Exploring Handa’s Surprise

Overview

This 45-minute lesson invites Year 3 students to immerse themselves in the story Handa’s Surprise by Eileen Browne, focusing on understanding stories from other cultures linked to the National Curriculum for England: English programmes of study for Key Stage 2.

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Curriculum Links

National Curriculum (2014) English – Key Stage 2

• Reading – comprehension: Pupils should be taught to develop positive attitudes to reading, and understanding of what they read by:
  • Drawing inferences such as inferring characters’ feelings, thoughts and motives from their actions (Y3 reading).
  • Predicting what might happen from details stated and implied.
• Writing – composition: Pupils should be taught to:
  • Plan their writing by discussing writing similar to that which they are planning to write to understand and learn from its structure, vocabulary and grammar.
  • Develop positive attitudes towards and stamina for writing by writing narratives about personal experiences and those of others (real and fictional).
• Spoken language:
  • Participate in discussions, presentations, performances, role play/improvisations and debates (Y3 spoken language).

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Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, pupils will:

• Identify key cultural elements in Handa’s Surprise and understand African cultural context.
• Infer characters’ feelings and actions through discussion and role-play.
• Predict what might happen next in the story using clues from the text and illustrations.
• Begin planning a short narrative inspired by Handa’s Surprise.

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Resources

• Copy of Handa’s Surprise by Eileen Browne (illustrated version)
• World map/globe
• Picture cards of the fruit in the story
• Large paper and coloured pens
• Storyboard template (3x3 grid)
• Emotion cards (happy, surprised, confused, etc.)
• Whiteboard and markers

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Lesson Structure

1. Introduction (5 minutes)

• Begin by showing the class a world map or globe. Explain that today’s story takes place in Africa, a continent with many countries and rich cultures.
• Introduce the book Handa’s Surprise, briefly mentioning it is a story from another culture.
• Quick retrieval discussion: "Can anyone remember the fruit Handa packed in her basket?" Show picture cards as prompts.

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2. Reading and Inference (15 minutes)

• Read aloud Handa’s Surprise with expression, showing the illustrations.
• Pause at key points to ask inference questions aligned with NC objectives:
  • "How do you think Handa feels when she realises fruit is missing?" (Draw on emotion cards)
  • "Why do you think the animals took the fruit?"
  • "What clues help us guess what might happen next?"
• Encourage pupils to justify answers using the text and pictures.

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3. Role-Play to Deepen Understanding (10 minutes)

• Divide pupils into small groups of 2-3. Assign roles: Handa, animals (monkey, elephant, etc.), narrator.
• Provide prompts or simple scripts inspired by the story.
• Pupils enact scenarios where animals take the fruit or Handa’s surprise reaction.
• After role-play, discuss feelings and motivations of characters, referencing the story and their inferences.

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4. Predictive Storyboarding (10 minutes)

• Hand out storyboard templates and coloured pens.
• Ask pupils to draw and write what they think could happen after the story ends—encourage creative cultural elements from Africa, e.g., different animals or fruit.
• Circulate and support pupils with vocabulary and sentence starters ("I think next…", "Maybe the… will…").

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5. Plenary and Assessment (5 minutes)

• Invite 3-4 pupils to share their storyboard predictions aloud, using full sentences.
• Use whiteboard to record key vocabulary used during the lesson (cultural words, emotions, fruit names).
• Quick oral quiz: "Name two fruits from Handa’s basket" and "How did Handa feel when fruit was missing?"
• Highlight the skills used: inference, prediction, cultural understanding.

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Differentiation

• Support: Provide word banks and storyboard templates with picture prompts. Pair English Language Learners with more confident peers for role play.
• Challenge: Ask more able pupils to write a short paragraph describing an imagined new animal or cultural element to add to the story.

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Impact

• Pupils enhance comprehension skills by drawing inferences and predicting outcomes from text and images.
• Expand cultural awareness sensitively by exploring African settings, animals, and fruit from the story.
• Develop speaking and listening skills through role-play and discussion, building confidence in expressing ideas clearly.
• Encourage creativity through storyboarding and writing, applying learnt vocabulary and sentence structure.

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Teacher Notes

• Use expressive reading to bring the story to life and engage students.
• Emphasise respect when discussing cultural elements; frame the story as a celebration of cultural diversity.
• Link this lesson with future sessions on storytelling from other cultures (e.g., Asia, South America) to build a comparative understanding.