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Year 3

Engaging with the legend of 'Mulan'

I can summarise the legend of 'Mulan'.

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Year 3

Engaging with the legend of 'Mulan'

I can summarise the legend of 'Mulan'.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. The legend of ‘Mulan’ is set in China during a period of war where a man from every family is required to join the army.
  2. Mulan’s father and brother are not fit to fight so she decides to join the army in order to protect them.
  3. Mulan disguises herself as a boy in order to be a soldier and she becomes a respected and accomplished warrior.
  4. When the war is won and Mulan returns home, she reveals herself as a girl and her soldiers are in awe of her.
  5. Summarising key events and ideas in a story helps to build our understanding of it.

Keywords

  • Legend - a type of folktale that reflects human elements that are believed to have taken place in true history

  • Warrior - a brave or experienced soldier or fighter

  • Summarise - to pull out the key events and ideas from a text

Common misconception

Children may include unnecessary details when summarising the story.

Model non-examples when summarising the story. For example, model a sentence where an unnecessary detail has been included and ask the children to spot which piece of information could be taken out.


To help you plan your year 3 english lesson on: Engaging with the legend of 'Mulan', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Include illustrations from the story to support the students in summarising and retelling the key events from each chapter. Encourage children to start their sentences in different ways by providing them with a range of sentence starters.
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Teacher tip
equipment-required

Equipment

You need a copy of the 2014 Oxford University Press edition of ‘Mulan' written by Michaela Morgan for this 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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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Who is Mulan?
a young boy who goes to war for his family
Correct answer: a young girl who pretends to be a boy to go to war for her family
an adult who goes to war for their family
Q2.
Order the events from Chapter 1 of Mulan.
1 - Mulan worked quietly weaving at home
2 - Mulan's parents noticed her downbeat spirit
3 - Mulan's parents aked her what was wrong
4 - Mulan expressed worry because a man from every family was required to go to war
Q3.
Order the events from Chapter 2 of Mulan.
1 - Mulan's father said he would fight but he did not have the strength
2 - Mulan's brother said he would fight but he was too little and lacked the skills
3 - Mulan realised she was the appropriate age and more skilled than lots of boys
4 - Mulan decided that she was the right person from her family to join the war
Q4.
Order the events from Chapter 3 of Mulan.
1 - Mulan told her family of her plan to join the army
2 - Mulan's parents did not approve of her plan
3 - Mulan remained determined and explained she would disguise herself as a boy
4 - Mulan gathered all of the equipment she needed to be a soldier
Q5.
What does it mean to summarise?
reading the story again
retrieving details from the text
Correct answer: pulling out the key events and ideas from a text
Q6.
What would be a sensible prediction about Chapter 4 based on what we know so far?
Mulan gets nervous and decides to stay at home
Correct answer: Mulan disguises herself as a boy and leaves to join the army
Mulan's father goes to war instead

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Order the events from Chapter 4 of 'Mulan'.
1 - Mulan hid her hair, wore her armour and practised her fighting skills
2 - Mulan embarked on her long journey to the army base
3 - Mulan disguised her voice and the guard let her enter
4 - Mulan was afraid the soldiers would uncover her identity while she trained
Q2.
Order the events from Chapter 5 of 'Mulan'.
1 - Mulan remained committed to her training and won her first battle
2 - Mulan became a fine warrior and leader of the army
3 - Mulan fought for her country for ten years
4 - Despite her courage and strength, Mulan missed her family dearly
Q3.
Order the events from Chapter 6 of 'Mulan'.
1 - Mulan's country won the war and she was granted a reward for her bravery
2 - Mulan chose her freedom so she could return home
3 - Mulan rode home and her family welcomed her
4 - Mulan revealed her identity as a girl to her soldiers who were in awe of her
Q4.
True or false? Mulan showed admirable qualities such as commitment and resilience in order to succeed in her quest.
Correct Answer: True, true
Q5.
Who are the author and illustrator of this version of 'Mulan'?
Correct answer: Michaela Morgan is the author
Stuart Delvado is the illustrator
Mike Morgans is the author
Correct answer: Steve Dorado is the illustrator
Q6.
True o false? When the soldiers discovered Mulan's true identity as a girl, they no longer respected her.
Correct Answer: False, false