Year 3 English · AC9E3LE03

Discuss how an author uses language and illustrations to portray characters and settings in texts, and explore how the settings and events influence the mood of the narrative

discuss how an author uses language and illustrations to portray characters and settings in texts, and explore how the settings and events influence the mood of the…

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Learning goalsSay it simply

1. Outcome Overview & Core Concepts

Students learn to discuss how an author uses language and illustrations to portray characters and settings in texts, and explore how the settings and events influence the mood of the narrative. They identify the relevant language or text feature, point to evidence and explain how it contributes to meaning or purpose. Key concepts include language, character, setting.

Learning target: discuss how an author uses language and illustrations to portray characters and settings in texts, and explore how the settings and events influence the mood of the narrative

Key conceptTeach from the board

2. Subject-Specific Content & Key Examples

Evidence about character

Instead of “the character is brave”, point to an action, line of dialogue or narrator description and explain how it supports the inference.

Setting shapes events

Compare the same event in a crowded city and an isolated forest. Discuss how setting changes what can happen and the mood a reader may experience.

Author choice creates effect

A repeated sound, image, metaphor or sentence pattern matters because of what it makes the reader notice, imagine or feel in that moment.

Transfer

Use a fresh short extract. Students identify one literary choice, quote or describe the evidence and explain its effect on meaning or response.

Clean visual examplesOne-page board

Clean one-page examples

AC9E3LE03 - Discuss how an author uses language and illustrations to portray characters and settings in texts, and explore how the settings and events influence the mood of the narrative
Example 1

Evidence about character Instead of “the character is brave”, point to an action, line of dialogue or narrator description and explain how it supports the inference.

Example 2

Setting shapes events Compare the same event in a crowded city and an isolated forest. Discuss how setting changes what can happen and the mood a reader may experience.

Example 3

Author choice creates effect A repeated sound, image, metaphor or sentence pattern matters because of what it makes the reader notice, imagine or feel in that moment.

Example 4

Transfer Use a fresh short extract. Students identify one literary choice, quote or describe the evidence and explain its effect on meaning or response.

Curriculum examplesCopied content

Curriculum Coverage & Elaborations

The content description is the required target. The elaborations below are taught as examples and contexts, not as disconnected checklist wording.

  • E1: identifying and discussing how the use of descriptive language creates setting and influences atmosphere, and draws readers into events that follow; for example, “The castle loomed dark and forbidding.”
  • E2: discussing the language used to describe the traits of characters in stories, their actions and motivations; for example, “Claire was so lonely; she desperately wanted a pet, so she hatched a plan to get what she wanted.”
Questions and answersWith answers

Practice Thought & Formative Assessment

Use a fresh example that has not been modelled. Ask the student to show the exact clue, feature or language choice and explain or use it independently.

Practice and reviewReady for practice

3. Common Student Misconceptions

  • Feature spotting: Explain how the exact feature shapes meaning, communication or response.
  • Retelling: Select precise evidence and analyse it rather than repeating content.
  • Automatic effect: Interpret choices through audience, purpose, context and surrounding text.
  • Vague explanation: Replace “this makes it better” with the exact feature, evidence and likely effect.

Practice Thought & Formative Assessment

Use a fresh example that has not been modelled. Ask the student to show the exact clue, feature or language choice and explain or use it independently.

Curriculum alignmentStart here

1. Outcome Overview & Core Concepts

Students learn to discuss how an author uses language and illustrations to portray characters and settings in texts, and explore how the settings and events influence the mood of the narrative. They identify the relevant language or text feature, point to evidence and explain how it contributes to meaning or purpose. Key concepts include language, character, setting.

Learning target: discuss how an author uses language and illustrations to portray characters and settings in texts, and explore how the settings and events influence the mood of the narrative

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