New
New
Year 5

Planning the opening of 'The Viewer'

I can plan the opening of 'The Viewer'.

New
New
Year 5

Planning the opening of 'The Viewer'

I can plan the opening of 'The Viewer'.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. The purpose of the opening is to provide the reader with a detailed description of the setting and main character.
  2. Literary devices that create figurative language include metaphors, similes and personification.
  3. A metaphor is a type of figurative language that involves describing something as though it actually is something else.

Keywords

  • Planning - involves using a framework that writers create before they write a section or whole text

  • Figurative language - the use of metaphor, simile and personification to paint vivid pictures for the reader

  • Metaphor - a type of figurative language that involves making a comparison between two things by stating that one thing is another, creating vivid imagery and deeper layers of meaning

Common misconception

Pupils may confuse similes with metaphors.

Teach pupils that similes use 'like' and 'as' and metaphors are not comparing but saying something actually is something else.

You may wish to include images from the text of the dump to help pupils generate ideas. Children could work in pairs or small groups to write their plan.
Teacher tip

Equipment

You need a copy of the 2012 Hodder Children's Books edition of ‘The Viewer’ written by Gary Crew and illustrated by Shaun Tan, for this lesson.

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).

Lesson video

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6 Questions

Q1.
Fill in the missing word. Tristan is the main __________ in 'The Viewer'.
title
setting
Correct answer: character
Q2.
True or false? A simile describes something by comparing it to something else, using 'like' or 'as'.
Correct Answer: true, True
Q3.
Which of these is a simile?
Correct answer: He was as hungry as a wolf.
He was a hungry wolf.
He was a hungy lion.
Q4.
Which of these is a simile?
My love is a bunch of roses.
My love is a rose.
Correct answer: My love is like a rose.
Q5.
Finish this simile: Tristan hunted around the dump ...
for a long time.
Correct answer: like a hungry lion.
on his own.
Q6.
Finish this simile, choosing the most appropriate ending: Tristan examined a strange, wooden box ...
like a giraffe.
Correct answer: like a scientist.
like a fire fighter.

6 Questions

Q1.
True or false? Planning involves writing ideas down without a structure.
Correct Answer: False, false
Q2.
True or false? The purpose of the opening is to provide the reader with a detailed description of the setting and main characters.
Correct Answer: true, True
Q3.
To paint a vivid picture in the mind of your reader, which two of these should you use?
Correct answer: precise descriptions
rhetorical questions
Correct answer: ambitious vocabulary
Q4.
True or false? A metaphor is a type of figurative language that involves making a comparison between two things by stating that one thing is another
Correct Answer: true, True
Q5.
Fill in the missing word. A metaphor is a type of comparison but unlike __________, metaphors do not use the words ‘like or ‘as’ to compare.
personification
Correct answer: similes
alliteration
Q6.
Which of these is a metaphor?
The plate was as hot as the sun.
The plate was like the sun.
Correct answer: The plate was the sun.