How to Use this Pack
This learning pack assumes that students
already have a basic knowledge
and familiarity with key themes of
the First World War. The first lesson,
Introductory Lesson, introduces the
themes of the films as a whole, with their
unique focus upon animals at war. It is
intended to be taught before the students
have seen the films. All other lesson
plans are to be taught after watching
each respective film. The last two lesson
plans encourage analytical and creative
responses to the themes and literary
devices of the stories. The students’ final
task is to produce a piece of creative
writing from the perspective of any
animal caught up in the First World War,
not restricted to the animals presented
within the films. The learning pack may
be used as a continuous scheme of work;
alternatively, you may like to select lesson
plans to teach as discrete lessons.
Each lesson begins with Background
Context, an insightful history around
the research for the story and the specific
animal’s role in the First World War.
This information can be adapted and
differentiated for your class.
storytelling techniques used within the
telling of the tale and, where relevant, any
traditional tales or characters the stories
either reference or use as a framing
device.
The Key Questions can be used
to create your own pertinent learning
objectives and learning outcomes for
your class. The Key Words are divided
into Story Words, related to the sociohistorical context and central themes of
the story, and Storytelling Words,
related to the relevant storytelling
techniques, which indeed may be general
literary and/or dramatic devices. These
concepts can help your students gain
inspiration for techniques they could
deploy in their own stories. To find
definitions for these, please refer to our
Glossary.
There are 3 stages of activities
suggested in each sequence of learning:
Attention, Prepare to Advance and
Forward March.
The lesson plan then contains Story
Frame. This section details the dominant
Registered charity no 1107809
www.storymuseum.org.uk
1
Attention
Suggested starter activities, such as short
tasks for the class or quickfire questions
to discuss in pairs. These will introduce
the topic and act as a warm-up for more
challenging questions and tasks.
Prepare to Advance
Students work in pairs, small groups or as
a whole class to explore in more detail the
key themes and issues related to the films
in preparation for extended reading, writing
and speaking and listening outcomes.
Forward March
These open-ended, creative and/or
analytical tasks consolidate the pair,
group or class discussion that has taken
place and lead into independent reading,
writing and speaking and listening
outcomes. These naturally conclude
with plenary discussion, evaluation and
feedback.
- a diagram to show the different
changing borders before and after
the war, to lead into discussion as to
whether or not animals see ‘borders’ as
humans do.
Themes and
Content
Please note that some themes, such as
colonialism and racism, and contents,
such as graphic detail or dated
colloquialisms, may require additional
context of origination and explanation,
and need to be presented within the
usual parameters of potentially sensitive
material delivered in school settings.
The information in this pack is offered as
a guide only and the individual teacher
should interpret and present the content
according to the experience and ability of
the group.
Additional
Resources
Most of the animals featured in the
films make long journeys across the
world during the First World War. To
demonstrate to the students just how
far these animals travel, a large map
of the world can be used to track each
character’s journey. The map could be
part of a bigger classroom display that
includes:
- research into key facts about the
countries that the animals visit;
- a character study of each animal;
- postcards from each animal about the
countries they have visited;
- drawings, paintings or sketches of the
animals;
2
Registered charity no 1107809
www.storymuseum.org.uk
National Curriculum references
Incredible Journeys and this accompanying Learning Pack have been designed to offer a
rich range of literacy and cross-curricular opportunities for upper Key Stage 2 and lower
Key Stage 3 students. All activities can be linked to the requirements of the National
Curriculum, and the lessons are structured so as to consolidate the students’ literacy skills
in the following ways:
Spoken Language
- adopt, create and sustain a range of
roles, responding appropriately to
others in role;
- understand and use the conventions for
discussion and debate;
- give short speeches and presentations,
expressing their own ideas and keeping
to the point.
- understand increasingly challenging
texts through making inferences and
referring to evidence in the text;
- read critically through studying setting,
plot and characterisation;
- read critically through knowing
how language, including figurative
language, vocabulary choice, grammar,
text structure and organisational
features, presents meaning.
Reading
Writing
- identify and discuss themes and
conventions in and across a wide range
of writing;
- ask questions to improve their
understanding;
- draw inferences such as inferring
characters’ feelings, thoughts and
motives from their actions, and
justifying inferences with evidence;
- predict what might happen from details
stated and implied;
- retrieve, record and present
information from non-fiction;
- discuss and evaluate how authors
use language, including figurative
language, considering the impact on
the reader;
- explain and discuss their understanding
of what they have read, including
through formal presentations and
debates;
- check their understanding to make sure
that what they have read makes sense;
Registered charity no 1107809
- select appropriate grammar and
vocabulary, understanding how such
choices can change and enhance
meaning;
- write narratives and consider how
authors have developed characters,
settings, atmosphere and dialogue;
- write accurately, fluently, effectively and
at length for pleasure and information
through writing for a wide range of
purposes and audiences, including
stories, scripts, poetry and other
imaginative writing;
- drawing on knowledge of literary and
rhetorical devices from their reading
and listening to enhance the impact of
their writing;
- plan, draft, edit and proof-read through
considering how their writing reflects
the audiences and purposes for which
it was intended.
www.storymuseum.org.uk
3
Cross-curricular
references
There are myriad ways in which the
activities in this pack have cross-curricular
applications. Here are some notable
ones:
Art
Key Stage 2:
- improve their mastery of art and design
techniques, including drawing, painting
and sculpture with a range of materials
[for example, pencil, charcoal, paint,
clay] – see Lessons 2, 4, 5, 7.
Key Stage 3:
- use a range of techniques and media,
including painting – see Lessons 2, 4, 5,
7;
- increase their proficiency in the
handling of different materials – see
Lessons 2, 4, 5, 7.
Drama / Spoken
Language
Key Stage 2:
- participate in discussions,
presentations, performances, role
play, improvisations and debates – see
Lessons 1, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9.
Key Stage 3:
- giving short speeches and
presentations, expressing their own
ideas and keeping to the point – see
Lessons 2, 4, 7, 8 ;
- participating in formal debates and
structured discussions, summarising
and/or building on what has been said
– see Lessons 1, 4, 8;
- improvising, rehearsing and performing
4
Registered charity no 1107809
playscripts and poetry in order to
generate language and discuss
language use and meaning, using
role, intonation, tone, volume, mood,
silence, stillness and action to add
impact – see Lessons 3, 7, 9.
Geography
Key Stage 2:
- locate the world’s countries, using
maps to focus on Europe (including
the location of Russia) and North and
South America, concentrating on their
environmental regions, key physical and
human characteristics, countries, and
major cities – see Lessons 1 and 2;
- use maps, atlases, globes and digital/
computer mapping to locate countries
and describe features studied – see
Lessons 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.
Key Stage 3:
- extend their locational knowledge
and deepen their spatial awareness
of the world’s countries using maps of
the world to focus on Africa, Russia,
Asia (including China and India), and
the Middle East, focusing on their
environmental regions, including polar
and hot deserts, key physical and
human characteristics, countries and
major cities – see Lessons 3, 4 ,5, 6, 7.
History
Key Stage 2:
- a study of an aspect or theme in
British history that extends pupils’
chronological knowledge beyond 1066
– see all lessons.
Key Stage 3:
- challenges for Britain, Europe and the
wider world 1901 to the present day.
In addition to studying the Holocaust,
www.storymuseum.org.uk
this could include […] the First World
War and the Peace Settlement – see all
lessons;
- at least one study of a significant
society or issue in world history and
its interconnections with other world
developments – see Lessons 3, 6, 7;
- ideas, political power, industry and
empire: Britain, 1745-1901. This could
include […] the development of the
British Empire with a depth study (for
example of India) – see Lessons 3 and 7.
Music
Key Stage 2:
- improvise and compose music for
a range of purposes using the
interrelated dimensions of music – see
Lessons 4 and 7.
Key Stage 3:
- improvise and compose; and extend and
develop musical ideas by drawing on
a range of musical structures, styles,
genres and traditions – see Lessons 4
and 7.
Personal, Social,
Citizenship and Health
Education
There are opportunities for debate on
social and political topics and instances
where children can reflect on themselves
personally and empathise with situations.
See Lessons 1, 3, 5, 8.
Science
Key Stage 2:
- gathering, recording, classifying and
presenting data in a variety of ways
to help in answering questions – see
Lesson 4.
www.storymuseum.org.uk
Illustrations by Sheena Dempsey
Text © The Story Museum
42 Pembroke Street, Oxford OX1 1BP
5