Areas of Learning: Communication Language and Literacy, Knowledge and Understanding of the World.
Context: Stories and rhymes.
Learning Intentions: To listen with enjoyment and respond to stories (CLL).
To hear and say initial and final sounds in words and short vowel sounds within words (CLL).
To find out about, and identify, some features of living things, objects and events they observe (KUW).
To explore colour, texture and shape in two or three dimensions (CD).
To use their imagination in art, music, dance, imaginative and role play and stories (CD).
Success criteria: I can say how the character is feeling in the story.
I can say which words rhyme and make my own rhyming pattern.
I can say how the music makes me feel.
I can choose instruments to compose music for a story character.
I can talk about animals in my environment.
I can sort animals in different ways.
Key Vocabulary: story, author, blurb, tile, character, rhyme, feelings, music, instrument, sound, soft, loud, fast, slow, animal, nocturnal, fur, legs, wings, feathers.

Activity One:
You will need: ‘The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark'
Share the story ‘The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark' (Jill Tomlinson) and talk about how the dark makes the owl feel. Record children's ideas in speech bubbles. Hot seating.

Activity Two:
You will need: CD player, range of music, musical instruments, sound recorder.
Listen to different pieces of music: frightening, happy, lonely. How does the music make you feel? Which instruments would you choose to help you tell the story? Can you compose a piece of music for the Owl?

Activity One:
You will need: pictures of day and night animals, sorting hoops, IWB, Clicker 5.
Sort the animals into groups. Why did you sort the animals like that? What is the same or different about the animals? Why are some animals nocturnal? What makes them special?

Activity Two:
You will need: You will need: black sugar paper or card, bat shape, tissue paper, beads, sequins, scissors, glue, chalk.
Generate words that rhyme with ‘bat' and record this using chalk on the wings of the bat shape. Children can add sequin or bead eyes and tissue paper on their bat. Encourage the children to explore mark making and creating patterns with chalk on a variety of media.

Activity One:
You will need:paper, paint, paint brushes, natural materials, feathers, hessian, raffia.
Paint a picture of an owl. Add natural materials to create a collage on the children's paintings.

Activity Two:
You will need: IWB. simple paint program.
Create patterns on the owl using different tools to make his feathers.

Thinking Questions:
Can you retell the story?
How would you feel if you were lost in the dark?
How does the music make you feel?
Why did you choose that instrument?
What other instruments can you use?
How many different rhyming words can you think of?
What is the same or different about the animals?
Can you think of a different way to sort the animals?

Plenary/Recall:
Share other related stories and empathise with the characters feelings.
Why did you choose that instrument for the character?
Which characters do you associate with scary and frightening music?
Can you compose your own scary music for a story character?