The Secret of Platform 13 - Session 3 - Worksheet

In the third session focusing on chapter four of "The Secret of Platform 13," students engage in a series of discussion questions and reading activities designed to deepen their understanding of the story's characters and plot. They ponder the role of the ghosts in the story and explore reasons behind the rescuers' confusion between Ben and Raymond. Students are encouraged to form and share their first impressions of Raymond, stimulating critical thinking and engagement with the text.

The session includes a variety of reading activities such as continuing a timeline to track events, conducting a character analysis of Ben, and comparing the characters of Ben and Raymond using separate resources provided. Drama exercises involve hot seating, where students ask questions to a classmate role-playing as Raymond or Ben, to gain insights into each character's perspective. Additionally, reading comprehension is reinforced through a grammar and punctuation hunt, focusing on direct speech, noun phrases, and apostrophes for contraction. A 'Words to Workshop' section allows students to explore and understand vocabulary used in the story, enhancing their language skills.

Writing opportunities in this session are creative and diverse, including completing a leaflet about the inhabitants of The Island, writing a diary entry from Ben's point of view, drafting instructions for a kitchen boy's duties, and creating an advert for a kitchen boy position. Cross-curricular links are made to subjects such as science, computing, geography, and art, with suggested activities like using software to create a 3D model of Trottle Towers and painting or sculpting images of it. In PSHE, themes of integrity, respect, difference, tolerance, and self-control are highlighted, encouraging students to reflect on these values in the context of the story and in their own lives.