Asking for More

Overview

In this fourth lesson of Oliver Twist: Voices and Choices, students read and discuss the scene in which Oliver asks for more food. They identify the event’s problem, action and consequence, retell it in sequence, and examine how dialogue reveals Oliver’s courage, hunger and vulnerability. The lesson builds on earlier work noticing character choices and using evidence from the text.

Learning intentions

Students will:

• identify the problem, action and consequence in a narrative event
• retell an event using precise sequence words
• explain what dialogue reveals about a character
• select words that communicate meaning clearly for an audience

Success criteria

• I can identify what the problem was, what happened, and what resulted.
• I can retell the scene using first, next, then and finally.
• I can use a line of dialogue and an action as evidence about Oliver.
• I can explain how a character’s words and language choices affect the audience.

Curriculum links

• English — Writing: planning and writing with a specific audience and purpose in mind.
• English — Writing: selecting words and synonyms for clarity and impact.
• English — Writing: choosing language features to suit audience and purpose.
• English — Oral language and literacy capabilities: using language, symbols and texts; thinking; managing self; relating to others.

Lesson structure (45 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Hook and prediction. Teacher displays the question “What might happen if a hungry child asks for more in a place where nobody is allowed to?” using the opening question slide, then briefly revisits the previous lesson’s focus on character choices. Students make a silent prediction, discuss it with a partner, and identify one possible consequence.

2. 5–13 min · First reading. Teacher introduces the setting and reads the ‘more’ scene aloud, modelling pace, expression and attention to dialogue; students follow the provided class excerpt, noting one line that interests or surprises them. Pause briefly to clarify unfamiliar words without interrupting the scene’s tension.

3. 13–21 min · Understand the event. Teacher uses the problem-action-consequence teaching slides to model a three-part retelling: the problem is the lack of food and Oliver’s hunger, the action is his request, and the consequence is the adults’ shocked and hostile response. In pairs, students complete the problem, action and consequence boxes on the Asking for More reading and retelling sheet, then justify each choice with a detail from the text.

4. 21–29 min · Sequence the retelling. Teacher displays the sequencing activity slide and thinks aloud while arranging four sentence stems: First, next, then and finally. Students write a four-sentence retelling on the worksheet, keeping the main event in order and avoiding unnecessary details. Invite two pairs to read their versions; the class listens for accurate sequence and clear cause-and-effect.

5. 29–38 min · Dialogue reveals character. Teacher rereads Oliver’s request and selected responses from the adults, asking: “What does this dialogue show about each speaker?” Model moving from evidence to inference: “Oliver’s brief, polite words suggest he is frightened but determined.” Students work in pairs to select one line of dialogue, identify the speaker’s likely feeling or motivation, and explain its effect on the audience using the sentence frame: “The words ‘___’ reveal ___ because ___.” They record their response on the worksheet.

6. 38–45 min · Share and exit reflection. Teacher uses the discussion and plenary slides to revisit the question “Why is this request such a powerful choice?” Students share one evidence-based response, then complete the worksheet exit ticket: “Oliver’s choice to ask for more reveals ___; the consequence is ___.” Collect responses as students leave.

Resources

• Class set of the ‘more’ scene excerpt from Oliver Twist
• the Asking for More lesson deck
• the Asking for More reading and retelling sheet
• Whiteboard and markers
• Highlighters or coloured pencils
• Exercise books or devices, if students complete the written task digitally

Assessment

• Listen during pair discussion for accurate identification of the problem, action and consequence; ask students to point to supporting details.
• Check retellings for logical sequence, suitable use of first, next, then and finally, and accurate cause-and-effect.
• Use the exit ticket to assess whether students can connect dialogue or a character choice with a consequence and an inference about Oliver.

Differentiation

• Provide a partially completed retelling frame, a word bank including hungry, desperate, hesitant, polite, shocked, furious and sentence starters for students who need writing or language support.
• Allow students with reading difficulties to hear the excerpt again, follow a large-print copy, or work with a supportive reading partner. Pre-teach essential vocabulary and check understanding through brief oral paraphrase.
• For EAL learners, pair the dialogue with an action or feeling word and invite rehearsal before writing. Accept a spoken retelling before students record it.
• Extend confident writers by asking them to retell the scene from the adults’ viewpoint or compare how Oliver’s dialogue might change if he were angry rather than frightened, explaining how this would alter the audience’s response.