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Year 4

Exploring and engaging with themes in 'Greenling’

I can identify and engage with the key themes in ‘Greenling’.

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New
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Year 4

Exploring and engaging with themes in 'Greenling’

I can identify and engage with the key themes in ‘Greenling’.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. ‘Greenling’ can be considered a fable, its moral might link to the conservation & preservation of the environment.
  2. A theme is a big idea, topic or message that recurs within a story.
  3. Some of the themes of 'Greenling' are sustainability, acceptance and the power of nature.
  4. Revisiting a text can allow readers to discuss questions that focus on themes that are not explicitly stated in the text

Keywords

  • Fable - A fable is a short story, typically with animals as characters conveying a moral.

  • Theme - A theme is a big idea, topic or message that recurs within a story.

  • Convey - To convey means to communicate a message to the reader directly or indirectly.

  • Community - A community is a group of people who come together, support each other, and share common interests or goals.

Common misconception

Pupils may find identifying a moral message from the text challenging.

You could support identification by drawing pupils' attention to moral messages they might have gained from previous texts shared with the class.


To help you plan your year 4 english lesson on: Exploring and engaging with themes in 'Greenling’, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

You may wish to split up the class into groups during Task A to discuss the changes and transformation found in the text. Pupils could create mind maps in groups which could then be shared with the whole class.
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Teacher tip
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Equipment

You need a copy of the 2015 Templar Publishing edition of ‘Greenling’ written and illustrated by Levi Pinfold, 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.
Who is the publisher of 'Greenling'?
Correct Answer: Templar Publishing, templar publishing, Templar publishing, Templar, templar
Q2.
A personal response to a text is...
Correct answer: a reader’s opinions, ideas or feelings about a text
the ability to understand other people's feelings and points of view
the way an author describes and develops the traits of a character in a text
Q3.
True or False? The Greenling has a positive effect on the Barleycorns and their local community.
Correct Answer: True, true
Q4.
Which of the following examples demonstrate sustainability?
Alex throws recyclables in the garbage.
Correct answer: Lucas reuses water bottles to reduce waste
Correct answer: Aisha buys second-hand clothes to reduce consumption
Correct answer: Andeep uses solar panels for renewable energy
Izzy left the lights on when not needed
Q5.
Based on their front covers and titles, which of the following texts could link to 'Greenling's themes around the environment?
Correct answer: Fourteen Wolves: A rewilding story
Oliver Twist
Correct answer: Dara McAnulty: A Wild Child's Book of Birds
Matilda: The Musical
Q6.
What is a moral?
the point in the narrative where the excitement reaches its highest point
the way an author and illustrator describe and develop character traits
Correct answer: a lesson that can be learnt from a story or experience
Q5 image 1 Fourteen Wolves, Catherine Barr, Jenni Desmond, Bloomsbury Q5 image 2 Oliver Twist, Geraldine McCaughrean, Jeff Anderson, Charles Dickens, Oxford University Press Q5 image 3 A Wild Child’s Book of Birds, Dara McAnulty, Barry Falls, Macmillan. Q5 image 4 Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical: Piano Vocal Songbook, Tim Minchin, Royal Shakespeare Company

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Match the following keywords to their definitions.
Correct Answer:fable,a short story, typically with animals as characters conveying a moral
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a short story, typically with animals as characters conveying a moral

Correct Answer:theme,a big idea, topic or message that recurs within a story.
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a big idea, topic or message that recurs within a story.

Correct Answer:convey,to communicate a message to the reader directly or indirectly
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to communicate a message to the reader directly or indirectly

Q2.
What is meant by the term community?
the point-of-view or position from which the reader reads
Correct answer: a group of people who come together and share in common goals or interests
the way people communicate their thoughts, feelings & emotions through movement
Q3.
Which of the following are possible themes within 'Greenling'?
life and death
Correct answer: change and transformation
Correct answer: sustainability
betrayal
Q4.
True or False? Taking greater care of the environment could be a moral message a reader gets from the text, ‘Greenling’.
Correct Answer: True, true
Q5.
How might the theme of change and transformation be conveyed in the text?
Correct answer: through Mrs. Barleycorn's atttude and opinion
by the setting staying the same
Correct answer: through the rewilding of the Barleycorn's local environment
through Mr. Barleycorn's attitude and opinion
Q6.
How might the theme of the wild be conveyed in the text?
The train passengers and local people learn to work together.
Correct answer: The Greenling reintroduces creatures and plants from the natural world.
The local community learn to accept the Greenling.