A Story Like the Wind / During Reading / First Encounters /
A Song of Freedom
Analysing the meaning of the allegorical story
Lesson length: 1 session
Lesson from A Story Like the Wind series
Required reading: Pages 60-71
Text potential
- Literary features: Allegory
- Theme: Freedom
- Theme: Hope
Strategies used
- Book Talk
- Discussion and Dialogue
Purpose
This section is the final part of the White Stallion. This lesson provides an opportunity for children to reflect on the meaning of the story within the story. The relationship to the framing story and the possible reason Gill Lewis chose to include it are discussed.
Preparation
- Copies of A Story Like the Wind, at least one between two.
Process
Read Aloud or ask the children to read this section independently before the lesson.
Begin by asking the children to share their initial thoughts using the Book Talk format (Aidan Chambers 1985).
- Connections: Did this part of the story remind you of any other stories that you have read or heard? Or any films that you have seen?
- Puzzles: Was there anything that found strange, puzzling or confusing?
- Questions: Do you have any questions about this section?
- Vocabulary: Were there any words that needed clarifying?
Share ideas about the ‘story within the story’.
- Why do you think the conductor of the orchestra told Rami the story of The White Stallion?
- And why do you think he was so insistent that ‘everyone must hear this story?’
- Why do you think Rami says, ‘It belongs to us all It is the song of Freedom. It is a story like the wind.’?
- What do you think Youssef means when he says, ‘You see Rami, your story is our story.’ And Nor says ‘This is all our story.’
Introduce the term allegory if it is unfamiliar to the children.
Definition: a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one.
- Is the story of the White Stallion allegorical?
- If so, what is the hidden message or moral?
- What do you imagine happened to the Dark Lord at the end of the story?
Final reflection
- Do you think the end of the White Stallion story is sad or optimistic? Explain your thinking.
You might want to show one of the video clips to provide some background (see resources).
- Do you have any thoughts about the reasons Gill Lewis might have chosen to include the story of the white stallion?
Key vocabulary
hide, taut, bow
Additional vocabulary
flanks, bridle, saddle
Resources
You Tube video
Mongolian children playing Uulan Bor on the horsehead fiddle. It is intended to replicate the sound of horses galloping.
You Tube Video
A vocal rendition Uulan Bor. The introduction shows Mongolian wild horses on the Steppes.
Contributors
Nikki Gamble
Director, Just Imagine
Nikki has worked extensively in schools across the UK and internationally. She is the author of Exploring Children’s Literature (4th edit) (2019) and co-author of Guiding Readers (2016) which was awarded the UKLA Academic Book of the Year Award 2017. Nikki is KS2 reading advisor and series consultant for Oxford University Press and content creator for the Oxford School Improvement and Oxford Owl websites. Nikki is Associate Consultant at the University of London, Institute of Education and Honorary Fellow at the University of Winchester