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Year 7

Analysing Dorothy's return from the unknown in Baum's 'The Wizard of Oz'

I can understand and analyse how Baum presents Dorothy’s return from the unknown in ‘The Wizard of Oz’.

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New
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Year 7

Analysing Dorothy's return from the unknown in Baum's 'The Wizard of Oz'

I can understand and analyse how Baum presents Dorothy’s return from the unknown in ‘The Wizard of Oz’.

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Though sad to leave her companions, Dorothy was glad to return to Kansas.
  2. A theme of a story is a central topic, subject, or message within a narrative.
  3. Baum used Dorothy’s time in the unknown to convey a message to the reader.
  4. The message is arguably that we have the tools to help ourselves and don’t need to rely on others.

Common misconception

That stories are purely intended to entertain us.

While stories are entertaining, often there is also a message or a purpose behind the story that is designed to teach us something.

Keywords

  • Return - to come or go back to a previous place, subject, activity, or condition

  • Infer - to form an opinion or guess that something is true because of the information that you have

  • Theme - a central topic, subject, or message within a narrative

  • Learn - to get new knowledge or skill in a subject or activity

  • Tone - the overall mood or attitude of a text

Before you read the extract, you could ask the students to make a prediction of how they think Dorothy will feel returning to Kansas based on the plot summary.
Teacher tip

Equipment

You will need an extract from 'The Wizard of Oz' which is available in the additional materials.

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of sensitive 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).

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
To return to somewhere means .
to visit somewhere new
to tell someone about that place
Correct answer: to go back to that place
Q2.
In L. Frank Baum's 'The Wizard of Oz', Dorothy wishes to find Oz to ask him to return her to Kansas. This implies .
she wants to stay in Oz
Correct answer: she's eager to return to Kansas
she wants her companions to come to Kansas with her
Q3.
To learn means to .
to give someone knowledge
Correct answer: to get new knowledge
to remember previous knowledge
Q4.
A semantic field is .
a word that is spelled the same but has a different meaning
Correct answer: a group of words with a similar meaning
when the first line of a text mirrors the last line
Q5.
To form an opinion or guess that something is true because of the information that you have is to .
Correct answer: infer
convey
present
indicate
Q6.
The moral of a story is .
Correct answer: the lesson the story wants to teach us
the way we have used language in our story
the way a reader responds to the story

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Starting with the first, put the events of L. Frank Baum's 'The Wizard of Oz' in chronological order.
1 - A cyclone blows Dorothy and her house to Kansas
2 - Dorothy's house lands on and kills the Wicked Witch of the East
3 - Dorothy takes the Wicked Witch's silver shoes
4 - Dorothy sets off to visit Oz and meets three companions on the way
5 - Dorothy finds out that Oz cannot help her
6 - Dorothy uses the silver shoes to return home
Q2.
Match the companion from 'The Wizard of Oz' with what Oz gives to them.
Correct Answer:Scarecrow,a head full of pins and needles

a head full of pins and needles

Correct Answer:Tin-Man,a heart made of silk and sawdust

a heart made of silk and sawdust

Correct Answer:Lion,potion for courage

potion for courage

Q3.
The overall mood or attitude of a text is the .
Correct answer: tone
theme
structure
Q4.
The central topic, subject, or message within a narrative is the .
Correct Answer: theme, Theme, theme., Theme.
Q5.
In L. Frank Baum's 'The Wizard of Oz', what does Dorothy learn from Glinda at the end?
Correct answer: The silver shoes would take her back to Kansas
The red shoes would take her back to Kansas
Glinda can magic her back to Kansas
The Golden Cap can take her back to Kansas
Q6.
In L. Frank Baum's 'The Wizard of Oz', which superlative did Dorothy use to describe her wish to return to Kansas?
"fondest"
Correct answer: "greatest"
"most feared"

Additional material

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