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Session 1
Focus objectives
Key teaching approaches
During shared reading, read the preface 'Tell me your story, Jim' aloud to the children. Ask them to work with a partner and, giving them a copy of this section of the story, ask them to think about what this tells them about Jim. Who do we think this is? When and where do they think this story is taking place? Model using the text to find inferential evidence to support ideas and responses. Collect the children's ideas together and scribe them on a flipchart/IWB file or onto the first page of a class reading journal. Explain that this extract is from a book set in Victorian Britain.
Organise the children into mixed-ability groups and give each group a copy of an image depicting Victorian Britain, e.g. of the homes of the poor, working-class streets or poor children. Ask them to look closely and discuss the images in groups and make notes about what they can see and what it light have been like to have lived then. This could be done on large sheets of paper with the image in the centre, or on sticky notes, or using an IWB. This website provides helpful links to Victorian resource material: http://www.schoolhistory.co.uk/primarylinks/victorian.html
During the plenary, ask each group to report back to the class about their image, saying what they noticed.
Session 2
Focus objectives
Key teaching approaches
Begin the session by reading aloud Chapter 1 'The Shilling Pie'. Ask the children what we have found out so far about the family from this chapter and make notes on a flipchart as children make contributions. Then reread the last section from 'But the pie has grown cold ...'. Ask the children to close their eyes and try to visualise the scene as you read it. Talk with them about the things that Jim could hear and how they think he might have been feeling. Then ask the children to work with a partner and draw a picture of a scene from this chapter. They might choose the last scene of the family at night or perhaps draw Jim running through the streets with his penny pie. When they have drawn their picture, ask them to annotate it to show what is happening and how Jim is feeling. Encourage the children to use the text to support their responses and ideas.
Session 3
Focus objective
To use drama techniques to explore a key moment in a plot
Key teaching approaches
Begin the session by reading Chapter 2 'The Stick Man'. Have a whole-class discussion about what is happening in this chapter. Is Mr Spink right or wrong to ask the family to leave? Organise the children into groups of five and ask them to choose a scene from this chapter to portray using 'freeze-frame' and ask them to think of a caption for their freeze-frame, for example 'No rent, no room...' or 'The Stick Man arrives.' The children could write their caption on a large sheet of paper and place it in front of their freeze-frame. Ask each group to show their freeze-frame to the rest of the class and discuss the ways they have portrayed how the members of the family are feeling. You may choose to take digital images and annotate these for later use. Then, working in the same groups, ask the children to talk about what the family could do to escape their situation and what they themselves might do in a similar position. End the session by giving each child a sticky note and asking them to write down their idea about what Jim and his family should do next. The sticky notes can be collected and stuck in the class reading journal.
Read Chapter 3 'Rosie and Judd' before the next session (either as a class or independently).
Session 4
Focus objectives
To learn to use drama techniques to explore feelings
To show that they understand points of view by writing in role
Key teaching approaches
Discuss with children the reasons why Jim's mother left his sisters at the big house. Working collaboratively, ask the children to imagine that they are Emily and Lizzie, left behind at the big house, and role-play an imaginary conversation between the two girls. How would they feel about being left there? What might they be thinking about their mother and brother? Then give each child a piece of notepaper and use modelled, shared and supported composition techniques to support the children in writing a note, in role as one of the sisters, to their mum, showing how they feel about not being able to look after her when she is ill, and their fears for the future.
Read Chapter 4 'The Workhouse' before the next session.
Session 5
Focus objectives
Key teaching approaches
Give each child a copy of the first three pages of Chapter 3 from 'Jim and his mother walked for most of that day' until 'The boy pushed his cart out and slammed the door shut'.
During shared reading, use an enlarged version of the text displayed on a flipchart or IWB to demonstrate how to mark this up as a script. Give individual children sections of dialogue or narration to read. Ask children to work collaboratively to mark their own scripts to show the parts that they will be reading. Rehearse the reading and then discuss with the class ways this could be improved, for example by reading some parts all together, some parts loudly and some softly, or by adding sound effects. Provide guided support as appropriate. Then perform the script again. Discuss with children what they know about how Jim was feeling at this point in the story.
Before the next session, read Chapter 5 'Behind Bars', Chapter 6 'Tip' and Chapter 7 'The Wild Thing'.
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