

Pupils may see the word 'relationships' as referring to romantic relationships.

Explore the different layers of relationships we all have; note that sometimes it's our closest relationships that are most turbulent or 'love-hate' because we can be more 'free' within them.


To help you plan your year 6 english lesson on: Exploring relationships and perspectives, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

After completing this lesson, read chapters 11, 12, 13 and 14 with pupils before the next lesson. Because of the sensitive nature of much of the content of this book, you may wish to read to the pupils or to plan additional lessons to cover these sections.
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Teacher tip
equipment-required

Equipment

You need a copy of the 2020 Knights Of edition of ‘A Kind of Spark’ written by Elle McNicoll, illustrated by Kay Wilson, for this lesson.

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.
Match the words to their meanings.
Correct Answer:bemused,puzzled
tick

puzzled

Correct Answer:ajar,open a little way
tick

open a little way

Correct Answer:with trepidation,nervously
tick

nervously

Correct Answer:aquiver,shaking
tick

shaking

Q2.
Match the words to their meanings.
Correct Answer:restrain,hold down or hold back
tick

hold down or hold back

Correct Answer:antics,silly things you do
tick

silly things you do

Correct Answer:convulsing,shaking
tick

shaking

Correct Answer:contorted,twisted
tick

twisted

Q3.
Put these events from the village meeting in order.
1 - Nina questioned why they had come.
2 - The family sat through lots of villagers' odd requests.
3 - Addie made her speech in favour of the memorial.
4 - The committee rejected the request.
5 - Keedie argued that it was unfair.
Q4.
Addie describes how after the meeting, it felt like a door that had been "ajar" had been shut. What did she mean?
She felt like she had seized an opportunity.
Correct answer: She felt like she had had an opportunity, but she no longer did.
She felt like the village had supported her.
Q5.
Which of the following might be Addie's motives for wanting the memorial?
Correct answer: She feels like an injustice was done to the 'witches'.
Correct answer: She knows the women were innocent and treated badly.
She believes it will help bring tourists to the village.
Correct answer: She can relate to the women's experience of being misunderstood and abused.
Q6.
What does it mean to 'infer' something?
to guess it
to be certain of it
Correct answer: to work it out using clues
to notice it

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which word best completes the following sentence? 'Addie and Keedie often try to __________ in public so that other people feel more comfortable around them.'
stim
relent
Correct answer: mask
doublespeak
Q2.
Which word best completes the following sentence? 'Addie knew how __________ the university had been about the need to have your card with you at all times.'
indignant
comic
wavering
Correct answer: insistent
Q3.
Put these events in order.
1 - Addie was left at home with Nina.
2 - She noticed Keedie's card.
3 - She got the bus to Edinburgh.
4 - She found Keedie in a lecture hall.
5 - Keedie was shocked and upset.
Q4.
Which of the following do Keedie and Addie believe?
Correct answer: The way Bonnie is being treated is similar to how the 'witches' were treated.
The way Bonnie is being treated is different to how the 'witches' were treated.
The way Bonnie is being treated is better than how the 'witches' were treated.
Q5.
Which of the following might be part of Nina's perspective on events?
Correct answer: I'm worried about Keedie after what Addie said.
Correct answer: I wish I'd listened to Mum and looked after her.
It was so stressful being in that lecture hall.
I can't believe Nina would be so irresponsible.
Q6.
Whose perspective might this be written from? 'I don't want to upset Addie; she has enough to worry about with that woman at school without worrying about me too.'
Addie
Mum
Correct answer: Keedie
Nina
Audrey