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Year 4

Developing comprehension of 'Hansel and Gretel'through rich discussions

I can infer meaning from 'Hansel and Gretel'.

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New
New
Year 4

Developing comprehension of 'Hansel and Gretel'through rich discussions

I can infer meaning from 'Hansel and Gretel'.

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Reading between the lines to search for clues can help to infer meaning.
  2. Evidence from the text helps us to justify our inferences.
  3. Asking questions provides an opportunity to deepen our understanding of a text.

Common misconception

Pupils may think you can only know how a character is feeling by an explicit feelings word.

We can understand a character's feelings by inferring meaning through the character's actions, their words and their experiences.

Keywords

  • Inference - to draw conclusions from clues within the text

  • Evidence - the available information that supports a belief or opinion

  • Emotions - strong feelings as a result of circumstances, mood, or relationships with others

  • Intentions - what you aim to achieve through your actions

  • Motives - reasons for doing something

In the first learning cycle, print additional images from the story and allow children to sequence these at their tables. You may encourage the children to act out the story as well as retelling.
Teacher tip

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of upsetting content
  • Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Supervision

Adult supervision required

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.
Order these events from the story 'Hansel and Gretel'.
1 - Hansel and Gretel live with their father and stepmother and they have no food.
2 - The stepmother hatches a plan to leave the children in the forest.
3 - Hansel and Gretel find a house which is edible.
4 - An old woman feeds Hansel and Gretel food and pretends to be kind.
5 - The witch locks Hansel in a box and feeds Gretel very little.
6 - Gretel manages to trick the witch and puts her in the cooker.
7 - The children find their way back home to their father and they live happily.
Q2.
What is a fairytale?
a type of historical account that documents real events from the past
a type of cookbook that contains recipes for magical dishes and potions
Correct answer: a children’s story about magical and imaginary beings and lands
Q3.
Match the keywords to the correct definition.
Correct Answer:fairytale,a children’s story about magical and imaginary things

a children’s story about magical and imaginary things

Correct Answer:folklore,the sharing of stories orally over time

the sharing of stories orally over time

Correct Answer:moral,a lesson that can be learnt from a story or experience

a lesson that can be learnt from a story or experience

Q4.
How did Hansel and Gretel ultimately escape from the witch?
They persuaded the witch not to eat them by cooking for her instead.
Correct answer: Gretel manages to trick the witch and puts her in the cooker.
They ran away as fast as they could.
Q5.
Tick all the good characteristics of a person.
Correct answer: kind
selfish
Correct answer: honest
manipulative
Correct answer: brave
Q6.
Tick all the bad characteristics of a person.
Correct answer: greedy
Correct answer: unkind
friendly
hardworking
Correct answer: cruel

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What is inference?
Correct answer: searching for clues within the text and the illustrations to draw conclusions
understanding exactly what the author is saying without having to think about it
guessing what might happen in the story
Q2.
Match the vocabulary to the correct definition.
Correct Answer:emotions,strong feelings that a person experiences

strong feelings that a person experiences

Correct Answer:intentions,what a person aims to achieve through their actions

what a person aims to achieve through their actions

Correct Answer:motives,a person's reasons for doing something

a person's reasons for doing something

Q3.
Which of the following helps you to infer the character's emotions?
the text will tell us explicitly
Correct answer: pay attention to character's actions, experiences and words
guess what they might have been feeling
Q4.
Which of the following parts of the text helps you to infer the witch's motives in 'Hansel and Gretel'?
The "witch" got out of bed early in the morning.
Correct answer: The "witch" had made an edible cottage to tempt the children.
Correct answer: The "witch" gave them lots of food to eat.
Correct answer: The witch pretended to be kind to them.
Q5.
Which phrase best describes the moral of 'Hansel and Gretel'?
Correct answer: be cautious of strangers and deceit
never explore the woods alone
always trust and follow strangers
Q6.
How do we support and justify the inferences we make about a story?
we say we believe it with conviction
we convince others that our inferences are correct
Correct answer: we use evidence from the text and illustrations to justify our inferences