Outlaw by Michael Morpurgo - Teaching Resources (KS2)

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Outlaw

www.michaelmorpurgo.com/ morpurgomonth

This is one of 16 activities to try during Michael Morpurgo Month, each of which explores an extract from a different book written by the world famous author. The books are grouped into four themes: natural world, animal adventures, tales retold, and times of war. All the activities can be usedt as either a quick starter or a longer lesson and provide a great opportunity to develop children’s comprehension and vocabulary - not to mention a love of Michael Morpurgo’s books.

Outlaw

“Tell the sheriff, tell Sir Guy of Gisbourne, tell everyone in Nottingham, that the Outlaws rule here in Sherwood, that we rule in the king’s name… I am Robin Hood.”

Homeless and lost in a dark, strange forest, young Robin is rescued by a motley crew of misfits. He yearns to avenge his father and seek justice against cruel oppressors, to finally defeat the Sheriff of Nottingham, once and for all.

And through his friends, Robin Hood finds the courage to become a legendary hero.

Outlaw is a retelling of the story of Robin Hood.

Using the resource This resource shares an extract from the opening of the story, where a storm devastates the countryside.

There is also a sheet with a writing challenge based on the extract. For Outlaw it focuses on descriptive writing and conveying action. This could be After reading the text, there are used as a short classroom activity or as suggested discussion activities considering: homework to consolidate the learning in • Use of inference to build comprehension the teaching session.

• Author’s craft through considering effective descriptive writing • Specific vocabulary choices made by an author, considering the choice of verbs to convey meaning Depending on time and the needs of your class, you may want to work through all of these interrelated activities or focus on just one.

After reading and discussing the extract some children may be inspired to read the book itself. You could read it aloud as a class novel or direct children to where they can find a copy to read themselves: the book corner, school library, local library or a local bookshop.

Teacher’s notes for the PowerPoint Slide 2 • Share the front cover and blurb to introduce the book and give context.

• Ask children if anyone has read the book before. Does the blurb make them want to read on?

Slide 3 • Tell the children that this is the opening of the story.

• Read aloud together (either with the teacher reading aloud and children following, children reading together as a class or children reading together in pairs).

• Ask the children to explain what the extract is about.

• Ask the children if the opening to the story is set in the times of Robin Hood.

Working with a partner, ask the children to find evidence that it isn’t (bedroom window; perhaps forecasters).

• Tell the children that the story begins with a boy witnessing a storm in the modern day. Ask them why Michael Morpurgo might have decided to begin the story like this.

• How does Michael Morpurgo create an image of the storm in this extract?

Children can discuss in pairs or small groups before feeding back to the class.

They might mention: - Simile (like clippers in full sail)

- Personification (They too had been caught unawares) - Choice of verbs (saturated; keeled over; crashing) - Varying sentence lengths (there had never been a storm like it; Roots were wrenched…)

- Interesting language choices (top heavy in leaf; towering oaks and beeches)

• Finally, ask the children why they think Michael Morpurgo might have chosen to describe the storm from a child’s point of view, rather than through a narrator. What is the effect of this on the reader?

Slide 4 • Ask the children to work with a partner to jot down as many verbs as they can find that tell the reader what is happening in the scene (keeled, torn, wrenched, sent crashing).

• Why might Michael Morpurgo have chosen these words? How do they create a sense of the power of the storm? Would fell over or pulled be as powerful as keeled or wrenched?

• Ask the children to choose one of the verbs and find as many synonyms for it as they can. They can think of these or use a thesaurus.

• Looking at the words that they have found, if the children were writing the scene, would they have chosen the same word as Michael Morpurgo?

Slide 5 • Return to the front cover and blurb.

• Ask the children if they would like to read Outlaw having looked at this extract in detail and thought about Michael Morpurgo’s skillful writing.

• Point children to where they can find a copy (either any copies you have in the classroom, the school library, or suggest the local library or a bookshop).