Teach Primary Issue 19.5

66 | www.teachwire.net Should he jump on this bus and pretend he’s a new student at Browtree? Will he be brave enough to follow a different path for once? Well, that's up to you! As the reader, you will stand in Fred’s shoes and make decisions alongside him throughout this story. You’ll help him stand up for what he believes in, learn what he truly loves to do, make good friends and face choices about whether to swerve drama or walk right into it. YOU are in charge of The Boy with Big Decisions ! This book uses the literary technique of branching narratives to build a story. A branching narrative structure is one in which the storyline diverges based on the decisions and actions of the player or reader. Unlike linear narratives that follow a predetermined path, branching narratives offer multiple pathways and outcomes, allowing the reader to shape their own reading experiences. It is empowering and engaging and a really fresh way to read a book! Branching narratives can also give us, as writers, a really good framework to delve deeper into our characters' wants and desires, and to think about how they might act in different situations. Does your character thrive on drama? Do they get a thrill from danger, or is the safe choice more likely to lead them to happiness? Have a go at writing your own turning point, and see where it takes you... F red can’t make a decision about anything – his parents always tell him what to do, from what to eat every day to which secondary school to choose. That’s how Fred has found himself as a pupil at the strict, high-pressured Gains School, when he’d much rather be going to Browtree, with its brilliant art department and kind teachers. As Fred waits for the bus to his new school, the bus for Browtree pulls up – and a wild, thrilling thought strikes him. The Boy with Big Decisions, by Helen Rutter WAGOLL The Boy With Big Decisions , by Helen Rutter (£7.99, Scholastic), is out now 1 How writers can show characters at a turning point Great stories often feature a crucial dilemma; a turning point in a character’s life. The options may be intrinsically monumental – like going to a school for wizards, or going back to help a friend during a fire evacuation – or they may be everyday choices that will nonetheless be life-altering. Helen Rutter’s gripping novel, The Boy with Big Decisions , is built around a combination of these types of turning points, all of which are life-changing. The turning point explored here is of the second variety: Fred must choose which school bus to get onto. His choice will set the course of his life, and he is very aware of how momentous this is. Helen Rutter makes us feel the tension of her first-person narrator, as doubts and questions that whirl around his head. Techniques a writer could use to help us experience a character’s dilemma: First, decide on the choice in front of the first-person narrator. It could be obviously momentous, like choosing whether or not to enter an important exam or jump off a cliff into the sea, or something more mundane, like opening an envelope or selecting an outfit for a special occasion. Either way, the choice must be life-changing, so that the scene has that sense of a turning point for the narrator. Next, create the first-person narrator. Theirs is the voice that will describe the scene, so think about why this decision is life-changing for them. Are there other people who want them to make a certain choice? How does the narrator feel about doing what those others want/ don’t want? Resources © Lindsay Pickton primaryeducationadvisors.co.uk 1 Teaching notes How writers show a character at a turning point KS2 teaching pack The idea of a turning point in a character’s life within a story – the sense that everything changes depending on the next decision – is probably familiar to many of us; culturally, it is often referred to as ‘sliding doors’, after the film of that name. Sometimes, the drama is obvious as the decision to be made is huge and momentous; sometimes, the decision can be humdrum, like turning left or right, or getting on one bus and not the other. Either way, in writing, conveying the importance of the decision-making process is easier with a first-person narrator, because their conflicting thoughts and worries may be spelled out for readers, enabling us all to experience the moment of the turning point. This resource pack, linked with the Teach Primary article by the author herself, will help you guide KS2 children through the process of analysing the critical first decision in a book about decisions and their consequences: Helen Rutter’s incredibly engaging ‘choose your own storyline’ novel The Boy with Big Decisions (each decision the reader makes leads to a different outcome, leading to another decision, in an extremely affecting manner). The resources in this pack will support the understanding of key techniques that children may select, in order to create their own hinge-point scene, described by a first-person narrator. This process will enhance broader study of the whole novel, or simply increase enjoyment of it as a class story – it would make a wonderful whole-class read, stimulating deep thought and discussion. Of course, the extract may be used in isolation, as a means for learning powerful authorial techniques from a brilliant writer… and this analysis may intrigue children to the extent they seek out the book for themselves. Teachers’ notes are included here with suggestions of how you might use these resources with your class. Resources © Linds a y Pickton primaryeducationadvisors.co .uk DOWNLOAD RESOURCES AT Download your FREE , exclusive teaching pack to help you explore both this extract and the rest of the book with your class. tinyurl.com/tp-Tpoint Exploring writers’ techniques Reread the extract from The Boy with Big Decisions by Helen Rutter. Using the ‘How writers show characters at a turning point’ poster, annotate the text to show the ways in which Rutter has helped us experience the dilemma Fred is facing. At five past, a bus pulls into the stop with the words The Gains Schoo l across the front, and as I’m about to climb aboard I see another bus pulling in behind it. Different words are written across the front: Browtree High . I look at both buses and then at the jumper in my arms. An idea lands in my brain and makes my eyes open wider. I couldn’t, could I? I feel the familiar feeling of flip-flopping, rising panic. Of a decision needing to be made. Which bus should I get on? Should I listen to my parents? Or is the jumper in my arms a sign? A sign that I need to do something different for a change? Resources © Lindsay Pickton primaryeducationadvisors.co.uk 1 FIVE WAYS TO CONSTRUCT A TURNING POINT 1. YOUR PLAN Decide on your core theme for the story – in The Boy with Big Decisions , it is Fred moving up to secondary school and all the different choices inherent in that. Next, think about this situation and what decisions your character might have to make. 2. SHORT AND SWEET Branching narrative stories are written in short sections, so your reader will need to engage with your main character immediately – give us a real insight into their thoughts from the start and present them with a challenge on the first page. This is true of showing them making their choices, too. 3. YOU’LL NEVER GUESS... Think about how to make your story really gripping, whatever path you go down. Cliffhanger endings to sections are a great way to do this – then offering a couple of choices that have high stakes as you attempt to dodge real peril! Think about the potential consequences of the decisions your character is making. How do they feel about what might happen? 4. ONWARDS AND UPWARDS Make sure your main character can make mistakes (or ‘the wrong choice’), but is able to course-correct. Mistakes we make in real life (mostly) aren’t the end of the world, and it’s important to show that it’s ok to make mistakes throughout the story, and learn from them. 5. KEEP TRACK Use a digital platform like Twinery (twinery. org) to help keep track of all your different threads for you. Knowing what will happen after every decision is a must. Peer inside the mind of the author, and help pupils understand how to show characters at a turning point in the story Resources © Lindsay Pickton primaryeducationadvisors.co.uk The Boy with Big Decisions by Helen Rutter Pages 21-22 The Bus Stop Decision At five past, a bus pulls into the stop with the words The Gains School across the front, and as I’m about to climb aboard I see another bus pulling in behind it. Different words are written across the front: Browtree High . I look at both buses and then at the jumper in my arms. An idea lands in my brain and makes my eyes open wider. I couldn’t, could I? I feel the familiar feeling of flip-flopping, rising panic. Of a decision needing to be made. Which bus should I get on? Should I listen to my parents? Or is the jumper in my arms a sign? A sign that I need to do something different for a change? My eyes dart between the buses. 1