New
New
Year 4

Exploring the moral and characters in 'The Happy Prince'

I can discuss the moral and the characters' emotions in ‘The Happy Prince’.

New
New
Year 4

Exploring the moral and characters in 'The Happy Prince'

I can discuss the moral and the characters' emotions in ‘The Happy Prince’.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Expressing the thoughts and emotions of a character helps the reader understand the character more.
  2. Different character traits appear in the story and we use these to draw conclusions to infer a moral from the story.
  3. A moral is a lesson that can be learnt from a story; readers’ interpretations of a moral may differ.
  4. The characters’ emotions change throughout the narrative.
  5. We can look at each character's speech and actions to understand their emotions fully.

Common misconception

Pupils may find it difficult to understand the characters' emotions.

Tell pupils that exploring what the characters say and how they act helps to infer what they are feeling.

Keywords

  • Character trait - part of your personality, belief system and behaviour

  • Moral - a lesson that can be learnt from a story or experience

  • Emotions - strong feelings that result from a person’s circumstances, mood or relationship with others

Re-read the text again and discuss how the characters' actions and dialogue help to express their emotions. You could further consolidate this understanding by watching, or reading, other versions of 'The Happy Prince.'
Teacher tip

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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6 Questions

Q1.
Who was the original author of 'The Happy Prince'?
Correct Answer: Oscar Wilde, oscar wilde
Q2.
Who are the main characters in 'The Happy Prince'?
the sad seamstress
Correct answer: the statue of the prince
the young writer
the girl selling matchsticks
Correct answer: the bird
Q3.
Order these key moments from 'The Happy Prince' in chronological order.
1 - The statue was upset by all the suffering in the city
2 - The bird and the statue helped the people who were suffering
3 - The bird became frailer and weaker in the cold winter.
4 - The bird and the prince died
5 - God asked the bird and the prince to look after the city's people
Q4.
True or false? 'The prince is an evil character.'
Correct Answer: false, False
Q5.
Which of the following are character traits?
Correct answer: kindness
prince
eyes
Correct answer: positivity
Correct answer: determination
Q6.
Which of the following are emotions?
Correct answer: excited
helpful
Correct answer: furious
kind
Correct answer: devastated

6 Questions

Q1.
True or false? This is the moral of 'The Happy Prince': never give up.
Correct Answer: false, False
Q2.
What happened to the statue when he realised that the bird was dying?
He tried to pick up the bird
Correct answer: His heart broke into two pieces
He began to sob
He screamed for help
Q3.
What does this quote tell the reader about how the prince felt at the beginning of the story? 'His eyes were full of tears.'
He was tired
Correct answer: He was very upset
He was overexcited
He was determined to help
Q4.
How did the prince show selflessness?
He tried to find more jewels to keep for himself
Correct answer: He gave away all his own jewels and gold leaves to other people
He was worried about the poor people
He was heartbroken when the bird died
Q5.
How did the prince show compassion?
He played happily in his palace when he was alive
Correct answer: He was concerned about the poor people who were suffering
He stood overlooking the city
He was heartbroken when the bird died.
Q6.
Order these key moments from 'The Happy Prince' in chronological order.
1 - The statue was upset by all the suffering in the city
2 - The bird and the statue helped the people who were suffering
3 - The bird became frailer and weaker in the cold winter
4 - The bird and the prince died
5 - God asked the bird and the prince to look after the city's people

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