Inspired by: Traction Man Meets Turbodog - Week 5

Inspired by Mini Grey's book "Traction Man Meets Turbodog," students are tasked with summarising and interpreting Mini Grey's personality through her work and biographical details. The activity encourages children to ponder whether the author's personality is reflected in her books and then verify their assumptions by reading about her on her website. By examining Mini Grey's early years, her diverse career, secret ambitions, and her work on picture books, students are invited to deduce aspects of her personality. This exercise not only helps them understand the author better but also develops their ability to summarise key points and infer personal traits from provided information.

Another learning activity related to Mini Grey's work involves proofreading for spelling and punctuation errors. Students are invited to explore other books in the Traction Man series and then brainstorm new ideas for future adventures. A suggested scenario is "Traction Man Returns To School," where pupils can imagine the challenges the character might face in their own school environment. They are encouraged to send their creative ideas to Mini Grey, ensuring they proofread their messages and maintain online safety by using a class email address. Additionally, the concept of transforming nouns or adjectives into verbs is explored through the suffix '-ify'. Students are tasked with defining words like 'terrify', 'simplify', and 'beautify', thus deepening their understanding of how suffixes alter word meaning and function.