Oxford Level 9

East of the Sun, West

of the Moon
Written by Chris Powling and illustrated by Violeta Dabija
Teaching notes written by Pam Dowson
Information about assessment and curriculum links can be found at the end of these Teaching Notes.

Background to the story

• Traditional tales have been told for many years. They help to keep alive the richness of storytelling
language and traditions from different cultures. These tales, many of which will be familiar to the
children, are rich in patterned language and provide a springboard for their own storytelling and writing.
• This journey story is a Norwegian fairy tale where someone is transformed into an animal. It is a story of
love and goodness triumphing over evil magic.

Group/Guided reading
Introducing the story
• Look at the cover and ask: Where might this story be set?
• Tell the children that the story comes from Norway. Ask: Do you know anything about Norway? Talk
about Norway’s fjord coastline.
• Tell the children that in Norwegian fairy tales there are often trolls. Ask: What do you know about trolls?
Are they usually good or bad characters?
• Return to the cover and read the title together. Ask: What do you think might happen in the story? Read
pages 2 to 3. Ask: What do you think will happen? Would you trust the bear?
• All the words in this story are decodable. However, we’ve listed some of the more challenging words on
the inside front cover of the book, to help build familiarity with these before children read the story for
themselves.

Reading the story

• Ask the children to read the story. Remember to give them lots of encouragement and praise as they read.
• Check that the children understand the meaning of the word hag (page 15).
• Re-read pages 18 to 21. Find verbs and adverbs that describe how people spoke, e.g. hissed and asked
eagerly (page 18), cackled (page 21). Talk about how these words tell us more about the characters.

Returning to the story

• Ask: Why do you think the bear asked to borrow Astrid?
• Notice the different spellings for the /air/ phoneme, for example: bear (page 3), there (page 6), share
(page 8) and air (page 19).
• Look again at pages 12 and 13. Ask: Why was the Prince cross with Astrid? How do you think Astrid felt
at this point in the story?
• Ask: How did Astrid show that true love can overcome evil? How do you think Long Nose felt when she
realised Astrid had beaten her?

© Oxford University Press 2014

 Storytelling
• Show the class the video of the storyteller performing the story on www.oxfordprimary.co.uk/tradtales.
• Talk about how the storyteller uses rich and imaginative language to describe characters and events in
the story.
• Ask the children to think about how the storyteller uses his voice to add expression by varying his tone
and the rhythm of the story. Discuss how the storyteller uses facial expressions to show emotions.
• Ask the class to discuss what they particularly enjoyed about the storyteller version of the story.
• Have a look at the storytellers’ notes for more information about the storytelling techniques used in the video.
Drama
• Ask the children to work in groups of three and to retell the final chapter of the story ‘The test’ in role.
Encourage them take the characters of Astrid, Long Nose and the Prince.
• Tell the children to talk about how each character is feeling in this chapter, for example, Long Nose
is angry and frustrated, Astrid is nervous and delighted, and the Prince is confident and triumphant.
Encourage the children to think about the storyteller’s performance and to use their facial expressions
and voices to show the characters’ emotions in their retelling.

Writing
• Recap the main events of the story and ask the children to consider it from the bear/Prince’s point
of view. You may want to provide copies of the story map available on www.oxfordprimary.co.uk/
tradtales as a prompt. Work together to create a list of his feelings as the story progresses. In
particular, consider how he felt about Astrid and how she helped him.
• Tell the children to imagine that the bear/Prince kept a diary. Model how he might have written in his diary,
e.g. “I felt nervous when I asked the poor farmer if I could borrow his daughter today. If only I could explain.”
• Ask the children to write in role as the bear/Prince. Remind them to write in the first person. Encourage
them to think about the rich and imaginative language the storyteller used in their version of the story,
and to use interesting verbs and adverbs to describe the bear/Prince’s feelings in his diary entries.

Links to the wider curriculum

Mathematics/Science PSHE and Citizenship
• Investigate compass points – find the • Astrid received help to find the troll and win
directions of North, South, East and West in her prince because she was unselfish. Talk
your classroom. about how difficult it can be to put others
Geography before yourself.
• Find Norway in an atlas or look at it using an
For more ideas on how to use this book in the
online aerial map. Notice how close it is to
classroom use the Traditional Tales Handbook.
the Arctic Circle.
Art and design
• Refer to pages 18 and 19 to create painted
or collaged images of the four winds.
Music For teachers
• Listen to Grieg’s ‘In the Hall of the Mountain Helping you with free eBooks, inspirational
resources, advice and support
King’, from the Peer Gynt suite. For parents
Helping your child’s learning
with free eBooks, essential
tips and fun activities

www.oxfordowl.co.uk
© Oxford University Press 2014
East of the Sun, West of the Moon (Oxford Level 9) curriculum
coverage chart
Links to Oxford Reading Criterion Scale:
• Can make predictions about a text using a range of clues. (D) [ORCS Standard 3, 7]
• Can provide simple explanations about events or information. (D) [ORCS Standard 3, 9]
• Can read aloud with intonation, taking into account a wider range of punctuation (. ? ! ,). (READ) [ORCS Standard 3, 15]
• Can read all of the high frequency words, up to and including the Y1/2 high frequency word list (demonstrates fluent and
automatic reading of frequently encountered words). (READ) [ORCS Standard 3, 16]
• Can explain the meaning of interesting ‘WOW’ words in context, (including words with common prefixes and suffixes). (D) [ORCS
Standard 3, 17]
• Can summarise a story, giving the main points clearly in sequence. (R) [ORCS Standard 3, 18]

ENGLAND The National Curriculum in England: Year 2

Spoken language Pupils should be taught to use spoken language to develop understanding through speculating,
hypothesising, imagining and exploring ideas (SpokLang.7)
Pupils should be taught to participate in discussions, presentations, performances and debates (SpokLang.9)
Pupils should be taught to select and use appropriate registers for effective communication (SpokLang.12)

Reading: Pupils should be taught to read accurately by blending the sounds in words that contain the graphemes
Word reading taught so far, especially recognising alternative sounds for graphemes (Y2 ReadWord.2)
Pupils should be taught to read aloud books closely matched to their improving phonic knowledge,
sounding out unfamiliar words accurately, automatically and without undue hesitation (Y2 ReadWord.7)

Reading: Pupils should be taught to develop pleasure in reading, motivation to read, vocabulary and understanding
Comprehension by becoming increasingly familiar with and retelling a wider range of stories, fairy stories and traditional
tales (Y2 ReadComp.1iii)
Pupils should be taught to develop pleasure in reading, motivation to read, vocabulary and
understanding by discussing and clarifying the meanings of words, linking new meanings to known
vocabulary (Y2 ReadComp.1vi)
Pupils should be taught to participate in discussion about books, poems and other works that are read
to them and those that they can read for themselves, taking turns and listening to what others say
(Y2 ReadComp.3)

Writing: Pupils should be taught to develop positive attitudes towards and stamina for writing by writing
Composition narratives about personal experiences and those of others (real and fictional) (Y2 WritComp.1i)
Pupils should be taught to develop positive attitudes towards and stamina for writing by writing for
different purposes (Y2 WritComp.1iv)
Pupils should be taught to consider what they are going to write before beginning by writing down ideas
and/or key words, including new vocabulary (Y2 WritComp.2ii)

SCOTLAND Curriculum for Excellence: Literacy and English experiences and outcomes – First Level
Listening and I am exploring how pace, gesture, expression, emphasis and choice of words are used to engage others,
talking and I can use what I learn (ENG 1-03a)
When I engage with others, I know when and how to listen, when to talk, how much to say, when to ask
questions and how to respond with respect (LIT 1-02a)
When listening and talking with others for different purposes, I can exchange information, experiences,
explanations, ideas and opinions, and clarify points by asking questions or by asking others to say more
(LIT 1-09a)

Reading I can use my knowledge of sight vocabulary, phonics, context clues, punctuation and grammar to read
with understanding and expression (ENG 1-12a)
I can share my thoughts about structure, characters and/or setting, recognise the writer’s message and relate
it to my own experiences, and comment on the effective choice of words and other features (ENG 1-19a)
I am learning to select and use strategies and resources before I read, and as I read, to help make the
meaning of texts clear (LIT 1-13a)

Writing I enjoy creating texts of my choice and I regularly select subject, purpose, format and resources to suit
the needs of my audience (LIT 1-20a)
By considering the type of text I am creating, I can select ideas and relevant information, organise these
in a logical sequence and use words which will be interesting and/or useful to others (LIT 1-26a)
I can convey information, describe events or processes, share my opinions or persuade my reader in
different ways (LIT 1-28a / LIT 1-29a)

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WALES Foundation Phase Framework: Year 2
Oracy Learners are able to share activities and information to complete a task (Y2_OracColl.2)
Learners are able to retell narratives or information that they have heard, sequencing events correctly
(Y2_OracList.5)
Learners are able to adopt a specific role, using appropriate language in structured situations
(Y2_OracSpea.7)

Reading Learners are able to recall and retell narratives and information from texts with some details
(Y2_ReadComp.2)
Learners are able to draw upon relevant personal experience and prior knowledge to support
understanding of texts (Y2_ReadComp.4)
Learners are able to express views about information and details in a text (Y2_ReadResp.1)
Learners are able to apply the following reading strategies with increasing independence to a range of
familiar and unfamiliar texts: phonic strategies; recognition of HFW; context clues; graphic and syntactic
clues; self-correction, including re-reading and reading ahead (Y2_ReadStrat.4i–4v)

Writing Learners are able to write for different purposes (Y2_WritMean.2)

Learners are able to follow a structure in their writing with support (Y2_WritStru.1)
Learners are able to organise writing with a beginning, middle and end (Y2_WritStru.4)
Learners are able to use different types of writing appropriate to purpose and reader (Y2_WritStru.5)

NORTHERN IRELAND Levels of Progression in Communication across the curriculum: Primary Level 2
Talking and Pupils can follow discussions, make contributions and observe conventions of conversation (L2_com_talk.2i)
listening Pupils can ask and answer questions to develop understanding (L2_com_talk.2ii)

Reading Pupils can use a range of reading strategies (L2_com_read.2)

Pupils can express opinions and make predictions (L2_com_read.5ii)

Writing Pupils can express thoughts, feelings and ideas from within their experience using a general vocabulary
(L2_com_write.2i)
Pupils can show a sense of structure and organisation (L2_com_write.2ii)
Pupils can write using a given form (L2_com_write.3)

© Oxford University Press 2014