Leon and the Place Between - Learning Sequence

The learning sequence for 'Leon and the Place Between' provides a comprehensive unit overview that spans six weeks, focusing on enhancing vocabulary, understanding literary techniques, and developing creative writing skills. In the first three weeks, students delve into the text using a word detective grid to decipher unfamiliar words and gather language for their own writing. They engage with the book's cover, illustrations, and language, making predictions and recording their responses on a grid. Empathy tasks encourage writing from Leon's perspective, and exploration of the text's atmosphere and suspense sharpens analytical skills. Students also discuss character feelings and thoughts, particularly those of Leon and the magician Abdul Kazam, using synonyms and other language features found within the text.

Weeks four to six build on the foundation laid in the initial weeks, with students gathering information from various sources to identify key aspects for an information text. They learn skimming and scanning strategies, contribute to a writing toolkit, and practise writing complex sentences using conjunctions and relative clauses. As the unit progresses, students sequence events, develop descriptive language and dialogue, and role-play to deepen their understanding of the characters. They evaluate and proofread their writing, using the toolkit as a guide. The unit concludes with a personal response to the story and a comparison with other fantasy "portal" stories. Additionally, if narrative writing is complete, students have the opportunity to apply their newly acquired language skills to create a poem, drawing inspiration from 'The Magic Box' by Kit Wright.