Writing a section of a narrative based on 'The Borrowers' (part 2)
I can write a section of the build-up of ‘The Borrowers’.
Writing a section of a narrative based on 'The Borrowers' (part 2)
I can write a section of the build-up of ‘The Borrowers’.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- In this section of the build-up, the suspense heightens when Arrietty encounters the eye of a human “bean”.
- The use of precise and ambitious vocabulary, including ‘show and tell’ language supports the building of suspense.
- Rhetorical questions can be used to convey a character’s inner thoughts.
- A fronted adverbial of time, place or manner indicates when, where or how action in the rest of a sentence takes place.
- Using a range of sentence types supports text flow.
Keywords
Atmosphere - the tone or mood created in a text
Suspense - when you are feeling anxious or excited about what may happen
Rhetorical question - a question asked to the reader that does not expect an answer
Fronted adverbial - a sentence starter followed by a comma
Common misconception
Children may accidentally develop rhetorical questions in present tense or first person when imagining what Arrietty is thinking. E.g. instead of "Was she safe?" they might write "Am I safe?"
Gather ideas from students about what Arriety might have been thinking and model turning these into third person and past tense. Provide examples in a shared bank for children to refer to while writing.
To help you plan your year 4 english lesson on: Writing a section of a narrative based on 'The Borrowers' (part 2), download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 4 english lesson on: Writing a section of a narrative based on 'The Borrowers' (part 2), download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 2 english lessons from the 'The Borrowers': narrative writing and reading unit, dive into the full secondary english curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Equipment
You need a copy of the 2014 Puffin Books edition of ‘The Borrowers’ by Mary Norton for this lesson.
Licence
Lesson video
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Starter quiz
6 Questions
when you are feeling anxious or excited about what may happen
the tone or mood created in a text
the building of action and suspense that leads up to the climax
Exit quiz
6 Questions
Just then,
On the other side,
Overjoyed,
Arrietty ran through the luscious grass towards the base of a tree.
Arrietty laid out on the grass and basked in the rays.
she caught sight of something unusual and concerning.
She couldn't work it out!
She felt incredibly uneasy.
She certainly felt like she was.
Overjoyed, Arrietty explored the garden.
Arrietty was unsure what it was, but she felt alarmed.
As she made her way through the fresh grass, she took a joyful skip.