Kensuke's Kingdom - Chapter 1 - Worksheet

The first chapter of 'Kensuke's Kingdom' sets the scene for a gripping narrative, prompting readers to delve into a range of discussion questions and reading activities. Students are encouraged to ponder why the protagonist, Michael, waited over a decade to share his extraordinary tale, and to reflect on his life prior to a pivotal moment marked by the arrival of a redundancy letter. This letter serves as a catalyst for significant changes in Michael's family life, leading to debates about the wisdom of embarking on a global sailing adventure. The reading activities include creating a timeline of key events, compiling a class dictionary of marine and sailing terms, and generating questions raised by the opening paragraphs of the story. The chapter also offers a chance to form initial impressions of the characters and to compare the atmosphere in Michael's home before and after the life-altering news.

In terms of writing opportunities, the chapter inspires a variety of tasks such as composing a formal redundancy notice, crafting a letter from Michael to Kensuke explaining his reasons for sharing his story, and engaging in a discussion about the family's decision to sail around the world. Students are also encouraged to write diary entries from the perspectives of Michael, his dad, and his mum, highlighting their thoughts and emotions at different stages of the unfolding drama. Additionally, there is an activity for writing a letter to Gran to explain the family's adventurous decision. The chapter's themes extend into cross-curricular links, offering educational experiences in science, computing, history, geography, art, music, physical education, religious education, and personal, social, health, and economic (PSHE) education, demonstrating the broad scope of learning opportunities that can be drawn from this engaging literary work.