Starter quiz
- Which war happened between 1939-1945?
- the First World War
- the Second World War ✓
- the Battle of Hastings
- the Wars of the Roses
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- Which country's army bombed Britain during WWII?
- the USA
- Russia
- France
- Nazi Germany ✓
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- What was the word given to the intense bombing of Britain's cities in WWII?
- the Blast
- the Blitz ✓
- the Blizzard
- the Blitzing
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- What happened to the majority of children who lived in cities during the Blitz?
- they were sent to the countryside ✓
- they were sent abroad
- they were sent underground
- they were sent to school
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- Why were children sent to the countryside?
- Their parents were too busy to support them.
- There were fewer targets for bombing in the city.
- The children were needed for farm work.
- The children were needed for factory work.
- There were fewer targets for bombing in the countryside. ✓
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- What did 'rationing' mean in WWII?
- food and other products were free
- the amount of certain products you could buy was limited ✓
- the government gave people vouchers for free products
- the government delivered a certain amount of the products to each house
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Exit quiz
- Where is 'When the Sky Falls' set?
- in the countryside
- in the city ✓
- in Yorkshire
- in an underground shelter
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- Put these events from Chapter 1 of 'When the Sky Falls' in order.
- 1⇔Joseph sees evacuees at the station.
- 2⇔Joseph pretends not to be who Mrs F is looking for.
- 3⇔A man accuses Joseph of theft.
- 4⇔The man finds the stolen items.
- 5⇔Mrs F helps Joseph get away without punishment.
- Match these keywords to their meanings.
- obliterated⇔destroyed ✓
- austere⇔uncomfortable, not luxurious ✓
- macabre⇔sinister, dark ✓
- conscripted⇔sent to war ✓
- Which statements are correct about Chapter 2 of 'When the Sky Falls'?
- Joseph can't stop talking about how badly the city is damaged.
- There is lots of evidence of bomb damage in the city. ✓
- Mrs F's house has been badly damaged by bombing.
- Mrs F warns Joseph about what to do in the event of an air raid. ✓
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- Which of these is the best description of the process of characterisation?
- how an author describes a character to make us feel a certain way about them ✓
- how an author describes what a character says
- how an author describes what a character does
- how an author describes how a character treats others
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- Match each character to their description.
- Joseph⇔has no mother ✓
- Mrs F⇔seems to live alone ✓
- Joseph's dad⇔has gone to war ✓
- Joseph's grandmother⇔couldn't cope with his behaviour ✓
- Joseph's mother⇔is not there for unknown reasons ✓
Worksheet
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Presentation
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Lesson Details
Key learning points
- 'When the Sky Falls' is set in 1941, during the Second World War.
- A 12-year-old boy, Joseph Palmer, is sent from rural Yorkshire to the city.
- Joseph finds himself in the care of Margaret Farrelly (Mrs F).
- The narrative has historical details that are interwoven into the fictional narrative.
- Joseph and Mrs F are both characterised as hostile or cold initially.
Common misconception
Pupils may be confused as to why Joseph is heading into the city instead of away from it.
Explain that evacuation was not compulsory and many children stayed behind in the city (or were called back home after the 'phony war').
Keywords
Summarise - pull out the key information and ideas from the text
Historical context - the time period in which a narrative is set
Characterisation - the way an author describes and develops the personalities and traits of the characters in a story through their actions, thoughts, dialogue and interactions with others
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