Favourite Book Character

Lesson Overview

• Subject: English
• Year Group: Year 1
• Duration: 35 minutes
• Class Size: 24 students
• Curriculum Area: English – Reading & Writing
• UK National Curriculum Link: Year 1 students should ‘develop pleasure in reading, motivation to read, vocabulary and understanding’ by ‘discussing and expressing views on a wide range of literature and texts’.

Lesson Objectives

By the end of this lesson, pupils will:

• Identify and describe a favourite character from a book.
• Use words and pictures to create a poster about their character.
• Begin to express opinions about characters and explain choices.
• Develop fine motor skills through drawing and writing.

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Resources Needed

• Large sheets of paper (A3 if possible)
• Colouring pencils, felt-tip pens, and crayons
• Glue sticks and safety scissors
• Printed book covers or pictures of story characters (optional)
• Whiteboard and markers
• A small selection of familiar books featuring well-known characters

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Lesson Structure

Starter Activity (5 minutes) – Character Guessing Game

1. Gather students on the carpet and show them an enlarged picture of a well-known book character (e.g. The Gruffalo, Paddington Bear, or The Very Hungry Caterpillar).
2. Ask leading questions:
   • "What do we know about this character?"
   • "What do they look like?"
   • "What special things do they do in the story?"
3. Encourage children to share their ideas and describe their favourite characters from books they like.

Main Activity (20 minutes) – Creating Character Posters

1. Discussion & Character Choice (5 minutes)

   • Ask students to think about their favourite character from a book they have read.
   • Support those who may struggle by showing familiar book covers to prompt ideas.
   • Model the activity by showing an example: "I love Paddington because he is kind and adventurous!"

2. Drawing & Writing (15 minutes)

   • Hand out large sheets of paper and art materials.
   • Instruct children to draw their favourite character as big as they can.
   • Encourage them to add at least one descriptive word near their drawing (e.g., ‘brave’, ‘funny’, ‘kind’), providing word cards for support.
   • Challenge higher-ability students to write a short sentence about why they like that character.
   • Circulate to support children, praising effort and creativity.

Plenary (10 minutes) – Mini Poster Gallery & Sharing

1. Ask children to sit in small groups with their posters.
2. Encourage each child to stand up and share their poster with their group, explaining their character and why they chose them.
3. Invite a few volunteers to present to the whole class, celebrating their creativity.
4. Finish with a positive discussion: "Would anyone like to read a book about a new character they’ve learned about today?"

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Differentiation

• Support: Provide books with pictures to help children who find it difficult to choose a character. Allow them to copy words from provided vocabulary cards.
• Challenge: Ask confident writers to add two adjectives or write a short sentence about their chosen character.

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Assessment Opportunities

• Listen to students' discussions to assess their ability to describe characters.
• Observe their posters to check for creativity, effort, and whether they have included at least one descriptive word.
• Assess speaking and listening skills during the plenary.

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Teacher Reflection

• Did students engage well with the activity?
• Were they able to explain their choices clearly?
• How well did they use descriptive words?
• What could be improved next time?

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This lesson is designed to spark engagement, creativity, and a deeper love of books in young readers, while also developing foundational literacy skills.