New
New
Year 4

Planning the opening of 'Whale Rider'

I can plan precise and ambitious vocabulary for the opening of 'Whale Rider'.

New
New
Year 4

Planning the opening of 'Whale Rider'

I can plan precise and ambitious vocabulary for the opening of 'Whale Rider'.

warning

These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

Switch to our new teaching resources now - designed by teachers and leading subject experts, and tested in classrooms.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. The purpose of the opening is to engage the reader and introduce the setting and characters.
  2. The opening of the story introduces Paikea and her grandfather and their family context.
  3. Precise adjectives, verbs and adverbs are used to create a vivid picture for the reader.
  4. Precise and ambitious vocabulary is logged on a plan for future use.
  5. Notes should not be written in full sentences and bullet points can be used to make notes clear.

Keywords

  • Plan - a framework that writers create before they write a section or whole text

  • Notes - written out of full sentences

  • Precise vocabulary - specific and accurate words to convey exact meanings and details in writing

Common misconception

Pupils may find it difficult to know what makes certain vocabulary ambitious.

Teach pupils that there can be many options when selecting vocabulary and they need to carefully choose the most precise words for each part of their writing. This is best explained by what effect they want to create for the reader.

The opening of the film is based on the part of the film after Paikea is born and is when she is on her grandfather's bike while he cycles both of them down the coast towards their house. Pupils may find the section before (childbirth) distressing.
Teacher tip

Equipment

You must have access to the film 'Whale Rider' (South Pacific Pictures, 2002) to complete this unit. Images of the characters and scenes from the film will be helpful.

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of upsetting content

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

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

Loading...

6 Questions

Q1.
Fill in the missing word. Paikea is the main __________ in 'Whale Rider'.
setting
title
Correct answer: character
plot
Q2.
What is a plan?
a final piece of written work
Correct answer: a framework that writers create before they write
a writer's first ideas said aloud about their writing
Q3.
What is the main setting in 'Whale Rider'?
Germany
Correct answer: a coastal village in New Zealand
Paikea's school
the mountains
Q4.
Which of these is a fronted adverbial followed by?
full stop
exclamation mark
Correct answer: comma
question mark
Q5.
What does a full sentence need to include?
a comma
Correct answer: a capital letter
Correct answer: a verb
Correct answer: a full stop or other closing punctuation
a conjunction
Q6.
Match the word classes to their definitions.
Correct Answer:adjective,a word that describes a noun

a word that describes a noun

Correct Answer:verb,a doing, being or having word

a doing, being or having word

Correct Answer:noun,a person, place or thing

a person, place or thing

Correct Answer:adverb,a word that describes a verb

a word that describes a verb

6 Questions

Q1.
True or false? A plan should be written in full sentences.
Correct Answer: false, False
Q2.
What are the purposes of the opening of a narrative?
to build up tension
Correct answer: to engage the reader so that they carry on reading
to entertain the reader with the main action of the plot
Correct answer: to introduce the setting and characters
Q3.
Fill in the gap: A fronted adverbial of __________ tells the reader when the action in the main idea takes place.
manner
cause
Correct answer: time
place
Q4.
Order the five key moments of the opening chronologically.
1 - Paikea and her grandfather are on a bicycle.
2 - Her grandfather is cycling whilst Paikea looks up at him.
3 - Paikea is holding onto Koro’s Maori necklace.
4 - They cycle along the coast towards the sea.
5 - They reach the house and Paikea chases him.
Q5.
Match each word class to its example.
Correct Answer:adjective,contented

contented

Correct Answer:adverb,lovingly

lovingly

Correct Answer:noun,ancestor

ancestor

Correct Answer:verb,gazed

gazed

Q6.
What is 'At the edge of the village,' an example of?
fronted adverbial of time
subordinate clause
Correct answer: fronted adverbial of place
main clause