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Year 3

Developing reading preferences in Year 3 through appreciation of characters

I can explore a range of characters in texts, describing why I like them.

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New
New
Year 3

Developing reading preferences in Year 3 through appreciation of characters

I can explore a range of characters in texts, describing why I like them.

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These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

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

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Series texts can develop motivation to read.
  2. A character might be part of a series of texts
  3. A character trait is a special quality that make a character in a story unique and interesting
  4. A character's emotional arc might adapt or change over a series of books

Keywords

  • Series fiction - Series fiction is when there are lots of texts with the same characters. Each one tells a new adventure or story about them.

  • Character traits - Character traits are the special qualities that make a character in a story unique and interesting.

  • Emotional arc - An emotional arc is how a character's feelings and emotions change throughout a story.

  • Empathy - Empathy is the ability to experience and understand other people’s feelings and points of view.

Common misconception

Pupils may begin writing about a character in a standalone text, rather than a series.

If a pupil has not encountered series fiction before, they will develop greater awareness through discussion with their peers.


To help you plan your year 3 english lesson on: Developing reading preferences in Year 3 through appreciation of characters, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Have a range of series fiction available in class book area, or school library, to encourage engagement outside of the 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.
Match the following aspects of series fiction to their examples in the series 'Horrid Henry' by Francesca Simon.
Correct Answer:characters,Horrid Henry, Perfect Peter, Moody Margaret
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Horrid Henry, Perfect Peter, Moody Margaret

Correct Answer:settings,school, Henry's home
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school, Henry's home

Correct Answer:titles,'Horrid Henry’s Perfect Day', 'Horrid Henry’s Homework'
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'Horrid Henry’s Perfect Day', 'Horrid Henry’s Homework'

Q2.
Match the role to its definition.
Correct Answer:author,a person who writes the words that make up a text
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a person who writes the words that make up a text

Correct Answer:illustrator,a person who creates art or images that make up a text
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a person who creates art or images that make up a text

Correct Answer:publisher,a company that publishes books
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a company that publishes books

Q3.
True or False? Series fiction texts usually have a different character in each text.
Correct Answer: False, false
Q4.
What are the shared features of a series you can identify from the front cover?
Correct answer: the author
Correct answer: the illustrator
the title
the setting
the plot
Q5.
Which of the following are examples of genre in literature?
email
Correct answer: humour
newspaper
chapter books
Correct answer: fantasy
Q6.
Which of the following can describe a character's personality?
Correct answer: courageous
Correct answer: kind
girl
Correct answer: generous
9-years-old

6 Questions

Q1.
What is series fiction?
fiction in historical settings
fiction about mysteries
a character's feelings and emotions
Correct answer: when there are several books with the same characters
Q2.
Which of the following is a benefit to reading series fiction?
Correct answer: develops prediction skills
develops awareness of a range of different genres
it gives ideas of what to wear on World Book Day
Q3.
Which examples from a text would show a character is brave?
running away
Correct answer: standing up for what is right
Correct answer: facing a fear
Correct answer: helping others in a crisis
being a fast runner
Q4.
Which of the following are character traits?
brown eyes
Correct answer: brave
short
Correct answer: respectful
black hair
Q5.
Character traits can be identified by focusing on which of the following?
Correct answer: words
Correct answer: actions
name
Correct answer: thoughts
setting
Q6.
Sequence these sentences to introduce and describe a character.
1 - I like the character Demelza from 'Knights and Bikes'.
2 - I like her because she is fiercely determined and brave.
3 - For example, she does lots of daring stunts on her bike to achieve her goal.