Inspired by: The Lighthouse Keepers Picnic - Week 1

During a week themed around "The Lighthouse Keepers Picnic," students engage in a variety of activities designed to develop their predictive and creative writing skills. The first activity invites children to empathise with the Grinlings, who are off to a bad start on their picnic day. After waking up late, encountering a trip over their pet, Hamish, and forgetting essential items for their picnic, the Grinlings' day is full of mishaps. Students are encouraged to think back to their own experiences of being late and to predict the consequences of the Grinlings' forgetfulness. They are then tasked with role-playing conversations the Grinlings might have had during their chaotic morning and to creatively write what they think will happen next in the story.

Subsequent activities focus on evaluating writing and understanding verb tenses. After Mr. Grinling's unsuccessful participation in the village races, students are asked to explain the rules of tug-of-war to help him compete in this new event. They must write clear and sensible instructions, incorporating safety rules for the game. In "The Floating Song" activity, students explore the use of present and past tenses by observing an illustration of Mr. Grinling swimming and reflecting on his emotions. They are tasked with identifying tense usage in the text and creating sentences that contrast Mr. Grinling's earlier feelings with his current state of mind, thereby practising consistent tense application in their writing.