Snow White: the Hex Factor - Pearson Schools

Snow White: the Hex Factor
Book Band Gold
RR Level 21, 22
Genre Play: Subverted
traditional tale
Length 24 pages (788 words)
Letters and Sounds Phase 6
NC Level 2B
APP Level 2, Secure
Phonics Bug Up to Unit 30
Interest words favourite,
jealous, squabble, announce,
enchanted, accidentally
Summary
The six dwarves are watching the ‘The Hex Factor’ final on TV.
Snow White and the seventh dwarf, Groovy, are singing. When
the results are announced, the dwarves celebrate Snow White’s
success, but begin to miss her. However, their moods soon
change when another fairy tale character knocks at the door.
Curr. Ref. Objectives
R4
T&L 8
W6
Reading
read, explore, understand
and make use of a range of
traditional and digital texts
Speaking and Listening
express thoughts, feelings
and opinions in response
to … literature … and
activities
Writing
write for a variety of
purposes and audiences
APP Assessment Focus
AF7 (Level 2)
• general features of a few
text types identified
• some awareness that
books are set in different
times and places
AF3 (Level 2)
• extend experience and
ideas, adapting speech,
gesture or movement to
simple roles and different
scenarios
AF6 (Level 2)
• clause structure mostly
grammatically correct
• sentence demarcation
with capital letters
and full stops usually
accurate
PCM

Session 1: Reading & Speaking and Listening
Before Reading
Reading plays
Check that children can recall the features of a play and how to
read a play script.
Scene: identify where this play takes place.
Characters: find the list of characters and decide who will play
each part. (Note that the character with the most speeches is at
the top of page 2, and the others are laid out in descending order.)
Lines: discuss which parts are read out loud.
Stage directions: look for examples of instructions in italic
writing and remind children to read these in their heads.
• Read the title and blurb. Talk about children’s expectations
before they read the play and explain that, although they
know the story of Snow White, this version is different.
• Ask what ‘The Hex Factor’ reminds them of. Explain that a
‘Hex’ is a type of spell and the play is about a talent show on
‘Witch TV’.
• Turn to pages 2–3. Talk about the dwarves’ names and what
each name shows about what that character is like.
• Challenge children to look out for other fairy tale characters as
they are reading.
• Expect children to apply their phonic knowledge and skills as
they decode words when they are reading the play.

During First Reading
• Read the play together with each child reading the line for
their character out loud when it is their turn, whilst the others
follow in their own books.
Main question: How is this play similar or different to other
versions of Snow White? (Reading AF7)
After First Reading (collecting evidence for Reading AF7)
• Ask children whether anything surprised or puzzled them.
• Support children in making comparisons between the play
and other versions of Snow White. Ask which characters they
recognised and whether there were any that were missing.
• Talk about how the plot differed from the traditional version
and challenge children to refer to the play, e.g. on pages
15–16, Soppy turned away the witch with the poisoned apple.
During Second Reading
• Look back at pages 2–3 and give children different parts to
read. Ask each child to compare their old and new characters.
• Challenge them to change the way they are reading to make
their new character sound different and to express what that
dwarf is like.
Main question: Which character did you like playing best?
What did you do to change the way you read for each
character? (Speaking and Listening AF3)
After Second Reading (collecting evidence for Speaking
and Listening AF3)
• Ask each child to explain which part they preferred.
• Encourage the group to give one another feedback about the
most effective reading of each dwarf.

Session 2: Writing
Main focus: Writing a letter from a character, using first person,
complete sentences and past tense. (Writing AF6)
Before Writing
• Ask children to imagine that the dwarves are writing letters to
congratulate Snow White on winning ‘The Hex Factor’. Talk about
what to include, e.g. what that dwarf was doing during the show;
who was at the door. Encourage children to refer to the play to find
specific details.
• Write each dwarf’s name and note children’s suggestions,
e.g. Dozy: kept falling asleep; Grouchy: moaning, critical.
• Demonstrate how to turn the notes into sentences orally, in role as
a dwarf, e.g. I tried to watch the final but I kept falling asleep.
During Writing (collecting evidence for Writing AF6)
• Introducing the PCM, ask children to choose one dwarf and then
write a letter to Snow White.
• Encourage children to say the whole sentence before writing and to
keep reading through what they have written.
• Check that they are using first person and past tense.
After Writing
• Ask children to give their letter to another child to read.
• Support them as they give each other feedback. Did it make sense?
Was it written in complete sentences?
Extension: Ideas for Performance
• Children could use small-world play to create the dwarves’ house
and dolls for the characters.
• They could practise reading the play as they move the characters,
using expressive voices for the dwarves.
• They could also create ‘The Hex Factor’ stage, judges and performers.
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