Teach-Primary-Issue-19.8

64 | www.teachwire.net 1. LOCATION OF THE HMS GRASSHOPPER For many children, Singapore , Sumatra and even Japan are just place names with no real meaning. Use an assortment of maps (physical and electronic) to find the important locations in Judy’s story. Google Maps will allow you to zoom in on Singapore, the approximate location of the shipwreck east of Sumatra, and then trace the characters’ journey to the Medan prisoner-of-war camp (north Sumatra), back to Singapore, home to Britain and even to Tanzania where Judy lived out her final days. Look at images of the landscape of Southeast Asia, find out about the climate and discover more about native animals and plants. Consider what dangers the soldiers and Judy may have faced – both human and natural – and what they had to do to survive the elements. 2. WAR IN THE PACIFIC - 1942 Learn more about the Second World War in the Pacific. Look at the Allied Powers of UK, USA, Soviet Union and China vs the Axis Powers of Germany, Italy and Japan. Consider the impact of the Attack on Pearl Harbour in 1941and subsequent attacks on British and US territories in the Pacific. You may wish to further expand older pupils’ understanding of war in the Pacific by including information about the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and VJ Day in August 1945. Create fact files with information about key countries, events and locations. BBC Bitesize has a helpful webpage entitled World War 2: An Overview ( tinyurl.com/tp-BBCWWII ) . Take it further meaning for older learners. As to be expected in a story of war, there are moments of real peril and heartbreak. Judy’s life is at risk, but her devotion and resilience in helping her crew saves her life again and again. Activities War Dog is a thought-provoking story with so much to explore. Thank you to Tom Palmer and Carolina Rabei for sharing some of their vision for using this book with children. The vocabulary of courage The fact that War Dog is based on a true story makes this beautiful picture book even more powerful. Judy was a real dog, who showed exceptional bravery during WWII. The citation on her Dickin Medal reads, “For magnificent courage and endurance in the Japanese prison camps, which helped to maintain morale among her fellow prisoners and also for saving many lives through her intelligence and watchfulness.” This is a lovely citation, but it is also full of quite large words. Take time to explore their definitions and understand what they mean for children. Use ‘shades of meaning’ to examine the strength of the words and their similes. For example, magnificent could be listed with great , notable , wonderful , impressive and tremendous . Using a thesaurus to find similes and then ordering words by strength, helps pupils understand the nuances of word meaning. Organising words on a paint colour strip reinforces the concept of stronger words. Repeat this with courage , endurance , morale , intelligence and watchfulness . Book topic Rich discussion “The world is at war, and HMS Grasshopper is part of that war. It’s fierce and frightening and Judy tries to remind her crew of their lives, of home. She tries to give them hope.” War can be a difficult concept for children to understand. Author Tom Palmer says, “Any picture book about a tough topic is a great opportunity to talk about that topic, to encourage questions and to explore attitudes and understanding of it – in this case, war and what it does to people.” After reading War Dog together, discuss the circumstances of WWII and why countries were fighting. Choose specific characters to focus on: the crew of HMS Grasshopper, Frank, the commandant of the war camp and, of course, Judy the dog. Ask questions about their courage, how they survived, and what was most important to them. Discuss the impact of having an animal as the central character of the story. Illustrator Caroline Rabei says, “Often authors use animals instead of human characters to make sensitive subjects easier for children to process. In this case, though, Judy was a real dog – a true member of the crew on HMS Grasshopper – which makes her story even more powerful.” Tom Palmer adds, “Even as adults it is hard to empathise with a man in uniform with a gun. It’s difficult to see them as an individual who has people he loves or who love him. But – for younger children especially – an animal is a great way into empathy.” Texture and colour Judy is such an appealing character. Despite horrific conditions and terrifying situations, she provides comfort and hope. Carolina Rabei used softer textures and a pastel colour palette to bring warmth to the story. Choose one illustration from the book. Look carefully at the textures and colours. Ask open-ended questions about what students notice. What is the impact of particular colours? How has the illustrator used light and shadow? What do the characters’ expressions and body language suggest? How does the illustration make you feel? You may wish to provide sentence starters like “I see…” or “I wonder why…” to help children frame their observations. Encourage pupils to draw their own scenes or characters from the story using similar colours and Illustration © Carolina Rabei