Jack and the Baked Beanstalk - Week 3 Teaching Slides

In the third week of the English unit based on 'Jack and the Baked Beanstalk', pupils delve into the emotional landscape of the story by exploring the characters' feelings and reactions. The unit commences with a discussion about why Jack's mother is so displeased with him, setting the stage for a deeper understanding of the story's events. Students engage in a vocabulary exercise to find the most fitting words to describe the towering beanstalk, choosing from a variety of synonyms such as 'gigantic' and 'colossal'. They rank these adjectives in order of appropriateness, enhancing their understanding of nuance in language.

Further tasks include pondering Jack's thoughts after being scolded by his mother and his astonishment upon encountering the castle. Pupils are encouraged to articulate Jack's reactions and speculate on his motivations for embarking on this daring adventure without informing his mother. They also brainstorm descriptive words for the giant and are challenged to succinctly describe this character using no more than 100 words. The unit prompts students to consider how the giant's affection for his wealth is conveyed and to analyse the creative twist on the classic 'Fee, fi, fo, fum' phrase, fostering critical thinking about the author's choices in retelling this familiar tale.