- The School of Life | Big Ideas for Curious Minds | Philosophical Questions for Curious Mind
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- The School of Life | Nature and Me
- The School of Life |What are you Feeling?
The BoyWho Sailed theWorld by Julia Green & Alex Latimer
Looshkin by Jamie Smart
David Fickling Books
Terreros-Martin
Kofi and the Rap Battle Summer by Jeffrey
Boakye
| PB
| PB
Faber
SECRET RA D IO STAT ION KOF I and the RESOURCES PACK
About the book
His whole world was the sound of the speakers, the records, and the fun he was having in this place that he never even knew existed. He looked up as he came to the end of the verse and Linton was giving him the thumbs up. Kofi’s grin stretched from ear to ear.
Kofi has discovered a secret radio station in a place no one will ever look. It doesn’t take him long to think he can make something out of it. He and Shanice get a load of kids interested in taking part and having their moment on Clipper FM . . . But when the radio station vanishes overnight and one of Kofi’s friends is accused of stealing, then the whole beautiful plan starts to fall apart . . .
Can Kofi and his best mate Kelvin unravel the mystery, stay out of trouble and do their homework – all without mum and dad spotting anything – before teatime?
Kofi and the Secret Radio Station is the second music-making adventure in Jeffrey Boakye’s debut fiction series.
About the author
Jeffrey Boakye is an author, broadcaster, educator and journalist with a particular interest in issues surrounding race, masculinity, education and popular culture. Originally from Brixton in London, Jeffrey has taught secondary school English for fifteen years. He is a senior teaching fellow at the University of Manchester and has been awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Leicester.
Jeffrey’s books include: Hold Tight: Black Masculinity, Millennials and the Meaning of Grime; Black, Listed: Black British Culture Explored; What is Masculinity? Why Does it Matter? And Other Big Questions; Musical Truth: A Musical Journey Through Modern Black Britain; and I Heard What You Said. He is also the co-presenter of BBC Radio 4’s double award-winning Add to Playlist. Jeffrey now lives in Yorkshire with his wife and two sons.
A letter from Jeffrey Boakye
Hello!
First things first – Kofi is BACK! As you can see, I’m so excited for the publication of Kofi and the Secret Radio Station, following up on his first big adventure, Kofi and the Rap Battle Summer.
So what’s new?
There are three words that describe this book really well, and they all start with ‘M’: Music, Mischief and Mystery . If you’ve spent any time with Kofi at all, you’ll know that his mind is like a spinning firework of creativity, always looking out for opportunities to make a little money and have a lot of fun, and of course, his best friend Kelvin is right there by his side, equipped with his amazing memory and his incredible rapping skills.
There’s a lot to discover in this book. Hidden pasts, new friends, family fun, old secrets and big shocks, all set to a soundtrack of music that Kofi, Kelvin, Leroy and his friends at school love so much. When I sat down to write this one, I wanted to make it big and exciting – to expand Kofi’s world and take the reader (that’s you) on a journey. I also wanted to have even more music and rapping than in the first book, so get ready for some serious bars all the way through.
But more than that, I wanted to shape a story of a boy growing up through a magical childhood, even though everything I’ve written is super realistic. Set in 1995, this book takes us back almost thirty years to a time of no internet, no mobile phones, and no social media, where you had to buy magazines and record songs off the radio on to cassette tapes.
Radio. That’s where the magic begins. The sound of bass drifting through the estate . . . A secret world, ready to explore . . . A mysterious new guide for Kofi and his friends . . . I remember, as a kid myself, tuning through the radio stations to see what I might find and hearing all sorts of music, sometimes from radio stations only a few miles from where I lived. The radio was where you enjoyed music and made connections. It was where my sisters and I would go to hear the latest tunes from America, the Caribbean, Africa, or other parts of the UK. It was a whole world.
That’s what Kofi and the Secret Radio Station is all about, and I can’t wait to see what you make of it. I’m so proud of this book and I know it will leave people laughing, gasping, rapping and maybe even wiping a tear or two from their eyes. Yes, it’s that deep!
Thank you so much for reading this far. Make sure to pick up a copy when it lands – you won’t be disappointed. In the words of Kofi himself: Trust me.
Until next time,
Jeffrey Boakye
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Before reading
Take a look at the book title and cover. What do you think the book will be about?
Do you ever listen to the radio? If so, which radio stations or shows?
What sort of music do you most enjoy listening to?
Have you ever written a song of your own?
Kofi and the Secret Radio Station is the second book in a series. Have you read the first book Kofi and the Rap Battle Summer before?
After reading
Did the book match up to what you expected? Were there any surprises?
What was your favourite moment in the story?
Did you have a favourite character? Why did you like them?
Kofi comes up with a lot of money-making schemes, but they often end in disaster. Why do you think that is?
Would you want to perform live on air if you found a secret radio station? Why or why not?
Can you remember any specific songs or musicians that are mentioned in the book? Have you listened to any of them before?
The book is set in the 1990s. What differences did you notice between then and now? How has technology changed?
Do you think there was any moral to the story in Kofi and the Secret Radio Station?
Have you learned anything new about the world after reading this book?
CHARACTER PROFILES
What do you remember about the characters in Kofi and the Secret Radio Station? Write out five facts about each of the following:
• Kofi
• Kelvin
• Gloria
• Emmanuel
• Shanice
• T
• Leroy
• Kofi’s mum
• Kofi’s dad
• Uncle Delroy
• Linton
• Mr Thompson
EXPLORE FURTHER
How does radio work, and how has it changed since it was first invented? Look up the science of sound and find out more about how we hear, record and use radio waves to transmit it.
When Kofi is watching The Chart Show on page 77, the book says that ‘if you were lucky, you might get some hip-hop, R & B, reggae, house or soul: black music that you didn’t hear much on the radio’. What can you find out about the history of these music genres? Who are some of the famous black musicians behind them?
Make your own secret radio station. Using a computer and microphone or the recording app on a smartphone, have a go at recording your own welcome message. Which ten songs would you choose for your playlist?
The Houdini Inheritance by
Emma Carroll
Faber
Can you unjumble the letters of these secret code words?
Harry Houdini’s TOP SECRET magical activities TOP SECRET
Houdini needs your help to unlock his suitcase of magic tricks! Follow the maze to find the right key.
Houdini’s pet dog ERIC has escaped! Colour in all of the squares below that contain the letters of his name (E, R, I and C) to follow his paw prints and find a clue about which tent he’s hiding in. Once the clue is revealed, circle the correct tent.
Harry Houdini’s TOP SECRET magical activities
Draw your own poster for Houdini’s MARVELLOUS magic show in the box below!
What Happened toYou?
by James Catchpole
Learning resources
Level: Years 2, 3 & 4
Learning Resources for What Happened to You?
Reading Guide
Follow Up Lesson Plan
Approximate time: 30 minutes each Materials: book, anchor chart, markers
Level: Year 2, 3, & 4
Teacher’s Note: Not to expect or pressure any disabled children in the classroom to share their experiences for the class during this lesson. Also, some children may not choose to identify as ‘disabled,’ and that’s up to them.
Overall Learning Objectives
● As a mirror: for disabled children to understand that they are entitled to have boundaries, to protect their own privacy, and to expect respect from their peers and those around them. Any information they wish to share about their experiences or medical condition is at their own discretion and comfort.
● As a window: for non-disabled readers, to see how asking intrusive questions can be upsetting and othering to disabled people, and indeed, to anyone. Do not ask people, especially strangers, personal questions about their body.
● Disabled means your body or your mind works differently from other people’s.
● Disabled people have to work out their own ways of doing things, and that’s fine. But being singled out as different isn’t fine.
Essential Background Knowledge
There are many different kinds of disabilities. Some are visible, which means that we can see them when we look at the person, and some are invisible, which means that we can’t see their disability. Either way, a disabled person’s disability is normal for them.
Specific learning points that may naturally arise during reading and follow up lesson:
- It is normal to have questions and be curious when you see someone who looks different from you, but save those questions for later and ask a trusted adult to help you learn more about it.
- An example of not asking people we don’t know personal questions about their bodies: Can you think of a grown-up man you know who has lost most of his hair? Imagine you saw a bald man you didn’t know, in the street. Would you go up to him and ask: ‘What happened to your hair?’
- Your disabled friends may eventually wish to tell you about their disability but it is up to them if, when, and how they tell you, and once they do tell you, it is not your story to tell other people.*
- How to be an ally: Not asking ‘what happened to you?’ is a good start, but we can also choose to step in when we see other children surrounded in the playground, being asked intrusive questions about their disability.
- Take action by asking them if they are okay, and telling the other kids what they’re doing is rude.
- Standing in the mob and listening while other kids ask questions is not okay.
*When is it okay to tell someone something a friend told you in confidence? For instance, if your friend is being hurt by someone or in danger, you should tell an adult you trust like a teacher. But you don’t go around telling everyone in the class. It’s the same with all personal confidences, including those around a friend’s disability.
Success criteria can look like
● Students participating and sharing respectfully in discussion.
● Students asking relevant questions.
● Students coming back to look at the book later.
Further resources to support this discussion:
thecatchpoles.net
Article: ‘How to Talk to Your Child About Disability’ For more recommended picture books with disability representation see James and Lucy Catchpole’s selective list:
Teacher’s Note: Not to expect or pressure any disabled children in the classroom to share their experiences for the class during this lesson. Also, some children may not choose to identify as ‘disabled,’ and that’s up to them.
Success Criteria
● Students are able to make one or more relevant connections between the text and their lives or other texts.
● Students express their feelings on this issue and reflect on what it means in a coherent manner.
● Students participate in problem solving as a class.
● Students demonstrate ability to search for further information using the tools at their disposal. Lesson Plan & Activities
Happened to You?
1 Reading What Happened to You?
This is a follow-up class reading Take the opportunity to reflect with students and remind them of the concepts discussed previously.
Pull out the anchor chart you made together during the first reading to guide discussion.
● Students with vision or hearing impairment should be given a spot closer to the book.
● Students who require a stimming aid should have access.
● Students should be given the opportunity to look at the book independently later.
Give students the option of the following three assignments, the third assignment might take several days.
2
Assignment 1
Making connections to ourselves
Reflect in your journal on a time when people made you feel uncomfortable or upset by asking questions. If you do not wish for your teacher to read your response, fold your paper inwards.
3 Assignment 2
Making connections to our other learning goals
Discuss together how this story is like or unlike other novels and stories you have read as a class. Follow up with a piece in your writing journal comparing and contrasting it to another character in a story or book you have read.
Assignment 3
Making connections to our communities and the world
Being polite when meeting a disabled person is a good first step, but lack of accessibility in our communities and the world at large is a massive problem. How can your school, neighbourhood or community be more accessible to disabled people? What steps can you take as a class to work towards improving accessibility together?
Accommodations:
Accessible writing utensils or text to speech program should be made available for students who require fine motor support.
Modifications: Students may select Assignment 2 if this makes them uncomfortable.
Modification: Students could compare to other forms of media they are familiar with.
4
For example, is your playground accessible? If not, what steps need to be taken to fix this? Writing a letter to your local council, mayor’s office or local planning department is one possible step.
This project can be carried out independently, in pairs or small groups. Students will need to do research and require guidance from the teacher in this process.
This is an opportunity to learn more about how your community is run, and how accessibility matters are decided in your town.
Accommodations:
Accessible writing utensils or text to speech program should be made available for students who require fine motor support.
Learning resources
Level: EYFS & Year 1
Learning Resources for What Happened to You?
Reading Guide
Follow Up Lesson Plan
Approximate time: 30 minutes each Materials: Book, Anchor Chart, Markers
Level: EYFS & Year 1
Teacher’s Note: Not to expect or pressure any disabled children in the classroom to share their experiences for the class during this lesson. Also, some children may not choose to identify as ‘disabled,’ and that’s up to them.
Overall Learning Objectives
● As a mirror: for disabled children to understand that they are entitled to have boundaries, to protect their own privacy, and to expect respect from their peers and those around them. Any information they wish to share about their experiences or medical condition is at their own discretion and comfort.
● As a window: for non-disabled readers, to see how asking intrusive questions can be upsetting and othering to disabled people, and indeed, to anyone. Do not ask people, especially strangers, personal questions about their body.
● Disabled means your body or your mind works differently from other people’s.
● Disabled people have to work out their own ways of doing things, and that’s fine. But being singled out as different isn’t fine.
Essential Background Knowledge
There are many different kinds of disabilities. Some are visible, which means that we can see them when we look at the person, and some are invisible, which means that we can’t see their disability. Either way, a disabled person’s disability is normal for them.
Specific learning points that may naturally arise during reading and follow up lesson:
- It is normal to have questions and be curious when you see someone who looks different from you, but save those questions for later and ask a trusted adult to help you learn more about it.
- An example of not asking people we don’t know personal questions about their bodies: Can you think of a grown-up man you know who has lost most of his hair? Imagine you saw a bald man you didn’t know, in the street. Would you go up to him and ask: ‘What happened to your hair?’
- Your disabled friends may eventually wish to tell you about their disability but it is up to them if, when, and how they tell you, and once they do tell you, it is not your story to tell other people.*
- How to be an ally: Not asking ‘what happened to you?’ is a good start, but we can also choose to step in when we see other children surrounded in the playground, being asked intrusive questions about their disability.
o Take action by asking them if they are okay, and telling the other kids what they’re doing is rude.
o Standing in the mob and listening while other kids ask questions is not okay.
* When is it okay to tell someone something a friend told you in confidence? For instance, if your friend is being hurt by someone or in danger, you tell an adult you trust like a teacher. But you don’t go around telling everyone in the class. It’s the same with all personal confidences, including those around a friend’s disability.
Further resources to support this discussion:
thecatchpoles.net
Article: ‘How to Talk to Your Child About Disability’ For more recommended picture books with disability representation see James and Lucy Catchpole’s selective list: https://thecatchpoles.net/2 020/08/10/disability-inkids-books-a-list-by-twodisabled-people-inpublishing/
Success criteria can look like
● Students participating and sharing respectfully in discussion.
● Students asking relevant questions.
● Students coming back to look at the book later.
Accommodations
& Modifications
● Students with vision or hearing impairment should be given a spot closer to the book
● Students who require a stimming aid should have access.
● Students should be given the opportunity to look at the book independently later.
1 Minds on: Pre-Reading
Begin with a class brainstorm: ‘What is a disability and what do we do when we meet someone who is disabled or looks different?’
Gauge how much background discussion you need to support understanding of this reading.
Read: What Happened to You?
2
Questions during reading: ‘How do you think Joe feels?’
On anchor chart paper brainstorm the meaning of ‘Disability’.
3
Post Reading Questions
• What could these kids have done differently?
• What did the kids do that was right?
• If you saw a bunch of kids asking a disabled child questions like this, what can you do? You can go in and tell them to leave the kid alone and ask the kid if they want to play with you or if they’re okay.
• ‘Why do you think we didn’t find out why Joe only has one leg?’
Because it’s none of our business.
Point out facial cues and discuss what emotions they indicate.
Depending on attention span choose one or more of these questions, or pause for opportunity for kids to move around before continuing.
Their thoughts should be recorded on the anchor chart for follow up lesson discussion.
Follow Up Lesson Plan What Happened to You?
Follow Up Lesson Plan: Social Stories Making Friends
Approximate time: 30 minutes
Materials: Previously made brainstorm chart, book, anchor paper, markers
Level: EYFS & Year 1
Teacher’s Note: Not to expect or pressure any disabled children in the classroom to share their experiences for the class during this lesson. Also, some children may not choose to identify as ‘disabled,’ and that’s up to them.
Success Criteria
● Students demonstrate an understanding of appropriate social scripts, through writing, drawing, speaking or acting out.
● Students creatively or orally express feelings around meeting new people
● Students are polite and courteous towards one another.
Lesson Plan Agenda
1
What Happened to You?
James Catchpole & Karen George
When we meet someone, how can we show them we want to be friends?
Brainstorm in small groups, ‘How do we make friends?’
Students can write or draw out their ideas on chart paper to share with the class.
Accomodations & Directions
Accommodations:
Accessible writing utensils should be made available for students who require fine motor support.
If a student prefers to work alone they may do so on their own chart, writing journal, or speech to text computer.
Modification:
Students can be provided with puppets or dolls to act out a social interaction scene with friends, teaching aide, or teacher.
2
Practice
Using anchor chart paper write out the following prompts to begin class discussion on how we meet someone new politely.
We introduce ourselves before we ask questions ‘Hi my name is ____ and I am ___ years old. I really like ____.’
Then you CAN ask the new person questions but remember we do not ask people questions about their bodies. You can ask: Their name. Their age. If they would like to play with you What they like to do best. What their favourite book or TV show is.
What are some other things you might ask someone you’ve just met?
Explore
Pick someone in your class who you don’t know very well! (Probably best for the teacher to choose.)
Social Script:
‘Hi my name is ____ and I am ___ years old. I really like ____.’
What are some other things you might ask someone you’ve just met?
3
4
In pairs, let’s get to know each other! Try asking these questions to each other and find out what you have in common!
Reading What Happened to You?
This should be the second time this has been read and students will be familiar with the text.
Modification:
Students can be provided with dolls/puppets to act out these scenarios together.
● Students with vision or hearing impairment should be given a spot closer to the book
Take a moment to review the previous reading’s discussion (which you should have saved on an anchor chart)
● Students who require a stimming aid should have access.
● Students should be given the opportunity to look at the book independently later. exploration
Allow students to make connections from today’s xploration of making friends with what unfolds in the story.
Option 1: With the partner you were assigned above, write out the things you have learned about your new friend.
Option 2: Draw a picture of yourself and your friends. Label the picture with your name, and what you like to do together
Option 3: Cut out paper dolls and act out a social story of making friends.
Option 4: Act out a scene of making friends and record it using your classroom iPad/tablet.
Mama Car by Lucy Catchpole
Mama Car by Lucy Catchpole illustrated by Karen George www.thecatchpoles.net
Mama Car by Lucy Catchpole illustrated by Karen George www.thecatchpoles.net
Created with the author
by Katie Renker with Lucy Catchpole
A Wheelchair Journey Around London
Mama Car
We the 15 I love Channel 4’s Paralympics advert. But we can’t all be superhumans
See also: Lucy & James’s list: Great books by disabled authors: children's & YA
These learning resources were written by Katie Allison Renker, and edited by Lucy & James Catchpole. Katie is a teacher and wheelchair user. Lucy is a wheelchair user too - and the author of Mama Car.
Lucy Catchpole also co-wrote picure book You’re So Amazing! with her husband James Catchpole, the author of Going Viral and What Happened to You?
Find more on all their books at: Books by Lucy and James Catchpole
Lucy & James Catchpole & daughters
– tropes in children’s picture books
‘How to Talk to Your Child About Disability’
Katie Renker with Lucy Catchpole
Renker
Catchpole
Find specific guidelines for the curriculum in Wales, England and Scotland at this link: England Scotland & Wales or the QR code
What Happened to You? learning resources
These learning resources were written by Katie Allison Renker, and edited by Lucy & James Catchpole. Katie is a teacher and wheelchair user. Lucy is a wheelchair user too - and the author of Mama Car.
Lucy Catchpole also co-wrote You’re So Amazing! with her husband James Catchpole, author of Going Viral and What Happened to You?
Lucy & James Catchpole & daughters
You’re SO Amazing
by James and Lucy Catchpole
LEARNING RESOURCES
LEVEL: YEARS 2, 3 AND 4
You’re SO Amazing!
Written by: James & Lucy Catchpole
Illustrated by: Karen George
Reading guide & follow-up lesson plan
Subject: Language.
Duration: 1-2 days lessons: 40 min each
Level: Years 2, 3 and 4
Topic: Disability and Disabled Children
Focus:Normalising Disability
Teacher’s notes
Not to expect or pressure any disabled children in the classroom to share their experiences for the class during this lesson. Also, some children may not choose to identify as ‘disabled,’ and that’s up to them.
Specific learning points that may naturally arise during reading and follow up lesson
• Disabled children and adults should be given space to go about their business without having people stare at them, ask them questions, or make a fuss about them participating.
Essential background knowledge
• There are many different kinds of disabilities. Some are visible, which means that we can see them when we look at the person, and some are invisible, which means that we can’t see their disability. Either way, a disabled person’s disability is normal for them.
This is an opportunity to mention some of the many nondisability-specific tools used by all the characters in the story.
• It is normal to have questions and be curious when you see someone who looks different from you, but save those questions for later and ask a trusted adult to help you learn more about it.
� The little girl stands on a stool to reach the table
Accommodations & modifications
� The family use a car to travel a bigger distance to the park
� Daddy uses a bucket to hold the water to wash the car
• This story functions as a window for non-disabled students to empathize with what their peers may be experiencing and consider how they might be more inclusive and welcoming on the playground.
Help them make the connection that mobility aids are just tools disabled people use to make their lives easier.
• Partially sighted or d/Deaf students should be given a spot closer to the book.
‘What tools do you use every day to make your lives easier?’
• Students who require a stimming aid should have access.
• This story functions as a mirror for disabled students to see their own experience and lets them know that their challenges are valid, and shared by others.
You’re SO Amazing!
• Students should be given the opportunity to look at the book independently later.
Before reading
What/who do you think is going to be amazing in this book? Why?
This is an opportunity to mention some of the many nondisability-specific tools used by all the characters in the story.
� The little girl stands on a stool to reach the table
� The family use a car to travel a bigger distance to the park
� Daddy uses a bucket to hold the water to wash the car
Making inferences / activate prior knowledge
Prompt:
Help them make the connection that mobility aids are just tools disabled people use to make their lives easier.
• Minds on: Ask students in their journals to write out what they think the word ‘amazing’ means, and examples of ‘amazing’ things that people can do. This can be done in partners or small groups.
‘What tools do you use every day to make your lives easier?
As I read, You’re So Amazing, I want you to decide if the boy in the cover is indeed amazing? Make sure you are able to explain why.
• Make predictions: What do you think this book is about? Why?
You’re
SO Amazing!
During reading
When reading out loud, stop to clarify and to check for understanding.
And as the story goes on, encourage empathy by asking students if and how their own experiences relate to Joe’s.
• Joe and Simone play “Doctor Crokchops vs Senor Sharkface Pirate Grudge Fight”. Have you ever played a similar imaginary game? What was it?
• Has anyone ever said something about you that sounded like a good thing, but which made you feel uncomfortable? What was it? (a good example might be if kids have been called ‘cute’)
• Joe stops playing his game with Simone. Why? (people keep interrupting to tell him he is amazing)
• Later, when Joe is hiding, someone calls him something different. What does he say? (“Poor kid”) Why does he say that? (he thinks Joe must be feeling left out and he feels sorry for him)
This is an opportunity to mention some of the many non-
• Have you ever been called amazing? How did you feel about it? (likely answer: it felt GOOD!)
• But how does Joe feel about being called amazing? Why? (he’s just doing ordinary things and can’t understand why everyone thinks he’s being amazing – so he feels uncomfortable)
• Is he right? (NO! Joe was just hiding and it was his game.)
• So Joe’s game gets interrupted again, first by people telling him he’s amazing, and then by someone feeling sorry for him. And what do these interrupting people have in common? (they all treat him differently and single him out from the other kids, because he has one leg - because he has a disability)
• But here’s the thing. Joe is just like all the other children - he’s just like you (students). The only difference is that he has one leg.
During reading
(continued)
When reading out loud, stop to clarify and to check for understanding.
And as the story goes on, encourage empathy by asking students if and how their own experiences relate to Joe’s.
• We all have things that make us different. You can give examples of things that make you different or made you different as a child, perhaps something you felt self-conscious about. Then you can ask students for examples from their own experience.
• You can explain to the class that just like Joe, you felt bad, embarrassed, angry when people pointed out that difference.
• And finally, why is Joe happiest with his friends? (for them, he is normal: he’s not Amazing Joe or Poor Joe – he’s just Joe)
This is an opportunity to mention some of the many nondisability-specific tools used by all the characters in the story.
• Then Yui comes along and invites Joe to play football. Why does he start to feel happy again? (because Yui doesn’t call him amazing – he just plays with him just the same as with any other kid)
� The little girl stands on a stool to reach the table
� The family use a car to travel a bigger distance to the park
� Daddy uses a buck
Help them make the connection that mobility aids are just
After reading
Comprehension: Summarising/ identifying the main ideas
• Students complete Story Map independently and answer questions:
Use this example map template, or create your own:
• Ask and discuss with the class, ‘why did Joe not like being called ‘Amazing?’. How can this story affect how we treat other kids we meet on the playground who are disabled?
Sharing ideas and follow-up discussion
• Students who wish, can share their story maps with the class.
You’re SO Amazing!
conclusion
• Read the letter from James and Lucy at the back of the book to help students understand the authors’ intention.
• What is the main idea in this book? What do you think James and Lucy Catchpole wanted you to
• understand?
Further resources to support this discussion:
• thecatchpoles.net Article: ‘How to Talk to Your Child About Disability’
• For more recommended picture books with disability representation see James and Lucy Catchpole’s selective list:
We recommend revisiting this lesson on multiple days to allow students to process.
Approximate time: 35 minutes
Level: EYFS & Year 1
Topic: Disability and Disabled Children
Materials: Journals or a story map –you can download one here>> CLICK HERE FOR STORY MAP
Teacher’s notes
Not to expect or pressure any disabled children in the classroom to share their experiences for the class during this lesson. Also, some children may not choose to identify as ‘disabled,’ and that’s up to them.
Specific learning points that may naturally arise during reading and follow up lesson
• Disabled children and adults should be given space to go about their business without having people stare at them, ask them questions, or make a fuss about them participating.
Essential background knowledge
• There are many different kinds of disabilities. Some are visible, which means that we can see them when we look at the person, and some are invisible, which means that we can’t see their disability. Either way, a disabled person’s disability is normal for them.
This is an opportunity to mention some of the many nondisability-specific tools used by all the characters in the story.
• It is normal to have questions and be curious when you see someone who looks different from you, but save those questions for later and ask a trusted adult to help you learn more about it.
� The little girl stands on a stool to reach the table
Accommodations & modifications
� The family use a car to travel a bigger distance to the park
� Daddy uses a bucket to hold the water to wash the car
• This story functions as a window for non-disabled students to empathize with what their peers may be experiencing and consider how they might be more inclusive and welcoming on the playground.
Help them make the connection that mobility aids are just tools disabled people use to make their lives easier.
• Partially sighted or d/Deaf students should be given a spot closer to the book.
‘What tools do you use every day to make your lives easier?’
• Students who require a stimming aid should have access.
• This story functions as a mirror for disabled students to see their own experience and lets them know that their challenges are valid, and shared by others.
You’re SO Amazing!
• Students should be given the opportunity to look at the book independently later.
Before reading
What is the name of the book?
What do you see on the cover?
Who are the authors and illustrator?
This is an opportunity to mention some of the many nondisability-specific tools used by all the characters in the story.
� The little girl stands on a stool to reach the table
� The family use a car to travel a bigger distance to the park
� Daddy uses a bucket to hold the water to wash the car
Activate prior knowledge
• What do you think this book will be about? Why do you think so?.
Success criteria can look like:
Help them make the connection that mobility aids are just tools disabled people use to make their lives easier.
• Students participating and sharing respectfully in discussion.
‘What tools do you use every day to make your lives easier?’
• What does the word ‘amazing’ mean?
(Definition: excellent, impressive, surprising)
• Can you give examples of things or people that are amazing?
• What/who do you think is going to be amazing in this book? Why?
You’re SO Amazing!
• Students asking relevant questions.
• Students coming back to look at the book later.
During reading
As you read, stop and discuss the illustrations and what is happening on each page.
And as the story goes on, encourage empathy by asking students if and how their own experiences relate to Joe’s.
• Joe and Simone play “Doctor Crokchops vs Senor Sharkface Pirate Grudge Fight”. Have you ever played a similar imaginary game? What was it?
• Has anyone ever said something about you that sounded like a good thing, but which made you feel uncomfortable? What was it? (a good example might be if kids have been called ‘cute’)
• Joe stops playing his game with Simone. Why? (people keep interrupting to tell him he is amazing)
• Later, when Joe is hiding, someone calls him something different. What does he say? (“Poor kid”) Why does he say that? (he thinks Joe must be feeling left out and he feels sorry for him)
This is an opportunity to mention some of the many non-
• Have you ever been called amazing? How did you feel about it? (likely answer: it felt GOOD!)
• But how does Joe feel about being called amazing? Why? (he’s just doing ordinary things and can’t understand why everyone thinks he’s being amazing – so he feels uncomfortable)
• Is he right? (NO! Joe was just hiding and it was his game.)
• So Joe’s game gets interrupted again, first by people telling him he’s amazing, and then by someone feeling sorry for him. And what do these interrupting people have in common? (they all treat him differently and single him out from the other kids, because he has one leg - because he has a disability)
• But here’s the thing. Joe is just like all the other children - he’s just like you (students). The only difference is that he has one leg.
During reading
(continued)
As you read, stop and discuss the illustrations and what is happening on each page.
And as the story goes on, encourage empathy by asking students if and how their own experiences relate to Joe’s.
• We all have things that make us different. You can give examples of things that make you different or made you different as a child, perhaps something you felt self-conscious about. Then you can ask students for examples from their own experience.
• You can explain to the class that just like Joe, you felt bad, embarrassed, angry when people pointed out that difference.
• And finally, why is Joe happiest with his friends? (for them, he is normal: he’s not Amazing Joe or Poor Joe – he’s just Joe)
This is an opportunity to mention some of the many nondisability-specific tools used by all the characters in the story.
• Then Yui comes along and invites Joe to play football. Why does he start to feel happy again? (because Yui doesn’t call him amazing – he just plays with him just the same as with any other kid)
� The little girl stands on a stool to reach the table
� The family use a car to travel a bigger distance to the park
� Daddy uses a buck
Help them make the connection that mobility aids are just
After reading
Comprehension: Summarising/
identifying the main ideas
• Students complete Story Map and answer questions: (Students, independently, draw and then describe in writing what happens in the beginning, middle and end of the story. You need to create your own graphic organizer, or find one you can copy. Most include Characters and Setting as well.)
Use this example map template, or create your own:
• Students who wish, can share their story maps with the class.
Success criteria
• Students demonstrate an understanding of the story, through writing, drawing, or speaking to the class.
You’re SO Amazing!
conclusion
• Share the letter and picture of James and Lucy at the back of the book with students.
• Ask: Why do you think James and Lucy wrote this book? What did they want you to understand?
Further resources to support this discussion:
• thecatchpoles.net Article: ‘How to Talk to Your Child About Disability’
• For more recommended picture books with disability representation see James and Lucy Catchpole’s selective list: https://thecatchpoles.net/2 020/08/10/ disability-in-kids-books-a-list-by-twodisabled-people-in-publishing/
The Secret of Golden Island
by Natasha Farrant
Faber
The Secret of Golden Island
By Natasha Farrant
Explore themes of:
✔ The power of friendship: Discover how Skylar and Yakov’s partnership becomes a source of strength. Explore how their shared goals and support enable them to overcome obstacles and work together towards a common dream.
✔ Challenges for child refugees: Learn about the struggles child refugees face when adjusting to a new country. Discover the difficulties of adapting to a new culture, language and finding a sense of stability after leaving their home.
✔ Recognising and responding to medical emergencies: Through Skylar’s grandpa’s experience, learn how to recognise the signs of a stroke and the important steps to take, to respond quickly and to provide help and support.
✔ Resilience in the face of adversity: Follow Skylar and Yakov as they confront their fears and uncertainties. See how their determination and bravery help them face the difficulties in their lives and their quest for the island.
Subjects: • English • Geography • PSHE
About the book:
What will two children do to win an island?
Golden Island sits like a fortress in a swirling sea . . .
Yakov has fled to England to escape the war at home. Skylar’s beloved grandfather is unwell.
When the two children meet, they recognise something in each other: a reckless desire to change things up for the better . . .
Then a competition is announced. To win a nearby island!
Yakov and Skylar are convinced the island will make everything better, but the odds are stacked against them.
An action-packed adventure from the Costa Award-winning author.
About the author: Natasha Farrant
Natasha Farrant is the author of the SundayTimes Children’s Book of the Year, The Rescue of Ravenwood; Costa Award-winning novel, Voyage of the Sparrowhawk; best selling novel, The Children of Castle Rock; the acclaimed Bluebell Gadsby series and Carnegie-longlisted and Branford Boase-shortlisted young adult historical novel, TheThingsWe Did for Love. She lives in London with her family and a small black cat, and would love nothing better than to have her own tiny island.
Contents
PRE-READING: COVER AND INTRODUCTORY QUESTIONS
LESSON 1:
EXTRACT 1: GOLDEN ISLAND (from CHAPTER ONE: pages 3-5) AND DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
ACTIVITY 1: MAP MAKING
ACTIVITY SHEET 1: A BIRD’S-EYE VIEW
Objectives: Analyse the key features of maps and develop map-reading skills; engage in imaginative visualisation and design a detailed map of Golden Island by using the description from the text.
LESSON 2:
EXTRACT 2A: YAKOV (from CHAPTER TWO: pages 6-8); EXTRACT 2B: GOING TO ENGLAND
(from CHAPTER THREE: pages 9-10) AND DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
ACTIVITY 2: THROUGH YAKOV’S EYES
ACTIVITY SHEET 2: DIARY OF A REFUGEE
Objectives: Learn about the realities of being a refugee; write diary entries from a refugee’s perspective to explore and express the experiences and emotions associated with displacement.
ADDITIONAL NOTES PRODUCED BY THE REFUGEE COUNCIL
LESSON 3:
EXTRACT 3: EVERYTHING HAD CHANGED (from CHAPTER FIVE: pages 26-29) AND DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
ACTIVITY 3: RAISING AWARENESS
ACTIVITY SHEET 3: SIGNS OF A STROKE
Objectives: Understand what a stroke is and how it affects the body; recognise the importance of early intervention with the acronym ‘FAST’ and promote awareness through a classroom campaign.
LESSON 4:
EXTRACT 4: ISLAND TO WIN (from CHAPTER NINE: pages 53-56) AND DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
ACTIVITY 4: DESIGN YOUR DREAM ISLAND
ACTIVITY SHEET 4: MY ISLAND WISHLIST
Objectives: Discover and investigate various islands from around the world; create a wishlist for their own dream island, imagining what activities, features and items would make it the perfect place.
ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES AND INNOVATIVE IDEAS
NATIONAL CURRICULUM OBJECTIVES (KEY STAGE 2/3)
Pre-reading: Cover and Introductory Questions
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Look at the cover closely. Which part do you find the most interesting and why does it stand out to you?
2. Who wrote this book? Have you read any other books by this author? If so, what did you like about them? Can you also find the illustrator’s name on the front or back cover?
3. The cover shows two characters in a boat heading towards an island with a house. Who do you think these characters might be – friends, siblings, or even enemies? What makes you think so?
4. Why do you think the book is called The Secret of Golden Island? What kinds of secrets might the island have?
5. How do you think the characters will feel when they step on to the island? Do you think they already know about or have visited the island before? Or might it be new to them?
6. What do you think will happen in the story based on what you see on the cover?
7. The house on the island looks intriguing. What do you imagine the house on the island is used for? Could it be a clue to the island’s secret? Also, what about the person coming down the steps? Do you think they will be welcoming or challenging for the characters? Why?
8. Does the cover make you want to read the book? What about it makes you feel that way?
9. Now, read the blurb (the summary) on the back cover. What new details does it add about the story? How does it build on what you see on the cover? What additional information does it provide?
10. After looking at the cover and reading the blurb, what questions do you have about the story? Make a list of your questions and see if you can find answers when you read the book.
‘A classic in the making.’ JOANNA NADIN ‘A perfect story.’ KATYA BALEN
‘Dazzlingly good.’ LAUREN ST JOHN
Lesson 1
EXTRACT 1: GOLDEN ISLAND
(from CHAPTER ONE: pages 3-5)
Far away from here,a mile out from Dead Man’s Beach and just west of the market town of Broademouth,tiny Golden Island sits like a fortress in a swirling sea.There is a landing stage on its eastern side,but it is rarely used.All around the island,sheer cliffs and jagged rocks discourage visitors.The one tree visible from the mainland is a lonely sight, stunted and twisted,all its branches stretched inland,as if trying to escape.There is a house here but,apart from the curious lookout tower which juts from its roof,it is entirely hidden behind a garden wall.
In the depths of winter,when the wind howls and storms batter the cliffs,this can seem a desolate place.And yet, in the spring,pink roses tumble over the wall facing the mainland.Behind those walls,people say,anything can grow.They say that it is full of trees planted long ago – chestnut,oak,an ancient yew.That the scent of a particular honeysuckle could make you drunk.
All of this they say,but no one knows for sure,because this is a private island.It’s been a long time since anyone but its owner sat beneath those garden trees,or lay in bed listening to the whisper of the waves.And even he hardly ever comes,though he does love the place.He lives so far away now! Aside from his rare visits,the island is home to birds –warblers,wrens,finches,pipits,gannets and gulls and cormorants and terns.
There are stories about Golden Island.Long ago,it was said that on nights when the moon was full,the tide would pull back far enough for a silver path to shine along the seabed,all the way from the island to the mainland.On darker nights – it was said – the ghosts of smugglers who once used the island as a hiding place rose from the ground all along the coast,bent on murder and revenge.
But these are old stories.Ours is new,and it begins on an ordinary Friday morning in the middle of May,on a school playing field,with a boy and a girl calledYakov and Skylar.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Describe the location of Golden Island. Where is it situated?
2. How does the island’s appearance and atmosphere change from winter to spring?
3. What do the cliffs, rocks and jagged edges around Golden Island suggest about its character? Do these features make the island feel welcoming or dangerous?
4. Why do you think no one knows for sure what’s behind the garden walls on Golden Island?
5. Could there be something unusual about Golden Island that makes the owner visit less often, even though he loves it? Or is it simply because he lives so far away?
6. Golden Island is home to many types of birds. Have you ever seen or heard of any of these before?
7. How does the description of Golden Island make you feel? Does it sound like a place you’d want to explore or would you rather keep your distance?
8. If you could visit Golden Island, what would you want to do first? Would you explore the hidden garden, climb the lookout tower or search for the legendary silver path? What do you think you might find?
9. Do you think there could be some truth behind the old stories about Golden Island or might they just be myths passed down over time?
10. When does the new story begin and who are the two main characters introduced?
11. Now, read the blurb (the summary) on the back cover. What new details does it add about the story? How does it build on what you see on the cover? What additional information does it provide?
12. After looking at the cover and reading the blurb, what questions do you have about the story? Make a list of your questions and see if you can find answers when you read the book.
Activity 1: Map Making
• Start with a brief discussion about maps and their importance in exploration. Explain how maps help us understand and navigate different places, and how they can tell stories about the features and history of a location.
• Show different types of maps, including one from your local area so students can see and recognise some familiar places, as well as fantasy maps of settings from books to ignite their imagination.
• Point out the features of maps such as the key, which explains the symbols and colours used; the scale, which shows the map’s proportion to real-life distances; and the compass rose, which indicates directions like north (N), south (S), east (E) and west (W).
• Depending on the time you have available, you might like to assess students’ map-reading skills by guiding them to find specific locations using both cardinal and ordinal directions: northeast (NE), southeast (SE), southwest (SW) and northwest (NW).
• Read the extract describing Golden Island to the class. Discuss key features mentioned in the text, such as the cliffs, lookout tower, garden, the mysterious atmosphere and the types of nature found there. Ensure that students are aware that an island is a piece of land completely surrounded by water.
• Explain that they are going to create a map of Golden Island, based on this description.
• Ask them to close their eyes and imagine themselves stepping foot on the island. Encourage them to visualise the sights, sounds and feelings they might experience and to think about how the island’s features influence their impressions.
• Discuss what students imagined and use their ideas to model how to draw a map of Golden Island on the board. Provide prompts to help students think about the layout, such as: “Where might the garden be placed in relation to the cliffs?” and “How will you show the swirling sea around the island?”
• After this, ask them to sketch rough drafts of what they have imagined on scrap paper, noting the positions of key features (e.g. cliffs, lookout tower, garden). Here, you may also want to look at some images of real islands to observe their topographical features, such as cliffs, beaches and the diverse flora and fauna.
• Once students have their rough drafts, have them refine and transfer their designs onto the activity sheet to create more finished versions of their maps. Allow students to be creative with their maps. They can include additional elements like imagined landmarks, such as those from the island’s old stories, or decorative borders that enhance the map’s story and appearance.
• To wrap up, reveal the map illustrated by David Dean on the inside cover of the book and compare it with the students’ fictional maps of Golden Island. Talk about the similarities and differences between their creative interpretations and the ‘real’ depiction of the island.
Activity Sheet 1: A Bird’s Eye View
Your Task: Create a map of Golden Island based on the description provided. Use the prompts below to guide you!
Imagine Golden Island from a bird’s-eye view. How might it look from above?
Decide on the overall shape of the island. Will it be circular, jagged or another shape?
Where will you position features such as the house, beach, cove, gully, jetty and sea cave?
Which natural details, such as trees and birds, will you include on your map?
Lesson 2
EXTRACT 2A: YAKOV
(from CHAPTER TWO: pages 6-8)
Picture the scene.It’s the last period before lunch,which for Albatross Class of Broademouth Middle School means PE,and football.The ground is wet from weeks of rain,but the players don’t care.The game is patchy,fast and loud,the mud-spattered teams yelling as they race up and down the pitch.
In the middle of all this is Yakov.
Small for his age but quick on his feet,pink from running,black hair falling over his eyes,absolutely concentrating. He’s meant to be playing left wing,but Mr Roberts (the PE teacher) has pretty much given up enforcing positions. This is more about enthusiasm than game plan.
There’s a minute of play left,and the score is five all.Everything rides on this kick,but doesYakov falter? He does not!
There’s a scuffle at the other end of the pitch,a scream,then shouting – some fight has broken out.Other players are distracted,but notYakov! Another feint,left this time.Yakov kicks.Keeps dives.The ball curves right and into the back of the net,just before the final whistle.
GOOOOOALL!
Yakov’s team goes wild.They race towards him,they jump on him,they hug him.Someone even kisses him.For a few seconds,his world is a warm and happy blur.Overcome by the sheer perfection of that goal,he gives in to the praise. This is where he belongs – on a football pitch with his friends.
Oh.The world returns to focus as Yakov remembers.These are not his friends.
His friends are far away,scattered across continents by war.
EXTRACT 2B: GOING TO ENGLAND
(from CHAPTER THREE: pages 9-10)
Yakov measured his life in days now.
Eighty-five days since the war started,leading to nine days with Mama and his sister Anoushka and a lot of friends and neighbours in the cellar turned air-raid shelter of their apartment building back home.Seventy-six days since the sirens stopped long enough for them to pack all they could fit into their very small car,and leave their city home for safety in a friend’s borrowed country house.
‘To wait it out,’Mama said,though no one knew how long that wait would be,or even what exactly they were waiting for.
Seventy-six days since they left the city,and fifty-four since the morning when,with the war showing no sign of ending,Mama announced a new plan.No more waiting in the country.Thanks to her English father,they all held British passports.Now they would go to England,to live with Mama’s sister Nina and her carpenter husband John. Highcliff,their tumbledown home near the sea,was a few miles away from Broademouth.
‘We will build a brand-new life,’Mama had said,tossing her long red hair like a brand-new life was what she had always wanted.
Fifty-three days since Anoushka declared that rather than go to England to study,she would stay home and train to fight,and fifty-two and a half days since another plan was hatched.The family,already separated from their old life,would be separated from each other.Anoushka would join the army,Mama would stay where she was to be near Anoushka‘in case anything happens to her’,andYakov would go to England without them.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. What is happening in the football game in the first extract? How does Yakov help his team win?
2. Even though Yakov’s team is celebrating his winning goal, what is he feeling like on the inside?
3. Why does Yakov have to leave his home and move to England?
4. How long has the war been going on in Yakov’s home country?
5. Who does Mama say Yakov will live with when he arrives in England?
6. Imagine arriving in a new place without your family like Yakov did. How would you feel?
7. When Yakov thinks about his family and friends back home, what do you think he misses the most?
8. What big changes does Yakov’s family have to deal with because of the war? How does the war affect their lives?
9. Do you think Yakov will find it easy to adjust to his new life in England? What kinds of challenges might he face as he settles in?
10. With conflicts and wars happening around the world today, how do you think young people like Yakov, who are forced to leave their homes because of these crises, are helped and supported?
Activity 2: Through Yakov’s Eyes
• Begin by sharing the two extracts with the class to provide an introduction to Yakov and his story, including why he was forced to leave his home country due to war. Use these extracts to set the scene for understanding Yakov’s experiences and emotions.
• Discuss Yakov’s feelings in depth, emphasising the stark contrast between his team’s excitement after the football match and his own sense of despair.
• Explain to students that Yakov is a child refugee. Define ‘refugee’ as a person who has been forced to escape and leave their home country because of war, persecution or other reasons like natural disasters or climate change, in search of safety and a better life in another country.
• Talk about how situations like Yakov’s happen all around the world today, affecting many families and communities. For further support, the pack includes two pages of notes from the Refugee Council with additional facts and statistics about children and forced migration to assist with your teaching.
• Highlight how the war has changed Yakov’s family: his sister Anoushka staying behind to train for the army instead of studying, his mother remaining with her and Yakov arriving alone in a new country.
• Ask students to imagine themselves stepping into Yakov’s shoes and consider how it might feel to come to a new country, without their family. What challenges might they experience?
• Record their range of responses on the board. These could include:
• Feeling lonely or missing their family and friends
• Worrying about being in a new and unfamiliar place
• Struggling to understand a new language or culture
• Feeling nervous about making new friends
• Facing difficulties with schoolwork or adapting to a different education system
• Encountering hate and prejudice or feeling like an outsider due to others’ words and actions
• Develop empathy in students by discussing each of these feelings and challenges in detail. For a deeper understanding of Yakov’s struggles, read more of Chapter Three (pages 9-16), where Yakov shares his experiences in his own words.
• Following this, ask students to write a series of diary entries from Yakov’s perspective, capturing his thoughts and feelings at different stages of his journey.
• Start by having them write an entry for when Yakov first hears from his mama that he will be moving to England alone, without his family.
• Next, ask them to write an entry describing Yakov’s feelings as he arrives in England and faces the challenges of starting over in a new country.
• Finally, have them write an entry reflecting on how Yakov feels after scoring the winning goal in the football game, contrasting his external success with his inner struggles.
• Bring the class back together for a group discussion where they can share their diary entries and use this time to reflect on the importance of respecting and understanding refugees.
Activity Sheet 1: Diary of a Refugee
In this activity, you’ll write three diary entries from Yakov’s perspective.
Imagine yourself in Yakov’s shoes as you describe his feelings and experiences at different points in his journey. Use your imagination and empathy to explore his thoughts and emotions.
Diary Entry 1: Leaving Home
(How doesYakov feel when he learns he has to move to England alone,without his family?What worries or fears might he have?)
Diary Entry 2: Arriving in England
(What makes it hard forYakov to adjust to life in a new country?What challenges does he face?)
Diary Entry 3: Scoring the Winning Goal
(Even thoughYakov scores the winning goal,what emotions does he have inside?Why does he feel this way?)
Additional Notes from The Refugee Council
Terms:
A person seeking asylum / a child seeking asylum – a person who is forced to leave their country because they are at serious risk if they continue to live there. For example, they might be killed, tortured, or experience other forms of abuse that would be against what we all accept as human rights standards. They need to flee to seek safety in another country because they are no longer safe on their own. Some will travel by plane and land at the airport; however, not all can do this. Some will travel for days or months, for example, on foot or using buses. Some people seeking asylum use small boats to cross seas, at great risk to their lives.
Some children lost their parents or were separated from their families because of war, and they would – just like adults – be forced to leave their homes and seek safety in another country.
It is important to remember that a person who is fleeing their country to seek safety might not have their documents with them or permission to travel or arrive in a country. Countries that welcome refugees understand that people are fleeing to save their lives rather than making a choice to leave their home because they would like to live somewhere else.
Making a claim for asylum – a formal process where a person seeking asylum asks the government of the country they arrived in to allow them to stay because they cannot return to the country they came from. They need to make a formal application and explain why they need protection, including providing evidence and information about why they need protection. It is not an automatic right, and people need to meet specific criteria that are set out in law.
Refugee – someone who has made a claim for asylum, and this claim has been accepted by the government of the country they arrived in. It means that they could explain and prove that they would be at risk if they were to be returned to the country they fled from. A person can be a refugee for a range of reasons, e.g. because of their race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion (such as working as an opposition to the government or belonging to a specific group that might not be welcomed in the country: people who are gay, or people who are at risk because of their gender). To be a refugee, a person has to meet the legal definition of a refugee set out in the 1951 Refugee Convention.
1951 Refugee Convention – it is an international treaty, i.e. a part of international law that many countries worldwide agreed to follow and respect. It is a set of rules and guidelines about how countries should treat people who are refugees to make sure we have a shared understanding of refugee rights and responsibilities. The Convention was proposed to better protect people who need asylum, and the painful experience of World War II influenced the decision to draft it.
Context:
We continue to see that more and more people are forced to flee their homes, including children. The number of children who are in this situation has doubled in the last 10 years, and we now have 43.3 million children (more than the population of Canada!) who have had to leave their homes and families and become refugees.
Children are dramatically overrepresented among the world’s refugees. In 2022, children made up less than one third of the global population but more than 41 percent of the world’s refugees. Nearly 1 in 3 children were refugees in 2020; for adults, the proportion was less than 1 in 20.
The UK accepts a minimal number of refugee children. In the last year, there were just 3,412 applications for asylum from children, and many of those children came from Afghanistan, where the situation is very bad for children, e.g. girls are not allowed to go to school.
Most refugees, including children, move to countries close to their homes. Indeed, 75% of world refugees are hosted in low- and middle-income countries (e.g. Iran, Colombia, Pakistan), and only a small proportion of world refugees reach Europe or the UK.
What happens to children when they claim asylum in the UK?
• Children and adults go through the same asylum process when they claim asylum in the UK. The only difference is that children get extra support with their asylum claims because of their age.
• The law in the UK, which explains when a person can be recognized as a refugee, is the same for adults and children.
• In the UK, people who make a claim for asylum can ask for a lawyer to represent them. Because refugees often leave with next to nothing, they will not have money to hire a lawyer, and they are not allowed to work. This is why most of them would rely on a government program called Legal Aid that gives people in the UK who are on low income (so not just refugees) access to legal representation. People seeking asylum, including children, can use Legal Aid.
A simplified explanation of the asylum process for children:
You can print out our asylum process map to learn in more detail about stages that a child claiming asylum in the UK need to go through: https://www.refugeecouncil.org.uk/information/resources/separatedchildren-asylum-process-journey-map/
EXTRACT 3: EVERYTHING HAD CHANGED
(from CHAPTER FIVE: pages 26-29)
When the weather changed in autumn,they swapped the Zephyr for Grandpa’s workshop where,with help from Yakov’s uncle John,they built new fittings for the little boat’s cabin.As the days grew longer they began to plan new trips,beginning on the first Saturday of the Easter holidays.They would take a picnic.There would be pickles,and Nan’s famous chocolate cake.It was going to be wonderful.
And then,on the last Friday of term,everything had changed.
The mother of one of Skylar’s ex-friends was taking a group of girls to the city on a shopping trip.Inexplicably,she asked Mum if Skylar would like to go too.Later,Skylar would feel ashamed,but she did want to go.She wanted to go so much.It was such an age since anyone had asked her to do anything,she almost didn’t care that it was her friend’s mum and not the actual friend who had done the asking.
‘It’s OK,pet,’Grandpa said when she tried to explain.‘You need your friends.We’ll go next weekend.’
Except they hadn’t gone next weekend,or any other day after that,because while Skylar was out shopping,Grandpa had had his stroke.
He had stayed in hospital for nearly a month.To Skylar’s despair,they had not let her visit. Too upsetting,Mum had said – Grandpa couldn’t walk,he could barely talk,the left side of his body was almost completely paralysed.Three weeks ago he had come home and she had seen him then,with her parents.Everyone said he was much better,but he still struggled with walking and talking,and the left side of his face drooped,almost like it had melted.Skylar had sat quiet as a mouse on a chair in the study,which was his bedroom now that he couldn’t manage the stairs.‘How’s my best girl?’he had said,in his strange new voice,before drifting back to sleep,and she had cried all the way home.
Everyone told Skylar that Grandpa’s illness was not her fault.That even if she had been with him,he would still have had the stroke.She didn’t know if that was true,but she did know this:if she had been with him,she could have got help for Grandpa sooner.The stroke had happened in the Zephyr,as he moored up after going out alone.It had taken a full ten minutes for fishers in another boat to notice and to call the emergency services.
Skylar knew how important it was for stroke victims to get medical attention quickly,because she had looked it up online.Grace knew too.She had said as much during the football game,to put Skylar off because she was marking her – It’s your fault your grandpa can’t even walk or talk,she had said.Then,when Skylar tried to ignore her,she had done a cruel imitation of someone walking like they were drunk,drooling and going round in circles.
That was why Skylar had hit her,and she wasn’t even a tiny bit sorry.But Grace’s words had been horribly close to the truth.
If Grandpa had received medical attention quicker,he might not be so ill now.Skylar would never forgive herself for not being with him when he needed her. But she would find a way of making it up to him.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. How would you describe the bond between Skylar and Grandpa? What makes their relationship special?
2. What activities do they enjoy doing together?
3. How do you think Skylar felt when she found out Grandpa had a stroke?
4. Can you explain what a stroke is? (A stroke happens when blood flow to a part of the brain is interrupted, which can cause sudden loss of brain function.)
5. Why was Skylar unable to visit Grandpa in the hospital? How do you think this made her feel?
6. What are some of the changes that a stroke caused in Grandpa’s health? How did it affect him?
7. Why does Skylar feel guilty about not being there for Grandpa during his stroke? Do you think it’s fair for her to feel this way, even though it wasn’t her fault?
8. Why is it important to get medical help right away if someone is having a stroke?
9. Do you think Skylar’s reaction to Grace was right? Why or why not?
10. What do you think will happen next? How might she find a way to make it up to Grandpa?
Activity 3: Raising Awareness
• Begin by talking with the students about how amazing their brains are. Explain that the brain helps us think, feel, move and learn.
• After highlighting the brain’s incredible functions, explain that, like any other part of the body, the brain needs to be healthy to work properly.
• Tell the students that sometimes the brain can have problems if it doesn’t get enough blood flow. When this happens, it can lead to something called a stroke. During a stroke, the brain can’t work like it should, which means it can’t do its usual jobs like thinking, moving or speaking.
• Refer to the character of Grandpa in the story, who has experienced a stroke, and read the extract to illustrate how the stroke has affected him.
• Discuss not only the physical impacts of the stroke on Grandpa but also the emotional effects on him and on other characters like Skylar, who feels guilty about not being there when it happened.
• Emphasise that Skylar isn’t to blame for what happened to Grandpa. However, she is right to know that getting quick medical help is very important when someone is having a stroke. This is because fast treatment can make a big difference in helping the person recover and preventing long-term damage.
• Highlight that the word ‘FAST’ is important because it is also a helpful acronym used to recognise and identify the three most common symptoms of stroke (see provided activity sheet). It stands for:
• Face weakness: Check if one side of the person’s face is drooping or if they can’t smile evenly.
• Arm weakness: See if the person can raise both arms or if one arm drifts down.
• Speech problems: Listen to see if their speech is slurred or if they have trouble speaking clearly.
• Time to call 999: If you notice any of these signs, call for help right away.
• Share with the students that, inspired by the story, they will create a classroom campaign to raise awareness about strokes and use the acronym ‘FAST’ to help others learn how to recognise the signs and respond quickly.
• Divide the class into small groups and tell them that, now that they know the signs of ‘FAST,’ they can present them in a way that will help others remember them. They can choose from making a poster, giving a presentation, designing an interactive display or using another creative format of their choice.
• Give groups time to brainstorm and plan their projects. Encourage them to be creative and think about how they can make their presentation engaging and informative.
• Following this, allow students time to work on their projects and circulate the room to offer support, answer questions and provide feedback. Once complete, have each group present their project to their peers. Afterwards, engage the class in a discussion, asking them to reflect on what they have learned.
• To take this further, encourage students to share their projects with other classes and consider setting up a display in a shared area of the school to raise awareness about strokes. You could also collaborate with organisations such as the Stroke Association to arrange guest speakers or workshops.
Activity Sheet 3: Signs of a Stroke
What does FAST stand for?
F - Face Weakness
Check: Is one side of the person’s face drooping? Can they smile evenly?
Tip: Pay close attention to their mouth and eyes. Notice if one side is lower than the other.
A - Arm Weakness
Check: Can the person raise both arms?
Tip: Ask the person to raise both arms. Observe if one arm stays up or falls.
S - Speech Problems
Check: Is the person’s speech difficult to understand?
Tip: Ask the person to repeat a simple sentence and listen for any unusual patterns in their speech.
T - Time to Call 999
Check: If you see any of these signs, call for an ambulance and medical help immediately.
Tip: The quicker you act, the better the chance of recovery. Don’t wait!
Lesson 4
EXTRACT 4: ISLAND TO WIN
(from CHAPTER NINE: pages 53-56)
The person who had come out of the door in the wall was a man,about sixty years old,bald and wearing blue overalls. None of these,however,were the most interesting thing about him.
The most interesting thing about him was what he was carrying:a large sign on a pole,which he planted in the ground by the door before going back into the garden.
‘Gosh!’said Skylar,reading the words on the sign through the binoculars.‘Wow! Oh,wow!’
‘What does it say?’demandedYakov.
Skylar handed him the binoculars.Yakov squinted through the lens – adjusted the focus wheel – there!
He had wanted something big,and here it was.
Three life-changing words,hand-painted,with a web address underneath.
ISLAND TO WIN!
For a short,shocked while,Yakov and Skylar were too dumbfounded to speak.
ISLAND TO WIN!
‘What does it mean?’asked Skylar at last. Yakov shook his head.‘I don’t know.’
‘The website,’Skylar murmured.‘Do you have a phone? I do,but zero data.’
‘Same,’said Yakov.‘But at home there is Wi-Fi.’
‘Then let’s go!’
It was a simple website.Four photographs on the home page,one for each season.Pale spring sunshine and the island covered in golden gorse,a cove basking in summer sun,autumn trees lit like flames in the walled garden and,in winter,the single wild tree with its inland-twisted branches,black against a white sky.
All beautiful,but it was the next page which interested them,laid out like a newspaper advertisement.
Skylar whispered the words out loud.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. What did the man who came out of the door look like? Can you describe his appearance?
2. What was written on the sign that the man placed in the ground?
3. How did Skylar and Yakov first react when they saw the sign?
4. Why did they want to go home right away?
5. How would you feel if you found out you could win an island?
6. What kind of things would you want to know about it?
7. How do you think winning an island could completely change Skylar and Yakov’s lives?
8. Do you think the island will be easy or hard to win? Why?
9. What kinds of challenges do you think Skylar and Yakov might face as they try to win the island?
10. If you had the chance to ‘win’ any island in the world, which one would you pick and why?
Activity 4: Design Your Dream Island
• Display a range of images of notable islands on the board (e.g. United Kingdom, Iceland, Hawaii, Madagascar, the Galápagos Islands) and check with students to see if they know any of them.
• Use a world map or globe to point out the locations of these islands around the world.
• Ask students what they know about islands and if they have any favourite islands they’ve heard of.
• Explain to students that each island around the world has its own unique geography, climate and natural environment. Discuss how some islands are idyllic and offer picturesque landscapes with serene beaches and lush greenery, while others are rugged and remote, featuring dramatic landscapes and rare wildlife.
• Refer to Golden Island in the book and highlight that it is a private island which is not open to the general public. Share that there are many secret or hidden islands around the world with similar exclusivity, shrouded in mystery and often only accessible to a select few.
• Revisit the extract and explore how Skylar and Yakov react to the possibility of winning their own island. Talk about their excitement, curiosity and the sense of wonder they experience at the thought of owning such a place.
• Invite students to imagine what they would do if they had the chance to win their very own dream island. Encourage them to consider how they would design and use their imagined island, what features they would include and the activities they would enjoy there.
• Describe how, in the book, each of the candidates in the competition wants to win the island for very different reasons. For example, Dr. Solomon hopes to turn it into a conservation area to protect animals, while others have different ideas, like creating a writing retreat or a family home.
• Prompt them to consider whether their island would be similar to any of the characters’ visions from the book or would it be something different? Would it be a private place just for you and a few friends or would it be open for everyone to visit?
• Next, distribute the activity sheet, which includes a wishlist template for them to design their dream island.
• As students start to fill in their wishlists, encourage them to be as creative and detailed as possible. Remind them to think about what makes their island unique and how they can incorporate their personal interests and passions into their designs.
• Conclude the activity by having students share their dream islands with the class. Facilitate a discussion about their choices and what inspired their designs, highlighting the variety of ideas and the creativity involved.
Activity Sheet 4: My Island Wishlist
What name would you give to your dream island? _______________________________________________
List and describe three features you want on your island:
Feature 1: ___________________
Description: _____________________
Feature 2: ___________________
Description: _____________________
Describe three activities you would enjoy doing on your island:
Activity 1: ___________________
Description: _____________________
Activity 2: ___________________
Description: _____________________
Feature 3: ___________________
Description: _____________________
Activity 3: ___________________
Description:
Draw what your dream island would look like:
Additional
Activities and Innovative Ideas
Author Study and Q&A Session: Arrange an in-person or virtual Q&A session with the book’s author, Natasha Farrant, if possible. Before the session, ask students to research her life and come up with interesting questions about her inspiration, writing process and the experience of creating a book. This interactive opportunity will let students learn directly from the author, offering a behind-the-scenes look at how stories are made and the magic of being a writer.
Create an Island Survival Guide: At one point in the book, contestants are tasked with spending a night on Golden Island in total darkness, completely cut off from their phones and the internet. To help them navigate this challenging scenario, create a survival guide focusing on what gear they should take with them, how to build a shelter and keeping safe.
Write a Sequel Scene: Challenge students to write a scene that could follow the book’s ending, imagining what happens next for Skylar and Yakov. Encourage them to explore how the events of the story have changed the characters and how their new experiences might shape their future actions.
Competition Video: On the website in the book, the island’s advert looked like a newspaper advertisement. Upgrade it by making a fun and engaging video that highlights the island competition by including visuals of it to grab people’s attention. Make sure to show why winning the island would be an amazing opportunity and encourage viewers to imagine themselves there.
Send a Postcard: Create a postcard from Golden Island as if you’ve just won the competition. Include details about the island’s unique features, your exciting experiences and why it’s a fantastic place to visit. Use creative writing and illustrations to make your postcard engaging and descriptive.
Helping Refugees: Find out how national organisations, such as the Refugee Council, help refugees in settling into their new country. Research their programmes and initiatives on how they support refugees through services like housing, education and community integration. Highlight specific success stories or impactful projects to illustrate the positive effects of their work.
Redesign the Cover: Discuss David Dean’s cover illustration and brainstorm your own design that represents your vision of the book’s characters, settings, and key moments. Create a new cover that captures the essence of the story and reflects your personal interpretation of its themes and imagery.
Book Soundtrack: Make a playlist of songs that students think would suit the book as a soundtrack. For each song, students should explain how it matches specific scenes or themes from the story, showing how music can reflect and enhance the book’s emotions and narrative. This activity helps students connect music with storytelling and engage more deeply with the text.
Illustrate the Characters: Have students draw what they imagine the characters from the book look like. They should base their illustrations on descriptions from the text and their own interpretations of the characters’ personalities and roles.
Emotions Graph: Create an emotions graph for Skylar and Yakov, tracking their feelings and development throughout the story. Include major events that impact their emotional state and plot significant moments that influence their decisions.
English
National Curriculum Objectives (Key Stage 2/3)
Reading – comprehension
Pupils should be taught to:
• maintain positive attitudes to reading and understanding of what they read by:
• continuing to read and discuss an increasingly wide range of fiction, poetry, plays, non-fiction and reference books or textbooks
• recommending books that they have read to their peers, giving reasons for their choices
• identifying and discussing themes and conventions in and across a wide range of writing
• understand what they read, in books they can read independently, by:
• drawing inferences such as inferring characters’ feelings, thoughts and motives from their actions, and justifying inferences with evidence
• predicting what might happen from details stated and implied
• summarising the main ideas drawn from more than one paragraph, identifying key details that support the main ideas
Writing: composition
Pupils should be taught to:
• plan their writing by:
• discussing writing similar to that which they are planning to write in order to understand and learn from its structure, vocabulary and grammar
• develop positive attitudes towards and stamina for writing by:
• writing narratives about personal experiences and those of others (real and fictional)
Spoken language
Pupils should be taught to:
• develop understanding through speculating, hypothesising, imagining and exploring ideas
• participate in discussions, presentations, performances, role play/improvisations and debates
Geography
Geographical skills and fieldwork
Pupils should be taught to:
• use maps, atlases, globes and digital/computer mapping to locate countries and describe features studied
• use the 8 points of a compass, 4- and 6-figure grid references, symbols and key (including the use of Ordnance Survey maps) to build their knowledge of the United Kingdom and the wider world
PSHE (taken from Programme of Study for PSHE education: KS1-5)
Shared responsibilities
L4. the importance of having compassion towards others; shared responsibilities we all have for caring for other people and living things; how to show care and concern for others
Mental health
H23. about change and loss, including death, and how these can affect feelings; ways of expressing and managing grief and bereavement
Keeping safe
H44. how to respond and react in an emergency situation; how to identify situations that may require the emergency services; know how to contact them and what to say.
Sisters of the Moon
by Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick
Faber
‘I
TWENTY-FOUR SECONDS FROM NOW
BY JASON REYNOLDS
KS4 DISCUSSION NOTES
The discussion questions and ideas included here are suitable for classroom, library or book group sessions with ages 14+.
Note: This book covers themes around sexuality and sex. Teachers/parents/carers may want to read the book first before sharing with students.
LEARNING RESOURCES Prepared by SHAPES for Schools www.shapesforschools.com
ABOUT THE BOOK
A brand-new novel about first times from Carnegie Award-winning, global sensation, Jason Reynolds.
Seventeen-year-old Neon is about to have sex with his girlfriend, Aria, for the first time. In 24 seconds to be precise. He’s hiding in the bathroom, nervous, wanting to do everything right . . .
Rewind. To 24 minutes earlier where Neon rushes from work, taking the gift of fried chicken to Aria’s house.
Rewind again. To 24 hours earlier when Neon’s big sister has advice about sex which makes him think he probably shouldn’t be listening to his friends.
To 24 days earlier. To 24 weeks earlier. To 24 months earlier, when he and Aria first met.
This tender, sweet, wholesome piece of fiction discusses how to approach first sex, how to respect women, how to be gentle, how to make it about love. It shows us a refreshingly different side to male sexuality.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jason Reynolds is a multi-award-winning writer and poet. He has been a Number 1 New York Times Bestselling Author many times and he was US National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. He has won almost every major award in the US and the UK, including the Indie Book Awards, the Yoto Carnegie Medal, the Kirkus Prize, the Edgar Award, the Walter Dean Myers Award and the NAACP Image Award. He is a Newbery, Printz and 5-time Coretta Scott King Honoree.
He wrote Long Way Down, All American Boys, Oxygen Mask and the Run series, amongst others. His books have sold over 9 million copies worldwide.
A LETTER FROM JASON REYNOLDS
Dear Reader,
I’ve been trying to figure out how to say that which should be easy to say but oftentimes isn’t because everyone says we can’t say it.
So I’ll just say it.
You deserve love. You deserve to experience it and explore it and allow it to grow you. And to grow in you. You deserve to know its safety and its excitement. You deserve to be curious about it, and to not feel shame for that curiosity. You deserve the freedom to laugh at yourself as you fumble through it knowing that being a human is humorous most of the time. And you’re a human. Who desires what humans desire. And ain’t nothing wrong with that.
You deserve what so many of us didn’t get –a chance to feel without fear of judgment. Even at your age.
Especially at your age.
This book is about that. And is for you.
With gratitude and big, big love, Jason
PART 1 – THEMES
Use this ‘theme sheet’ to record ideas as you read. How is each theme explored in the novel? Which are the most important? Why? Try to add themes of your own.
Theme Notes
Sex
Love
Intimacy
Respect
Masculinity
Empathy
Family Friendship
Young Adulthood
PART 2 – READING QUESTIONS
RIGHT NOW . . .
• What is happening to Neon ‘right now’? Why do you think the author, Jason Reynolds, chose to start the book in this way?
• What do you notice about the structure of the book? What is the effect of telling Neon and Aria’s story in this way?
• What is the significance of the dog in the first section of the book?
• ‘Tonight is for our first time and will be our first time.’ What does Neon mean when he says this?
• How does Neon feel about what is about to happen? Why? Pick out key words and phrases that help you to understand his emotions.
• How does Neon feel about Aria? Does he have a respectful attitude towards her? How can you tell?
JUST TWENTY-FOUR SECONDS AGO . . .
• Neon wants to do ‘the right thing’. Can you find examples of this?
• What does Neon mean when he says he doesn’t want to ‘focus on something for too long’ because it ‘would turn Aria into a body’?
• What is Aria’s relationship with her mother?
• How is Neon and Aria’s experience different to what we might see in the movies?
AND TWENTY-FOUR MINUTES BEFORE THAT . . .
• What are the family dynamics in Neon and Aria’s homes?
• Why did Neon and Aria choose Aria’s house for their first time?
• How does Neon feel about his work in the bingo hall?
• What is the significance of the chicken tenders?
AND JUST TWENTY-FOUR HOURS BEFORE THAT . . .
• What three words would you use to describe school for your own version of a digital yearbook?
• Consider the importance of different symbols in the story (for example the dog, the chicken tenders, the door knocker). How does the author weave these into the narrative? How do they show Neon’s love for Aria?
• How would you describe Neon’s relationship with the women in the story, for example with his big sister, Nat?
• It is healthy that Neon can speak openly to his sister about his relationship with Aria. Do you agree with this statement? Why or why not?
• How does Dodie speak about girls and sex? How does Neon respond to him?
• Who is ‘Little Connie’? Why did she have to ‘play herself to safety’? What happened to her?
• How can you tell that Neon has a lot of empathy for others?
• What reasons does Neon give for being nervous about having sex with Aria for the first time?
• What do you think of Nat’s advice to ‘say the things’? What does she mean by this?
AND TWENTY-FOUR DAYS BEFORE THAT . . .
• What sort of relationship did Gammy and Grandy have? What example does it set for Neon?
• Why is it important to be surrounded by positive relationships?
• What does Ma mean when she mentions ‘protection and consent’? What advice do you think she would give about these things?
• Are you surprised by Neon’s conversation with his Ma? Why or why not?
• Consider the different women in Neon’s life. What is his relationship with each of them? How do they help Neon to form positive attitudes towards women?
• What is Ma’s advice to Neon about pornography?
• What does Spank say about ‘respect’? How important is the theme of respect in the novel?
AND
TWENTY-FOUR
WEEKS BEFORE THAT . . .
• What does Neon talk about with his Dad? What sort of relationship do they have? Why are male role models important for young people?
• How does Neon hold Aria’s hand, according to his Dad? What do the words ‘intimate’ and ‘tenderness’ mean?
• How does Neon feel about approaching the end of the school year? Why?
• What do you think of Aria’s statement that ‘communication is the key to . . . everything’? Do you agree?
AND
TWENTY-FOUR
MONTHS BEFORE THAT . . .
• How are doors and doorways important in the novel? What does a doorway symbolise?
• What is the link between Grandy and Denzel Washington? Why is this significant?
• What does Neon learn about ‘sowing your oats’? What does the phrase mean? And what do Grandy and Neon’s Dad think about it?
• How does Neon meet Aria? What different elements and characters from the novel are brought together in this passage?
• Do you agree with Neon that: ‘this ain’t no movie. This is a mirror. This me. This her. This us. This real.’? How ‘real’ do you think Neon and Aria’s story is?
BACK TO NOW . . .
• What is the impact of Jason Reynolds’ choice of structure for the book? How do you feel coming back to the present moment after everything you have just read about Neon and Aria’s story? Can you plot important events on a timeline?
• What ‘three words’ do you think Neon and Aria say to each other?
• Which of Neon’s anxieties are resolved at the end of the story? How does the author, Jason Reynolds, tie everything together?
• How do you feel at the end of the book?
• What do you think the future holds for Neon and Aria? Does it matter?
• What are the important messages of the book? What do you think the author is trying to say to young people about love and sex?
• Jason Reynolds himself has said: ‘You deserve to be curious about [love], and to not feel shame for that curiosity.’ What does he mean? Why is it important to be curious about love and sex?
• How can adults, teachers and friends help young people feel supported to be curious about love and sex?
• How far does Twenty-Four Seconds From Now show a refreshingly different side to male sexuality and the experience of having sex?
• If you could ask Jason Reynolds five questions about this book, what would they be?
Faber
Amara Sage
Reading Group Discussion Questions
1. What does the phrase ‘diet culture’ mean to you?
2. Do you believe in setting New Year’s resolutions? What do you think of Saffron’s goals for the year?
3. Think about the ways you use social media. Do you think you present your authentic self on these sites? Why or why not?
4. How do you think dating apps affect our sense of self-esteem? How do they affect Saffron in Girl, UltraProcessed?
5. Saffron has a complicated relationship with her mum. How did you feel about it? Did
your view on this change over the course of the book?
6. Which people act as rolemodels in Saffron’s life? Does this list change by the end of the story?
7. There are several major plot twists in Girl, Ultra-Processed. Did you see any of them coming, or were they all a surprise?
8. The author, Amara Sage, says: ‘I wanted to write a story not of radical, instantaneous self-acceptance, but of the kind of realistic slow burn that falling into self-love is.’ How does Saffron’s story reflect this?
Your favourite superhero penguin and cat are back!
has an oval shaped body, with a curvy bo om!
a moody mouth!
a triangle shaped beak
a smile if you prefer.
big eyes. Make Peng wave instead if you like!
Atlas of Cats
RUCHIRA GUPTA TEACHING RESOURCES
AGES 13+
DEAR READER,
The incidents that you are about to read in I Kick and I Fly are based on true-life experiences that I witnessed as the founder of the anti-trafficking NGO Apne Aap. I have seen the courage of girls just like Heera to never give up. I have seen how kung fu became a central point for girls to suddenly gain confidence and like their own bodies again. I have seen the power of the women’s movement.
Sex trafficking continues to remain the third largest organized crime in the world, according to the United Nations. The US Department of State says that the average age of a child trafficked into the commercial sex trade is between eleven and fourteen years old, exploited into their early twenties.
I want to share this story with young people and people of all ages so they not only know what some kids their age go through, but also know how to find helpful clues to stand up to injustice. I want to show them that change is possible and that dreams can come true. I have learned firsthand how important grassroots and collective movement is in bringing about change.
With I Kick and I Fly, I am passing the baton to you, the booksellers, the librarians, the readers, who in turn can pass the baton to the next generation of freedom fighters—young people, their teachers, and parents. This is a story that I believe will create opportunities for conversations around gender, sexuality, women’s studies, child rights, discrimination, inequality, intersectionality, and social justice.
I truly believe that with your support, this book will contribute to movement for a world in which no human being is bought or sold.
Yours sincerely,
Ruchira Gupta
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. In Chapter 1, Heera says that her “full stomach is a heavy burden to bear” (p. 7) after eating the school lunch. What do you think she means by this?
2. The red-light district where Heera lives isn’t far from several of her classmates’ homes, yet their home lives are starkly different. In what ways do Heera’s classmates and their families distance themselves from the suffering that awaits girls like Heera? What are some reasons that community members might distance themselves from the brothels, rather than intervene? Use specific examples from the text to support your answer.
3. After Chotu’s death, Heera nearly resigns herself to giving up school and to being sold as a sex worker if it means her family will have enough money to afford more food and better shelter. What do you think of her reasoning? What eventually changes her mind?
4. Consider the meaning of womanhood in India, in the Nat community, and in Heera’s life specifically. What is her relationship with the concept of womanhood, both as it relates to physical changes and as it represents a role in her community?
5. Over and over, prostitution and the violence that comes with it are described as Nat girls’ destiny or fate. Where does this idea of inevitability come from? Who stands to benefit from this notion? How is it enforced, or what other beliefs or structures enable it? How does Heera push back against this fate and create other choices and paths forward for herself?
6. When she first visits Rini Di, Heera notices a photo with a caption that says “Courage Is Contagious” (p. 51). What does this mean? How is courage contagious in I Kick and I Fly? Use specific examples from the text as evidence.
7. Describe the relationships Heera has with the adult women in her life. Are they positive? Negative? What role does each woman play in Heera’s growth and development as a character? Use evidence from the text to support your thinking.
8. Rini Di tells Heera that “Self-esteem is essential to any battle. You have to know you are worth fighting for” (p. 53). What do you think of this statement? In what ways does Heera know she’s worth fighting for? When does that certainty falter, and how does she reclaim it?
9. What is control? Define it in your own words. What does control look like in Heera’s life? In what ways does Heera have or take control?
10. Choose two of the Bruce Lee quotes included in I Kick and I Fly. Describe
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
what you think each quote means in your own words. How does each quote connect to Heera as a character, or to her story? How might you connect each quote to your own world and life?
11. Discuss what you know about the caste system in India from the text—research it further for more information. How does the caste system impact Heera’s life and story?
12. In Chapter 18, as she prepares for her second kung fu competition, Heera says both that “she is not a Nat girl” (p. 199) and that her excellent balance and flexibility are “attributes we learned as Nat babies” (p. 200). What do you think of these two seemingly contradictory statements? How does Heera reconcile the ways in which her identity as a Nat girl confines her with the ways in which it empowers her?
13. Why do you think Mira Di refuses the same help that she so strongly encourages Heera to take? What differences does Mira Di see between herself and her cousins?
14. What do you think of Heera’s plan to rescue Rosy? Why does she confide in Azra and ask for her help, but not Rini Di? Do you agree with her choices and reasoning? Why or why not?
15. Trust is a major theme in Heera’s story. What is needed for trust to develop between people? How does Heera begin developing trust, and with whom? How does Heera’s life change once she finds people she trusts?
16. After Heera performs in the final competition in the US, Master Yi tells her that her greatest opponent has always been herself. What does he mean by this? How does the statement apply to more than Heera’s journey with kung fu?
17. What would justice look like for girls like Heera, Mira Di, Azra, and Rosy? Is there justice for them over the course of the events in I Kick and I Fly? Why or why not?
18. In the Letter from the Author at the back of the book Ruchira Gupta says she wanted to “share with you that someone somewhere of your age fought back and won.” What is something from Heera’s story that you don’t want to forget? How can you build on what you’ve learned reading the novel? What are some ways to “fight back” and/or “win” in your own life?
EXTENSION ACTIVITIES
1. Choose a conversation between Heera and another character and rewrite the scene from the other character’s point of view. Consider their relationship with Heera and how they might regard her at different points in her story. Consider the ways that Heera grows over the course of the story and how others’ reactions to her might change as a result.
2. In small groups, research information about sex trafficking in the UK and globally. Start by watching Ruchira Gupta’s documentary. The Selling of Innocents, and reviewing the resources from the back of the book. From your compiled research and notes, create a tool to educate the public about this issue and to tell them how to get involved, take action, and support the work of advocacy organizations. The tool could be a pamphlet, presentation, Instagram post, TikTok video, podcast episode, or something else.
3. Every past and present social justice movement has relied on youth activism. The global movements to end sex trafficking and human trafficking are no different. Choose a social justice issue that interests you and research youth activism in that movement. Share your findings in a presentation or report.
4. Heera encounters the concept of mindfulness in her kung fu training and in Bruce Lee’s book. Research some ways to practice mindfulness and grounding. Choose a practice or practices that interest you and try to do them every day for a week. Record your observations and notes about the experience in a mindfulness journal.
5. Ruchira Gupta wrote a letter to readers at the end of I Kick and I Fly to share the real-life inspiration for Heera’s story and the author’s own anti-sex-trafficking advocacy. Write her a letter in return. Consider what you’ve learned about Heera as a character, about her story and experiences, and about her culture. What connections might you make between Heera and yourself, your life, and your culture—both positive and negative? What can you share about the social justice issues you care about, or the experiences and stories you want to uplift as an activist or creator? End the letter by describing a concrete action you plan to take in support of an issue you care about
EXTENSION ACTIVITIES
Choose a conversation between Heera and another character and rewrite the scene from the other character’s point of view. Consider their relationship with Heera and how they might regard her at different points in her story. Consider the ways that Heera grows over the course of the story and how others’ reactions to her might change as a result.
In small groups, research information about sex trafficking in the UK and globally. Start by watching Ruchira Gupta’s documentary. The Selling of Innocents, and reviewing the resources from the back of the book. From your compiled research and notes, create a tool to educate the public about this issue and to tell them how to get involved, take action, and support the work of advocacy organizations. The tool could be a pamphlet, presentation, Instagram post, TikTok video, podcast episode, or something else.
Every past and present social justice movement has relied on youth activism. The global movements to end sex trafficking and human trafficking are no different. Choose a social justice issue that interests you and research youth activism in that movement. Share your findings in a presentation or report.
Heera encounters the concept of mindfulness in her kung fu training and in Bruce Lee’s book. Research some ways to practice mindfulness and grounding. Choose a practice or practices that interest you and try to do them every day for a week. Record your observations and notes about the experience in a mindfulness journal.
Ruchira Gupta wrote a letter to readers at the end of I Kick and I Fly to share the reallife inspiration for Heera’s story and the author’s own anti-sex-trafficking advocacy. Write her a letter in return. Consider what you’ve learned about Heera as a character, about her story and experiences, and about her culture. What connections might you make between Heera and yourself, your life, and your culture—both positive and negative? What can you share about the social justice issues you care about, or the experiences and stories you want to uplift as an activist or creator? End the letter by describing a concrete action you plan to take in support of an issue you care about
ACTIVITY PACK Ages 9+
IMAGINE YOUR OWN ODDITORIUM
Bess adores all of the unusual exhibits in her grandfather’s peculiar museum, from the albino alligator, to a talking doll, to the whispering flowers. Imagine if you had your very own Odditorium. What sort of things could you find in there? List them here!
BESS’S HALLOWEEN BISCUITS
INGREDIENTS
• 100g/3½oz unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
• 100g/3½oz caster sugar
• 1 free-range egg, lightly beaten
• 275g/10oz plain flour
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
To decorate:
• 400g/14oz icing sugar
• 3-4 tbsp water
• 2-3 drops food colouring. Orange, purple and black are perfect. Or leave your icing white, if you’re making ghost biscuits!
METHOD
1. Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5. Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.
2. Beat the butter and sugar together in a bowl until combined.
3. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract, a little at a time.
4. Stir in the flour until the mixture comes together as a dough.
5. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured work surface to a thickness of 1cm/½in.
6. Using spooky-shaped biscuit cutters, cut biscuits out of the dough and carefully place onto the baking tray. Bake the biscuits for 8-10 minutes, or until pale golden-brown. Set aside to harden for 5 minutes, then leave to cool on a wire rack.
Now it’s time for the icing! Sift the icing sugar into a large mixing bowl and stir in enough water to create a smooth mixture. Stir in the food colouring. Carefully spread the icing onto the biscuits using a knife and set aside until the icing hardens.
INVENT YOUR VERY OWN SCARY SIDEKICK
From a ghostly cat, to a fruit bat, to ninja mice, the Train of Dark Wonders is filled with fantastical creatures. Come up with your own Halloween themed furry friend who can assist you on your mission!
IMAGINE YOUR OWN HALLOWEEN LAND
The Land of Halloween Sweets may seem nice but it isn’t as sugary as it first appears… From chocolate eyeball plants, to minty mummies, there’s a surprise around every corner. Draw your own Halloween land and fill it with all sorts of curious creations. It can be as spooky as you want!
OUR SPECIAL PLACE
Bess loves her grandfather’s Odditorium because it is filled with such weird and wonderful surprises. But it also means a lot to her because it reminds her of their special relationship. Think of a friend or relative that you are close to and a place that means a lot to both of you. Draw that
SPOOKY SKILLS…
Bess’s new friends all have their own unique spooky skill, from fire witchery, to puppeteering, to playing the ghost violin. Is there a skill you’d love to learn? Write it down here!
PICTURE YOUR OWN PUMPKIN!
Using the pumpkin template below, have a go at designing your own pumpkin. Once you’ve finished your design, you could even ask an adult to carve it onto a real pumpkin!
CREATE YOUR OWN CARRIAGE IN THE TRAIN OF DARK WONDERS
Each carriage in the Train of Dark Wonders has its own different theme, to surprise and startle visitors. Taking inspiration from the book, why not have a go at coming up with your own carriage filled with whatever Halloween surprises you can think of!
ACTIVITY PACK!
Suitable for ages 7+
Ready, steady, COOK!
Gato Pima, which translates as “chilli cakes”, are a very popular snack in Mauritius.
INGREDIENTS
250g yellow split peas
Soaked overnight then rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons fresh coriander
Chopped
2–3 spring onions
Finely chopped bulbs and leaves
1 green and 1 red chilli
Finely chopped – remove seeds to make it less spicy, add more chillies if you like heat!
1 teaspoon cumin powder
½ teaspoon salt
Oil for frying
You’ll need an adult to do this bit!
PREPARING THE YELLOW SPLIT PEAS
Pop the drained split peas in a food processor in a few batches and grind to a paste. It’s important that you don’t make it all too smooth. Finely ground peas help the mix stick together, chunkier bits give it a lovely texture and crunch!
MAKING THE CHILLI CAKES
1. Put the ground peas into a bowl, add the spring onions, chillies, coriander, spring onions and salt, then give it all a really good mix together.
2. Using a dessert spoon, scoop out some of the mix and shape it into a little ball. Squeeze between thumb and forefinger to flatten slightly, leaving an indentation on either side.
3. This helps the chilli cakes to cook all the way through so that they’re nice and crunchy! Do the same with the rest of the mix. You should end up with around 20–25.
4. Get an adult to heat enough oil in a pan or wok to float the chilli cakes, then fry them in batches until golden brown. Adjust the heat as needed.
5. Scoop the cooked Gato Pima out on to a plate lined with kitchen roll to drain the excess oil.
6. Allow to cool for a while, then gobble them up while they’re still warm!
Ready, steady, COOK!
own! Ask your parents, carers or grandparents to teach you one of their favourite recipes and write it down on the template below.
Recipe for
From the kitchen of
Ingredients:
Cooking equipment:
Instructions:
DESIGN A NEWSPAPER LOGO
Come up with your own name for a newspaper using the words below. Notice how a lot of the words in the second column are ways of sending information and messages? That’s because that’s exactly what a newspaper does – it spreads information.
Now, design a logo! Look at some newspaper logos for inspiration. They are usually big bold text in black and white, although sometimes use one other colour, like red or dark blue. The title usually begins with THE, then pick a word from column one and another from column two to get your name. Or just make one up yourself!
COLUMN ONE
NAME OF YOUR SCHOOL
YOUR LAST NAME
NAME OF YOUR TOWN
COLUMN TWO
WRITE THE NAME OF YOUR NEWSPAPER HERE:
DRAW YOUR LOGO HERE:
Once you’ve got your logo, why not start writing some stories for your paper? Read on to find out how!
YOU’VE GOT THE SCOOP!
important or newsworthy.
News articles all have a similar format. They start with a catchy headline in bold. Consider alliteration for something that rolls off the tongue.
MONKEY MAYHEM IN MIDDLESBROUGH!
This is the headline and it is followed by the byline, which is the line that tells us who the article is written by.
For example: By Jessica Journalist
After this comes the lead. This is a paragraph that contains the most important information and sums up the story, telling you when, where and what happened. In this case, a troop of monkeys escaped from a zoo yesterday and ended up in Middlesbrough.
In the body of the article you cover the important details of the story. What happened? How does it affect people? You could also write quotes from witnesses or people involved. Be sure to get your facts straight and don’t jump to conclusions like Lexi Steel!
The tail of the story contains any extra information, often the background to the story and any events leading up to it. Here it might look at how the monkeys escaped from the zoo.
Your article should be written in the past tense and end with a couple of lines that sum up the story. It could possibly finish with the journalist’s opinion (yours!).
YOU’VE GOT THE SCOOP!
HEADLINE
BYLINE
MAIN BODY
DRAW AN IMAGE HERE!
CONTINUE YOUR ARTICLE HERE
ONLINE SAFETY AND FAKE NEWS!
‘I couldn’t believe Lexi had said my full name and school on camera, and posted it online! Our teachers have told us we should never do that.’
Rani is often shocked at how irresponsible Lexi is when it comes to online safety. The internet can be a great place to learn new things but only when it is used safely. Using the computer template below, come up with three key ways to stay safe online!
1. 2. 3.
ONLINE SAFETY AND FAKE NEWS!
On Lexi’s YouTube channel, Steel Reveals, she often exaggerates stories and twists facts in order to get more followers and subscribers. These kinds of stories can be described as “fake news”. Why do you think it can be dangerous to spread stories that are not true?
Discuss in pairs or as a group.
LEARNING MAURITIAN CREOLE
and Chinese languages spoken, among many others!
Here are some of the Creole words used by Rani and her family in this book:
Ki manyer?
Ayo!
Coco
Zoli
Manzer
Chalo!
Mersi
Mamou
How are you?
Exclamation of surprise or dismay
A term of endearment
Beautiful
Eat
Let’s go!
Thanks
Uncle
Mine Frire
Gato pima
Gato patate
Roti
Rougail
Fried noodles
Chilli cakes
Potato cakes
Round flatbread
Spicy tomato sauce
Key man-yeah
Eye-oh
Zoh-lee
Mon-zay
Cha-low (Hindi)
Mer-see
Mam-oo (Hindi)
Min free-er
Ga-toe pea-ma
Ga-toe pat-at
Roh-tea
Roe-guy
LEARNING MAURITIAN CREOLE
Using the glossary, have a go at finding some of these words in the word search below!
TRICKY TREASURE HUNT!
can write as many clues as you like but four lines is a great starting point. Bonus points if they rhyme!
Seek my friend, the Dancing Decon. He’ll take you to the oldest beacon.
Head high and there you’ll see the light, Where Bessie’s voice sang through the night.
A PERFECT DAY!
and why you enjoy hanging out.
Draw a picture of the two of you, alongside five ideas you can do together for a special day out. Here are Rani and Nani’s lists for inspiration!
Meet the king
Ride on a tram
Pierce Rani’s ears
Take afternoon tea
See a famous painting!
Go to the seaside
Take a boat ride
Visit a museum
Go on an adventure
Find a story for the Junior Journalist competition
DOODLE A DODO!
feet. As it had no natural predators, it only laid one egg at a time.
The first humans to live in Mauritius were the Dutch, who came to the island in 1598. Along with the cats, dogs and rats they brought with them, they ate the poor dodo and its eggs to extinction in just 65 years.
Happyhead by Josh Silver
TEACHING RESOURCES
When Seb is offered a place on a radical retreat designed to solve the national crisis of teenage unhappiness, he is determined to change how people see him. But as he finds himself drawn to the enigmatic Finn, Seb starts to question the true nature of the challenges they must undergo. The deeper into the programme the boys get, the more disturbing the assessments become, until it’s clear there may be no escape...
9780861545537
Suitable for ages 13+
Explores themes of:
Mental health
Sexuality
Happiness Secrets
Homophobia
Competition
Wellness culture
Social conformity
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. In the novel, we see the dangers of toxic positivity extremified. What do you feel that this says about wellness culture in our society?
2. What were your gut instincts about the ‘Overalls’ at the start of the book? What early descriptions of them made you feel this way?
3. Those who follow the orders from the ‘Overalls’ and ‘fit in’ are rewarded. Do you feel that there are ways that you can relate to this? Make note of a few examples and discuss with your peers.
4. At HappyHead, access to devices and the internet are prohibited. How do you think social media perpetuates false notions of happiness?
5. Those who succeed in the programme are categorised as the ‘Elite’, while those who ‘fail’ at being happy, like Finn, are categorised as ‘Bottom Percentile’. In what ways do you feel that this is reflected in real life?
6. Performance is a key theme in the novel. Seb performs his sexuality, Eleanor performs happiness, the ‘Overalls’ perform their duty of care. What comment is this making about society generally?
7. Seb and Finn have to hide their sexuality in order to be accepted into the programme and succeed. How do you feel this reflects LGBTQIA+ relationships within our current society?
8. Make a list of all the songs referenced in the book. What are their similarities and differences? Why do you think the author decided to include these songs?
9. Look at pages 154-156, where Seb is asked if he likes himself. Do you believe that liking yourself is vital to happiness?
10. There was a time when I really wanted to be a Good Person. I thought it was our ultimate aim in life as human beings. Our Biggest Goal. And, once we reached it, we would be happy. Do you think that there is such a thing as being a good person? If so, do you think being a good person equates to happiness?
11. I feel sick. This is not what I want. I want to… go back to my strange white room and wait for the screen to tell me what to do. What does this say about Seb’s character? How does it reflect what he is hoping to achieve in the experiment?
12. The author describes his book as a cross between Love Island and Squid Game. Can you find three examples where this is apparent in the novel?
13. What did you think of the ending? What are you expecting from the second book?
14. In the author interview at the back of the book, Josh Silver is asked whether he believes if happiness is an illusion. Taking his answer into consideration, do you agree or disagree? Why?
ACTIVITY: EXPLORING KEY QUOTES
Look at these quotes from Eleanor, Finn, and Seb. Consider what the characters are saying and how this may be masking their deeper feelings. In conjunction with these sentences, write a monologue from the perspective of each character, which details their thoughts and feelings.
Eleanor: ‘I am better than that and I’m under so much…’ She catches herself, shaking her head. She inhales, then smiles at me. ‘Oh, God. Sorry. This is silly… She suddenly refocuses, looks at me and smiles. ‘You’re so sexy,’ she says, slightly robotically. And then it’s gone.
Finn: ‘Calm down? Easy for you, isn’t it? Elite...’ He starts pacing, scratching at his arms, his hair.
Seb: ‘The fence is for our safety...’ I say, but I suddenly feel unsteady. ‘There’s a gate – it’s probably locked to keep things out. I don’t know, bears and stuff. You know?’
ACTIVITY: LOOKING AT AN EXTRACT
‘We are in an epidemic. An epidemic of unhappiness. The data has shown that, without intervention, you, the youth of our country, are in serious danger of many things, but most importantly in danger of yourselves. And it is glaringly obvious that, now more than ever, you need help. A way out...
‘Friends, here is the good news: HappyHead has the answer… Our radical new project is here to put you at the centre of your journey into adulthood and give you all the tools you need to fulfil your potential as happy human beings. We seek not only to transform lives but to save them. And you, you lucky people, were selected at random from across the nation and have become the first – the very first – to experience this. You, each and every one of you, are special.’
Look carefully at this extract. Do you think there is truth behind Professor Manning’s statement? If so, how do you think Manning manipulates the truth in order to advance HappyHead’s dangerous mission?
ACTIVITY: REFLECTION AND DISCUSSION
Take a few moments to think about what happiness means to you. Discuss with your peers how this relates to wellness culture and what other routes there are to better mental health. Fill in your thoughts on the mind map below.
HAPPINESS
murdle junior ACTIVITY SHEET
how to solve
DO YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO BECOME A DETECTIVE ? YOU DO ? THAT ’ S EXCELLENT NEWS ! FIRST UP , LET ’ S LEARN
HOW TO SOLVE A MURDLE PUZZLE SO WE CAN CATCH THE CULPRITS OF THESE DASTARDLY CRIMES !
1. get your assignment
R EAD THROU g H THE CASE DETAILS FOR SOME IMPORTANT BACK g ROUND INFO ON THE CRIME .
the who, where and why ...
EACH M URDLE INCLUDES A LIST OF SUSPECTS , AS WELL AS TWO OTHER CATE g ORIES , FOR EXAMPLE LOCATIONS AND OB j ECTS .
I N THIS CASE , EACH SUSPECT WOULD BE IN ONE LOCATION WITH ONE OB j ECT . B UT ONLY ONE HAS CO mm I tt ED THE CRIME !
3. clues, clues, clues
Y OU ALSO HAVE A LIST OF CLUES , BECAUSE WHERE THERE ' S A CRIME THERE ' S A CLUE ! USE THE CLUES TO FILL OUT YOUR DEDUCTION g RID .
W HEN YOU WORK OUT WHERE A SUSPECT WAS , PUT A TICK IN THE BOX . A T THE SAME TIME PUT A CRO ss A g AINST THE OTHER LOCATIONS , BECAUSE WE KNOW THEY CAN ’ T BE THERE .
4. CRACK THE CASE!
U SE YOUR DEDUCTION g RID TO WORK OUT WHODU nn IT AND FILL IN YOUR ANSWERS . g OOD LUCK DETECTIVE !
TURN OVER TO CATCH THE CULPRIT OF A PARTICULARLY FIENDISH CRIME... Earn your detective badge IN THE END, YOUR DEDUCTION gRID SHOULD LOOK SOMETHINg LIKE THIS:
the case of the circus cage
CLUES & EVIDENCE
Kid Khaki was under the big top, mildly entertained by the show.
Old Man Mint used a classic getaway van.
A crane wouldn’t fit inside the big top.
Mrs. Ruby was not in the hall of mirrors.
Orangutan Orange was locked in the cages when he was kidnapped.
A deadly executive decision
& EVIDENCE
A g ROUP OF DETECTIVES ARE IN HOT PURSUIT OF AN ESCAPED SUSPECT . THE Y HAVE BOARDED A j ET TO FOLLOW THE SUSPECT , BUT UNBEKNOWNST TO THEM THERE IS AN ACCOMPLICE ON THE PLANE AND THE PILOT HAS BEEN A tt ACKED ! SOMEONE NEEDS TO WORK OUT WHAT ' S g OIN g ON , q UICK !
A medium-weight weapon was indoors.
Executive Producer Steel was trying to take a phone call on the wing.
The shortest suspect was armed only with their wits.
A parachute was not in the passenger cabin (oops!).
The pilot was attacked while he was goofing off in the cockpit.
Alchemist Raven would definitely be running an alchemy lab, duh!
The person who loved studying weird animals wanted to live forever.
No alchemist is interested in total knowledge, only the here and now.
Studying potions seems like a good option if you’re after immortality.
Julius suspected it was a computer lab
the case of the overheard arrest
THE SACRED KIDNEY SCHOOL WAS ABUZZ AFTER A ROBBERY . THE TEACHERS AND STUDENTS WERE ALL q UESTIONED BY O ff ICER COOPER WHO WAS ON SITE TO INVESTI g ATE . THE I ss UE IS , IT WASN ' T CLEAR WHAT HAD BEEN STOLEN OR WHO WAS BEHIND IT .
MYSTERY ?
& EVIDENCE
Principal Applegreen has been waving around a letter he found.
Mrs. Ruby was heard saying that she was in the cafeteria just for a bite to eat.
Jake knew that the Sacred Kidney was always kept in the chapel.
The Sacred Kidney had been stolen! Okay, that’s a pretty big deal.
Illustrated by Sophie Beer
Scribe/Scribble
Plot
Join Banjo and his mum on what starts as a straightforward day out, only to have it upended by homophones (two words with the same pronunciation but with different meanings), turning the narrative into the delightfully absurd.
Kids and adults alike will love this joyful new wordplay extravaganza from debut author Mel Amon with illustrations by international superstar Sophie Beer. The hilarious wordplay combined with delightful illustrations have kids ‘in on the joke’ from the very beginning.
I brushed my hare and put on my new pear of shoes. Mum painted her nails before we set out for the day.
TEACHING NOTES
Good Morning, My Deer
Title Good Morning, My Deer
Author Mel Amon
Illustrator Sophie Beer
Publication September 2023
Category Picture book
ISBN 9781915590374
Themes Homophones
Early literacy Wordplay
Slice of life
Animals
About the creators
Mel Amon (author) lives on Garigal land with her husband, her long-board, and a 3-metre avocado tree she planted by accident when composting her vegetables. Although she initially trained as a primary school teacher, she threw in the chalk to become a clinical psychologist (and topped her cohort in the process!). Mel now spends her days helping people of all ages with their big feelings, and drinking a lot (but really, just the right amount) of tea.
Sophie Beer
(illustrator) is an awardwinning illustrator/ author living in Brisbane, Australia. She works primarily in children’s books, having published with Penguin Random House New York, Simon and Schuster New York, Walker UK, Scholastic UK, Hardie Grant, and many more. As an illustrator, she has worked with Disney/Pixar, Google, The Sydney Opera House, and has collaborated with Myer for her own line of children’s homewares. When she’s not illustrating and writing, she thinks a lot about plants, animals, music, books, and equality.
Discussion & activities BEFORE READING
Look at the title and the pictures on the cover. What do you think this book might be about?
There are some unusual objects floating around behind Banjo (the deer) on the cover. What do you think they are?
AFTER READING
Homophones are two words that sound the same, but mean different things. What was your favourite homophone in the book? How many can you spot throughout the story?
This book is all about Banjo having a nice day out with his mum. What do you like to do with your caregiver when you spend a special day together? Where would you like to go?
Activity 1:
FILL IN THE BLANKS
At the end of the book, there’s a handy guide to some of the visual puns in the book. On the bottom is how the word should be spelled for the sentence to make sense. At the top, can you write what the illustration is actually showing?
Activity 2:
DRAW YOUR OWN PUNS
Now that you’ve tried labelling the book’s homophones, what about coming up with your own? Draw three homophones that you might find in Banjo’s world.
Scribe/Scribble
PLOT
Making sure you get your rightful share in a family of five siblings is never easy. Everything must be carefully calculated and precisely measured to make sure no one misses out. How We Share Cake is a hilarious exploration of the timeless struggle for fairness and justice among brothers and sisters. This delightful story captures the very essence of family dynamics.
TEACHING NOTES
How We Share Cake
Title
How We Share Cake
Author
Kim Hyo-eun
Publication
October 2024
Category
Picture book
ISBN 9781915590855
THEMES Korea
Family Cake Together
Siblings
Teamwork
ABOUT THE CREATORS
Kim Hyo-eun studied illustration at Ibpil Future Illustration Research Institute. This is the second book that Kim has written and illustrated.
Here is a note from Kim: When I was young, I had to share everything, so much so that I developed the habit of dividing the food on the table according to the number of people.
Now, there are countless things that are completely mine that I don’t have to share.
But still, when I eat delicious food or see nice scenery while travelling, people that I want to share them with come to mind. Even today, there are so many things I wish I could have shared that I have let slip away. That is why I have the desire to share stories of all shapes and tastes.
DISCUSSION AND ACTIVITIES
Before reading
Why is it important to share with others? How does sharing make you feel?
When you have to divide something among friends or family, how do you decide how much each person gets?
How can we make sharing easier and more enjoyable for everyone involved?
Can you think of a time when working together helped you achieve something, or made the experience more fun?
Anote from the translator: I am Deborah Smith. I grew up in a small South Yorkshire town without a bookshop or books at home, never travelling. I read translations, learned Korean, then began to translate and founded Tilted Axis Press (publishing translations of writing from across Asia), all to learn, share, and support a more nuanced and equitable awareness of our mutually entangled lives.
After reading
Were there any characters who struggled with sharing? How did they overcome their difficulties?
Can you think of a real-life situation where you had to share something, similar to the story? How did you handle it?
Were they any situations in the book that were similar to your own life with friends or family?
What are some challenges you face when sharing in real life, and how can you use what you learned from the book to address these challenges?
Draw a picture of your family, from oldest to youngest. Maybe you have a small family, so you could include your pets, or your cousins, or anyone else that is special to you?
Drawing activity: a family portrait
ACTIVITY
My sibling: What’s Important to Them
Think about one of your siblings or friends and what they care about the most.
My sibling’s favorite activity is .......................................................................................................
My sibling’s favorite food is ............................................................................................................
One thing my sibling really enjoys doing is .................................................................................
Appreciation List:
List three things you appreciate about each of your sibling of friend. These can be things they do for you, qualities they have, or things they are good at.
Draw a comic strip or storyboard showing a day in the life of your sibling(s). Include their favorite activities and routines.
ACTIVITY
Share the Cookies: Draw and Colour
Colour and decorate the cookies below to make them look delicious, and special, for your siblings or friends.
Draw a line to divide the cookies into equal groups for your siblings friends.
Each friend gets ................................................. cookies.
Scribe/Scribble
Spiro by Anna McGregor
PLOT
A hilarious tale of one spider’s determined search for a decent meal from award winning author and illustrator Anna McGregor.
Spiro’s formula for spidery success:
11% hunger to succeed (or actual hunger)
34% trying again and again … and again!
53% giving it another shot
And 2% spider silk.
TEACHING NOTES
Spiro
Title
Spiro
Author
Anna McGregor
Publication
August 2024
Category
Picture book
ISBN 9781915590862 (HB) 9781915590923 (PB)
THEMES
Creepy crawlies
Perseverance Resilience Playful
Lessons
ABOUT THE CREATOR
Anna McGregor is a creator of modern, quirky and conceptual stories with humour and heart. Since beginning her career as a graphic designer, Anna is now emerging as an award-winning picture book author/illustrator.
Anna’s driving purpose is to delight and entertain children through timeless storytelling. With them, she explores evergreen issues through a child’s lens and allows them to interpret the stories in their own way and draw their own conclusions.
DISCUSSION AND ACTIVITIES
Before reading
Look at the front cover of the book. What do you think the story might be about?
Other than the spider, there are three different bugs on the back cover. What insects do you think they are? Why?
On the back of the book, the blurb says that the spider is searching for a decent meal. Do you know what spiders eat? What do you think would be a decent meal for the spider? Are there any hints on the book cover?
One of the ingredients in Spiro’s spidery success is ‘spider silk’. What is that? What would it be used for?
After reading
Spiro tries over and over again to catch his meal. What is something that you’ve done where you had to try over and over again? Why do you think it was important that you kept trying?
At the end of the book, the bugs come swarming to Spiro’s web. Why do they all suddenly come then?
Spiro eats other insects. This means that he is a predator. Do you know of any other creatures that are predators? What are they? What do they eat?
When Spiro’s web snaps, it goes ‘TWANG’, and Gary’s lawnmower goes ‘BRUMMM BRUMMM’. These are called onomatopoeias — words that sound like the noise they describe. We use lots of onomatopoeias in our everyday lives. Brainstorm some!
ACTIVITY Drawing activity: a meal fit for a very special spider In the book, Spiro gets to eat a stink bug, a fly, and a moth –but spiders eat so many other bugs! Draw some of your favourite insects (bonus points for scientific accuracy!) that Spiro could hunt down for a meal.
Biology: thinking about the food chain
Spiro eats bugs — but he almost gets eaten, too! Think about Spiro’s place in the food chain. What do the things that he eats eat? What do the things that would eat him eat? Write them out in order.
Spider art: make your own Spiro
What you will need:
2 black pipe cleaners
2 pink pipe cleaners
A pair of googley eyes
PVA glue
Scissors
1. Cut two black pipe cleaners in half to make four smaller lengths, and bunch them together.
2. Wrap the other two pink pipe cleaners around the centre of the bunch to make the spider’s body.
3. You should now have a ‘body’ and four straight ‘legs’ either side. Shape each leg by bending twice as shown in the picture, and fan out the legs a little.
4. Glue on a pair of googley eyes onto the spiders body.
You could also make a wool web for Spiro to hang out in
Scribe/Scribble
PLOT
A vibrantly illustrated tale about finding light even in the gloomiest of times, How to Find a Rainbow will warm your heart — and give you a handy guide to making your own rainbow, too!
When Rekha spots a rainbow, she rushes indoors to tell her sister about it.
Reena will want to paint it, for sure!
But when the sisters go outside to find it, the rainbow disappears. Where could it have gone?
Reena hates rainy days. She hates the way the dark clouds make everything look so dull.
TEACHING NOTES
How to Find a Rainbow
Title
How to Find a Rainbow
Author
Alom Shaha
Illustrator
Sarthak Sinha
Publication
February 2024
Category
Picture book
ISBN 9781915590398 (Hardback) 9781915590404 (paperback)
THEMES
Backyard science
Natural world Sisters
Accepting difference
Red pandas Colour spectrum
Holistic
learning
Rekha loves rainy days. She loves the way the rain makes the earth smell.
ABOUT THE CREATORS
Alom Shaha (author) was born in Bangladesh but grew up in London. A parent, teacher, science writer, and filmmaker, he has spent most of his professional life trying to share his passion for science and education with the public. Alom has produced, directed, and appeared in a number of television programmes for broadcasters such as the BBC, and has received fellowships from the National Endowment for Science, Technology, and the Arts (NESTA) and the Nuffield Foundation. He has represented his community as an elected politician and volunteered at a range of charitable organizations. He teaches at a comprehensive school in London and writes for a number of print and online publications, including The Guardian.
DISCUSSION & ACTIVITIES
BEFORE READING
Look at the title and the illustration on the cover. Do you know where to find rainbows? Can you take a guess?
On the cover, you can see Reena and Rekha. Do you know what kind of animal they are?
This book is all about finding rainbows. What are the colours in the rainbow? Which one is your favourite?
Sarthak Sinha (illustrator) is an artist and educator from India. His love for nature and exploring has taken him from the tropical rainforests to the high Himalayas. He has happily taught kindergarten children for the last 4 years.
AFTER READING
Reena doesn’t like the rain, but she still makes it outside to look for rainbows in this book! What is something you do sometimes that you don’t always like, because there’s something special waiting for you at the end?
Reena and Rekha are very different, and they don’t always agree on things. In the end though, they find a way to both go out into the rain together and apologise when they’ve been rude. Are there any times when you’ve done something for someone else, just because you thought they would like it?
In the illustrations, Sarthak Sinha has used the colour white to represent the water, the clouds, and even the wind. What could you use white for in your own drawings?
ACTIVITIES
BACKYARD SCIENCE: MAKE YOUR OWN RAINBOW!
At the end of the book, there’s an information page about how to make rainbows. Follow the instructions and see if you can make your very own rainbow!
Reena and Rekha are red pandas living in the Himalayas. Do you know where that is? What do you know about red pandas? Now think about your own family. What kind of animal would you be? Draw a picture of your animal family here.
NAME:
EXPERIMENT:
THE RE-APPEARING RAINBOW
In How to Find a Rainbow, Reena and Rekha discover that you can only see a rainbow if the sun is shining behind you and it’s raining in front of you.
In this activity, you’ll make a ‘re-appearing rainbow’ that makes use of the same science that explains how rainbows form!
You will need:
• A clear plastic (polythene) bag – ‘ziploc’ or clear plastic document wallets work well.
• The rainbow template below
• Coloured felt tips (ideally all seven colours of the rainbow)
• Black permanent marker (or a felt-tip that is not water soluble)
• Large clear bowl of water
• Scissors
What to do:
Step 1: Colour in the rainbow! Can you remember the order of the colours from the story? An easy way to remember the correct order from top to bottom is to use the acronym ROY G BIV, which stands for Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet.
Step 2: Cut out the box with the rainbow and put the rectangle of paper into the bottom of your plastic bag. If your plastic bag is too small for this, just draw your own rainbow onto a piece of white paper that fits your bag.
Step 3: Use the black permanent marker to trace over the black lines separating the colours of the rainbow. Wait a moment or two to make sure the ink is dry.
Step 4: To make your rainbow disappear, slowly lower the plastic bag into the water, while you are looking down at it from the top. You may have to experiment a bit by angling the paper slightly towards you when you do this to see the effect, but once you’ve got it you’ll be able to do it again easily.
Step 5: To make the rainbow re-appear, simply take the bag out of the water again!
The science:
White light from the sun is actually a mixture of colours known as the spectrum – red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet.
Scientists use the word ‘dispersion’ to describe the splitting up of white light into the different colours of the spectrum.
When a beam of white light passes through a raindrop, it bends, and bounces in a way that makes it split up into its different colours. The coloured light that emerges from the raindrop is what we see as a rainbow.
The bending of light as it goes from one substance from another, like from air into water, is called refraction. This bending of light is why things look distorted if you look at them through a glass of water or a magnifying glass.
This bending of light is also why you can’t see the colours of the rainbow when you put your paper rainbow wrapped in a plastic bag into a bowl of water and look down at it from above. When the rainbow is outside the water, the light passes through the plastic bag, bounces off the rainbow, and into your eyes, so you can see it.
When the rainbow is under water, the light bouncing off it is bent as it travels between the air inside the plastic bag and the water. When the light meets the water’s surface at certain angles, it can’t escape the water and get into your eyes. This effect is called ‘total internal reflection’ because the light is reflected INSIDE the water!
Try putting your hand in the bag — can you make your fingers disappear?
Swimmers notice this same effect looking up from the bottom of a swimming pool where they can see the floor of the pool reflected on the water’s surface.
EXPERIMENT: REVERSING FISH
In How to Find a Rainbow, Reena and Rekha discover that you can only see a rainbow if the sun is shining behind you and it’s raining in front of you.
When a beam of white light passes through a raindrop, it bends, and bounces in a way that makes it split up into its different colours. The coloured light that bounces out of the raindrop is what we see as a rainbow.
The word ‘reflection’ is used to describe when light bounces off a surface. The bending of light as it goes from one substance from another, like from air into water, is called ‘refraction’. This bending of light is why things look distorted if you look at them through a glass of water or a magnifying glass.
In this activity, you can use refraction, the bending of light, to make a drawing of a fish change direction.
You will need:
• A clear cylindrical glass of water
• A piece of scrap card or paper
• Something to draw with
The science:
We see things because either they give out light or they reflect light and that light enters our eyes.
When we look at the fish drawn on the paper without the glass of water in the way, light from the surroundings reflects off the fish and into our eyes.
What to do:
Step 1: Draw a fish on your piece of paper about a third of the width of your glass. You can copy the one below or use your own design:
Step 2: Lean your piece of card or paper against something so that it is upright.
Step 3: Put your glass of water up against the paper and slowly move it towards you until you can see the fish clearly and it is looking the opposite direction.
Step 4: Now, if you move the glass to the side and back again, you should be able to see the fish looking one way (on the paper) and then the other (through the glass).
Step 5: Try experimenting with other shapes or pictures!
When the glass of water is in the way, light reflecting off the fish bends (refracts) as it goes through the glass and water and then bends again as it comes out of the water and glass.
When the glass of water is at just the right distance away from the fish, light reflecting from the right hand side of the fish is now on the left and light from the left hand side of the fish is on the right. This makes the fish look like it’s changed direction.
Boom Boom by Jude Idada
Swift Press
BOOM BOOM
BY JUDE IDADA
Osaik and his dog Kompa love learning new words. Theyʼre sharing their favourites with you in a wordfind! Can you find the 19 words hidden in the scramble?
BOOM BOOM
DISCUSSION
NOTES
1. ʻA very intelligent dog you have. He ran into the room where I was, barked, ran to the door, looked out, ran back in, barked, ran out, looked back, ran back in and kept barking. I have a dog myself and I knew instantly that he wanted me to see something, so I left the patient I was seeing and came out.ʼ (p.99)
• Kompa is a helpful dog who can communicate to the adults when there is a problem with his behaviour. What kinds of ʻworkingʼ dogs do you know that are used to help people day-to-day?
2. ʻ“So HLA is an acronym?” I asked. “Acronym. Who taught you that?”ʼ (p.104)
• There are lots of acronyms in Boom Boom. What is an acronym? Can you find another example in the book?
3. ʻ“Well, she didnʼt go back to the cemetery, she went up into the sky. Like I told you before, sheʼs a star.”ʼ (p.110)
• When Osaik talks to his mum he talks to the stars in the night sky. Why do you think he does that? What stars can you see from your home? Are any of them part of a constellation?
4. ʻ“My name is Eghosa, but everyone calls me Eghe Boom Boom. Iʼm a warrior, which means I have sickle cell anaemia.”ʼ (p.123)
• Eghe Boom Boom calls herself a ʻwarriorʼ. What do you think she means by that? In what ways do you think she is like a warrior?
5. ʻI could not understand was why they stopped coming to my house to play with Kompa and me, or why, when they saw Eghe Boom Boom, they refused to touch her or playwith herʼ. (p.164)
• Why do you think the neighbourhood kids are reacting this way to Osaik and his sister? What would you do to help them understand about Sickle Cell Disease?
21 September 2023
For ages 9+ | £7.99
The School of Life
Emotional Literacy
With An Emotional Menagerie
overall aims / curriculum links:
1. Name, define and identify emotions
2. Build empathy by identifying emotions in others
3. Foster consideration and respect for others
4. Develop self-awareness and self-management
5. Promote positive behaviour and relationships
Supporting ideas for Teachers & Students
For use in the classroom or at home.
Suitable for ages 6+
An Emotional Menagerie: Feelings from A to Z
Children experience all sorts of emotions, sometimes going through several very different ones before breakfast. Yet they can struggle to put these feelings into words. An inability to understand and communicate their moods can lead to bad behaviour, deep frustration and a whole host of difficulties further down the line.
‘An Emotional Menagerie’ is an emotional glossary that is perfect for sharing with children and reading aloud together.
It includes 26 rhyming poems, arranged alphabetically, that bring our feelings to life – Anger, Boredom, Curiosity, Dreaminess, Embarrassment, Fear, Guilt, and more.
Filled with wise, therapeutic advice and brought to life through musical language and beautiful illustrations, ‘An Emotional Menagerie’ is an imaginative and universally appealing way of increasing emotional literacy.
Identify ways of coping with difficult emotions; understand the importance of empathy and kindness.
This Mini-Scheme of work can be used with children either at home or in the classroom. It includes material for between 4–6 lessons. The lessons can be completed in sequence or children can dip in and out of activities as they wish.
note:
It is advised that teachers, parents or carers read through this Mini-Scheme and complete any tasks before students, to ensure that everyone is comfortable with its themes and activities.
1. NAMING EMOTIONS
Poem: ‘An Emotional Menagerie’
start:
Naming Emotions expands our vocabulary and helps us to develop emotional literacy.
Ask children to name as many emotions as they can think of. Can they split them into ‘positive’ and ‘negative’? Why do we think some emotions are positive and some are negative? Ask willing volunteers to ‘perform’ emotions to help understanding.
develop:
Matching emotions with colours helps us to describe those emotions.
Use the ‘Emotion Colour Chart’ opposite to help children describe different emotions. Encourage them to choose different colours to represent different emotions, giving reasons for their choices. One colour might represent more than one emotion: why?
create: An A-Z of emotions.
The book ‘An Emotional Menagerie’ includes an emotion for every letter of the alphabet. Ask children to create an emotion alphabet of their own using the board below, or choose just one letter template to design in the style of their chosen emotion.
discuss the poem:
‘An Emotional Menagerie’ – page 1.
• Why are emotions ‘like animals’?
• Why is ‘mastering emotions’ a very ‘useful skill’?
• What do we mean by the phrase: Emotional Literacy?
• How does having control of your emotions make you more ‘calm, wise and fulfilled’?
create:
An Emotions Diary.
It might be useful for children to create an Emotions Diary to reflect on what they learn and to record their emotions as they complete activities. In this lesson’s entry, get children to record any new emotions they have learned about. They might also use colour to describe or draw these new emotions.
An Emotional Menagerie
Emotions are like animals: No two are quite the same. Some are gentle; others, fierce; And some are hard to tame.
Inside this book there’s twenty-six Emotions you might feel. Arranged alphabetically From Anger on to Zeal.
Each poem is a rhyming guide To different ways of dealing With whichever emotion you Might happen to be feeling.
They’re full of new words to expand Your vocabulary, Helping you develop your Emotional literacy.
Mastering emotions is A very useful skill. With it, you’ll grow up to be More calm, wise and fulfilled.
So open up and come inside As we set out to see The weird and wild emotions in This verse menagerie.
2. LAYERED EMOTIONS
Poem: ‘A is for Anger’
start:
Emotions Pairs.
Encourage children to first match ‘opposite’ emotions by creating ‘Emotions Pairs’ – e.g. Happy and Sad or Calm and Angry. How many pairs can they come up with? Are there any emotions that are harder to match?
develop:
What are the extreme ends of an emotion? How do they manifest?
1. Ask children to visualise and describe the extreme ends of two opposite emotions using the Emotion Stretch below – how do we get from Calm to Angry? What happens? How does each emotion manifest, and what happens in between?
2. Complete a new ‘Emotion Stretch’ or scale for another pair of emotions.
CALM ANGRY
create:
An Anger Volcano. Sometimes, we think of extreme emotions erupting like a volcano.
To develop the idea, children could draw a volcano or triangle. At the top of the volcano should be the ‘biggest’ emotion (e.g. anger), with ‘smaller’ emotions near the base. Which smaller (sometimes hidden) emotions lead to the big feeling of anger?
Help children to understand that, though we might think we feel one way about an event or situation, what we actually feel is very complex. There are many layers to our emotions. A big emotional reaction comes from lots of other emotions bubbling below the surface.
Sometimes, it is important not to judge any of our emotions as ‘positive’ or ‘negative’ because this keeps us from really understanding what it is we are feeling. If we label our emotions, we might be less likely to investigate the root. It’s important not to judge and instead to find out why something causes a strong emotional reaction.
discuss the poem:
‘A is for Anger’ – pages 2–3.
• Why do you think the lion has been chosen as the illustration for this poem?
• When or why do we feel angry?
• How can we ‘let it go’?
• What other emotions are ‘disguised’ by anger?
reflect:
Thinking about layered emotions.
Children to reflect on what we mean when we talk about ‘layered emotions’. Ask them to summarise an event or scenario where they felt angry. What led to this feeling? What other emotions were bubbling beneath? Draw their own mini-volcanoes.
Ais for Anger
If Anger was an animal, It would have teeth and claws, A mangy mane, a bristly tail, And growling, gaping jaws.
It comes along when things go wrong, When our plans go awry. When toys are broken, trainers lost, Or favourite treats denied.
It bares its teeth and starts to roar: ‘Unkind!’ ‘Unjust!’ ‘UNFAIR!’ It wants the world to be just so, Without problems or cares.
To let it go, remember this: Life won’t always go right. Some things we’d like to happen won’t; Some things we wouldn’t, might.
It’s sad, we know, and that’s the point: In fact, that’s why we rage. Anger is sadness in disguise: Our hurt let loose, uncaged.
Life lets us down now and again: You, me, and everyone.
So next time Anger rears its head, Accept this, and move on.
3. IDENTIFYING EMOTIONS
Poem: ‘E is for Embarrassment’
start:
Noticing and naming feelings is the first step in dealing with them.
Encourage children to name the feeling in each of the scenarios below. It is important for them to bear in mind that there can be more than one right answer; different people react to situations in different ways.
1. Two of your friends are arguing on the playground. They are angry and raising their voices. You are the only other person present but you can’t think of what to say. Your heart is racing.
You are feeling ................... .
2. There is a big test coming up soon. You keep imagining not being able to complete the test.
You are feeling ................... .
3. Your classmate spills water all over your work and the table. When the teacher comes in, he thinks you made the mess and tells you clean it up. You want to shout at him and your classmate.
You are feeling ................... .
develop:
Our bodies give us signals when we when we have big feelings.
Assign children different emotions: Nervousness, Anger, Excitement, Anxiety, Embarrassment, or Joy.
Ask children to write their emotion at the top of a blank piece paper and draw a stick figure or human outline below. They should label all the places they might feel the emotion in their body and what they would feel. Prompt questions might include: What does your head feel like? Your hands? Your stomach? Any other physical signs of this feeling? What facial expressions would you have?
Share and compare drawings. Do some feelings have similar manifestations? Which ones?
create:
Animal metaphors to represent different emotions.
Ask children to choose an emotion that interests them the most. Using the book ‘An Emotional Menagerie’ as inspiration, ask them to draw an animal to represent their chosen emotion. Can children explain why they have made their choices?
discuss the poem:
‘E is for Embarrassment’ – pages 10–11.
• How does embarrassment show itself, in the poem?
• When or why do we feel embarrassed?
• How do others ‘seem’, when we feel embarrassed?
• How can we ‘deflate our Embarrassment’?
reflect:
Identifying emotions in others and ourselves.
Children to reflect on the ways we can identify emotions in others and ourselves. Why is this a useful skill? Ask them to create a gallery of labelled stick figures to show the body signals and clues for different emotions.
Eis for Embarrassment
If Embarrassment was an animal, It would have a coat of spines, And when it feels it’s being watched It grows to twice the size.
It gets puffed up when we’re on show, And we feel too exposed: Maybe we’ve called our teacher ‘Mum’, Or spilt food on our clothes.
It makes us feel humiliated By stupid things we do, Or mortified that people stare And sometimes giggle too.
Others seem so self-assured, So confident and cool, Whereas we’re awkward, somewhat odd: A stumbling, bumbling fool.
But here’s the truth: so’s everyone. We all are fools at heart. We just don’t know each other’s thoughts; Can’t spot the foolish parts.
To deflate our Embarrassment We should laugh at our flaws, Own up to all our weaknesses And greet them with guffaws.
4. MANAGING EMOTIONS
Poem: ‘K is for Kindness’
start:
Strategies for coping with emotions.
Encourage children to think about the steps we can take or strategies we can use to manage emotions – both our own emotions and the emotions of others.
They might consider the ideas on the balloons as prompts:
downWritingfeelings inadiaryor notebook.
Talking to others about feelings.
Beingkind toothers
Counting to ten to calm down.
Drawing, orcolouring things.creating
Doing exercises.breathing inTakingpartactivityphysicalswimmingrunning,like or dancing.
What is kindness, how can it help when dealing with emotions?
develop:
Track emotions and any strategies used to manage them.
Encourage children to think of a situation where they’ve used one of these strategies, or where they might need to use one of them in future. They can practise how they manage their emotions, setting themselves the challenge of recording feelings and strategies used during the course of the day, over one week or one month. Emotions can be recorded using the Feelings Tracker template. Encourage children to draw feelings if they prefer.
create:
Use drama and role-play to develop empathy skills.
Encourage children to work together in pairs or small groups to come up with a scenario that they have already experienced or that they can imagine. An example might be:
A
new child comes into the classroom and has nowhere to sit. Some of the children laugh at him/her. Some of the children sit quietly and say nothing.
In groups, children can put together a simple freeze-frame or role-play, pausing at certain times with questions:
1. What is happening?
2. What has each person done?
3. What is each person feeling?
4. How do you know?
Get children to keep swapping roles, noting down their feelings in each role. Afterwards, they can consider what each character could say/do differently to manage the situation.
discuss the poem: ‘K is for Kindness’ – pages 22–23.
• What other words for kindness are included in the poem?
• What does ‘empathy’ mean?
• What do we appreciate sometimes, when we feel ‘discontent’?
• Do you agree that kindness ‘runs in short supply’?
reflect:
Managing emotions through kindness.
Children to reflect on the ways we can manage emotions in others and ourselves. Why is kindness and empathy so important? Ask them to record their acts of kindness towards others for a week. How does it make them feel to be kind to others?
Kis for Kindness
If Kindness was an animal, It would bumble, bob and buzz, Pollinating living things With goodwill as it does.
It buzzes by when our eyes spy A person who’s in need And wish to give a remedy Of kindly words or deeds.
We might call it benevolence, altruism, compassion: To treat our fellow creatures in A kindly, loving fashion.
Kindness springs from empathy, Which means to recognise How we’d feel if we saw the world Through someone else’s eyes.
How hard we’d find it, being them, With all their discontents. How much we might appreciate A hug, or compliment.
Kindness runs in short supply (At least compared with hate). So spread it when and where you can, To help it germinate.
The School of Life
An Introduction to Philosophy for Children
With Big Ideas for Curious Minds and Philosophical Questions for Curious Minds
overall aims / curriculum links:
1. Develop confident, independent thinking
2. Encourage sharing and challenging of ideas
3. Encourage willingness to speculate, take risks and use imagination
4. Foster consideration and respect for others
5. Introduce important philosophical ideas
Supporting ideas for Teachers & Students
For use in the classroom or at home.
Suitable for ages 9+
Big Ideas for Curious Minds: An Introduction to Philosophy
Big Ideas for Curious Minds is designed to harness children’s spontaneous philosophical instinct and to develop it through introductions to some of the most vibrant and essential philosophical ideas from history. The book takes us to meet leading figures of philosophy from around the world and from all eras – and shows us how their ideas continue to matter. The book is filled with exercises and beautiful illustrations to bring the ideas of great thinkers vibrantly to life.
Suggested for curious minds aged 9+.
Philosophical Questions for Curious Minds
Children are born philosophers – but in order to fully bring out the best of their thinking, it helps to equip them with the largest and most thought-expanding questions. This is a pack of the very sharpest, based on the biggest conundrums of philosophy, and is guaranteed to generate lively, warm and fascinating conversations among families and friends. No prior knowledge is required; all that counts is a spirit of curiosity.
The pack includes questions like: Is it ever right to lie? When might freedom not be a good thing? What’s the difference between living and being alive? How does money make you happy – and when doesn’t it?
With these questions to hand, conversation will forever be profound and entertaining, and minds young and old will have a crash course in the joys and adventures of philosophy.
Suggested for curious minds aged 9+.
1. WHAT IS PHILOSOPHY? ............................................. 1
objectives:
Understand the definition of Philosophy; explore what it means to be ‘wise’.
2. ASKING ‘WHY?’ ........................................................ 5 with Socrates objectives:
Understand the importance of challenging assumptions; explore the process of asking ‘why?’.
3. BEING CURIOUS ........................................................ 9 with Philosophical Questions for Curious Minds objectives:
Understand the value of being curious; formulate questions to explore; evaluate the quality of questions.
4. THE MEANING OF LIFE ............................................... 13 with Aristotle objectives:
Explore what makes life interesting and good; identify personal and societal problems and how to fix them; set personal goals.
This Mini-Scheme of work can be used with children either at home or in the classroom. It includes material for between 4–6 lessons. The lessons can be completed in sequence or children can dip in and out of activities as they wish.
note:
It is advised that teachers, parents or carers read through this Mini-Scheme and complete any tasks before students, to ensure that everyone is comfortable with its themes and activities.
1. What Is Philosophy?
big idea / big question
‘Philosophy’ is a word from Ancient Greek: the first part, philo, means ‘love’. The second part, which comes from the word sophia, means ‘wisdom’. Philosophy literally means ‘the love of wisdom’. It helps us live wiser lives. But what does ‘wisdom’ mean?
start:
Wisdom is more than about just being ‘clever’ – it is also about being kind, calm and accepting of life.
1. The children reflect on a ‘wise (not just clever)’ person they know, including ‘wise’ things they said or have done, describing in detail.
2. They write a definition: ‘I think wisdom means…’
3. They share their ideas with a partner.
Thinking about abstract ideas is made easier by focusing on specific examples. To help the children improve their thinking skills, this activity begins with an exemplary person and specific things they have said or done before addressing an abstract question. It also distinguishes between ‘wise’ and ‘clever’, prompting the children to elaborate on this difference.
develop:
Ideas on ‘wisdom’ by reflecting on its opposite.
1. The children reflect on a ‘clever (but not wise)’ person they know, including ‘unwise’ things they have said or done, describing in detail.
2. They write a definition: ‘I think the opposite of wisdom is…’
3. They share their ideas with the group.
Thinking about what an idea is not helps to clarify distinctions. Making distinctions is a fundamental thinking skill, and this activity shows children how they can begin to practice this skill.
2. The children reflect on a new problem. For example:
create:
Learn to become ‘wiser’ by thinking about responses to problems.
1. ‘You lose a game of Connect Four to your brother’
unwise responses
Accuse your brother of cheating (though you know they didn’t really).
Tell everyone how much you hate the game you were playing.
Feel that it’s incredibly important that you lost, and that you won’t get over it for ages.
wise responses
Remember it’s only a game, and that whether you have good luck says nothing about what you’re like as a person.
Remind yourself that you’re bound to win some other time and that there are other, more important, things in your life.
c)
‘You don’t like what you’ve been given for dinner’
a) ‘A friend isn’t very nice to you’
‘Youaccidentally spoiladrawing youweredoing’
b) ‘A car journey is very long’
‘You have to go to bed and you’re not tired’
3. They create a list of ‘unwise’ and ‘wise’ responses to this problem.
4. They can start by matching the examples below to the problems on page 2.
a) If a friend is not nice to me, then I will count to 10 to calm down before deciding on what to do.
c) If I do not like what I have been given for dinner, then I will accept that my preferences are different and politely finish my dinner.
b) If a car journey is long, then I will invent a new game to keep myself entertained.
e) If I need to go to bed and I am not tired, then I will practice exercising before going to bed or relaxing deeply.
d) If I accidentally spoil a drawing I was doing, I will take a breath and see if I can make the ‘mistake’ a part of the drawing.
discuss:
Facilitate discussion that aims to help children to make further distinctions.
• Is being ‘wise’ and being ‘unwise’ totally opposite, or are there grey areas?
• Name some of the traits between ‘wise’ and ‘unwise’.
reflect:
Share ideas and reflections on what has been learned.
• Why might two ‘wise’ people disagree about what is ‘wise’?
develop:
Complete the task again to allow the whole group to experience the same type of questioning as above.
1. The children each write on a topic about which they know a lot about.
2. They partner up:
a) Student A will be the ‘Expert’. b) Student B the ‘Non-Expert’.
3. Student B asks only ‘What is…’ and ‘Why…’ questions, until Student A’s answers begin to repeat or the conversation goes around in circles.
4. They swap roles so Student B has their turn.
create:
Help children to be their own ‘Thinking Friend’ by showing them to how to have an inner dialogue.
1. The students take out a plain sheet of paper and divide it into two columns.
2. The left column will be the ‘Expert’ column, and the right side the ‘Non-Expert’ column.
3. The Expert column will be for answers and the Non-Expert side for questions.
4. They begin on the Expert side with a problem (e.g., I am upset with Mum).
5. Then they will move onto the Non-Expert column to ask a question (e.g., Why am I upset with Mum?).
6. Taking turns on each side, they continue the dialogue until their answers begin to repeat or go around in circles.
As they begin to ask themselves questions, children will learn to clearly define their answers and reasons, and further develop their understanding of the problem. They will also learn that ‘thinking’ is an activity that they can practice. They may also see progress in the specificity of their answers and the depth of their questions.
asking ‘why?’– with socrates
my inner dialogue
expert Identify a problem that you have
E.g. I am upset with Mum.
non-expert Ask questions about the problem
E.g. Why am I upset with Mum?
asking ‘why?’– with socrates
discuss:
How we can uncover conflicts by asking questions.
• Why might some answers conflict with other answers?
• For example, ‘I hate eating my vegetables because they taste disgusting, but I like eating my vegetables because they are good for me.’
This aims to show children that these conflicts are often hidden from us but asking questions helps us discover them. It also shows children that the ‘why’ questions allow them to weigh reasons and decide.
reflect:
On the ‘love’ of wisdom.
Remind the children that the ‘Ask an Expert’ activity required friendship, and that philosophy is about ‘love’ of wisdom, not the possession of it. They may then reflect on the meaning of ‘love’:
1. The students reflect on a person, activity or thing that they ‘love’ and write down details.
2. They reflect on a ‘loving’ person they know, including ‘loving’ things they have said or done.
3. They write a definition: ‘I think love means…’
4. They reflect on the relationship between ‘love’ and ‘wisdom’.
3. Being Curious
Philosophical Questions for Curious Minds
big idea / big question
Philosophical questions have no right or wrong answers – which makes them fun to think about.
start:
This activity aims to encourage the students to ask as many questions as possible.
1. The children each write ‘Beauty’ in the middle of a large sheet of paper.
2. They write as many questions about ‘Beauty’ as they can, filling the space on the paper as much as possible.
develop:
Briefly discuss the following questions on the cards with the group.
Ask children to choose one question and, depending on which they choose, reflect on the corresponding questions on the next page that go even deeper:
What Is Right and Wrong?
What Is Real?
What Is Society? Is There a God?
What Is the Meaning of Life?
1. Can you think of an occasion where the ‘right’ thing to do would be to lie rather than tell the truth?
2. Should we believe in things that we cannot see, hear, touch, taste or feel?
3. In most countries, children are not allowed to vote. Adults say this is because children don’t understand enough about how society works to have a say in how it should be run. Do you agree?
4. Everything that happens has a cause. Dawn is caused by the sun rising. Floods are caused by too much rain. Therefore the universe must have had a cause. Believers say this must be God. Do you agree?
5. Can you make a case why it is better to go to school (even though it is something boring) rather than spending all day in bed eating sweets and playing video games (even though it is much more fun)?
create:
An imaginary dialogue with a friend who might disagree with them, and to empathise with their viewpoint.
1. Can you think of a friend who might disagree with you? What sorts of questions might they ask you?
2. What might be the reasons behind their questions?
3. How might you improve their reasons?
4. Would you then change your mind and agree with your friend? What further questions might you ask them?
5. Continue switching roles, asking questions, and strengthening reasons on both sides.
This activity may continue for as long as is appropriate. Afterwards, have the children look at the questions that arose in this imaginary discussion, especially the questions they imagined their friend asking. They are to rank these questions from hardest to easiest.
discuss: Facilitate discussion on the question.
• Why is it important to strengthen answers we disagree with when we are thinking?
reflect: Share ideas and reflections on what has been learned.
• Is it okay to disagree?
4. The Meaning of Life – With Aristotle
big idea / big question
The meaning of life is about what makes your life feel interesting and good. To achieve this, what mainly counts is fixing things. When you fix something, you solve a problem that matters to you.
start:
The aim of this task is to help children distinguish between their likes and their values.
1. The children list all the things that they like to do, when there is no homework, no chores, etc.
2. They write about one activity, person, or experience that is important or valuable to them, and describe in detail.
Having completed these tasks, they reflect on the following questions:
• Are my likes and values the same or different? Why?
They may share their thoughts with a partner or the group.
develop:
The aim of this task is to help children develop their ideas by thinking about problems in the world.
1. The children list problems they can see in the world:
a) People sometimes argue too much, or are sad, angry, and scared.
b) Some animals need rescuing from cruelty, accidents, or injury.
c) Our needsenvironment frompreserving waste.
2. They frame these problems as ‘How’ questions:
a) How might people argue less, and feel less sad, angry, or scared?
c) How can protectwe our environment?
b) How might we rescue animals who need our help?
3. They apply these questions to themselves, and develop a list of ‘Interesting Problems to Fix’:
a) How might I argue less, and feel less sad, angry, or scared?
c) How might I protect our environment?
b) How might I rescue animals who need my help?
create:
Aristotle thought that happiness was about feeling that life is meaningful, and that this is achieved by having an important goal. This task aims to show children how to create a goal.
1. The children think about one important thing they want to achieve and set a realistic date.
2. They draw a timeline of the days, weeks, and months ahead from today to their set date.
3. They list all the actions they will need to take and list them under each date along the timeline.
4. They list all the problems they will likely face, both inner and outer.
5. They list all the solutions they can think of to those problems.
(See next page for pre-set table)
Remind the students that this is an activity they can practice on a regular basis and get better at, and not simply an exercise performed once.
discuss:
The limits of our control.
• If something happens that I cannot control, what would be the wise thing to do?
This is an opportunity for children to discuss what is within and outside of their control, and to reflect on this in light of their values.
reflect:
Share ideas and reflections on what has been learned.
q. If I continued to be unwise, what would my life look like tomorrow, next week, next month, next year, and five years from now?
q. If I practiced being wise, what might my life look like tomorrow, next week, next month, next year, and five years from now?
Allow time for the children to use their imagination and reflect on the first question before being shown the second.
The School of Life
Relationships Education
overall aims / curriculum links:
1. Understand the importance of empathy in relationships
2. Foster consideration and respect for others
3. Define the characteristics of friendship
4. Explore the reasons behind bullying behaviour
5. Promote positive behaviour and relationships beyond the classroom
Supporting activities and ideas for Teachers & Students
For use in the classroom or at home.
Suitable for ages 8+
Happy, Healthy Minds: A Children’s Guide to Emotional Wellbeing
This is a guide designed to help children become more aware of their emotional needs and examines a range of topics that might give their minds difficulties, for example:
• When parents don’t seem to understand us
• When we are finding it hard to make friends
• When we feel angry, anxious or lack confidence
• When school feels boring or difficult
We explore a range of common scenarios encountered by children and talk about some of the very best ideas to help deal with them. By offering a sympathetic and supportive framework, ‘Happy, Healthy Minds’ encourages children to open up, explore their feelings and face the dilemmas of growing up armed with emotional intelligence.
Explore how bullies might also suffer themselves; develop empathy skills to tackle bullying behaviour.
4. BEYOND SCHOOL ................................................. 13 page reference: 82-85
objectives:
Understand the value of emotional intelligence; identify the markers of emotional intelligence.
This Mini-Scheme of work can be used with children either at home or in the classroom. It includes material for between 4–6 lessons. The lessons can be completed in sequence or children can dip in and out of activities as they wish.
note:
It is advised that teachers, parents or carers read through this Mini-Scheme and complete any tasks before students, to ensure that everyone is comfortable with its themes and activities.
1. EMPATHY
Pages 147–149
big idea:
You have a lot of great sides, but some bad ones too. People who love you always know that: they can see the link between your strengths and your weaknesses and they forgive you for the latter.
start:
What is ‘empathy’?
1. Encourage children to reflect on a time when they played ‘pretend’ –thinking about how they used empathy. For example: ‘dressing up’ or ‘playing superheroes’. What did they need to do to step into another person/character’s shoes?
2. Reflect on ‘empathy’ and write a definition: ‘I think empathy means…’
en – Ancient Greek, ‘in, into’.
pathos – Ancient Greek, ‘feeling, emotion’.
3. Can children think of someone they know who was once being ‘annoying’ to someone else? Describe the scenario in detail.
4. Empathise with both people in the scenario and answer the following questions:
• What is it like to share ‘in’ their ‘feelings’?
• What were their strengths and weaknesses in the scenario? How were their strengths also their weaknesses?
By constantly shifting perspectives, children may gradually begin to understand that empathy creates wisdom.
5. What are your strengths that could also be weaknesses?
develop:
Observing empathy with the ‘Speaker’s Stick’.
1. Deliver a statement, for example: ‘It is easier to have empathy when you are not personally involved in the situation.’
2. Select two volunteers who disagree with each other.
3. Person A is given a stick, known as the ‘Speaker’s Stick’:
• Whoever has the Speaker’s Stick can speak, stating what they think and why.
• Whoever does not have the stick cannot speak unless it is to ask questions and empathise with the other person.
• When Person A holding the stick feels understood, they pass the stick to Person B.
4. The passing of the stick continues until both Person A and Person B feel understood.
Genuine dialogue requires fairness. This activity shows children how to conduct a fair dialogue, as the Speaker’s Stick prevents the participants from talking over each other. The activity also encourages reflection, as the topic is empathy itself, and the children must use empathy to discuss empathy.
create:
Using empathy to create mutual understanding.
Having observed how empathy works in the previous activity, give children a chance to practice themselves.
1. Ask students to find a partner and decide on a philosophical topic they disagree about. For example: ‘Everyone has free will’ or ‘The meaning of Right and Wrong depends on the situation – it is all relative.’
2. Person A is given a stick (or a pencil), known as the ‘Speaker’s Stick’:
• Whoever has the Speaker’s Stick can speak, explaining what they think and why.
• Whoever does not have the stick cannot speak unless it is to ask questions and empathise with the other person for understanding.
• When Person A holding the stick feels understood, they pass the stick to Person B.
3. The passing of the stick continues until both Person A and Person B feel understood.
Philosophy is an opportunity for empathy because it is full of disagreements. The purpose of this task is less about who is ‘right’ and ‘wrong’, and more about creating understanding.
discuss:
Facilitate discussion on empathy and autonomy.
• Is empathy the same as agreement?
reflect:
Share ideas on expanding the limits of empathy.
• What might it feel like to empathise with two, three or four people?
• Is it possible to empathise with hundreds, thousands, even millions of people?
2. FRIENDSHIP
Pages 90–95
big idea:
Here is a thought that an ancient philosopher called Seneca once said, ‘A true friend is as rare as a comet in the sky.’
start:
The aim of this task is to help children organise their ideas on friendship.
1. Ask children to write the word ‘friend’ in the middle of a blank sheet of paper. They should write continuously and without self-criticism everything that comes to mind around the word ‘friend’.
2. Then, create an acrostic for the word ‘Friend’. For example:
Forgiving
Respectful
Inspiring
Empathetic
Needful
Defender
R I E N D
The acrostic need not be single words but could also be sentences, or even a poem.
3. Encourage children to share their ideas with a partner and discuss what they think Seneca meant by a ‘true friend’.
develop:
This activity introduces children to metaphorical thinking.
1. We can see examples of what a good friend does (they may create further examples) below and on page 91. Can children rank them in order of importance to them?
2. Then, write a ‘Friendship Recipe’:
• What are the ‘ingredients’ of a good friendship and how should the ‘dish’ be prepared?
• Share Friendship Recipes with a friend or the group.
After listing the attributes and integrating them using the recipe metaphor, children may then evaluate the metaphor by thinking about where it works and where it breaks down. If there is time, they may also try other metaphors.
4. Think of a friend who might be in a similar situation and write an ‘Action Plan’:
Thinking about the Golden Rule.
1. Reflect on the following statement:
‘Treat others as you would wish to be treated.’
2. Encourage children to write about a scenario where they experienced a problem or difficulty, describing how they felt in detail. For example:
• I didn’t feel well on my birthday.
• I was struggling with schoolwork.
3. Create solutions to these problems in terms of what a good friend would do. For example:
• Keep in touch while they are feeling unwell.
• Help with schoolwork or find a useful source of information to support them. create:
• What is the problem? How might their friend feel?
• What is the solution? How might their friend feel better?
• What should they do as a good friend?
5. Children may benefit from sharing their Action Plans with a friend or the group.
Sometimes we know more than we actually do. This activity begins with an abstract rule and ends with a concrete action plan. In contrast, the previous activity began with concrete examples and ended with abstract metaphors. By thinking in both ‘directions’ children may learn to solve problems flexibly.
discuss:
Facilitate discussion on how concepts like empathy, friendship, and the Golden Rule might help us think about moral dilemmas.
• If a friend does something wrong, what should we do?
reflect: On the idea of being friends with oneself.
• What does it mean, and why might it be important, to be friends with ourselves?
3. BULLIES
Pages 62–66
big idea:
Around bullying we’re meeting a big idea about why people behave badly: people are horrible because they are suffering.
start:
The purpose of this task is to use the concepts of empathy and friendship to think about bullying behaviour.
1. Encourage children to reflect on a time when they found it difficult to be a good friend, describing it in detail.
• What was the right thing to do?
• What made doing the right thing difficult?
• How will they make sure they do the right thing next time?
2. Reflect on the following statement:
‘People are horrible because they are suffering.’
Do children agree or disagree? Why?
3. Discuss the possible reasons behind bullying behaviour. Some are shown on page 63.
Bullies are sometimes hard to understand, which makes empathising difficult. However, the possibility of living up to an ideal, such as friendship, may help children to address the problem with a positive mindset.
I have to be mean so they don’t laugh at me
If I don’t run fast they will say I’m useless
If I said I missed my mum they’d call me a baby
If I said I felt shy people will think that I’m being stupid If I had a soft toy they would tease me
If I said I was scared or frightened no one would even care
develop:
This task aims to help children understand emotions behind behaviour.
1. Can children reflect on a time (or a scenario they can imagine) where one person ‘bullied’ another person?
2. Divide a plain sheet of paper into two columns.
3. The left column will be entitled ‘Behaviour’, the right column ‘Emotion’:
• In the left column, describe things that the person said or did.
• In the right column, describe thoughts and feelings behind what the person said or did.
behaviour
Describe only the behaviour
E.g. ‘Teasing, laughing, poking fun.’
emotions
Describe the emotions and thoughts behind the behaviour.
E.g. fear: ‘I have to be mean so they don’t laugh at me. ’
Children may begin to see complex relationships: perhaps several behaviours link to a single emotion, or several emotions to a single behaviour.
create:
The Empathy Pyramid.
1. Reflect again on the same scenario, or perhaps another one, where one person ‘bullied’ another person.
2. Create an inverted pyramid, dividing it into three layers.
3. The top layer will be entitled ‘Behaviour’, the middle layer ‘Emotion’, and the bottom layer ‘Deeper Emotion’.
• Beginning from the top, describe the bullying behaviour in detail.
• Moving to the middle, describe the emotions behind such behaviour.
• Then, moving to the bottom, describe the emotions behind such emotions.
4. Reflect on how these ‘Deeper Emotions’ might influence all the emotions and behaviour above.
The pyramid need not have only three layers but may have more. Children may begin to understand empathy as layered, just as emotions are layered, and view empathy as a practical skill and source of wisdom; it is easy to assume the problem is a surface behaviour when really it is a deeper one. If we better understand problematic behaviour, we may think up better solutions.
behaviour:
Describe the bad behaviour.
E.g. ‘Laughing at someone else.’
emotion:
Describe the emotion behind the behaviour. E.g. self-protective: ‘I have to be mean so they don’t laugh at me.’ deeper emotion:
Describe the depper emotion behind the emotion.
E.g. FEAR: ‘I am scared of people laughing at me.’
discuss:
Grey areas between friendship and bullying.
• Is it possible for someone to be both a friend and a bully?
reflect:
Share ideas on stopping and preventing bullying.
• What is the wise thing to do to stop and prevent bullying?
4. BEYOND SCHOOL
Pages 82–85
big idea:
There are people who don’t get on very well at school but who have plenty of sucess after they leave.
start:
he aim of this task is for the children to think about ‘success’ both inside and outside of school.
1. Encourage children to write the word ‘Success’ at the top of a piece of paper and divide the paper into three columns:
• The left column is for clear examples.
• The middle column is for borderline examples.
• The right column is for opposite examples.
2. Can children fill in the columns with as many characteristics of ‘success’ as they can think of? For example:
• Borderline Examples: studying just enough to pass, sometimes distracted,…
• Opposite Examples: giving up, not trying, blaming others, not asking for help…
3. Together, write a definition: ‘I think success means…’
4. Reflect on the following statement, and write down whether they agree or disagree:
‘There are people who fail at school but succeed after they leave.’
Thinking about borderline cases allows students to clarify the boundaries of their definitions and reflect on why they define ‘success’as they do. This activity also opens discussion on what ‘success’ means outside of school, where ‘Emotional Intelligence’ may be more important than academic ability.
clear examples Examples of ‘success’ E.g. ‘studying hard...’
opposite examples Examples of ‘failure’ E.g. ‘giving up...’ success
boderline examples Examples of ‘grey areas’ E.g. ‘studying just enough to pass...’
develop:
This task aims to introduce children to the concept of ‘emotional intelligence’.
1. The children reflect on a time when they solved a problem for someone outside of school, describing in detail. For example:
• Helping mum and dad with the chores.
• Fixing something for a friend or sibling.
• Completing a small job for a neighbour.
2. Reflect on the following characteristics of emotional intelligence on page 83 and opposite.
3. Encourage children to write down which of these characteristics they possess themselves, and to reflect on the following questions:
• Why are these characteristics important for ‘success’ outside school?
• How are they different from the characteristics required for ‘success’ inside school?
The characteristics of ‘emotional intelligence’, which include empathy and friendship, are essential to ‘success’ outside of school. By reflecting on their own experiences outside school, children may begin to distinguish emotional skills from intellectual skills.
create:
Role-playing an ‘emotionally unintelligent’ scenario.
1. Ask children to form groups of six.
• The Situation: Customers ordering food at a restaurant.
• The Roles: Restaurant Manager, Chef, Waiter(s) Customer(s).
• Details: Each person must role-play the opposite of one of the characteristics above. For example:
i. Restaurant Manager who is not able to lead without seeming really bossy.
ii. Chef who is not sensitive to the needs of other people.
iii. Waiter who is not good at helping other people in need.
iv. Customers who is not nice to people that they don’t like very much
2. Discussion: How did it play out? What can be learned about ‘success’?
Negative examples are just as informative as positive ones. By deliberately playing the negative, children may develop a clearer view of the positive.
discuss:
Facilitate discussion on ‘emotional intelligence’.
• What might it mean to be ‘emotionally intelligent’?
This discussion may include questions about what emotions are, what ‘intelligence’ means, what it means to ‘control’ emotions, and what it might mean to express an emotion ‘intelligently’.
reflect: On a positive life.
• What can I do to feel more positive now and in the future?
Suggestions: exercise, journaling, drawing, setting goals, learning, making new friends, helping somebody…
Nature and Me
The School of Life
A Guide to the Joys and Excitements of the Outdoors Colour this pagein!
i. You might think a clump of grass sounds boring, but if you look closely there are a lot of things going on. Draw and colour in what you see.
You might be lucky and spot a spiky little creature: the hedgehog.
ii. Imagine you are a hedgehog. What might you do in a day? Write a story about your day on a separate piece of paper making sure to answer these questions...
What can you see?
What can you smell?
What can you hear?
What makes you excited?
What do you like to do?
What makes you frightened?
iii. Draw a scene from your story.
The School of Life
2. Asking ‘Why?’– With Socrates
big idea / big question
Socrates was always asking people tricky ‘why’ questions. He was not being mean or awkward; he really wanted to have an interesting discussion.
start:
This task aims to show children that being ‘unwise’ does not necessarily mean lacking knowledge, but lacking curiosity or wonder.
1. Two students volunteer to role-play:
2. The Expert will talk about a topic they know.
3. The Non-Expert will only be allowed to ask questions, especially ‘What is…’ and ‘Why…’ questions.
4. The teacher may end the activity when the Expert begins to repeat their answers or the conversation goes around in circles.
This activity allows the group to see the type of conversations that Socrates had with the Sophists, and it aims to show that asking questions (not having answers) can really be a kind of wisdom. It may also show children that unlearning is just as important as learning when the Expert changes their mind in response to a particular question.
It is important to show children that this activity is about friends working together in search of truth, and that it is not meant to be a competition. This is because competition in this activity, with a ‘winner’ and a ‘loser’, will result in neither person learning about the truth.
ACTIVITY PACK
Supporting ideas for Teachers & Students
For use in the classroom or at home.
Suitable for ages 6+
These activities can be used with children at home or in the classroom. They can be completed in sequence or children can dip in and out of activities as they wish. QR codes are included in the resources simply point any device’s camera to it, to receive answers or links to relevant websites.
Teachers: A provision map is included at the back of this activity pack.
It is advised that teachers, parents or carers read through this booklet and complete any tasks before students, to ensure that everyone is comfortable with its themes and activities.
Choose one or two feelings words from the list below to draw. It doesn't have to be a face; it can be what that feeling means to you. For example: anger could be a volcano, happy could be a sunny day or worry could be a ship in a storm!
What Are You Feeling?
Nature Art
With the help of an adult, collect a range of natural materials such as leaves, twigs, pine cones, pebbles, flowers, shells etc. How many faces can you make from the natural materials? Can you make a proud face? How could you show an angry face? What about a confused face?
Make your own Mood Jar
Scan the QR code and follow the instructions to make your own calming mood jar. You could even add beads, sequins or sea shells to your jar too.
Funny Face Stress Ball
Make your own funny face stress ball! Scan the QR code and follow the steps with help from an adult.
Tuning In: Mindful Listening
Have a go at the wellbeing activities created by Place2Be’s Art Room and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Scan the QR code to access three different activities and videos to help you notice your feelings through music and art.
What Are You Feeling?
Acrostic Poetry
Write an acrostic poem all about your feelings! In an acrostic poem, the first letter of each line spells out a word. Choose a feelings word and write an acrostic poem for it. Don’t forget that you can use words from the wordsearch or drawing pages.
Positivity Postcards
Remember, no feelings are bad and they are always important but some of them can be tricky to talk about. Write some postcards to yourself, which you can read if you are ever feeling sad, upset, angry or afraid. The postcards could be about happy memories, things you are proud of or your favourite facts!
Adventure Story!
Write an adventure story based on your emotions. Choose 3 emotions and imagine those emotions as characters in your story. How might they behave? Will these emotions characters get along with each other? What might help them?
Feelings Diary
Create a feelings and diary and write about your different feelings each day. Sometimes it can be easier to write about feelings as it can help you understand them. Try to think about why you might be feeling that way. You could even use different colours when writing the feelings words!
Literacy Mathematics Understanding the World
· If children were in charge of the world and grown- ups had to do what you told them, what would the rules be? Write a list of silly rules for grown-ups to follow.
· What is your favourite thing to learn about? Do you know lots about space or perhaps animals? Create a fact file about your favourite topic!
· Being bored is like your brain sending you a message to use it! Use your amazing brain to write a story from your imagination. It could be about the discovery of a new planet or perhaps an underwater world!
· Being sensitive means that you notice and care about little things. Go on a nature hunt and collect natural objects such as leaves, twigs and pine cones to count.
· There are 20 different feelings in the book. How many different ways can you make 20? Try using objects to represent this or write the calculations down.
· Baking can help our clever brains when we are feeling bored! Bake some biscuits with the help of an adult. Use weighing scales to look at the amounts of each ingredient needed. Which ingredient has the highest weight? Which has the lowest? Do you recognise any of the numbers on the scale?
Communication and Language
· Discuss: Feeling worried can sometimes be a little bit scary. If someone is feeling worried, what could you do to help them? What might you do or say?
· Discuss: What are you afraid of?
· Saying sorry is very hard. Have you ever had to say sorry for something? How did it make you feel after you said sorry?
· Being curious is wonderful! Write down something you are curious about and find out the answer with an adult!
· Anger can sometimes feel like a volcano. But what is a volcano and what causes a volcano to erupt? See if you can find out!
· Are you frightened of lions? Where do lions live? Can you find out some information about them?
· Discuss: There are lots of different feelings in the book. Can you remember a time when you felt any of these feelings? What about someone you know? How do you think the world would look if we all used what we know about our feelings to imagine how other people might be feeling?
Physical Development
· Feelings Hopscotch. Chalk out a hopscotch grid outside and write a feeling word in each square. Play hopscotch and when you land on a feeling word, describe it and explain why someone might feel that way.
· Sometimes being outside in nature can help us if we have lots of feelings. Take a walk outside and listen to all of the things you can hear. What is the loudest sound? What is the quietest?
· Dancing can make us happy and can make us smile! Choose your favourite song to dance to. What dance moves can you make? Can you copy some dance moves that your friends make?
Expressive Arts and Design
· Create Feelings Monsters by using toilet roll tubes! Draw a face on each tube to represent each different feeling. You could use colours or collage materials to decorate them too!
· Can you think of a feeling that isn't in the book. Use paint materials to paint a picture of that feeling. What might it look like? What colours will you use?
· Create a Feelings Plate! Scan the QR code and follow the instructions to create a feelings plate.
Personal, Social and Emotional Development
· Talk about a time you have felt upset. Can you explain why you felt that way? Can you draw a picture to show that feeling?
· Discussion: Think about a time you have felt proud. Why did you feel this way? Can you describe what it was like to feel proud? Have you ever felt proud of anyone else?
· Discussion: How do you know how someone is feeling? Can you tell by their expression? How might their body language give you a clue? Practise showing different feelings to a friend by using your face. Can your friend guess the feeling?
