Escape!

Guiding Ideas

This series of lessons is designed to help teach English Language Arts concepts through the study of Kensuke's Kingdom by Michael Morpurgo.

Shared reading aloud of Chapter 10 from p. 155 to the end of the chapter.

Children work in groups and look closely at the final section of the text. Ask them to pick out  key passages that they think are really important and ask them to explain why - e.g. Kensuke’s  decision not to leave (p. 158); the three promises Kensuke asks Michael to make (p. 159).

Ask children to work in their groups and come up with their own questions about the last part  of the book. If this activity needs to be more structured, give them question topics to focus on  e.g. character feelings and emotions, changing relationship between characters etc.

Jigsaw the children so that they are working in different groups. Children use their questions  to run a guided reading discussion session. At the end of the session, children could be asked  to summarise, and feedback, their key thoughts about the final chapter of the book.

Use their feedback to discuss the changing relationship between Kensuke and Michael as the  central thread that runs through the book. Return to Michael’s assertion at the beginning of

the story that he has ‘had to live out a lie’. What do children think this means now that they  have finished reading the book?

After this, children revisit their character timeline and complete it showing the how the  relationship between Kensuke and Michael changes again in the final chapters of the book.

• Do you think Kensuke makes the right decision? Why? Why not?
• What does Michael’s response tell you about his character?
• What three things does Kensuke ask Michael to promise? What does each promise do?