Outcomes:
Persuasive poster, setting description, thought bubbles / diary entry, dialogue
Main Outcome:
Own version fantasy narrative
Length:
15 sessions, 3 weeks
Overview and Outcomes:
This is a three-week planning sequence for the story Leon and the Place Betweenby Angela McAllister. Throughout the sequence children will explore the author’s language and use it as the basis for their own descriptive writing. They will explore the characters’ thoughts and emotions and take part in drama activities, leading to writing in role and the creation of dialogue. Using the structure of the original story, children will plan their own version of the story where their own character enters a magical world. This sequence would work most effectively in a LKS2 class, with links to other fantasy stories. It will be beneficial to have at least five or six copies of the text so that each group of learners can interact with and explore the text.
Synopsis of Text:
Wanting to prove to his brothers and sister that magic really exists, Leon volunteers to be in Abdul Kazam's magic show and gets transported to a mysterious world. Filled with rabbits, doves, playing cards and magician's assistants - among other things - if a magician can make it disappear, it will end up in the Place Between! When Leon returns, not only do his brothers and sister believe, but we do too. With diecut holes into and out of the Place Between, the reader takes a journey right through the pages of the book, into the mysterious world of Grahame Baker-Smith's breath-taking illustrations.
Links:
Circus, Victorian entertainment, magic
