Summary for lesson 10

What did we cover
– Reflected on the last lesson
– Discussed who are favourite character was and why
– Did a character study (using pictures of characters from the film)
– Learned some ‘fun facts’
– Worked through the questions for the second half of FMF

Class report
We began the lesson today by discussing who our favourite characters were and why. It was
fascinating to hear the students’ views, and very interesting to see that all the characters were
mentioned by at least one student. We developed this discussion to talk about how the central
character is often seen as a ‘hero’ and how there are also ‘villains’. From here, we thought
about who Mr. Fox would see as the villain and who the farmers would see as the villain.
Next, we looked at some images taken from the film of the characters. Not only did the
students infer some excellent character details based on what these images showed, they
also made some great comparisons to how they differ in the book and the film.
We spent a little time talking about some ‘fun facts’ about the book and film. I am so glad that
the students tend to enjoy learning this trivia, as it proves that they have a genuine interest in
the books and in broadening their knowledge.
We then moved onto the VIPERS questions. The students have continued to improve in the
quality of their answers to these questions; everytime a student answers they give some
fantastic details, and I am so pleased to see the students using quotes from the text more
frequently to back up their answers.
We will now be taking a break of one week before we start on the next few books, beginning
with Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. As these books are longer and more complex, they
will confront the students with new and exciting challenges; they will be encourage to think
further and deeper, and this will enable them to discover even more skills and interests.
As we have reached an important stage of the programme (5 weeks in) and we are about to
take a short break, I would like to comment on how much I have enjoyed teaching the
students over the last five weeks. It has been a real joy to see them develop in skills and
confidence, and I am so excited to see how much further they can progress as we embark on
the next stage in a week’s time.

Homework for lesson 10:

Write the first paragraph of the prequel to Fantastic Mr Fox.
OR
Write a short paragraph about your favourite part of the book.

The end