The Nine Lives of Montezuma by Michael Morpurgo - Activity Pack

'The Nine Lives of Montezuma' First Impressions

Text © 1980 Michael Morpurgo. Inside illustrations © 2002 Chris Chapman. Cover illustration © 2017 David Dean

Read this extract from Chapter 3 of ‘The Nine Lives of Montezuma’ (p.54). Here, Montezuma, the cat, has become stuck in a tree and his owner, Matthew, has climbed up after him to try and get him down.

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Quick Warm-Up Activity Work with a partner. You have two minutes to find and copy one word from the extract that has a similar meaning to…

sudden rocked clutching wary Challenge: Add another synonym that the author could have used.

Discussion Activity Flash Forwards Now, it is your turn to predict what happens next.

one minute?

an hour?

the next day?

Act out or discuss your predictions with your partner. What will the characters do and what will be the impact of their actions? How will the scene change at the following times? Think about all of the characters involved: Montezuma, Matthew and his father.

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Text © 1980 Michael Morpurgo. Inside illustrations © 2002 Chris Chapman. Cover illustration © 2017 David Dean

What do you think will happen after…

‘The Nine Lives of Montezuma' Adult Guidance

‘The Nine Lives of Montezuma’ activity pack contains an adult guidance sheet which includes an overview of the story and key skill questions that can be used to target pupils’ understanding as you are reading the book.

Additionally, there is an activity sheet for children who may have not read the whole text before. This contains an extract from the text, a warm-up synonym task and a discussion activity.

Overview

Text © 1980 Michael Morpurgo. Inside illustrations © 2002 Chris Chapman. Cover illustration © 2017 David Dean

Montezuma, the farmyard cat, has a life full of adventure from a young kitten to his elder years. The story follows Montezuma as he grows up and embarks on new risks, excitement and escapades and his wonderful companionship with his loving owner, Matthew.

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‘The Nine Lives of Montezuma' Key Skills Questions

Before reading: What do you think the title, ‘The Nine Lives of Montezuma’, may suggest about the book?

p.11: How do you think Matthew feels towards his father?

Infer

Retrieve

p.29: What does the boy use to feed the kitten?

p.41: What words would you use to describe Montezuma here?

Why?

p.44: Which word shows the reader that Montezuma finds the baked beans delicious?

Predict

Infer

Explain Vocabulary

p.62: It was only with Sam, the farm’s sheep and cattle dog, that Montezuma felt unsure of himself.

?

Infer

Why do you think Montezuma felt like this?

p.110: What does the author mean by the phrase ‘It was a challenge to his supremacy’?

Infer

Discuss Authorial Choices

In chapter 7, what similarities can you find between Old Syd and Montezuma?

Compare and Contrast

pp.131-132: Why does Old Syd’s behaviour towards Montezuma change?

Compare and Contrast

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Text © 1980 Michael Morpurgo. Inside illustrations © 2002 Chris Chapman. Cover illustration © 2017 David Dean

pp.81-82: Why do you think Matthew and his mum were laughing so much at Montezuma and Matthew’s father on the sofa?

‘The Nine Lives of Montezuma' Key Skills Questions

In chapter 8, how would you describe Lily? Why do you think that she cares for so many animals?

Explain Vocabulary

p.160: Find a phrase which shows that Montezuma has aged.

Summarise

Summarise the relationship between Montezuma and Matthew in 30 words or fewer.

How did Michael Morpurgo structure the book through his use of chapters?

Infer

Compare and Contrast

Summarise

Text © 1980 Michael Morpurgo. Inside illustrations © 2002 Chris Chapman. Cover illustration © 2017 David Dean

What was the message from ‘The Nine Lives of Montezuma’?

What did you learn from the story?

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Quick Warm-Up Activity Answers Work with a partner. You have two minutes to find and copy one word from the extract that has a similar meaning to…

Example Answers

sudden

abrupt

unexpected

rocked

swayed

shook

clutching

clasping

gripping

wary

cautious

careful

Discussion Activity Answers Flash Forwards

one minute?

I think Matthew will decide to edge further forwards to try and rescue Montezuma but Montezuma will become startled and fall from the tree. I think Matthew’s father will shout at him because he is scared that he will hurt himself. an hour?

I think that Montezuma will be unsettled and will spend the evening close to Matthew, who will be worried about his earlier fall and will be looking after him attentively. I think that his father will moan about Montezuma but will be relieved that he is not seriously hurt. the next day?

Montezuma strikes me as a daring cat and I think that he will be looking for his next adventure where he could lead Matthew and his father into another interesting situation!

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Text © 1980 Michael Morpurgo. Inside illustrations © 2002 Chris Chapman. Cover illustration © 2017 David Dean

Accept any reasonable responses, provided an explanation is given, such as: