✨✨Stage 1 Unit of Work – Character Study Using Spoon and The Good Egg
Mentor Texts: Spoon by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and The Good Egg by Jory John✨✨
Bring characters to life in your classroom with this comprehensive, 90+ page resource, expertly crafted for NSW DET Stage 1 teachers.
This unit delves into the concept of Character, guiding students to explore how authors use language, imagery, and visual elements to craft compelling fictional identities. Using the mentor texts Spoon and The Good Egg, students will analyse characters in-depth while building their own descriptive and narrative skills.
What’s Inside
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Editable PowerPoint Presentation: Fully customizable slides for flexible lesson delivery.
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Google Slides Version: Ideal for digital learning and seamless integration into your classroom.
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Printable PDF: Ready-to-use handouts for planning, activities, and assessments.
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Teaching Notes: Detailed guidance to help you deliver engaging and purposeful lessons
Key Focus Areas
- Mentor Concept – Character
- Students learn how authors create characters through verbal and visual cues, such as actions, dialogue, and other characters' perspectives.
- Exploring how character analysis shapes our understanding of self, values, and morals, this unit connects textual study with meaningful life lessons
Supporting Concepts – Imagery, Symbol, and Connotation
Using Spoon and The Good Egg, students will explore how authors use figurative language, symbols, and wordplay to enhance character development and narrative meaning.
Language Features – Noun Groups and Idioms
- Students will master the art of creating detailed noun groups to build character descriptions.
- They will also have fun exploring idioms and figurative language, improving their comprehension of wordplay, jokes, and riddles.
Learning Intentions
Students will:
- Understand how authors create characters using language features, figurative devices, and visual elements.
- Develop their ability to infer, describe, and create characters while experimenting with language and imagery.
Success Criteria
By the end of this unit, students will:
- Make inferences about characters and their traits.
- Identify and understand figurative language, idioms, and wordplay in texts.
- Compare and contrast characters from different texts.
- Use quotation marks to write simple dialogue.
- Write character descriptions using noun groups and specific vocabulary.
- Create character traits for inanimate objects, inspired by the mentor texts.
- Use feedback to improve their writing and communicate ideas effectively.
Why This Unit Stands Out
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Engaging Mentor Texts:
Spoon and The Good Egg are rich with opportunities for character analysis, figurative language exploration, and creative writing, making them perfect for Stage 1 students.
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Cross-Curricular Opportunities:
The unit integrates Creative Arts and English, with opportunities to explore visual storytelling, oral recitation, and creative writing.
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Interactive and Scaffolded Learning:
Designed with the Gradual Release of Responsibility framework (I Do, We Do, You Do), this resource ensures students gain confidence before tackling independent tasks.
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Fun and Accessible Activities:
From creating unique characters for inanimate objects to playing with jokes, riddles, and idioms, the activities are designed to engage young learners while reinforcing essential skills.
The Complete Package
This 90+ page unit is a comprehensive toolkit that will empower your students to analyse, create, and appreciate characters in literature.
With its engaging activities, this resource is perfect for teaching the new NSW English syllabus with confidence and creativity.
Attribution is given to: © State of New South Wales (Department of Education), 2023.
