Teach-Primary-18.3

WEEK 1 Learning objective l To express views about a text The story of The Island deals with an anonymous individual washing up on an island. He is greeted with suspicion and prejudice, which ultimately turns into hatred; even the more compassionate islanders are caught up in the mob furore. It makes for a powerful and sobering lesson in why compassion is so important, as well as the very real dangers of prejudice. The stranded traveller does nothing to garner such hatred; it is the result of fear of the unknown. A great way to hook children into a M E D I U M T E R M P L A N KS2 ENGLISH, PSHE Download your FREE resource sheets at tinyurl.com/tp-TheIsland DOWNLOAD RESOURCES AT I t seems that today we are surrounded by polarised opinions, especially within social media and journalism. The children in our classrooms must learn to navigate these turbulent waters, ensuring that their interactions with others are considered and compassionate. The Island , by Armin Greder, is a powerful picture book for older learners that tackles issues of prejudice and discrimination head-on, providing a potent means of exploring the importance of compassion. Through this sequence of lessons, the children will explore prejudice in the context of the story, before working to flip the narrative in order to create compassionate journalistic writing. This plan is accompanied by a comprehensive set of slides that you will need to familiarise yourself with ahead of each session. new sequence of learning is to simply focus on an image. This empowers pupils of all abilities to be involved immediately. Start the session by explaining to the class what the book they’ll be studying is about – but don’t show them the cover or any images from it. Ask the children to quickly sketch what they imagine when they hear the word ‘island’. The typical response is the stereotypical ‘desert island’ with palm trees and coconuts. This where the children will first experience the impact of Armin Greder’s imagery. Display the cover image of The Island (an imposing black wall) and review this in comparison to the children’s sketches. Discuss similarities, differences and any surprises that have occurred ( see slides ). Explore how the cover image makes the children feel about the story itself. What themes might the book include? With this discussion fresh in the children’s minds, share the next image from the text (the edge of a simple raft in a stormy sea, from the perspective of the passenger who is about to wash up on the island). Discuss the image and then share four statements about the authorial intent of choosing this image ( slide 7 ). Ask the children to discuss whether they agree with each statement and why. You should model how to use the language of the question to form a prose answer before the children then develop their own written responses. A powerful way to conclude the lesson is to share the full content of the story and the illustrations. This may well lead to a stunned hush around the classroom when they discover what happens in the end! Assessment The written outcomes of the lesson will provide a valuable insight into the children’s ability to formulate a justified opinion and how attuned they are to the tone of the story. WEEK 2 Learning objective l To show empathy for characters in a story The purpose of this lesson is to start exploring the opposing views at the heart of the text. It’s helpful to revisit the story again as, with each visit, the children will A WARMER WELCOME MARC BOWEN 22 | www.teachwire.net