Engaging with 'The Sheep Pig'
I can summarise the opening of 'The Sheep-Pig'.
Engaging with 'The Sheep Pig'
I can summarise the opening of 'The Sheep-Pig'.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- Narrative openings often introduce the protagonist and set the scene.
- In the opening, the plot of the story is introduced.
- 'The Sheep-Pig' is set on a farm in England.
- The protagonist in 'The Sheep-Pig' is Babe who appears to be unique.
Keywords
Opening - The opening of a story establishes the setting, introduces key characters and sets the tone, creating the foundation for the narrative.
Fiction - Fiction is when authors create made up stories with characters, places and adventures which did not happen in real life.
Summarise - To summarise means to pull out the key events and ideas from the text.
Structure - Story structure refers to the order of events within a narrative that gives it a coherent and engaging flow.
Common misconception
Children may try to include every detail when summarising the story.
Model how to summarise effectively, choosing only the key pieces of information from the plot. You may add some illustrations from the text.
To help you plan your year 3 english lesson on: Engaging with 'The Sheep Pig', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 3 english lesson on: Engaging with 'The Sheep Pig', 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 Sheep Pig': reading unit, dive into the full secondary english curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Equipment
You will need a copy of the 2023 Penguin Random House edition of ‘The Sheep-Pig’ by Dick King-Smith.
Licence
Starter quiz
6 Questions
writing that tells a story
a story that is made up or imagined
a text that contains facts and true information


a person who writes the words that make up a text
a person who creates art or images that make up a text
a company that publishes a book
Exit quiz
6 Questions
to pull out the key events and ideas from the text
the order of events within a narrative that helps it flow
the beginning of the story introducing setting and character