Group 7 are (book) detectives
Group 7 children are currently immersed in the captivating novel "The 1,000 Year Old Boy" by Ross Welford. The novel follows protagonist Alfie Monk on his journey from being a “Neverdead” to becoming just a regular kid.
By Gina van der Vliet, Teacher Group 7B
This edge-of-year-seat page turner is capturing the childrens’ attention and imagination. “It’s interesting. When one chapter ends, you just want to keep reading,” says Tomas (7B).
Fire incident and Role Play
As if the story premise isn’t fascinating enough, a major event takes place early on in the novel. There’s a fire in which an important character dies. Of course, the fire brigade and police officers quickly arrive at the scene. That’s where Group 7 got to sharpen their acting skills a bit. The children were asked to work in groups of three to ‘act out’ the police interview with a police detective and two eye witnesses – Mr and Mrs Watson.
Before their role play, the children had to identify what happened; who was involved; when it happened, and where it happened. Each group also created a list of the incidents of the fire in chronological order.
Showing an abundance of creativity, some children ad-libbed during the scene with the detective and Mr. & Mrs. Watson, while others even went completely off-script. It’s quite inspiring when children play full out and are willing to “embody” the book characters. “When my group acted out the police interview, we did it without using the script,” 7B’s Kishan adds proudly. “It was exciting to play the police officer.”
Zoha (7B) says, “The book tells us about what Alfie has been through, like his struggles, and also the best things in his life. It’s really interesting to read, because I’m really eager to find out what happens next. Acting out the police interview made me feel like I was in the character’s shoes. It was like I was there!”
Tomas agrees with his classmate and says “I played Mr. Watson in the interview, it was fun.” This sharp observer adds: “If I had been the real police officer, I would have asked even more detailed questions.”
Future Learnining
What’s next for the Group 7 readers? They will write an official police report, using their knowledge of facts vs. opinion and direct vs. indirect speech. Their reports will soon be on display on our boards outside our classroom. Feel free to come and check them out!