-NiE ,
INTERMEDIATE Novel
17 MAY 2017
9
Standing up to the test
WHEN the four Walker children – John, Roger, Susan and Titty – helped Jim Brading to moor his boat, which he named the Goblin, he invited them to sail aboard. Their mother agreed to it on condition that they stayed safely in the harbour and did not sail out into the open sea. They were also supposed to come back in time for the arrival of their father Ted Walker, who was to return from Holland after an overseas posting. However, Jim forgot to fill up the petrol and rowed ashore in a separate boat to buy petrol, promising to return in 10 minutes. Hours passed but Jim did not return. Meanwhile, a fog came down, the tide rose and the boat lost its anchor. Soon, the Goblin drifted into the open sea. John, who had to captain the boat now, decided that it was safer to hoist the sails and move further on rather than risk being wrecked. They sailed on amid a hazardous wind and stormy sea but managed to approach an unknown coast, which was Southern Netherlands. Along the way, they rescued a kitten, picked up a Dutch pilot who helped them and eventually arrived safely in Flushing, Holland, where they saw their father just about to leave for Harwich on a ferry. He joined them on the Goblin and together, they sailed back to England where they were reunited with their mother and with Jim Brading. – We Didn’t Mean to Go to Sea by Arthur Ransome
NiE Activity 1 Critical thinking ● Identify
● Reason
● Brainstorm
Communicating ● Written
● Oral
Problem solving
Creative thinking ● Connect
● Present
● Recreate
Collaborating ● Listen
● Contribute
respectfully
In the story, the four children had not meant to go to sea but they ended up doing that. As the Goblin drifted into the open sea, without petrol and an anchor, it was impossible for them to turn back. They had no choice but to go on even though there were potential dangers ahead. In groups of four, discuss situations in your personal lives where you could not undo a decision, even though the future held many uncertainties. On a sheet of A3 paper, write a brief description of at least two such situations. Use three phrases and one picture from The Star to describe the feelings associated with those situations. Then, share these experiences in class.
NiE Activity 2
The journey back for the four children was a much happier one than their initial unintended journey. The main reason was that they had their father with them this time. John, the captain, sat in the cockpit, holding the tiller, while Daddy studied the charts and planned the way back to Harwich. How much easier it was, John thought, when you had someone else to tell you where to go. Do you agree with John? Is it always easier to do something or go somewhere when there is someone giving you instructions? Is this true for everybody? In groups of four, discuss. Then, look in The Star for someone (an individual or a group of people) who:
Critical thinking ● Identify
● Reason
Problem solving
Creative thinking ● Imagine ● Brainstorm
● Connect
● Present
Communicating ● Oral ● Written
● Aural
● Recreate
Collaborating ● Listen ● Contribute
● Attain goal
respectfully
● Needs to be told what to do or where to go ● Doesn’t need to be told what to do or where to go
Cut the pictures out and paste them in separate columns on a sheet of A4 paper. Write down reasons for your choices next to them. Display your work on the classroom notice board and take turns to view the work of other groups.
> Continued from page 4
NiE Activity 3 Critical thinking ● Reason
Creative thinking ● Imagine
Problem solving ● Question
● Recreate
Communicating ● Oral
● Written
Collaborating ● Contribute
respectfully
● Attain goal
After they are rescued, Jenny and Fritz get married and live in London. Imagine 10 years have passed and now, their children want to know more about how their parents met. In groups of four, write down five questions that the children may want to ask their parents. Use a sheet of A4 paper. Leave some space next to each question for the answer. Then, exchange papers with another group. You will have to answer their questions using at least five words or phrases from The Star for each answer. When you are done, return the paper to the group. Now, a representative from the group will be the “interviewer” while a representative from your group will be the “interviewee”. Carry out the interview spontaneously in class; avoid referring to the paper.
Question
Answer
Child: Dad, what did you think of Mum when you first saw her?
Dad (Fritz): I thought she was simply amazing! She had lived on the island all by herself for three years. She even built her own house. I doubt I would have been able to do all that.