Book introduction activities

Transcription

1 Define bullying Book introduction activities Step 1 Each pupil writes down what he or she thinks bullying means. Step 2 Pupils join together in pairs and share their definitions with each other. They think of a new definition using both sets of ideas. Step 3 Each pair then joins with another and, as a four, a new definition is written using everyone s ideas. This process can continue until you make a definition of bullying using ideas from the whole class. Role Play In small groups, create a tableau (with no movement or sound) showing a bullying incident that could happen in the playground. When children are in position the teacher taps individuals on their shoulder and asks them questions and they reply in role. Questions could be: What is happening to you? How do you feel? Has this ever happened before? Why are you doing this? What are you going to do next? Page 1 of 23

2 Character profiles After reading Chapter 1, think about the characters of the children we have met so far. We learn about three children who are bullied and one who is the bully. Discuss your responses to these questions with a friend and write down what you think about the different characters. Draw a picture of the character in the middle of the page. The answers to all the questions cannot be found in the book, but you have to think carefully about what that character seems to be like and what they may do in different situations. As you read more of the book, take out your sheet and see if any of your responses change. It may be because the characters change throughout the story or you may just get to know more about them Page 2 of 23

3 Penny Why is she bullied? How do you think she feels about coming to school? What do you think her hobbies may be? Would you be her friend? Why or why not? What do you think her home life is like? What would she say if someone was mean to her? Page 3 of 23

4 Marigold Why is she bullied? How do you think she feels about coming to school? What do you think her hobbies may be? Would you be her friend? Why or why not? What do you think her home life is like? What would she say if someone was mean to her? Page 4 of 23

5 Mark Why is he bullied? How do you think he feels about coming to school? What do you think his hobbies may be? Would you be his friend? Why or why not? What do you think his home life is like? What would he say if someone was mean to him? Page 5 of 23

6 Barry Why is he bullied? How do you think he feels about coming to school? What do you think his hobbies may be? Would you be his friend? Why or why not? What do you think his home life is like? What would he say if someone was mean to him? Page 6 of 23

7 Characters thoughts Read the thoughts for what Penny thinks at different points of the story. At the beginning I hope Barry Hunter leaves me alone today. I am fed up with him. Why does he have to pick on me? It s not my fault I m plump. I should do what everyone says and ignore him, but he just keeps going on and on. I wish I went to a different school or he went to a different school. I can t concentrate on my lessons. I hate playtime. When Celeste calls out Fat, fat, fat, fat! I thought that Celeste was kind at first. How could she say something like that? Everyone in the whole playground heard and people listen to what she says, at least everyone knows that Barry Hunter is a bully. How could she do something so mean? I can t help being fat. Well maybe I do eat a lot of sweets, but doesn t everyone? Write some thought bubbles for some of the other characters at different points of the story Page 7 of 23

8 Mark When Barry Hunter pinched his pencil-box at the beginning of the story When the cardboard box landed on his head Page 8 of 23

9 Marigold When Barry Hunter says What s that smell? When everyone is listening to the story of the Book of Deeds Page 9 of 23

10 Barry When you stand at the toilet door blocking the way in for Celeste When you find out about the Book of Deeds Page 10 of 23

11 Different viewpoints The same situation can look very different to different people. Read pages 13-18, which detail the incident where Barry Hunter steals Mark s pencil box and Celeste bites him. Look at how the different people involved viewed the situation. Celeste That small boy looks like he needs help. Now what would be the best thing to do here? I know... this should stop that big bully in his tracks. I think I m going to like it here. Penny Why did Barry Hunter have to say that in front of the new girl? Now she ll probably think I m fat as well. At least when Barry is winding up Mark he s not picking on me. Lisa Poor Mark, Barry is always picking on him. I should probably try to stick up for him a bit more, but I don t want him to pick on me for being friends with Penny. Now I like the look of the new girl. This could be very interesting. Mark No no no not again. Why can t he just leave me alone? I won t give in though. I m going to stand up for myself. Oh, he s stopped. Did she just bite him? That s the first time anyone has ever defended me. Barry Ha, ha he always gets wound up, little squirt. This is always good for a laugh. Aww! What was that? Someone bit me. I ll get them back later. Who does that new girl think she is? Mr Fairway This looks like trouble. Not Mark and Barry again! And the new girl! Why can t they all just behave themselves? She may look sweet, but I can see I shall have to keep my eye on her Page 11 of 23

12 On page 34, Barry calls Penny moving mountain and Celeste shouts at him to stop calling Penny fat. Think about how the situation looked to the different people involved. Celeste Barry Penny Page 12 of 23

13 On pages 53-54, Celeste introduces the special book to record Barry s bullying incidents. Think about how the different people involved view the situation. Celeste Barry Marigold Wayne Page 13 of 23

14 At the end of the story, Celeste hands over the book to Mr Fairway and tells the class she is leaving. How do different characters view this point of the story? Celeste Barry Mark Marigold Mr Fairway Penny Page 14 of 23

15 Using similes There are lots of similes in the book. Look through these similes and think about why they were chosen.then think of some alternative ones that could have been used. Simile Why was it chosen? Think of an alternative simile Page 2 Glasses as thick as bottle ends Page 4 Flailing about like a windmill in a high gale. Page 8 Everything about her glowed like a freshly minted coin Page 13 So Penny stood on one side and Lisa on the other, and they started to march her, like a prisoner between two guards, over the playground. Page 21 But it s as comfy as a cloud. Page 22 Her face glowed as if it were lit from inside with a candle. Page 70 And so I am to be swept off again, like a loose leaf tumbling around in the world Page 15 of 23

16 Staffroom conversations Can you recognise this part of the story that has been written as a play script? Scene: The staffroom before the start of the school day. Mrs Brown: Mr Fairway: Mrs Brown: (Anxiously) Is he hurt? No. I think he s actually making a bit of a joke about it. (Surprised) Mark? Making a joke out of something Barry Hunter did to him? Now there is a change. The teachers all watch astonished as Marigold runs up and offers a helping hand. Mrs Brown: Am I dreaming? Now choose one of the situations below for the teachers to discuss in the staff room. Celeste s first day Marigold telling the others about the Book of Deeds What to do about the bullying in school Celeste leaving the school Page 16 of 23

17 The Book of Deeds These extracts from page 67 show some of the details that appear in the Book of Deeds: Thursday 4 th May 8:46 Barry Hunter wouldn t stop putting his head under Mark s toilet door when he needed to be private. He said it was only a joke. Witnesses: Ian, Wayne, Yusef, Mark 8:56 Barry Hunter kept bumping into people on the way to Assembly. He said Stop bumping loudly to everyone he bumped, but it was really him bumping. Paul, Nessa and Zabeen say he wasn t bumping hard, he was just annoying. Wayne said his bump really hurt (and he had to bump back a bit). Witnesses: Wayne, Zabeen, Nessa, Celeste, Kelly, Ian, Lisa, Penny, Phil, Paul... When recording incidents in the book you need to remember these points: Date and time of the incident What happened and how it made people feel Who saw it happening Use a colon ( : ) to introduce the list of witnesses Page 17 of 23

18 Activities If you have to refer to what someone said, then use speech marks around the spoken word Page 18 of 23

19 Activities Lots of bullying took place before Celeste had the special book to record the details. Read the pages listed below see what happened in these incidents. Then record them, as they would be written in the Book of Deeds. Pages Barry, Mark and the pencil box Page 34 Barry and Penny and the moving mountain Page 19 of 23

20 Pages Blocking the toilet doors Pages Barry, Mark and the classroom Invent an incident of your own Page 20 of 23

21 Diary Below are some extracts from Marigold s diary. See if you can put them in the order that they happened. Today I wasn t bottom of the class in maths. I am always so slow and the sums seem really hard. But guess what? Celeste is even worse than I am! I m going to try really hard to get onto the next book, then I ll be a whole book ahead of her. I bet my mum won t believe it. A new girl arrived at school today and caused quite a stir. Everyone wanted to talk to her and show her around. I think she will be very popular. She seemed very pretty and sweet but the amazing thing was that she bit Barry Hunter while we were all out in the playground. I never thought I would ever see anything like that! Celeste has gone. Things won t be the same without her. Barry has been much quieter since she left and Mr Fairway seems to be keeping a closer eye on things. Must dash as I m off to Lisa s for tea! Everyone wanted to be my friend today. They all sat around while I told them everything I knew about angels and the Book of Deeds. I felt lovely having some one to talk to for a change. It feels like no one has ever wanted to hear what I had to say before. I didn t go to school today. Mum asked me what the matter was and I told her I had a tummy ache. I didn t though. I just couldn t face going in. I am fed up of hearing Barry Hunter sniffing the air around me. I pretend not to hear, but I always do Page 21 of 23

22 Write extracts of Penny s diary at different points of the story. At the beginning The day Celeste arrived The day Celeste confronted Barry Hunter about bullying The day Celeste left Shortly after the end of the book Page 22 of 23

23 Do you think Celeste is really an angel? There are lots of clues in the story that could show that Celeste is a real angel... or they could be coincidences that can be explained in other ways. Look at the evidence below from the story and decide whether you think it proves that Celeste is a real angel, or whether she is just a rather unusual new pupil. Mrs Brown said that she dropped out of the blue. Granny swooped down to take the pen and stop her being called Angelica. She wears white and looks like a freshly minted coin. Her name is Celeste, which means heavenly. She doesn t get into trouble like other children would. She knew how comfy clouds were. Her father had to fly. Choose one of these ways to start your paragraph and justify your answer using information from the story. I think that Celeste is an angel because or I think that Celeste is not an angel because Page 23 of 23