Lesson Plan – Class 8 English
Unit 5 Supplementary: When Instinct Works
Author: Anna Sewell
Main Character: Black Beauty
Theme: Animal instinct, kindness, trust, courage and the importance of caring for animals
1. Learning Objectives
By the end of the lesson, the teacher expects students to:
Understand the story “When Instinct Works” and its central idea.
Identify the main characters and important events in the story.
Understand the meaning and use of new words from the lesson.
Explain the meaning of instinct and distinguish it from human reasoning.
Understand how Black Beauty's instinct saves the lives of three people.
Recognise the importance of kindness, sympathy and understanding towards animals.
Develop reading comprehension and the ability to arrange events in sequence.
Appreciate the bond of trust between humans and animals.
2. Learning Outcomes
After learning the lesson, students will be able to:
813 - reads textual/non-textual materials in English/Braille with comprehension.
814 - identifies details, characters, main idea and sequence of ideas and events while reading.
817 - reads a variety of texts for pleasure e.g. adventure stories and science fiction, fairy tales, also non-fiction articles, narratives, travelogues, biographies, etc. (extensive reading)
Apply the idea of trusting and observing animals' behaviour in appropriate situations.
Treat animals with kindness and care in their daily lives.
Understand that animals can sense danger even without reasoning like humans.
Show concern for the safety and well-being of animals.
Explain how quick observation and instinct can prevent accidents.
Narrate the story in their own words.
Use new vocabulary in meaningful sentences.
Identify situations in everyday life where animals show unusual behaviour because they sense danger.
Life-skill connection:
Students learn to be observant, compassionate, responsible and respectful towards animals.
3. Introduction
The teacher may begin with the following questions:
Have you ever seen a dog bark or behave strangely before something unusual happened?
Can animals understand danger before human beings do?
Have you ever seen a horse, dog or other animal suddenly refuse to move? Why might it happen?
What would you do if an animal refused to move forward on a road?
Do animals have special abilities that human beings do not have?
What does the word “instinct” mean?
Why should we be kind to animals?
Introducing the lesson
The teacher tells the students:
“Today we are going to read about a horse named Black Beauty. During a dangerous journey, this horse refuses to cross a bridge. At first, the humans do not understand why. Later, they discover that Black Beauty's instinct has saved their lives.”
4. Reading and Understanding
A. Reading
The teacher reads the lesson aloud with proper pronunciation and expression.
Students read the lesson silently and then aloud in turns.
The teacher pauses at important points and asks comprehension questions.
Students identify the sequence of events.
B. New Words and Meanings
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| harnessed | attached to a vehicle using straps |
| toll gate | a place where a fee is collected for using a road/bridge |
| sturdy | strong and firmly built |
| merrily | happily and cheerfully |
| trembling | shaking because of fear or nervousness |
| bridle | a set of straps used to control a horse |
| nerves | feelings of fear, worry or anxiety |
| crossways | a different route or direction |
| flood | a large amount of water covering normally dry land |
| instinct | a natural ability to react without conscious reasoning |
| dared | had enough courage to do something |
| torch | a portable electric light |
| flashing | producing or showing a sudden bright light |
| drowned | died because of being under water |
| grateful | thankful |
| mistress | the female head of a household |
| swaying | moving slowly from side to side |
| groan | a deep sound expressing pain or distress |
| supper | an evening meal |
| straw | dried stalks of grain used as bedding for animals |
C. Important Expression
“I felt sure that something was wrong.”
This sentence shows Black Beauty's instinct. The horse senses danger even though the humans cannot yet see it.
5. Mind Map
WHEN INSTINCT WORKS
WHEN INSTINCT WORKS
│
┌───────────────────────┼────────────────────────┐
│ │ │
Journey Danger Black Beauty
│ │ │
Master + John + Storm & strong wind Feels danger
Black Beauty │ │
│ Tree falls │
│ │ Refuses to cross
│ │ │
Wooden bridge River flooding │
│ │ │
└───────────────────────┼────────────────────────┘
│
Bridge is broken
│
Flood has carried
part of bridge away
│
Lives are saved
│
┌────────────┴────────────┐
│ │
Instinct Human reason
│ │
Natural response Thinking & finding
to danger solutions
│ │
└────────────┬────────────┘
│
MESSAGE
│
┌───────────────────┴──────────────────┐
│ │
Trust animals Care for animals
and observe them with kindnessSequence of Events
Journey begins → Storm approaches → Tree falls → They take another route → Reach wooden bridge → Black Beauty refuses to move → Tollgate keeper warns them → Bridge is broken → Lives are saved → Master explains animal instinct → Black Beauty is rewarded and cared for.
6. Consolidation and Presentation
Summary
“When Instinct Works” is an extract from Anna Sewell's famous work Black Beauty. The story is narrated by Black Beauty, a horse.
One stormy day, Black Beauty travels with his master and John. During their journey, they encounter strong winds and a fallen oak tree. They take another route and eventually reach a wooden bridge.
When Black Beauty's feet touch the bridge, he suddenly senses that something is wrong. He refuses to move forward even when his master urges him with the whip. John notices that something may be wrong and tries to calm Black Beauty.
At that moment, a man from the other side of the bridge warns them that the bridge has been broken by the flood. If Black Beauty had continued forward, all three could have fallen into the river and drowned.
The master realises that Black Beauty's natural instinct has saved their lives. He explains that human beings use their brains to reason, while animals possess a special instinct that can respond quickly to danger.
The story ends with Black Beauty returning safely home. John gives him a good supper and a comfortable bed of straw.
Central Message
Animals possess powerful instincts and can sense danger. Therefore, human beings should understand, respect, care for and trust animals.
7. Reinforcement
The teacher reinforces the following points:
What is instinct?
Instinct is a natural ability to behave or respond in a particular way without consciously thinking about it.
Human intelligence vs Animal instinct
| Human beings | Animals |
|---|---|
| Use reasoning and conscious thought | Often respond through instinct |
| Analyse situations | Can sense certain dangers quickly |
| Solve problems through thinking | May react immediately to danger |
| Communicate mainly through language | Communicate through sounds, actions and behaviour |
Examples of animal instinct
Dogs may become restless before sensing unusual events.
Birds may change their behaviour before severe weather.
Wild animals may move away from an area when they sense danger.
Horses may refuse to enter an unsafe place.
Some animals protect their young instinctively.
Values highlighted in the lesson
Kindness → Trust → Compassion → Responsibility → Observation → Courage → Gratitude
The teacher should emphasise that animals should never be treated cruelly simply because humans do not understand their behaviour.
8. Evaluation
A. Lower Order Thinking (LOT)
Who is Black Beauty?
Who travelled with Black Beauty?
What happened to the oak tree?
Why did Black Beauty stop at the bridge?
Who warned them about the broken bridge?
Expected answers
Black Beauty is the horse who narrates the story.
His master and John travelled with him.
A strong wind uprooted the oak tree and it fell across the road.
He sensed that the bridge was unsafe.
The man at the other side of the toll gate warned them.
B. Middle Order Thinking (MOT)
Why did Black Beauty refuse to move forward even after his master used the whip?
How did John understand that something might be wrong?
Why did the master finally realise that Black Beauty had saved them?
What would have happened if Black Beauty had crossed the bridge?
How did the storm make the journey dangerous?
C. Higher Order Thinking (HOT)
Do you think Black Beauty was courageous even though he was frightened? Give reasons.
Imagine that Black Beauty had obeyed his master immediately. What could have happened?
If an animal behaves unusually, should humans always ignore it? Why or why not?
What does this story teach us about the importance of observing animals carefully?
How can we show kindness and responsibility towards animals in our daily lives?
9. Remedial Teaching
For slow learners, the teacher can:
Step 1 – Simplify the story
Divide the lesson into 5 small parts:
Journey begins.
Storm and fallen tree.
Black Beauty reaches the bridge.
Black Beauty refuses to cross.
Broken bridge is discovered.
Step 2 – Picture support
Show pictures of:
Horse → Storm → Fallen tree → Bridge → Flood → Safe return
Ask students to arrange the pictures in the correct order.
Step 3 – Vocabulary cards
Use simple word cards:
instinct – natural feeling
flood – overflowing water
bridle – horse-control strap
sturdy – strong
grateful – thankful
Step 4 – Sentence completion
Give simple exercises:
Black Beauty was a ________.
The storm caused an ________ tree to fall.
Black Beauty refused to cross the ________.
The bridge was damaged by the ________.
Black Beauty's ________ saved their lives.
Step 5 – Oral retelling
Ask slow learners to retell the story using five prompts:
Storm → Tree → Bridge → Instinct → Saved
10. Writing
Guided Writing
Write a paragraph in about 100–120 words on:
“How Black Beauty Saved the Lives of Three People”
Students should include:
The storm
The journey
The dangerous bridge
Black Beauty's refusal to move
The warning from the tollgate
The broken bridge
How Black Beauty saved their lives
The importance of animal instinct
Alternative writing activity
Write 5–8 sentences on:
“Why should we be kind to animals?”
11. Follow-up Activity / Homework
Activity 1 – Observation Task
Ask students to observe an animal such as a dog, cat, cow, bird or other domestic animal for a day.
Write:
| Animal | Behaviour observed | Possible reason |
|---|---|---|
| Dog | ______ | ______ |
| Bird | ______ | ______ |
Students should discuss whether any behaviour appeared to be instinctive.
Activity 2 – Creative Assignment
Draw a four- or six-frame comic strip showing how Black Beauty saved the three lives.
Suggested captions:
A stormy journey
The tree falls
Black Beauty reaches the bridge
He refuses to move
The bridge is broken
Black Beauty saves them
Activity 3 – Vocabulary
Write 10 new words from the lesson and make meaningful sentences using any five of them.
⭐ Blackboard Summary
WHEN INSTINCT WORKS
Author: Anna Sewell
Character: Black Beauty
Theme: Animal instinct and kindness
Storm → Fallen Tree → Wooden Bridge → Black Beauty Stops → Bridge Broken → Lives Saved
Key Message:
“Animals may possess a natural instinct that helps them sense danger. We must understand, respect and care for them.”
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