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Year 6

Gathering evidence about characters and their relationships

I can describe the relationships between characters in the text and provide evidence to support these descriptions.

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New
New
Year 6

Gathering evidence about characters and their relationships

I can describe the relationships between characters in the text and provide evidence to support these descriptions.

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. 'A Kind of Spark' is a novel set in Scotland and written by Elle McNicoll, who is autistic herself.
  2. Addie, the main protagonist, is autistic, but this does not define her exclusively.
  3. The book is written in the first person from Addie's perspective.
  4. When we read, we make inferences about characters based on evidence in the text.
  5. At the start of the book, Addie has a close relationship with her sister Keedie - but not with her sister Nina.

Common misconception

Pupils may think all autistic people will be similar to Addie in the book or that all autistic people will experience the world in the same way.

Explain that autistic experiences are diverse and that Addie's experiences are not universal. The book is written by an autistic writer, who drew on her own experiences when writing the book. No autistic person 'represents' all autistic people.

Keywords

  • First person - the point of view where the narrator of the story is the ‘I’ character, providing a personal account of events or experiences

  • Evidence - the information from a text that can support or justify our reasoning

  • Inference - a conclusion drawn from information and evidence in a text.

You may wish to show pupils interviews with the author to add context to the personal nature of the book. You will need to read on up to the end of Chapter 3 before the next lesson - you can decide how best to do this.
Teacher tip

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.

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of peer pressure or bullying

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

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).

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which of these pronouns are used to show a first person perspective?
Correct answer: I, me, my, mine
she, her, hers
we, us, our, ours
Q2.
Which sentence is written in the first person?
He was stunned by what he saw.
They couldn't believe their eyes.
Correct answer: I was completely flabbergasted.
Q3.
What can we infer from the following sentence? 'The boy stood up with grit on his bloody knees and tears streaming down his face.'
The boy was in a fight.
Correct answer: The boy has injured himself.
Correct answer: The boy was on the ground.
Correct answer: The boy is upset.
Q4.
What can we infer from the following sentence? 'There was a knock on the door and the girl froze, looking pale.'
The girl is very shy.
Correct answer: The girl is worried about what is about to happen.
The girl is about to get in trouble.
The girl has done something wrong.
Q5.
Which of the following might be pieces of evidence an author uses to show us that a character is angry?
She had a bruise on her arm.
Correct answer: She scowled.
Correct answer: She had clenched her fists.
She chewed her nails.
Q6.
Who is the 'protagonist' of a story?
the main setting
Correct answer: the main character
the victim of a crime
a person who commits a crime

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Match these words to their meanings.
Correct Answer:diminished,made small

made small

Correct Answer:clamour,loud, confusing noise

loud, confusing noise

Correct Answer:caress,stroke

stroke

Correct Answer:engrossed,absorbed in

absorbed in

Q2.
Match these words to their meanings.
Correct Answer:therapy,talking to a professional about your feelings

talking to a professional about your feelings

Correct Answer:auburn,reddish-brown

reddish-brown

Correct Answer:rebuke,telling-off

telling-off

Correct Answer:instinctively,without thinking

without thinking

Q3.
Are these statements true or false? Select the true ones.
All autistic people struggle at school.
Correct answer: Some autistic people find loud noises and bright lights overwhelming.
Addie is a example of a typical autistic person.
Correct answer: Some autistic people may perform actions repetitively.
Q4.
Which of the characters below does Addie have positive relationships with so far?
Miss Murphy
Nina
Correct answer: Dad
Correct answer: Keedie
Correct answer: Mr Allison
Q5.
Which of the following are true of Keedie?
Correct answer: She attends university.
Correct answer: She is also autistic.
Correct answer: She was also taught by Miss Murphy.
She is an influencer.
Q6.
Which of the following locations is Addie most comfortable in?
the school corridor
Correct answer: the school library
her classroom