Exploring Prepositions

Overview

This 55-minute lesson focuses on understanding and using prepositions of place (where) and prepositions of time (when) through the retold story Oliver Twist by Gill Tavern. Using this rich text, students will deepen their grasp of prepositions in context, refining their reading comprehension and grammar skills in line with the National Curriculum for England (Year 4).

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National Curriculum Links

• English Programmes of Study (Year 4):
• Grammar: Pupils should consolidate their understanding of sentence structure, including prepositions expressing time and place.
• Reading Comprehension: Develop understanding of words in context and how grammar and vocabulary influence meaning.
• Spoken Language: Use relevant strategies to build vocabulary and connect ideas.

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Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, pupils will be able to:

• Identify prepositions of place and time in sentences from Oliver Twist.
• Explain how prepositions help the reader understand where and when events happen in the story.
• Use a range of prepositions of place and time accurately in their own sentences.
• Enhance their storytelling by incorporating prepositions to give detail about setting and timing.

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Resources

• Retold Oliver Twist extract by Gill Tavern (selected passages focusing on setting and timing)
• Whiteboard and markers
• Preposition word cards (e.g., in, on, at, before, after, during, between)
• A simple story map of Oliver Twist scenes
• Lined paper and pencils
• “Preposition Detective” worksheets
• Timer or stopwatch

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Lesson Breakdown

1. Introduction and Objective Setting (5 minutes)

• Greet the class and introduce the lesson focus: prepositions of place (where) and time (when).
• Brief recap of Oliver Twist’s setting and the importance of location and time in stories.
• Write learning objectives on the board, sharing them in child-friendly language.

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2. Engage: Preposition Hunt in Text (10 minutes)

• Read aloud a selected extract of Oliver Twist containing rich prepositional phrases.
• Model identifying prepositions of place and time by underlining them on the whiteboard.
• Pupils work in pairs to find more examples in the extract using coloured pencils to highlight “where” (e.g., in the workhouse) and “when” (e.g., before dawn).
• Share answers as a group; discuss how these help imagine scenes vividly.

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3. Explain: What Are Prepositions & Types Focused on? (8 minutes)

• Define prepositions: words that show relationships in time or place.
• Using examples from the text, categorise prepositions into place and time on the board.
• Use visuals: place a toy figure “on”, “under”, “between” objects and mark timings such as “before school”, “after lunch” on the timeline drawn on the board.
• Encourage questions and clarifications.

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4. Explore: Interactive Story Map Activity (12 minutes)

• Present a simple illustrated map of Oliver Twist settings (e.g., workhouse, street, market).
• Pupils draw lines linking parts of the story to places on the map using a preposition card to describe each connection: e.g., “Oliver is under the stairs” or “He arrived at night.”
• In groups of 2 or 3, pupils create short sentences orally or in writing using chosen prepositions.

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5. Elaborate: Creating Own Sentences (12 minutes)

• Provide pupils with picture prompts showing different times and places related to Oliver Twist.
• Pupils individually write 3 sentences using a variety of prepositions of time and place. For example, “Before dawn, Oliver left the workhouse,” or “He hid behind the market stall.”
• Encourage use of adventurous vocabulary alongside prepositions to make their sentences descriptive.

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6. Evaluate: Preposition Detective Worksheet and Peer Review (6 minutes)

• Hand out short worksheets where pupils must underline prepositions in given sentences (focused on where and when).
• Pupils swap sentences with a peer to check correct identification.
• Discuss answers as a class, emphasizing tricky examples.

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7. Plenary and Reflection (2 minutes)

• Recap the importance of prepositions in storytelling to locate events in space and time.
• Ask pupils to share their favourite newly learned preposition and a sentence using it.
• Highlight progress and how prepositions help bring stories like Oliver Twist to life.

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Differentiation

• Support: Provide sentence starters or preposition choice boards for pupils who need scaffolding.
• Extension: Challenge more able pupils to add adverbials of time/ place using prepositional phrases and write a short descriptive paragraph about a scene in Oliver Twist.

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Assessment Opportunities

• Observation during paired and group activities to assess understanding and correct usage.
• Review of written sentences to check accuracy of prepositions and sentence structure.
• Worksheet results to identify misconceptions or gaps in recognising prepositions.

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Additional Notes

• This lesson encourages contextual grammar teaching by linking directly to the literary text which aligns with the National Curriculum emphasis on grammar in reading and writing.
• Use expressive reading and drama techniques during reading to engage pupils and deepen understanding of time and place in narrative.
• Incorporate peer collaboration to build verbal reasoning and confidence with grammatical concepts.