Unlock the world of Fantastic Mr. Fox with this comprehensive 5-week unit designed for NSW DET Stage 2 teachers.

Through over 250 pages of engaging content, students will explore the essential concepts of narrative structure and characterisation.

Using Roald Dahl’s classic as a mentor text, this resource guides students in understanding how narratives build expectations with familiar structures, characters, and situations.

Throughout the unit, students will analyze key excerpts from Fantastic Mr. Fox, building skills in planning, drafting, and revising a narrative sequel complete with orientation, complication, and resolution. By identifying and utilising language features to craft vivid setting descriptions, students deepen their comprehension of narrative and characterisation.

This resource includes:

• An editable PowerPoint presentation and a printable PDF
• A link to a Google Slides version for seamless classroom integration
• Detailed teaching notes for structured guidance

Learning Intentions: Students will understand the importance of narrative orientation, how complications drive the storyline, and how resolutions provide closure. With hands-on activities, students will apply their knowledge of characterisation to create their own character descriptions and draft original narratives that mirror the familiar structure of Fantastic Mr. Fox.

Success Criteria:

• Describe key features of a narrative orientation
• Visualize and infer character traits using evidence from the text
• Create descriptive character profiles with effective adjectives
• Collaborate using established classroom protocols

With this rich, interactive resource, teachers can bring Fantastic Mr. Fox to life, encouraging creativity and analytical thinking as students craft their own sequels to this beloved story.

Attribution is given to: © State of New South Wales (Department of Education), 2023.