Inspired by: The Whisperer - Week 1

In "The Whisperer," an intriguing narrative unfolds around two rival gangs of cats vying for control of a scrapyard territory. This setting serves as a backdrop for a literacy activity aimed at enhancing students' participation in book discussions. The focus is on the importance of taking turns and listening to others' viewpoints. As the students delve into the first page, they are encouraged to observe the writing style, identify the narrator, and compare it with other books they've read that may employ a similar narrative technique. The activity prompts them to distinguish between 'spoken' and 'written' language, exploring the nuances and reasons behind the author's choice of words, and to ponder on the mysterious character of The Whisperer, whose dialogue with the unseen 'reader' raises questions about his origin and intentions.

Another activity, titled "Caterwauling," challenges students to expand their vocabulary and sentence structure skills by composing and rehearsing sentences orally. Here, the cat gangs' conflict over territory ownership mirrors real-life issues of segregation and discrimination. Students are asked to draw parallels with their own experiences, perhaps on the playground, and to articulate the cats' arguments from their perspective, considering the scarcity of resources and the desire to maintain a healthy community. This exercise not only develops language skills but also fosters empathy and critical thinking about social dynamics. Finally, in "Emergency Truce," students explore the use of nouns and pronouns in avoiding ambiguity and repetition, analyzing the author's varied references to characters in the story and applying these techniques to their own writing.