Step through the door, push past the coats and rediscover the magic of Narnia with this The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe KS2 resource…
Some books appeal to new generations of children with equal levels of awe, wonder and engagement as they did to the youngsters who first read them years previously. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by CS Lewis is one such book.
This is an excellent novel to read with a lower KS2 class. It’s perfect for showcasing the fantasy genre. Immerse children in a magical world full of friendship, good prevailing over evil, and the allowance of redemption in the form of Edmund.
If the children you are teaching don’t know what ‘evacuation’ is, or vocabulary such as Blitz, air raid, wireless etc, you might want to pre-teach this vocabulary. You might also want to explain some of the historical background to the story.
Comparing book and movie
Using The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe movie adaptation is a useful way of helping the children set the scene.
The opening of the film fills in those gaps. It allows children to understand the context of the setting and time.
Compare the opening of the movie and the opening of the book for a great class discussion. Why do the children think the film includes new elements?
I like to use the film alongside the book as a comparative tool. The children love to engage in discussions exploring how certain scenes are created in the movie. They’ll notice that the film mirrors so much of the actual dialogue from the text exactly.
What is The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe about?
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by CS Lewis is a fantasy novel. It focuses on four siblings who discover a magical land called Narnia through a wardrobe in an old house.
In Narnia, they encounter Aslan, a noble lion. They join him in the battle against the White Witch, who has plunged Narnia into eternal winter.
The story highlights themes of courage, betrayal, redemption and the triumph of good over evil.
Ceridwen Eccles is a primary teacher with an interest in pedagogy and a passion for books.
