Fox, written by Margaret Wild and illustrated by Ron Brooks, Allen and Unwin Publishers
Overall aims of this teaching sequence
 To explore, interpret and respond to a picture book
 To study the language and writing style of an author in order to broaden knowledge of vocabulary and grammar
and inform understanding of how effective application can determine the quality of a text
 To consider the ways in which illustrations can deepen and enrich the meaning of a text and enhance the reader
experience
 To explore the actions, choices and motivations of characters and draw inferences to aid our understanding of
them
 To explore narrative plots and characters through role-play in order to deepen our understanding of and
connection with the characters and themes of the book
This teaching sequence is designed for a KS2 class.
Overview of this teaching sequence.
This teaching sequence is approximately just over 4 weeks long if spread out over 22 sessions.
The book supports the study of character development, encourages the deepening of reader response through the
exploration of the issues and dilemmas expressed in the story and is a fantastic stimulus to underpin personal, social and
emotional development through the opportunities it provides for reflection on themes of friendship, loyalty, betrayal,
loss and hope.
National Curriculum 2014 Links:
Reading: (Word reading / Comprehension)
Writing: (Transcription / Composition)
o Read books that are structured in different ways and
a) identifying the audience for and purpose of the writing,
reading for a range of purposes
selecting the appropriate form and using other similar
o Increase their familiarity with a wide range of books
writing as models for their own
o Identify and discussing themes and conventions in and b) noting and developing initial ideas, drawing on reading
across a wide range of writing
and research where necessary
o Make comparisons within and across books
c) in writing narratives, considering how authors have
o Draw inferences such as inferring characters' feelings,
developed characters and settings in what they have read,
thoughts and motives from their actions, and justifying listened to or seen performed
inferences with evidence
Draft and write by:
o Predict what might happen from details stated and
a) selecting appropriate grammar and vocabulary,
implied
understanding how such choices can change and enhance
o Discuss and evaluate how authors use language,
meaning
impacts on the reader
b) in narratives, describing settings, characters and
o Participate in discussions about books that are read to
atmosphere and integrating dialogue to convey character
them, building on their own and others’ ideas and
and advance the action
challenging views courteously
c) using a wide range of devices to build cohesion within
o Explain and discuss their understanding of what they
and across paragraphs
have read, including through formal presentations and Evaluate and edit by:
debates, maintaining a focus on the topic and using
a) assessing the effectiveness of their own and others’
notes where necessary to provide reasoned
writing proposing changes to vocabulary, grammar
justifications for their views
and punctuation to enhance effects and clarify
meaning
Speaking and Listening:
Articulate and justify answers, arguments and opinions; Give well-structured descriptions and explanations; Maintain
attention and participate actively in collaborative conversations, staying on topic and initiating and responding to
comments; Use spoken language to develop understanding through speculating, hypothesising, imagining and exploring
ideas; Participate in discussions, presentations, performances and debates.
©The Centre for Literacy in Primary Education.
You may use this teaching sequence freely in your school but it cannot be commercially published or reproduced or used for anything other than educational purposes
without the express permission of CLPE.
Cross Curricular Links:
Science:
Year 3 Animals
• As part of their required study of the nutritional needs and skeletal structure of different animals children can be
given the opportunity to conduct a comparative research study of dogs and foxes.
Year 3 Rocks
• Children can work in groups to investigate different deserts from around the world and compare and contrast the
physical properties of earth and rock formation in these contexts.
Year 4 Living Things and their Habitats
• Children can research what types of animals commonly live in the Australian desert, determine the food chain and
explore how they have adapted and evolved over time to survive the harsh living conditions.
Year 6 Living Things and their Habitats
• Conduct a study of living things in the Australian desert and classify these.
Year 6 Evolution and Inheritance
• Conduct a study of the evolution of animals and plants commonly found in the Australian desert and consider how
they have adapted over time to exist in such a harsh context.
In each instance it will prove powerful for the children’s engagement in the process to provide:
• opportunities for collaborative working
• autonomy to choose the form in which the final piece will be presented – e.g. poster, scripted documentary, leaflet,
PowerPoint presentation or book
Art and Design:
• Children can have the opportunity to conduct an illustrator study, studying the range of work spanning the career of
Ron Brooks.
• They can be invited to explore what makes his work distinctive and how his art enhances and influences the reading
of the texts he has illustrated.
• As part of their study they can experiment with the range of techniques and approaches adopted by Ron Brooks for
various texts and consider why distinctive styles were adopted for different texts.
Design and Technology:
• Children can use a range of tools and materials, collaborate to design and make a device to help Magpie to be able to
fly independently.
• Writing outcomes might be labels, lists and captions in designing and planning; instructions for others or a user
guidance document.
Geography:
• Conduct a study of the Australian Desert and present your findings in the format you deem most appropriate.
©The Centre for Literacy in Primary Education.
You may use this teaching sequence freely in your school but it cannot be commercially published or reproduced or used for anything other than educational purposes
without the express permission of CLPE.
Teaching Approaches
Responding to illustration
Reading aloud and rereading
Shared Writing
Freeze-frame
Role-Play and Drama – Conscience Alley
Teacher in Role
Debate
Book talk and Reader Response
Storymapping
Using drawing and modelling to create a character
Writing Outcomes
Poem
Captions
Information Text
Oral Presentation
Note taking
Letter
Writing in Role
Own narrative picture book
Links to other texts and resources.
 Drawn from the Heart (Allen and Unwin) Written by Ron Brooks
Other books written by Margaret Wild:
 Bogtrotter (Walker) Written by Margaret Wild and Illustrated by Judith Rossell
 There's a Sea in My Bedroom (Picture Puffin) Written by Margaret Wild and Illustrated by Jane Tanner
 Let the Celebrations Begin! (Walker Classics) Written by Margaret Wild and Illustrated by Julie Vivas
 Harry and Hopper (Scholastic) Written by Margaret Wild and Illustrated by Freya Blackwood
 Our Granny (Houghton Mifflin) Written by Margaret Wild and Illustrated by Julie Vivas
 The Stone Lion (Little Hare) Written by Margaret Wild and Illustrated by Ritva Voutila
Other books illustrated by Ron Brooks
 Aranea: A Story About a Spider (Picture Puffin) Written by Jenny Wagner and Illustrated by Ron Brooks
 The Coat (Allen and Unwin) Written by Julie Hunt and Illustrated by Ron Brooks
 The Bunyip of Berkeley's Creek (Picture Puffin) Written by Jenny Wagner and Illustrated by Ron Brooks
 John Brown, Rose and the Midnight Cat (Catnip) Written by Jenny Wagner and Illustrated by Ron Brooks
 Rosie and Tortoise (Viking Kestrel) Written by Margaret Wild and Illustrated by Ron Brooks
 Henry's Bed (Picture Puffin) Written by Margaret Perversi and Illustrated by Ron Brooks
 The Dream of the Thylacine (Allen and Unwin) Written by Margaret Wild and Illustrated by Ron Brooks
 Old Pig (Picture Puffin) Written by Margaret Wild and Illustrated by Ron Brooks
 Henry's Bath (Candlewick) Written by Margaret Perversi and Illustrated by Ron Brooks
 One Day You Were Born (Allen and Unwin) Written by Margaret Wild and Illustrated by Ron Brooks
©The Centre for Literacy in Primary Education.
You may use this teaching sequence freely in your school but it cannot be commercially published or reproduced or used for anything other than educational purposes
without the express permission of CLPE.
Teaching Sessions:
Sessions 1-2: Getting into the story: Exploring prior knowledge and setting the scene
In the best picture books illustration and text work closely together to create meanings. Children are naturally drawn to the
illustrations in a book and are frequently far more observant than an adult reader. Children’s interest in images and their ability to
read them can be developed through carefully planned interventions with an emphasis on talk. Discussions of this kind can include all
children and help to make a written text more accessible. Time spent focusing on illustration or key props can contribute to children’s
ability to read for meaning, express their ideas and respond to the texts they encounter. Introducing a new book with a key illustration
or props is a way to intrigue and motivate the children to want to find out more.
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Before beginning this sequence of work prepare a class journal using large pieces of flip chart or sugar paper. This will
allow you to note and capture discussions related to the book. Either as part of the journal or a feature on the
working wall incorporate a range of different coloured pieces of sugar paper from warm to dark shades to demarcate
key moments in the text as will be indicated in the sequence. When suggested note on an appropriate colour of sugar
paper words and phrases that describe the colour, shapes and textures that the scene evokes. These will be referred
to at the end of the sequence and will form the basis of a poem that captures the essence of the story.
Provide each child with their own personal writing journal that provides them with the space to experiment and play
with language as inspired by the book. These can quite simply be made up of paper, coloured card cover stapled
together. The children should be allowed to decorate these in any way they choose to give them a sense of ownership
and be given the assurance that the content will not be marked and should be seen as space for them to note their
explorations and thoughts.
Share the double spread of the opening end papers by scanning the image onto the interactive whiteboard as well
providing A3 copies for the children to look at in groups.
Invite the children to share their initial impressions and responses. What is the first word, phrase or association that
comes to mind? What does the image remind you of? Ask the children to note their reflections onto the photocopied
image.
On an orange piece of sugar paper using a brown pastel note any words or phrases that describe the colour, textures
and shapes referenced in the discussions.
Ask the children to consider what it might feel like to be step into the scene. What might they see, hear, smell and
feel? Using a different coloured pen invite the children to discuss in their groups and note words and phrases that
they feel would best describe these sensations.
Once children have had time to discuss and note their reflections draw the grid below on a flipchart and use this take
suggestions.
See
Oppressive, molten sun beating down on me
Hear
Charred bushes scratching at my bleeding legs
Smell
Dry, smoky dust filling my chest
Feel
Ground pulsing and throbbing at my feet
Take the time to value the suggestions, say them out loud, pause and reflect on their effect and discuss how the
reflection and range of ideas can support the refinement of the contributions. Consider what synonyms could be used
to refine the quality of the language? E.g. burnt – charred – scorched – smoldered. Reflect on how the use of
personification might intensify the language. E.g. if the sun is emanating heat how might we describe that?
Model with the children how you might use the range of language generated so far to compose a poem inspired by
the scene. Use the framework below to support the structuring of this composition. The opening phrase should
capture the sense of being at the edge of the forest and the overwhelming vastness of the scene. As you move
©The Centre for Literacy in Primary Education.
You may use this teaching sequence freely in your school but it cannot be commercially published or reproduced or used for anything other than educational purposes
without the express permission of CLPE.
through the poem each line should take you closer and closer to the heart of the forest capturing the heavy weight
and intensity that would come with that.
Edge of the forest
Phrase expressing what you might see, hear or smell
Word expressing the feeling
Phrase expressing what you might see, hear or smell
Word expressing the feeling
Phrase expressing what you might see, hear or smell
Word expressing the feeling
Phrase expressing what you might see, hear or smell
Word expressing the feeling
Heart of the forest
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Once modelled give the children the opportunity to draft their group poem. Allow the children the opportunity to
share their poems with the rest of the class and reflect on how it feels and sounds when performed.
Invite them to refine their group poem further. Once satisfied, invite them to consider what style of handwriting, text
type or font they might use to write up the final version. Provide them with black ink pens/ markers of varying
thinness and thickness to experiment with.
Provide them with a sheet of tracing paper and ask them to consider how they will place the words on the illustration
and experiment with this using the tracing paper and black pens. Once they are satisfied with the layout provide them
with a sheet of acetate and pens to write their final version.
Frame the final pieces onto black card and display.
Sessions 3-4: Responding to illustration and Role on the Wall
The quality of illustrations contained within this book and the ways in which the illustrations work with and beyond the text to create
and enhance meaning for the reader provides a rich stimulus for developing reader response. Children will need time and opportunity
to enjoy and respond to the pictures, to talk together about what they contribute to their understanding of the text and to illustrate
themselves as an aid to thinking and organising language and planning for writing.
Role on the wall is a technique that uses a displayed outline of the character to record feelings (inside the outline) and outward
appearances (outside the outline) at various stopping points across the story. Using a different colour at each of the stopping points
allows you to track changes in the character’s emotional journey.
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Colour photocopy or project on the smart board the first illustration that follows the opening end papers of the
magpie being carried in the mouth of the dog.
Draw an outline of each character. On the outside of the outlines discuss and note what the children notice about the
external appearances of each character. On the inside note what we think each character might be feeling and
thinking in this moment. Revisit these outlines at the points indicated in the sequence and add reflections on how our
perspectives evolve over the course of the story in a different colour each time to show.
In pairs or groups invite the children to discuss and note what they notice, what if anything they like or dislike about
the image, what questions they might have and what connections they make with the image. Once the children have
had time to talk in their groups, open up the discussion to form a whole class conversation. Note some of their
reflections and extend the discussion through the use of the following types of questions.
o
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What do you notice?
What do the marks and lines in the illustration suggest?
How does the use of colour make you feel? What does it suggest about the characters, the scene and what is
yet to come?
What do you think is happening?
Where have they come from and where are they going?
©The Centre for Literacy in Primary Education.
You may use this teaching sequence freely in your school but it cannot be commercially published or reproduced or used for anything other than educational purposes
without the express permission of CLPE.
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What does the body language and facial expression suggest about the thoughts, feelings and motivations of
these characters?
What is the nature of their relationship?
Provide the children with thought bubble templates and invite them to note what each character might be thinking in
this moment.
Place a copy of the image either on your working wall or on a page in your class journal and stick the range of thought
bubbles onto the image.
Share the opening sentence with the children:
THROUGH THE CHARRED FOREST, OVER HOT ASH, RUNS DOG, with a bird clamped in his big, gentle mouth.
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Discuss with the children how the sentence informs our thinking.
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What do we know now that we didn’t know before?
Does this change our view of the characters, if so in what way?
Explore with the children why the author may have chosen to introduce the story in this way.
Ask the children to write the sentence on a strip of paper and cut the strip up as indicated below.
Discuss the function and effect of the language used in conveying the intention of the author.
Why has the author chosen these particular words and phrases in this order and what images do they conjure up
in the mind of the reader and what effect does this have?
Fronted adverbial phrase
THROUGH THE
CHARRED
Identification of the first character
FOREST OVER HOT
Adjective
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ASH, RUNS DOG, with a bird
Verb
Adverbial phrase
clamped
in his
big,
gentle
mouth.
Identification of the second character
Focus in on the word, ‘charred.’ What does the word mean? What does it mean within the context of the scene?
Invite the children to remove the word from the sentence. Does it make a difference? Does it read better with or
without the word? What happens to the sentence and our understanding of the story when we remove it? What
purpose does it serve? Decide as a collective whether the word should be retained based on your discussions. Why is
its inclusion in the sentence important?
Consider the adjective, ‘hot.’ Reflect on what the word means both in terms of describing the setting and in relation
to what it suggests about dog’s character. Remove it from the sentence, read the sentence with the word omitted?
Does it make a difference, if so in what way? What happens to the sentence and our understanding of the setting and
character when it is removed? Why is its inclusion in the sentence important?
Consider the verb ‘clamped.’ What does it mean? What associations does it conjure in our minds? Using your hands
how might to physicalize the word clamp? How do the adjectives ‘big’ and ‘gentle’ shift our impression of the word
‘clamp’ and by extension our impression of the dog’s character and intentions?
Invite the children to play with the order of the words and phrases to revise the sentence so that it still makes sense
but is expressed differently.
Ask the children to share some of their examples. As these are read invite the other children to sketch the first thing
that comes into their mind upon hearing the sentence being read.
Reread the original sentence and ask them to sketch the first thing that comes to their minds.
Compare the different sketches relating to the different sentences and discuss how they differ. How does the
sentence structure inform and change the picture that forms in our minds and our experience of the text? It is likely
that the children will deduce that, what strikes us most is what we hear first. Writers therefore tend to place at the
beginning of the sentence what they want the reader to notice depending on the purpose of the writing. In this
instance, as it is the beginning of the story, the author is essentially concerned with setting the scene.
©The Centre for Literacy in Primary Education.
You may use this teaching sequence freely in your school but it cannot be commercially published or reproduced or used for anything other than educational purposes
without the express permission of CLPE.
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Drawing on the principles derived from the discussion and exploration of the opening sentence invite the children to
draft their own opening sentence.
Show the children the style of the text. Discuss why the author and illustrator might have written the text in this way.
How does it make us feel? How does it affect our reading and experience of the text?
Invite them to consider what style of writing they might adopt that would best reflect and enhance the intention
behind the words they have chosen to write as part of their opening sentence. Give them the opportunity to
experiment and play with this. Once trialled provide them each with a strip of tracing paper upon which to write their
final version. Invite the children to cut, rip or tear the edges of their strip.
Make an enlarged colour photocopy of the double page spread featuring the dog carrying the bird and the title of the
book. (Cover the title and publisher details). Work with the children to create a collage of their sentence strips on top
of the illustration. Encourage them to consider what direction they might want to place the differing strips, how they
might overlap the strips and how the layout of the strips will direct the way we read the text. Once complete display
this on your working wall.
*(Sentence Activity inspired by the work of Misty Adoniou)
Sessions 5-6: Teacher in Role and Role-Play
Role-play and drama provide immediate routes into the world of a story and allow children to explore texts actively. Through role-play
and drama, children are encouraged to experiment with the 'what if?' of plot and make it their own. Role-play is a particularly effective
way for children to inhabit a fictional world, imagining what the world of the story would be like, and illuminating it with their own
experience. It enables children to put themselves into particular characters' shoes and imagine how things would look from that point
of view. Through drama and role-play children can imagine characters' body language, behaviour and tones of voice in ways that they
can draw on later when they write.
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Reread the opening sentence along with the next line.
He takes her to his cave above the river, and there he tries to tend to her burnt wing: but magpie does not want his
help.
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Discuss Magpie’s response to Dog’s efforts to help her. Why might she want to reject his assistance? What does this
suggest about how she is feeling in this moment? How might dog feel about such rejection? Note their contributions
either in the class journal or on the working wall. Revisit the outlines from the ‘role on the wall’ activity, what words/
phrases would the children add based on the additional insights that this line provides?
Read on until, ‘…melting into the blackness.’
On a dark grey piece of sugar paper using a black pastel note any words or phrases that describe the colour, textures
and shapes that come to mind when picturing Magpie ‘melting into the darkness.’
As the teacher, take on the role of Magpie and invite the class to take on the role of Dog. Explain that once in role you
will express your defeated state and that, they in role as dog should communicate how this makes them feel and
consider ways to console, motivate and support Magpie or to express their own frustrations. The aim for them as Dog
is to coax Magpie out of the cave and accept the help that is being offered. As Magpie respond to the different
contributions as appropriate.
Come out of role and invite the children to discuss what they noticed about your responses as Magpie. What advice
and suggestions did you appear to respond to, what did you find most helpful and why might that be? Note the
reflections in the class journal.
Provide the children with a piece of notepaper each and invite them to write a few lines of advice in role as Dog.
Ask them to scrunch up the notepaper and throw it across the room.
Ask the children to pick up one of the pieces of notepaper and in role as Magpie respond to the written advice.
Ask them to scrunch up the paper again and once again throw this across the room.
Again in role as Dog respond to Magpie’s response.
Invite the children to write in role either as Dog consoling and advising Magpie or as Magpie asking to be left alone
and expressing the depths of her grief.
©The Centre for Literacy in Primary Education.
You may use this teaching sequence freely in your school but it cannot be commercially published or reproduced or used for anything other than educational purposes
without the express permission of CLPE.
Session 6: Emotion line and Reader’s Theatre
Reader's theatre is a valuable way for children to work in a group to perform the text. Children can begin marking or highlighting parts
of the text, indicating the phrases or sections to be read by individuals or by several members of the group. This enables them to bring
out the meanings, pattern and characterisation.
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Read the beginning of the next page:
DAYS, perhaps a week later, she WAKES with a rush of grief, Dog is waiting. He persuades her to go with him to the
riverbank.
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Discuss with the children the significance of the words that have been capitalised. Why might the words, ‘DAYS,’ and
‘WAKES’ be emphasised in this way? What do these words suggest about Magpie’s state of mind and Dog’s
character?
Invite five children to come to the front of the classroom. Explain that each of them is going to take on the role of
Magpie in the moment that she wakes. In order to fully comprehend and appreciate the depths of sadness suggested
by the expression, ‘rush of grief’ we are going to use an emotion line to create a spectrum of sadness. When
prompted, each child will awake as magpie and physicalize through their body language, facial expression and sound
the extent of the emotion assigned to them as detailed below. The way in which they express the feeling should
intensify as you move along the emotion line:
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Child 1 – irritable
Child 2 – sad/ upset
Child 3 - dejected
Child 4 – depressed
Child 5 – grief stricken
Reread the beginning of the page and invite the children to reflect further on their view of Dog and the way he
responds to Magpie knowing how challenging it would be to engage her given her state of mind. Revisit the outlines,
what further words or phrases might you add to describe your view of the characters? In what ways have your views
changed and why?
Read onto, ‘Reflected in the water are clouds and sky and trees – and something else. “I see a strange new creature!”
she says.’ Why do you think the last thing that Magpie notices is herself and Dog? What does this suggest? Why do
you think the author ordered what Magpie saw in the way that she did? What does the use of words, strange and
new suggest about how the relationship and story might develop?
Read on to, ‘“That is us,” says Dog.’ What does the use of the word us suggest about how Dog views their
relationship?
Invite the children to look at the illustration. In what ways does the illustrator unify the two animals above the water
in the image reflected back to make them appear as one?
Read the last line on the page; “Now hold on tight!” What is the significance of this command? What might this
suggest about Dog’s intention, what will happen next and how their relationship might develop?
Read onto the next page, up until, ‘I will be your missing eye, and you will be my wings.’ What has caused the shift in
mood?
Divide the children into groups and provide them with a copy of the text from these two pages and the next two.
Using Reader’s Theatre provide the children with the opportunity to consider the author’s choice of language, text
mark words and phrases that they find striking and think should be emphasised in the performance of the reading.
Once the words and phrases have been highlighted encourage the groups to consider how they might vary their tone,
expression, volume and pitch when reading these parts of the text. Invite them to consider whether they will read
parts in unison and assign other parts to individuals. Encourage them to think about whether or not the use of sound
effects or body percussion will add to the reading.
Give the groups the opportunity to perform their reading.
Based on the impression created through the performance readings and the discussions about the developments in
the storyline and character’s relationship, invite the children to consider the ways in which the two animals improve
the quality of each other’s lives. In what ways do the characters give one another hope? Note responses either on the
©The Centre for Literacy in Primary Education.
You may use this teaching sequence freely in your school but it cannot be commercially published or reproduced or used for anything other than educational purposes
without the express permission of CLPE.
working wall or class journal.
Sessions 7-8 Visualising
Providing children with the opportunity to picture or visualise a character or a place from a story is a powerful way of encouraging
them to move into a fictional world and to deepen and enrich their understanding of this world and its inhabitants. Children can be
asked to picture the scene in their mind's eye, walk around it in their imaginations or re-imagine it drawing on their insights from the
text. Finally they can bring it to life by describing it in words or recreating it in drawing, painting or three-dimensional form.
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Using modelling clay or play dough in varying shades invite the children to create their own Dog/Magpie inspired
creature. (If using modelling clay allow for the opportunity to return at a later date to paint the model using acrylic
paint once the model is dry). Which parts of each animal will they use to form this hybrid?
Invite the children to consider the ways in which the two complement one another physically and emotionally. Note
their thoughts in the grid below:
How does Magpie make Dog feel?
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How does Dog make Magpie feel?
Using the frame below invite the children to compose a poem from the perspective of the either Dog or Magpie. The
frame should aid them in structuring their ideas, you can choose to either use the writing frame below or allow the
children to write freely as inspired by the discussions and vocabulary generated over the course of the work
accumulated so far.
You…
I…
We…
You…
I…
We…
You…
I…
We…
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Encourage the children to share their first drafts with response partners and refine their poems based on the
feedback and response.
Once they are happy with their final version explain that you will be providing them with reflective card and blue
permanent marker to write their final versions on. Encourage them to trial how they might layout their poem in their
writing journal before committing marker to card.
To display the poetry and artistic creations create a backdrop comprising of twigs, earth, bark and ash against brown
sugar paper or card, place the final poems on the floor of this backdrop, with the text facing the viewer and the clay/
playdough creatures interspersed.
Sessions 9-10: Book Talk, Text Analysis and Freeze-Frame
Discussion about books forms the foundations for working with books. Children need frequent, regular and sustained opportunities to
talk together about the books that they are reading as a whole class. The more experience they have of talking together like this the
better they get at making explicit the meaning that a text holds for them.
Freeze-frames are still images or tableaux. They can be used to enable groups of children to examine a key event or situation from a
story and decide in detail how it could be represented. When presenting the freeze-frame, one of the group could act as a
commentator to talk through what is happening in their version of the scene, or individual characters can be asked to speak their
thoughts out loud.
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Read the next page up to, ‘…Summer through Winter.’ Share the illustration of the Magpie and Dog together and
©The Centre for Literacy in Primary Education.
You may use this teaching sequence freely in your school but it cannot be commercially published or reproduced or used for anything other than educational purposes
without the express permission of CLPE.
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obscuring the next page featuring the fox. In what ways does the illustrator depict the development of their
relationship and the shift of their emotional states? What does the use of lines, marks and colour as well as the
positioning of the text and the two characters on the page suggest? What does their body language and facial
expression suggest about how they are feeling and how they relate to one another? In what ways does this page
differ from the page in which they are staring at their reflections in the river and the very first image of the Magpie in
the Dog’s mouth? How do the illustrations convey the evolution of their relationship? What does the language,
‘…every day, through Summer, through Winter.’ indicate?
Reveal the next page, with the fox looking at Dog and Magpie from afar. Discuss with the children how the use of
lines, markings and colour differ on the page that features the fox and what this might suggest. Reflect with the
children on the way the characters and text are positioned on each page and what we can infer from this.
Read the text on the page that features the fox. Discuss and note with the children the words and phrases that they
find most striking and why. What do the words and phrases identified suggest about the character of the fox?
Provide the children with the text describing Fox and the extract of the text that first introduced us to Dog, as
summarised in the box below.
THROUGH THE CHARRED FOREST, OVER HOT ASH,
RUNS DOG, with a bird clamped in his big, gentle
mouth. He takes her to his cave above the river, and
there he tries to tend to her burnt wing: but Magpie
does not want his help.
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After the rains, when saplings are springing up
everywhere, a fox comes into the bush. Fox with his
haunted eyes and rich red coat. He flickers through
the trees like a tongue of fire, and Magpie trembles.
Invite them to note and text mark the differences in how the scene is set, the contrast in the language used to
describe Dog and Fox, how Magpie responds to each of them and how all of these authorial choices inform our
perception of their characters and hypothesis about what might happen next.
Consider with the children the contrast in the way the movement of these two characters is described.
He runs so swiftly, it is almost as if he were flying.
He flickers through the trees like a tongue of fire…
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What does this suggest about their characters and what might it indicate about how they will impact upon one
another?
Ask the children to look into Fox’s eyes, what words would they use to describe them? What is he looking at, what is
he thinking, how does what he is seeing make him feel? Note their responses. Why might the author have chosen to
use the word haunted to describe the fox’s eyes?
In groups of three invite the children to freeze frame the scene depicted and consider how they might be feeling in
that moment. Using thought tracking tap a selection of children on the shoulder to prompt them to express in role
what they are thinking and feeling.
Bring the group together to reflect on some of the emotion and language expressed through this drama activity.
Invite the children to comment on any contributions that struck a chord and why. Note these on the working wall, in
the class journal or personal writing journals.
Show the children a photocopy of the two illustrations just explored with the text omitted. Explain that you want
them to take on the role of the author and draft a stream of consciousness for one of the illustrations. Ensure children
have the time to draft, refine and edit their writing. Once completed, provide them with the time to transfer their
final version onto a colour photocopy of the appropriate illustration.
These can be displayed or placed in their literacy books.
©The Centre for Literacy in Primary Education.
You may use this teaching sequence freely in your school but it cannot be commercially published or reproduced or used for anything other than educational purposes
without the express permission of CLPE.
Sessions 11-12 Writing in Role
When children have explored a fictional situation through talk or role-play, they may be ready to write in role as a character in the
story. Taking the role of a particular character enables young writers to see events from a different view point and involves them
writing in a different voice. In role, children can often access feelings and language that are not available to them when they write as
themselves.
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Read the next page and discuss with the children the way in which the text and characters are positioned and what
this might suggest about the dynamic of the group. How does the arrival of the fox affect Dog and Magpie as
individuals and as a pair? How do the author and illustrator convey this? Note their observations.
Show the children the illustration of Fox’s eyes on the next page. How do the eyes of the fox make you feel? What do
his eyes tell us about how he feels? What is thinking? What are his intentions? Note their comments.
Read the text on the page and speculate with the children why the fox might be harbouring such feelings.
In what ways does the first sentence on this page contrast with the last sentence? What do rage, envy and loneliness
smell like? How would you describe the scent in terms of its shape, weight, size and the feelings it evokes?
Show the children the next illustration of the cave, invite them to imagine that the cave is a symbol of the depths of
Fox’s mind.
Using a black piece of cloth and two chairs create a make shift cave. Select some volunteers to step into the cave and
whilst fully immersed in darkness express in role why they are angry/envious/ lonely.
Once a few volunteers have had the opportunity to be Fox discuss how being in the darkness and claustrophobic cave
enhanced their feelings. Identify as a group which comments were most striking and why.
Ask the children to write in role how they are feeling and why. Allow time for drafting, editing and refining.
Once they are satisfied with their final pieces provide each child with an A5 size of red or brown sugar paper. Ask the
children to use red, brown and pink crayon or oil pastels to colour the paper roughly. Using a black crayon invite the
children to colour and cover the entire sheet of sugar paper.
Ask the children to revisit their composition and select the most poignant part, the part that most effectively captures
the depths of pain, anguish and isolation. Ask them to consider if they want to refine it by adding or omitting words/
phrases or by reordering the structure to create greater impact.
Once they are happy with their text ask the children to scrape their final composition into the sugar paper, playing
with the size and positioning of the letters and words.
Collate the finished pieces and create a collage, playing with the direction and positioning so that the final piece looks
like the ramblings of despair that echo in the depths of the fox’s mind and soul.
Session 13: Conscience Alley and Writing in Role
Conscience Alley is a useful technique for exploring any kind of dilemma faced by a character, providing an opportunity to analyse a
decisive moment in greater detail. The class forms two lines facing each other. One person (the teacher or a participant) takes the role
of the protagonist and walks between the lines as each member of the group speaks their advice. It can be organised so that those on
one side give opposing advice to those on the other. When the protagonist reaches the end of the alley, they make their decision.
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Read the next two pages that express the conversation between Dog and Magpie and the conversation between Fox
and Magpie. In what ways does the dialogue differ and what does it tell us about the characters and their relation to
one another? Take the time to consider the contrast between the two illustrations in terms of the use of colour, light
and shade and the positioning of the two characters in relation to one another and what this suggests about the
different dynamics between the characters. Note their responses.
Read on to the next page and stop at, “I am ready.”
Invite the children to in pairs take on the role of Dog and Magpie, with Magpie rationalising her choice and Dog trying
to either persuade or dissuade Magpie for or against her choice.
Spotlight some of the conversations. Note some of the most pertinent comments.
Ask the children to consider the implications this choice will have on their relationship.
Set up a conscience alley and nominate two children to represent Dog and Magpie to listen to and consider why in
the case of Magpie she should stay or go and what in the case of Dog he should do or say to encourage or dissuade
Magpie from going.
Invite the children to choose to write either a ‘Dear John’ letter from Magpie or a letter from Dog appealing to
Magpie to stay.
©The Centre for Literacy in Primary Education.
You may use this teaching sequence freely in your school but it cannot be commercially published or reproduced or used for anything other than educational purposes
without the express permission of CLPE.
Sessions 14-15: Visual Organisers and Text Analysis
A comparison grid is a visual way of recording similarities or differences in style, language or content. Talking together as a whole class
about how you might collect 'evidence' in this kind of way helps children to see patterns in text. A chart could help with comparing
story beginnings or looking at different characters.
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Share the next illustration of Magpie riding upside down on Fox’s back and read the accompanying text. Discuss their
initial impressions.
Divide the children into groups and provide them with a colour photocopy of this illustration along with a colour
photocopy of the earlier illustration of Dog carrying Magpie. Give them the time to compare and contrast the two and
note their reflections.
What does the use of colour and the size, positioning, body language and facial expressions of the characters
suggest? How does the image differ from the illustration of Dog carrying Magpie ‘through the scrub, past the stringy
barks…’ What do the distinctions suggest?
Provide the children with a photocopy of the two extracts that accompany each of these illustrations. Invite the
children to text mark and identify the contrasting use of language and consider the different impressions this creates
in terms of the different characters sense of self and the ways in which they relate to one another.
With Magpie clinging to his back, he races through
the scrub, past the stringy barks, past the clumps of
yellow box trees, and into blueness. He runs so
swiftly, it is almost as if he were flying. Magpie feels
wind streaming through her feathers, and she
rejoices. “FLY, DOG, FLY! I will be your missing eye,
and you will be my wings.”
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While Dog sleeps, Magpie and Fox streak past
coolibah trees, rip through long grass, pelt over rocks.
Fox runs so fast that his feet scarcely touch the
ground, and Magpie exults, “At last I am flying. Really
Flying!”
Using the double bubble visual organiser to frame their thinking encourage the children to consider the distinction
between the two types of happiness Magpie experiences in both instances and the distinctions between how this is
described. Invite the children to consider whether one form of happiness is better than the other, which of the
scenarios is preferable in their view and why?
Based on the discussions and reflections so far consider the idea that everyone should have the right to be happy.
Invite the children to write a declaration of happiness, citing what happiness is and why it should be the entitlement
of all.
Give children the time to reference texts such as the Amnesty publications, We are All Born Free and Dreams of
Freedom (published by Frances Lincoln). What are the distinctive features of the language and style of these
documents? Encourage them to highlight common words and turns of phrase. Invite them to consider how they
might refine their declaration based on their observations of the language used in the texts they have browsed.
Once they have redrafted and refined their writing invite them to share their declaration with a response partner to
help them refine it further. Once they are happy with their declaration invite them to type this onto a document that
features the emblem of the high court to give it an air of authority.
©The Centre for Literacy in Primary Education.
You may use this teaching sequence freely in your school but it cannot be commercially published or reproduced or used for anything other than educational purposes
without the express permission of CLPE.
*Images are copyright of Ron Brooks
Session 16: Language Analysis and Debate and Discussion
Debating ideas calls for a more formal and objective response to a story and helps children begin to analyse how the writer has made
us feel this way. Teachers can structure debates inviting 'for' and 'against' arguments around particular statements arising from the
book.
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Read the next page and invite the children to consider what the illustration and words suggest about where the
characters are going, what the intentions of the fox are, what might happen next and how the description of the
climate of the setting adds to the growing tension and shift in mood and hints to what might happen.
Read the next paragraph:
‘He stops, scarcely panting.
There is silence between them
Neither moves, neither speaks.’
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Invite the children to consider what they notice about the words used and the structure of the sentences. How does
the illustration complement the symmetry of the sentences and the power dynamic between the two characters?
What do they think will happen next?
Read the next sentence:
‘The Fox shakes Magpie off his back as he would a flea, and pads away.’
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How are the adjectives used to illustrate the dynamic of the relationship and how each character would be feeling in
this moment?
Continue reading on to ‘Then he is gone.’ Consider with the children whether the actions of Fox are surprising and
why they think he has chosen to do this. How do they think each character feels in this moment? Read on to
‘…scream of triumph or despair.’ Who is the scream coming from? If the scream is coming from Fox, what would each
type of scream suggest about his character and his emotional state?
How do you think Magpie is feeling in this moment? What would you do in her position?
Read the next page, pause after, ‘…burning into nothingness.’ Invite the children to recall at what other point in the
story did Magpie feel this defeated. Ask them if they can recall the language used to describe that moment. Once you
have established that the last time was when she had ‘…melted into blackness,’ in the cave ask the children to
consider what it was that made the difference at that point. With this in mind, invite the children to consider whether
she should try to return to Dog, go elsewhere or give up.
Read to the end of the book. Discuss with the children how Dog might/ should receive her upon her return.
Should Dog allow Magpie back into his life?
Use these preliminary discussions to form the basis of a class debate on the pros and cons of relationships.
Divide the class into teams to argue for and against.
©The Centre for Literacy in Primary Education.
You may use this teaching sequence freely in your school but it cannot be commercially published or reproduced or used for anything other than educational purposes
without the express permission of CLPE.
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Conduct a class debate.
Session 17: Book Talk and Reader Response
Once they have heard a book read aloud, the class can begin to explore their responses to it with the help of what Aidan Chambers
calls 'the four basic questions' in his seminal text Tell Me, Children, Reading and Talk with The Reading Environment (Thimble Press
2011). These questions give children accessible starting points for discussion:
 Tell me…was there anything you liked about this book?
 Was there anything that you particularly disliked…?
 Was there anything that puzzled you?
 Were there any patterns…any connections that you noticed…?
The openness of these questions unlike the more interrogative 'Why?' question encourages every child to feel that they have
something to say. It allows everyone to take part in arriving at a shared view without the fear of the 'wrong' answer. You can then
move on to questions which direct children's attention more closely to themes or ideas that are particularly important to an
understanding of the story but which might otherwise be overlooked.
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Tell the story from start to end. Using the basic questions as a starting point, discuss how they feel about the
conclusion of the story and the story as a whole.
Discuss what questions or thoughts the book raises and what other stories the book reminds them of.
What was the most important, poignant or significant part of the book, why?
Would they recommend the book, why/why not?
Record their responses to add to the class journal.
Ask the children in pairs or groups to map out the journey the three characters have experienced. Discuss and
note with the children examples of books they have read that explore friendship, loyalty and betrayal.
Invite the children to conduct a literature study to consider other stories that feature friendships that are forged
in challenging contexts or have a distinctive quality.
Display a selection for their perusal or use this as an opportunity to develop their browsing skills by visiting the
class/school/ local library and sourcing texts that feature this theme.
In their pairs or groups ask them to note their considerations in a table such as the one below. Model with the
children how to complete this referencing Fox as an example.
Book 1
Book 2
Book 3
Book Title
How do the
friends meet?
What do they
have in
common?
In what ways are
they different?
What challenges
do they face?
How is their
friendship
tested?
How do they
overcome their
©The Centre for Literacy in Primary Education.
You may use this teaching sequence freely in your school but it cannot be commercially published or reproduced or used for anything other than educational purposes
without the express permission of CLPE.
difficulties?
Does their
friendship last?
Memorable
Moments
Memorable
Quotes
What is the
underlying
moral or
message of the
story?
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Once each group has conducted a study of three or more books, encourage the children to note/ highlight any
commonalty across texts.
Conduct a whole class discussion encouraging the children to draw on the findings of their group literature study.
Reflecting on the dark and haunted depiction of the fox you could choose to conduct an additional or alternative
literature study of books featuring foxes and consider how they are represented.
Session 18: Storymapping
Making a story map is a way of retelling the story. It is a graphic means of breaking a story down into episodes and sequencing its
events. This kind of graphic representation helps children to hold on to the shape of the story more confidently so they can re-tell it
orally or in writing. Children can also make story maps as a form of planning, to prepare for their own writing.
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Explain to the children that you would like them to help you map out the story as it will help to retell the story.
Begin, by sequencing the story with various illustrations from the text.
Then ask the children to orally retell the story to a partner, establishing the main events in the correct order as the
story unfolds. The children can refer to the sequenced illustrations for this.
Give time for the children to talk through the sequence of the story:
o Introducing the characters and how they came to be together
o How their friendship grew in adversity
o The tensions that the introduction of the fox created and how this shifted the dynamic
o The isolation and pain caused by the separation for all three characters
o The hopeful yet tainted note upon which it ends
Swiftly map out the key events on a flip chart, attending to the visual flow of the story.
Provide drawing and writing equipment so that the children can map out the story for themselves on a large scale.
Encourage the children to retell the story using their map, recalling key phrases from the book as they do so and
adding these alongside the drawings on the map.
Sessions 19-20: Planning and drafting
Storymaps and visualisation of the characters will support children in transforming their ideas into writing. Children will
need time to go through their thoughts and look at how to transform these into a written form. Pictorial storymapping will
help the children think about the crucial interplay between words and pictures in a picture book like Fox.
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Based on their literature study the children can choose to:
i.
Extend the narrative to illustrate what happened next.
ii.
Write their own alternative ending.
iii.
Use the insights they have gained from their literature study to map out and compose their own story, with
characters and in a setting of their choice.
©The Centre for Literacy in Primary Education.
You may use this teaching sequence freely in your school but it cannot be commercially published or reproduced or used for anything other than educational purposes
without the express permission of CLPE.
iv.
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Use the findings from the second literature study to form the basis of a story written from the perspective of
a fox that explores how downtrodden and misunderstood they are.
Adapt the guidance below to suit your choice.
Go back to the Fox story structure that was discussed in the storymapping activity:
o Introducing the characters and how they came to be together
o How they became friends and the things they did together – emphasising the ways in which they grew to
support and complement one another
o The arrival of the outsider and how this shifts the dynamic and challenges the friendship
o How they part – emphasising the initial selfish exhilaration and the abandonment of the other friend
o The growing tension and ramification of the choice
o The confrontation, abandonment and devastation this causes
o The realisation and hope that comes from remembering the old friend
o The journey back
Use this to support the children in planning a similar structure for their own story. Have them storymap this in words
and pictures, to think about the interplay between the two. What will you say in words? What will you show in the
pictures that tells us more about the characters and their story?
Give ample time for the children to work on their plans. You may choose for the children to complete this individually
or to plan and compose in pairs or small groups as a supportive activity.
Sessions 21-22: Bookmaking and publishing
Publishing their work for an audience helps children to write more purposefully. Bookmaking provides a motivating context within
which children can bring together their developing understanding of what written language is like; making written language
meaningful as they construct their own texts. This is particularly important when creating picture books so that the children can see
first-hand the integral relationship between the words and pictures on the page.
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To fully explore the picture book making process, the children will finish this session by making their own book. You
may want to do this as a simple origami book or a larger scale book that replicates a hardback book with dustjacket.
Techniques for this can be found in Paul Johnson’s Making Books (A&C Black)
Give plenty of time for the children to transfer their mapped plans into a presentation piece of finished writing,
putting the emphasis onto editing spellings and punctuation from their plan, using presentation handwriting, perhaps
with their own choice of media and in creating their own illustrations, perhaps in the style of Ron Brooks.
The children may choose to produce their picture book in a variety of ways. Some may begin with the illustrations to
support their thinking and composition then write afterwards or they may prefer to illustrate their book following
writing or work on the text and pictures alongside each other from their storymap. Take their lead, but ensure you
place emphasis on the illustrative appeal of the children’s books, valuing the information the pictures provide as
much as the writing when looking at them and not stipulating that writing must come before the pictures or viceversa.
Encourage them to consider what a character might be thinking and how they might show this when they draw them.
Encourage them to experiment with the use of colour, lines shapes and textures in the way that Ron Brooks does and
consider carefully how to place the text and imagery together to best express the spirit and intention behind the
words. Such considerations support the idea that the illustrations can and should give additional, enhanced, enriched
and deeper meaning to their story. As they learn to appreciate the power of pictures, are exposed to illustrative
techniques, and become more experienced artists themselves, they will be more confident in implying meaning
through image.
Allow extra time if necessary for the children to be happy with the quality of the books and materials used and then
display the books in the class reading area or another prominent community space so that they can be read by others.
This is a Core Book teaching sequence. The Core Book List is a carefully curated list of the best books to use with children
in primary schools. It contains books which have been tried, tested and found to work successfully in classrooms,
providing children with memorable and positive reading experiences. At CLPE we believe that the use of high quality
©The Centre for Literacy in Primary Education.
You may use this teaching sequence freely in your school but it cannot be commercially published or reproduced or used for anything other than educational purposes
without the express permission of CLPE.
books within the reading curriculum is at the heart of a school's successful approach to engage and support children to
become motivated and independent readers. The Core Book List is a free online resource that you can access at
www.clpe.org.uk/corebooks . This book was the centre of our Inspiring Writing in KS2 course in 2015. Find out more
about our professional development opportunities: www.clpe.org.uk/professionaldevelopment
©The Centre for Literacy in Primary Education.
You may use this teaching sequence freely in your school but it cannot be commercially published or reproduced or used for anything other than educational purposes
without the express permission of CLPE.