Lion King: Be Prepared – Character Inference and Motive KS2/KS3 Lesson

Explore villainy, motive, and manipulation through Scar’s iconic song!

Bring critical thinking to life with this engaging character analysis lesson, based on Scar’s chilling musical number ‘Be Prepared’ from Disney’s The Lion King. This resource supports students in identifying a character’s feelings, thoughts, and motives using lyrics, visuals, and inference skills.

What’s Included:

• Full lesson ActivInspire (editable) and PDF with 6 slides guiding students through:
• How to infer thoughts and feelings from characters
• Watching and analysing the Be Prepared scene and lyrics
• Group and individual discussion questions with textual evidence
• Key vocabulary including “motive”, “tenacity”, and “murkiest scam”
• Worksheet focusing on quotes and what they reveal about Scar
• Plenary discussion for consolidating understanding
• Lyrics link & video clip included for easy access

Key features:

• Focus on character analysis and inference
• Ideal for exploring villain archetypes and persuasive language
• Aligned with UK National Curriculum KS2 Reading Comprehension objectives
• Suitable for KS2–KS3 / Years 4–8
• Editable format for easy adaptation to your class needs
• Ideal for English, guided reading, literacy, drama, or media studies lessons
• Great for cover work, guided reading, or film-based literacy units

Perfect for:

• Exploring themes of power, manipulation, and ambition
• Lessons on lyrics as text or film in literacy
• Deepening students’ use of textual evidence in responses
• Any time you want to spark discussion and engagement through a well-loved film