The Explorer - Session 8 - Worksheet

Session 8 of 'The Explorer' worksheet, titled 'Maiden Voyage', engages students in a variety of discussion questions, reading activities, and writing opportunities. Students are prompted to think critically about the narrative, questioning the necessity of testing a raft before a voyage, the dangers of a river, and the characters' decisions, such as Jack's choice to dive into the water. Reading activities encourage students to continue a timeline of events, ponder over the origins of a tin found in the river, draw a plan of the voyage, and enhance their comprehension through supplementary resources.

Further enriching the session are exercises in grammar and punctuation where students hunt for examples of direct speech, modal verbs, hyphens, and the use of colons in independent clauses. A 'Words to Workshop' section invites them to explore and understand vocabulary such as 'furiously', 'impotence', and 'ominously'. Writing opportunities range from crafting poetry inspired by rainforest themes to creating instructional, explanatory, and informative texts. Students can also express their creativity through comic strips and diary entries from the characters' perspectives. The worksheet incorporates cross-curricular links, connecting the themes of the session to science, computing, history, geography, art, design and technology, music, physical education, and personal, social, health and economic education, offering a holistic educational experience that fosters skills like courage, personal safety, teamwork, resilience, and tolerance.