A comprehensive set of Key Stage 2 teaching resources to use with Boy Underwater by Adam Baron - named Waterstones Children’s Book of the Month, June 2018. Twenty-seven activities in all - one for each chapter of the book to facilitate classroom while reading the book together without having to wait to finish. Most chapters also have discussion points. Curriculum links covered include: Understand what they read - asking and answering questions to improve their understanding Understand what they read - identifying how language, structure and presentation contribute to meaning Understand what they read - discuss and evaluate how authors use language Understand what they read - drawing inferences such as character’s feelings, thoughts and motives Understand what they read - checking that the book makes sense to them, discussing understanding and exploring the meaning of words in context Understand what they read - summarizing the main ideas, identifying key details to support Understand what they read - predicting what might happen from details supplied and implied Maintain positive attitudes to reading - identifying and discussing themes and conventions Maintain positive attitudes to reading - preparing poems and plays to read aloud and perform Maintain positive attitudes to reading - recommending books that they have read to their peers Maintain positive attitudes to reading - increasing their familiarity with a wide range of books Maintain positive attitudes to reading - participate in discussions about books Maintain positive attitudes to reading - explain and discuss their understanding of what they have read Discuss and evaluate how authors use language

Task: Hold a class debate to discuss whether the Caporal was a good man or a bad man. Use the cards to develop your arguments for and against the Caporal being good/bad. Try to reach a class consensus. • Complete the cards with information from the story • Think about the events in the story from different characters’ perspectives • Think about the meanings of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ • Cut up the cards and distribute them amongst learners in the group • Ask each learner to expand upon and justify their card • Hold a hands up class vote to conclude whether the Caporal was a good man or a bad man

(a) Word search Task: Can you find all of the words below from the book in the word search?  The words can go up, down, left, right or diagonal. (b) Word search answers

Meet the characters from Sophy Henn’s first young fiction series Bad Nana! Bad Nana is a KS1-aligned, highly illustrated series for young readers. Bad Nana: Older Not Wiser is available now.

TASK: Retell the story of how a jolly woodman became a tin woodman using a comic strip style. CURRICULUM LINKS: (KS1) Develop pleasure in reading, motivation to read, vocabulary and understanding by: discussing the sequence of events in books and how items of information are related becoming increasingly familiar with and retelling a wider range of stories, fairy stories and traditional stories CURRICULUM LINKS: (KS2) Understand what they read, in books they can read independently, by: summarising the main ideas drawn from more than one paragraph, identifying key details that support the main ideas asking questions to improve their understanding

TASK: Use information from Chapter Twelve to help you solve the crossword puzzle. CURRICULUM LINKS: (KS1) Understand both the books that they can already read accurately and fluently and those that they listen to by: drawing on what they already know or on background information and vocabulary provided by the teacher answering and asking questions CURRICULUM LINKS: (KS2) Understand what they read, in books they can read independently, by: checking that the text makes sense to them, discussing their understanding and explaining the meaning of words in context asking questions to improve their understanding

Imagine that you are a party planner and you have been asked to organise one of Sam’s parties. Decide upon a party theme first and then persuade Sam why your theme choice is a good theme.

The Grotlyn by Benji Davies - a beautifully illustrated rhyming tale about things that go bump in the night. Perfect for readers 4 and up. What is the mysterious Grotlyn? Use your imagination and design your very own Grotlyn.

Midnight is the time when all children are fast asleep, except of course for… the Midnight Gang. That is when their adventures are just beginning… Show us what delicious treats would be on your table by cooking up a menu for your own midnight feast.

Here you’ll find five flexible resources with activities aimed at pupils in Years 5 and 6. Each resource explores a different aspect of Skulduggery Pleasant, Book I. All support the KS2 English curriculum requirement to develop understanding and appreciation of literary texts, including modern fiction by significant children’s authors.

Who would you most like to visit you at teatime? Have you ever wanted your favourite animal to ring the doorbell? Is there a person you've always wanted to meet? Or would your favourite visitor just be your best friend? Draw your favourite teatime guest in the space below.

Thinking about the sense of place, work with a partner to complete this task. a) Does the writer want us to like or dislike the place? Give a reason for your response. b) Why does the writer want the reader to recognise: the size of the place? What words or phrases do you think emphasise this?

Our planet is an amazing place. It is important that we take care of it. Design a guide leaflet to inform other people about how they can take care of planet Earth. Fold this template into three to make a trifold leaflet for your guide.

Task: Research and create a fact file about what life was like 1000 years ago. You can use information from the story as well as research from the internet to find out about what life was like 1000 years ago. Use the information you discover to create a fact file that could teach others about that period of time.

(a) Choose a dilemma faced by one of the characters. Think about the different perspectives – what should the character do? What are the pros and cons? What might happen if they make a decision either way? Hold a debate with a group of friends to discuss the dilemma. Make a decision about what the character should do. Make notes about your final advice to the character. (b) Dilemma and Debate Grid

Task: Write a newspaper article about the fire that burned down Oak Cottage. You can use ideas from the story and your own imagination to write your newspaper article. Ideas to include: • A catchy article heading • Who was involved in the event? • What happened that was interesting? • Why did it happen? • Where did it all start ? • When did it happen? • Quotes from witnesses • Picture with a caption

The activities in On Location can be used to meet the NC requirements in KS2 English to develop an understanding and appreciation of literary texts, including modern fiction by significant authors. And in particular it can help children to understand how setting is created. It can also be used to meet the NC requirements in KS2 Geography to investigate a variety of people, places and environments in the UK and abroad, through using geographical questions, skills and resources. In particular, to: * identify and describe what places are like * understand the location of places and describe where they are * explain why places are like they are * identify how and why places change.

Either: Write your own diary extracts, written in a chatty informal style using the first person ‘I’, based on some of your own school highlights – you plan to hide this secret diary hidden in a disused locker knowing it will not be found for many years. Or: Write some extracts of Scarlet’s diary written at Rosemoor Asylum for Young females. To help set a sense of place if you are writing as Scarlet (80 years ago) as a prisoner in an Asylum, look at the rough map Scarlet could have managed to draw based on what she can see from her tiny room, other rooms she has been taken to and sounds that she could have heard.

Midnight is the time when all children are fast asleep, except of course for… the Midnight Gang. That is when their adventures are just beginning… The Midnight Gang love a great pair of pyjamas. Decorate the set below to show us what yours would look like.

Task: Make a poster to celebrate and advertise the newly rebuilt carousel. Ideas to include: • What the carousel looks like • What animals are on the carousel • What makes the carousel so enjoyable (why should people ride it?)