The Explorer - Session 13 - Worksheet

Session 13, titled "Smoke," of 'The Explorer' worksheet, encourages students to delve deeper into the narrative by discussing the pivotal event of a fire. The discussion questions prompt students to consider who started the fire and its significance within the story. They are also asked to reflect on the author's intention behind introducing this dramatic turn of events. These questions aim to enhance students' reading comprehension and analytical skills, focusing on the impact of plot developments and character actions.

In addition to the discussion, the worksheet offers a variety of reading activities. Students are invited to continue a timeline of the story's events, engage in 'What if?' scenarios, and participate in drama exercises by creating freeze frames of key chapter moments. They can compare the character Con's behaviour in the current chapter with a previous one and work on a reading comprehension exercise. Grammar and punctuation are addressed through a 'Grammar Hunt', where students focus on elements such as direct speech, adjectives, adverbs, sentence structure, hyphens, and expanded noun phrases. The 'Words to Workshop' section lists vocabulary words such as 'sweltering' and 'plummeted' for students to explore in depth. Writing opportunities include crafting poetry inspired by the rainforest, creating a non-chronological report on bananas or forest fires, writing an alternative chapter ending, and composing a news report on forest fires.

The session also suggests cross-curricular links, integrating subjects such as science, computing, history, and geography, to provide a holistic learning experience. In science, students can study topics ranging from animals and habitats to evolution. Computing tasks involve creating a database of Amazonian flora and fauna, while history and geography lessons could include exploring the Amazon Rainforest and understanding its physical and human geography. Art, design and technology (DT), music, physical education (PE), and personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE) are also woven into the learning experience, offering students a chance to bake banana bread, learn songs from 'The Jungle Book', and develop skills in gymnastics and swimming, while also fostering attributes such as courage, personal safety, teamwork, resilience, and tolerance.