Inspired by: Flotsam - Week 3

Exploring the mysteries of a washed-up object, students are tasked with extending their sentence construction by incorporating a variety of conjunctions. The discovery of an old, barnacle-covered Melville Underwater Camera by a character named Jack serves as the stimulus for this exercise. The camera's origin and previous owner spark curiosity and a range of speculative discussions. Students work in pairs to formulate hypotheses using conjunctions such as 'when', 'if', 'because', and 'although' to provide reasoning for their thoughts. This activity not only enhances their understanding of complex sentences but also stirs their imagination about the camera's journey to the shore.

In a further exercise centred on inference, students delve into the character's emotions and thoughts through the analysis of illustrations depicting Jack's interaction with the camera. They are encouraged to interpret Jack's feelings, motives, and thoughts as he examines the camera, drawing on visual clues from the artwork. This exercise requires them to justify their inferences with evidence from the illustrations. Additionally, students are invited to write a diary entry from Jack's perspective, capturing the excitement and curiosity of his discovery. This narrative practice helps students to empathise with the character and to express inferred internal states in written form.

The adventure continues as Jack shares his find with his parents, leading to an exploration of direct speech and its punctuation. Students compare different sentence structures, identifying the placement of the reporting clause and its effect on the sentence. Through observation and discussion, they aim to establish a rule for punctuating direct speech. The narrative progresses as Jack presents the camera to a lifeguard, who confirms its antiquity. Students then speculate on the dialogue and actions in a series of illustrations, weaving together the visual and textual information to create a cohesive storyline. This multifaceted activity not only enhances their grammatical skills but also their storytelling abilities.