teacher’s guide€¦ · teacher’s guide finely written, cracking stories to read aloud or read...

Teacher’s Guide

Finely written, cracking stories to read aloud or read independently

Page-turners

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November

2017

Introduction 5

Building a read-aloud programme 7

Reading for pleasure 9

Independent reading 11

Reading and the arts 13

Talk for reading 15

Reading as a writer 17

Becoming a reading school 19

Vocabulary 20

Page-turners: Year 3 21● The Queen’s Nose

● Ice Palace

● Beaver Towers

● The Tale of Despereaux

● The Hundred and One Dalmations

● The legend of Podkin One-Ear

Page-turners: Year 4 27● The Turbulent Term of Tyke Tiler

● Dead Man’s Cove

● Skyhawk

● Krindlekrax

● The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

● Journey to the River Sea

2 Page Turners Ages 7–11

Contents

Page-turners: Year 5 33● Hatchet

● Floodland

● There’s a Boy in the Girl’s Bathroom

● Beetle Boy

● Artemis Fowl

● Room 13

Page-turners: Year 6 39● Cogheart

● The Girl of Ink and Stars

● Phoenix

● Mortal Engines

● Letters from the Lighthouse

● Wolf Hollow

Developing a reading school 45

Page Turners Ages 7–11 3

Children who read for pleasure are most likely to succeed. The National Curriculum promotes ‘reading for pleasure’ and so too do many schools but what does it mean? ‘Reading for Pleasure’ is not a slogan; it is not a poster; it is not a display. We know when a school is effectively cultivating ‘reading for pleasure’. The children all love reading and read avidly.

Finding the right authorsPage-turners nudge children in the direction of different authors who write accessible and exciting stories. Ideally, we want to see children developing their tastes by latching onto a series such as the Artemis Fowl books. A knowledgeable teacher will then guide them towards the Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz. Readers of Michael Morpurgo might be nudged on to books by Kiran Millwood Hargrave or towards Emma Carroll’s wonderful stories. In this sense, the books become ‘stone-steppers’, leading children from one enthusiasm to another. Of course, to do this effectively teachers really need to know their books. Book knowledge matters.

Teacher as a readerThe idea of the teacher as a reader is essential to developing reading for pleasure. The heart of turning children on to reading comes from the three-way relationship between schools having great books to share, a teacher who is an enthusiastic and knowledgeable reader and a child who is ready to listen. Teachers who love books make reading a vital experience. Knowing about books means that the teacher can recommend what to read next, matching books and authors to broaden children’s taste.

Reading for pleasure


“Knowing about books means that the teacher can recommend what to read next, matching books and authors to broaden children’s taste.”

Develop ‘reading for pleasure’ by reminding your staff of the joys of reading. Start each staff meeting with teachers sharing favourite books from their childhood: ● What books helped them to become a reader? ● Who turned them on to reading? (There is almost

always a significant adult.) ● Where do they like to read? ● What do they associate with reading?

The answers to all these questions suggest much about how to help children become readers. The key questions will be:● Are you the significant reader in your children’s

reading life?● Are you a teacher that creates readers?

The key is to bring reading alive so that it is utterly essential and totally engrossing for the children.

Reading for pleasure

Simple ideas

● Buy each teacher a book, wrap it up and give as a present. ● Give books as rewards. ● Send home lists of books to be read each term. ● Check out authors’ blogs, social media accounts and invite

authors in to school.● Provide lists of key books that children should read in the

year and display the books, such as 50 books to read in Year 3.

● Set reading challenges, for example can you read a million words?


Children are not really readers until they choose what to read and develop their own tastes. Provide your class with:● a garage box of great poetry anthologies and

collections● a range of non-fiction books about things that

might interest children beyond the curriculum● the children’s newspaper First News ● a comic box stuffed with everything from Batman

to the Beano● quick reads such as annuals, Where’s Wally?,

puzzle books ● graphic books such as Tintin, Asterix, graphic

novels ● a range of novels from ‘Captain Underpants’ to

Morpurgo

Hold weekly ‘recommendation’ sessions. Put the children onto a rota and have a regular slot in which several children ‘recommend’ a favourite book. They should introduce the class to the book, provide a brief outline and read aloud a short, riveting passage for a several minutes. This is a great way to spread the buzz about books, helping children to become familiar with the range available.

You should also recommend a few books each week, modelling the process and broadening the possibilities. A third of children say that they are often uncertain what to read and almost 70% of children say that they would read more if they could find the sort of books that they like! Few children will accidentally stumble across the Katherine Rundell’s wonderful Wolf Rider, Ross Mackenzie’s fantastical Nowhere Emporium, Tonke Dragt’s spell-binding adventure The Letter to the King, let alone the humour and richness of Maz Evan’s Who Let the Gods Out. Rich reading does not happen by chance.

Independent reading


“A third of children say that they are often uncertain what to read and almost 70% of children say that they would read more if they could find the sort of books that they like!”

Developing reading routinesWhile the daily 20-minute slot for the class reader is crucial, children also need time for their own personal reading as a fixed routine. This could be:

● during guided reading ● a useful way to start the day quietly ● a strategy for settling a class after lunchtime ● a silent reading session such as ERIC (Everyone

Reads In Class) or USSR (Uninterrupted Sustained Silent Reading)

Children who read frequently believe that reading for fun is important; they enjoy their reading and have found ‘the right books’ for them. They also have parents who are readers and are involved in their reading. Where parents cannot play this role, it is vital that the teacher is an enthusiastic role model who shows interest in each child’s growth as a reader.

As teachers we need to know the children as readers. This means that while most guided reading will be based around group oral comprehension, some sessions should involve one-to-one reading where the child discusses and reads a short section from their current book. This might then involve some feedback or brief teaching and enables you to keep in touch with every child as a reader. ■

Independent reading


This is a cracking adventure story, elegantly written and utterly gripping. A Victorian fantasy, the plot rips along and is packed with danger and dastardly deeds. There is a strong female lead, Lily, her best friend Robert, a clockmaker’s son, and a wonderful mechanical fox called Malkin. Lily’s father is missing and the story hinges

around her search for him as well as discovering how her mother died. Get the class to draw the map from the front of the book so that they can follow the adventure.

To set the context, some sense of Victorian times would be useful as well as some notion of how mechanical objects work. It is especially important that the children know that mechanical items have to be wound up! Children love drawing intricate cogs and wheels. Use images of the insides of a watch or clock and display. The story also features some splendid airships and again, background information would be handy so that the children can visualise what an airship looks like.

Pick up on opportunities for short burst writing, for example write a few entries from ‘Butterwick’s Guide to Better Manners’ or newspaper articles about key events for ‘The Daily Cog’. Challenge confident classes with inventing other word plays based on names. In the book, Jack Door features as a thief (myth has

it that Jackdaws steal). Look at how the narrative shifts between viewpoints. For instance Chapter 1 is from Lily’s viewpoint. Chapter 2 shifts to Malkin’s view. Experiment with writing stories that feature two characters that get split up and include different paragraphs from the different viewpoints.

Provide the children with the ‘dictionary of curious words’ found at the back of the book. Add to this, building a class glossary. Write diary entries about key events in role as Lily, Malkin or Robert, keeping in mind how the each character would feel. Write Anna’s Quinn’s story ‘The Zep Pirates versus the Kraken’ and make it into a little book, complete with drawings. Who can complete the letter to Lily from her father? Check out www.cogheart.com and make sure that you also have copies of the follow up, Moonlocket, which is another cracking yarn. I would start Year 6 with this book as it is so exciting that you will have the children on the edge of their seats, begging for reading time.

Match this book with Philip Pullman’s Clockwork (Random House). ■

CogheartPeter Bunzl (Usborne Publishing)

Year 6IntroductionSelecting ‘Page-turners’ for Year 6 was a challenging task as there are so many great novels written for this age group. In the end, I alighted on six key books that your class will love. None of these books mess around; they get straight into powerful narrative. There are missing parents, evil villains, moving moments and some very scary events! There are strong female characters, airships, maps, secret codes and even a dog to accompany children on an adventure. I can see the footprint of Enid Blyton here, but these books are more powerful, the writing more elegant and the challenge greater. Do read the books before sharing, especially Wolf Hollow to decide whether it is suitable for your class.


The Girl of Ink and Stars Kiran Millwood Hargrave (Chicken House)

This book is beautifully written, has a strong female lead and is a fantastical adventure. Start with the children drawing the map so that they can follow the story. Explore the role of a cartographer as well as background detail about using the stars to navigate. Most children love maps and they are an ideal way to visualise a plot. Produce a timeline for the

sequence of events. A long strip of lining paper would be ideal for this. Draw on the key events so that you end up with a map showing the story sequence. Keep a glossary of new or intriguing vocabulary. For instance, to appreciate Chapter 3, the children need to know about a ‘curfew’.

Get the children inventing their own islands, drawing detailed maps where adventures can take place. Try writing a journey story alongside the reading of the book where a main character is travelling around the invented island seeking either someone else or something valuable. This could be an extended chapter story project, spread over a number of weeks. Make each chapter a new adventure in a different setting.

The plot hinges around the main character leaving home to find her friend Lupe. The journey takes on the proportions of an odyssey. There is much to discuss about the different events and it would be worth pausing to debate what the characters should do next as well as ‘rights and wrongs’ and the notion of ‘justice’. Gather clues about Governor Adori, his wife and their daughter Lupe. What sort of people are they? How do they differ? Do they change and if so, why? Discuss what you think ‘each of us carries the map of our lives on our skin’ means. Spend time dwelling on the myth of Joya and Arinta and let the children draw parallels with this as the novel proceeds. The children could map and retell Da’s version of the story from the end of Chapter 4.

Look carefully at the cover and design silhouette illustrations using the same technique. Use an anglepoise lamp to throw a silhouette onto white paper and draw round the outline. Add to this by designing trees, birds, butterflies, animals and buildings that sprout from the character’s head as if the imagination was releasing them! Like Lily does for Lupe, design simple treasure maps and hide something where x marks the spot!

Discuss other stories that hinge around a journey with the main character seeking someone or something. Most of the children will be familiar with The Hobbit from the film. Let the children listen to the marvellous storytelling version of ‘The Odyssey’, retold by High Lupton and Daniel Morden. This is available on two CDs that accompany the version published by Barefoot Books. ■

Year 6


In the Reading Spine, Varjak Paw is suggested as a great Year 5 read though many teachers have shared it with Year 4 children. While I wanted to introduce different authors into the ‘Page-turners’, I just had to have Phoenix as it is such an irresistible, shimmering gem of a book. It may well act as an introduction to science-fiction which will grip some children

and shape their reading tastes. Built on the author’s passion for Star Wars and Star Trek, this is an epic adventure and sits neatly alongside Mortal Engines (see page 42).

As with Varjak Paw, the book is illustrated by David McKean. Seeing the illustrations is essential as it adds to the power of the reading experience. This could be done by using visualiser or webcam but the ideal would be having a half-class set of books to share. The novel involves a space quest that rips along at a breakneck pace. The main character Lucky is seeking his father, trying to find out why stars sing to him and why a blazing power surges through his body! Humans and aliens are at war and Lucky’s journey takes him through galaxies on a quest to save the universe with an alien girl. Start by watching the gripping book trailer (available online) and then getting the children to instantly write the next section in role as SF Said. Discuss their predictions for the novel and return to these at the very end of the book.

There are rich layers to explore, tucked beneath the breathtaking pace of the narrative. As In Varjak Paw, the story is underpinned by myths. The book raises issues about refugees, how different groups treat each other as well as a host of information about the universe. Back up

the reading by finding out about information such as black holes and supernova; the children can present this in a Phoenix fact file. Invent new planets and write information as well as stories set in different worlds. The book calls for the children to keep simple ‘Star logs’, writing log entries after class readings, in role as Lucky or another character.

The Little Star Writing website currently includes ‘three-steps-to-writing’ in which SF Said shows the first draft of the opening of the book so that the children can compare with the final version. It would be worth lingering on this, getting the class to discuss which is more effective and why they think he made the changes. ■

Phoenix SF Said (Random House)


Mortal Engines Philip Reeve (Scholastic)

The story is based in the future following a terrible war; traction cities and towns move round with the larger cities, like me-chanical predators, capturing the smaller towns as they move along, using them for raw ma-terials! Once again, airships and machinery feature in the story, making a neat link with Cogheart (see page 39). There is a film of the book, released in 2018,

made by Peter Jackson of Hobbit fame.

Give children the opening sentence to discuss. It is one of the most intriguing opening lines of any book. Can they guess what is happening? Provide a map of the world so that the children can follow events and provide images of different settings such as The Himalayas. Draw simple maps showing the journeys made. It would be useful to explore, in simple terms, Darwin’s theory that the fittest survive. Darwin meant that survival as a species hinged around being able to adapt to the environment. Discuss this in relation to Municipal Darwinism which is more about ‘a town eat town world’.

Track the main characters and build up profiles. For instance, follow the reader’s relationship with Hester, making notes about the sort of person she is, backed by quotes from the text, discussing what we know and how we as readers feel about her. Discuss the title. Keep a glossary of terms that relate to Philip Reeve’s extraordinary world, featuring words such as ‘Bounty Hunter’, ‘Bug’, ‘The Great Hunting Ground’, ‘The Ice Wastes’, ‘Anti Tractionist’ and so on. Build profiles of good characters and the villains. Keep the class gathering clues and ideas about MEDUSA. Make notes about the main ‘guilds’ – the engineers, historians, navigators and merchants. Discuss the rights and wrongs of different social classes. Discuss what we would miss if we lost most of the current up-to-date

technology. What might be the benefits? What do the class think might happen without modern technology?

At the end, discuss the title. It is taken from Othello, ‘And O you mortal engines whose rude throats/ Th’immortal Jove’s dread clamour counterfeit’. Focus the discussion around whether engines are mortal. A good link would be to watch the wonderful cartoon version of Diana Wynne Jones’ novel Howl’s Moving Castle. There are three more books in the series which should be made available for enthusiasts. ■

Year 6


This mystery opens in London during 1941. Olive is caught in a bomb blast and her sister goes missing! Olive and her brother are evacuated to the Devonshire coast and they end up staying with the mysterious lighthouse keeper. Look on the map to find Devon. Locate the naval base in Plymouth which was therefore a bombing target during World War 2.

Prior information about lighthouses would add to the children’s understanding.

Background knowledge about the evacuation would help set the scene for the novel. For instance, it is key for the children to know about air raids, gas masks, air-raid wardens and shelters. The book should be read alongside Fireweed from the Reading Spine as it is set during the same period. It would also work well alongside Michael Morpurgo’s Friend or Foe, which is set at the same time but takes a very different slant. You’ll need to discuss why the mum has changed as well as pick up on clues about Sukie, the green coat and her disappearance.

Ask: What would you take with you if you were being evacuated? What would you miss? What would you be worried about? Get the class in role, writing letters home to their mother from Devon. This could be set in contrast

if half of the class write letters to a friend talking about what was actually happening as Mr Barrowman warns, ‘Keep your messages cheerful’! Use role play to explore how local children feel about the evacuees and the evacuees felt about being away from home. Provide children with the coded message to let them try and decode it. Track the relationship between Olive and Esther and explore the whole concept of being a refugee, looking at current day examples. It would be advisable to read the book through yourself as I found the ending moving and a pre-read will help when you share it with the class. Make sure that you have Emma Carroll’s other wonderful books available. ■

Letters from the Lighthouse Emma Carroll (Faber & Faber)


This book would follow on well from Fireweed and Letters from the Lighthouse (see page 43) as it is set after the War and draws on the effect of war on soldiers and a close-knit community. At times it is a dark and powerful read so ensure that you have read the book before sharing with the class to check it is suitable. The Times proclaimed the

author as a new Harper Lee and indeed, the prose is beautiful and the characters finely drawn. This should be the final read of the year as it touches upon deep and demanding territory, ending with a powerful tragedy. It is not a romping adventure that holds children on the edge of their seats; it is a story that grips the reader through its gritty truth telling, made the more potent because it is so eloquently expressed.

There is much to discuss. Why does Betty behave as she does? How should Annabelle respond? Should Annabelle protect Toby? Is she right or sensible to protect Toby when suspicion falls upon him? Who or what is to blame for the events? Take the theme that is set up at the start and explore it as the novel unfolds; ‘real lies fed by real fears’. Is lying ever right? Discuss the theme of ‘judgement’ and explore the final few pages where Annabelle reflects on what has happened. Why is the book called Wolf Hollow and how does the title, the place and the story relate? To dig into this, remind the children about the notion of metaphor and how one thing can represent another. Annabelle states in the final chapter that though the wolves had died she had ‘been hearing them for weeks now, translated’. What does she mean by ‘translated’?

The writing is powerful and worth savouring. Re-read sections that you enjoy or perhaps need re-reading to slow the plot down and deepen the moment. Lauren Wolk says in the acknowledgements that the background of the story comes from her mother’s experience growing up on a farm. Write descriptions of your local area based on photos and write stories set locally. These could feature something along the same lines as Wolf Hollow with your main character being confronted by a bully, but then being rescued by a shy and gentle character. ■

Wolf Hollow Lauren Wolk (Penguin)

Year 6


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teacher’s guide€¦ · teacher’s guide finely written, cracking stories to read aloud or read...

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