This Morning I Met a Whale

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Taking the wonderful Michael Morpurgo book, This Morning I Met a Whale as an example, we show how reading a story can act as a starting point to whole units of work. A boy takes a regular walk down to the Thames - and one morning he sees a whale in the river. To his immense surprise, the whale starts to speak to him. In this tale of the unlikely friendship between Will and Oona the elephant, Michael Morpurgo captures the setting of the Indonesian rainforest to perfection. Retelling the same scene from the perspectives of both Michael (the stranded boy) and Kensuke (the inhabitant of the island) can help children to explore how different characters see the same situation. Explore how this can be communicated by a skilful writer. Running Wild The National Literacy Trust is a registered charity no. 1116260 and a company limited by guarantee no. 5836486 registered in England and Wales and a registered charity in Scotland no. SC042944.

As a child, I remember listening with baited breath as our headteacher read Friend or Foealoud in assembly. He was sure to always stop on a cliffhanger so we’d have to wait a whole week to find out what happened next.

Let there be half an hour of storytime at the end of the day in primary schools up and down the country. Make this the half hour they all long for, that they don’t want to be over. Let the children go home dreaming of the story, reliving it, wondering.” Asking pupils to think about some of the words that younger children might find challenging and then writing a glossary to help them understand the book will help them reflect on their own comprehension and to practise communicating the meaning of words. Inspire KS2 pupils to write their own story using a classic tale to raise awareness of an issue that matters to them, with advice from Sir Michael Morpurgo himself. As well as terrific writing, this book gives older children the chance to explore narrative structure, using the device of a character telling another story.

When war comes to Omar’s Afghan village, 10-year-old Omar and his mother set off on a long and dangerous journey. They’re heading for England and Uncle Said’s café. Ideas include writing a persuasive letter from the main character’s perspective in boarding school, a survival guide for lions and a plot outline for the novel.This book is another masterpiece written by Michael Morpurgo. Beautifully written and illustrated. Based on a real life event about a whale visiting the Thames in 2006. This book is a great read with a beautiful story that makes people think creatively. This resource shares an extract from the story, describing the flamingos that live on the salt flats of the Camargue. It also features suggested discussion activities considering the author’s craft. This includes looking at effective features of descriptive writing, specific vocabulary choices made by an author, and introducing unfamiliar vocabulary.