-NiE ,
INTERMEDIATE Novel
13 SEPTEMBER 2017
9
A turn of events
IN Arthur Ransome’s We Didn’t Mean to Go to Sea, four children – John, Roger, Susan and Titty – sail across the cold North Sea without the company of an adult. It all begins when they accept Jim Brading’s invitation to sail aboard the Goblin. They are supposed to keep the trip short and to stay safely in the harbour. But on their return journey, the yacht runs out of fuel. Jim has to row back ashore – separately in a little boat – to get some petrol. He promises to be back in 10 minutes and puts John in charge. Hours pass and there is no sight of Jim. Meanwhile, a fog descends and the tide rises. The Goblin loses its anchor and drifts into the open sea. That is how the children’s adventure starts.
NiE Activity 1 Critical thinking ● Identify
● Reason
Creative thinking ● Imagine ● Connect ● Brainstorm
Communicating ● Oral
● Written
Collaborating ● Listen ● Attain goal ● Contribute respectfully
When an unexpected fog descends, John tries to pull out more chain, but loses the anchor. The yacht drifts out beyond Beach End into the North Sea. John, who is now the captain of the boat, has to make some important decisions.
The Goblin was all right; she hadn’t hit any buoys or shoals or ferries. Susan and Titty and Roger were all safe. He had done his best. There was a happy smile on John’s face, but nobody to see it. Above him the sky was full of stars, and all around him was the loneliness of the sea. If John had been given the opportunity to take someone along to replace Jim Brading, who would he have chosen? In groups of four, choose someone from The Star who would be a suitable sailing companion for the children in the Goblin. Cut the picture out and paste it on a sheet of A4 paper. Write down a reason for your choice on the same page. When you are done, display your work on the classroom walls. Take turns to view the work of other groups and leave a comment.
EXAMPLE
NiE Activity 2 Critical thinking ● Reason
● Organise
● Imagine
● Invent
Problem solving ● Recreate
Collaborating ● Listen ● Attain goal ● Contribute respectfully
● Present
Communicating ● Oral
● Written
When Jim Brading does not return with the petrol for the boat, the children begin to wonder what has happened to him. It is only at the end of the story that they find out that Jim had been knocked unconscious due to an accident. Jim Brading woke up. Where was he? He remembered some things – someone putting him to bed, someone giving him food to eat, but where was he? He tried to sit up, and found that he had the most terrible headache. The door opened and a nurse came in. “Ah, you’re awake. That’s better,” she said. “Now, just lie there until the doctor comes.” Jim looked at her. “Doctor? What doctor? Where am I?” “In hospital,” said the nurse, “And you’ve been very lucky. The doctor says you’ve got a good hard head.”
– File photo
Imagine a visitor who does not know what had happened but wants to answer Jim’s questions. In groups of four, create a short conversation between the visitor and Jim. In the conversation, the visitor has to make up an explanation for why Jim is in the hospital. When you are done, role-play the scenario in class. Your classmates will rate your group according to how convincing your “visitor’s explanation” sounds. At least 10 words in your conversation must be from The Star. Do this activity on a sheet of A4 paper.
EXAMPLE
Reason:
Creative thinking
Comment from Group Superheroes: