Teach Primary Issue 19.6

www.teachwire.net | 91 T E ACH RE AD I NG & WR I T I NG Loved this? Try these... v Safiyyah’s War by Hiba Noor Khan v When the Sky Falls by Phil Earle v The Lion and the Unicorn by Shirley Hughes v Peter in Peril by Helen Bate v Digging for Victory by Cathy Faulkner and the importance of critical thinking. Showing the children propaganda posters and listening to examples of radio broadcasts (there are several on the Imperial War Museum website) will encourage them to think about the deeper messages behind the words and images, as well as who they’re aimed at and the emotions they’re designed to evoke. Pupils could create propaganda posters that support enlistment, encourage calm, or reinforce the importance of rationing, and then display them in a classroom gallery. Looking at the messages in different types of media would also help reinforce RSHE sessions around critical literacy, and open up conversations about whether we should believe everything that we read or watch online, and why we need to check where our information comes from. POETRYWRITING There are several descriptions of bombing raids throughout the book; some where the protagonists are in an Anderson shelter and some where they’re out on the streets of South London. Reading through the passages again and recording the emotions felt by the characters, as well as noting what they see and hear when the bombs land, will provide some fantastic vocabulary, which can be used as a starting point for writing a poem about the Blitz. There are several excellent examples online which were actually written during the war by people who survived the bombing campaign; ‘That Night of Death’ by Jack Rattigan and ‘The Blitz’ by Jack Segal are two that I have used before. motivation have been revealed. Do their views on his actions change? The Blitz Pupils can create their own Blitz survival guide, based on what they learn from reading Shrapnel Boys , plus their own independent research. Time should be spent exploring other examples of survival guides and modelling how to set out the writing (subsections, bullet points, organisation of information, etc). Sections could include: • what to pack in your gas mask box • how to find the safest spot in an air raid • dos and don’ts in the blackout • first aid tips for treating injuries Micky’s view The book is written in the first person, from the point of view of Ronnie. There are several situations when he is in conflict with his younger brother, Micky (including when they argue about whether or not Johnny can be trusted, and when they’re not sure about whom to approach for help as events take a sinister turn). Pupils can re-write the same scenes from the point of view of Micky, who is generally more trusting and more likely to be led down the wrong path. It would also provide an opportunity for them to discuss what they would do if faced with a similar scenario. Create your own Anderson shelter My class have always enjoyed building model Anderson shelters (detailed guides about how to do this can be found online). Designing and making a shelter can be planned as part of the D&T work for the year. Upon completion, the pupils could write a set of instructions or guidelines after looking at the key features of this type of writing. I know that some schools have actually worked alongside local organisations to recreate a full-size Anderson shelter on their school field, which would be an incredible experience for pupils (and staff). TP “The last hundred or so pages are some of the most dramatic I’ve read in the last few years” Jon Biddle is an experienced primary school teacher and English lead. Winner of the 2018 Reading for Pleasure Experienced Teacher of the Year award, he coordinates the national Patron of Reading initiative.