A Teacher's Guide to

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Text – Addy FarmerIllustrations – Bridget StrevensTeachers' Notes – Addy Farmer2016

This guide is intended forchildren in reception throughto Key Stage 1

A Bagful of StarsA rhythmical romping Christmas story with friendship at its heart. Three

friends set off in their boat to decorate the tree on Christmas Island. Along theway they encounter some strange and interesting creatures including a

mermaid and a whale. They lose some stars and then find some more friends!

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I'm Bridget!I'm Addy!

Contents

English and Literacy … 4Let's Set Sail!A Boat full of Friends!Who Am I? Rhyme LineRock the Boat!

Maths … 6Can You Count the Stars?How Many Stars to Christmas Island?Float the Boat!A Bagful of ShapesTurn and Turn Again, Me Hearties!

Science … 8Star StruckA Whale of a Time

ICT … 10Let's Make a New Cover!

Art and Design … 10 Make a 3D IslandA Paper-strip Christmas TreeChristmas StarsMore Ideas!

Physical Education … 11The Windy Warm-up!Boat Race

Geography … 12Mapping the Story

Resources … 13

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English and Literacy

A Bagful of StarsA pre-reading activity. Have the children sit in a circle. One person dips into a bag filled with stars. They must then say what present they would take to Christmas Island and who it is for.

Let's Set Sail!Explore the book's cover front and back

• title/author/illustrator• who is on the cover?• Where do you think they're going?• What do you think the three friends are going to do?

Now read the book! Did you notice a few things?• What happens to the stars?• What happens to the sky?• What happens to the sea?

A Boat full of friends! You can use a cardboard box for a boat, big enough for two children. You will also need a rope attached to the box. Your destination is Christmas Island but you need help to get there. Someone starts off in the boat and then says who they want to go to Christmas Island with and why. That person joins them in the boat. Then the new person says who they want to come into the boat and why. The first person gets out and takes hold of therope. You can carry on until there are enough friends to pull the box to Christmas Island!

Who am I? The children can do this singly or in pairs. Use a bag and pick out a drawn/named character. Don't tell anyone else! Describe your character through actions. Can't guess? Then choose one word to help e.g. 'singing' for the mermaid. Alternatively, have a few characters in the bag either real or pictures and come up with a word to describe their appearance and one to say what theyare like.

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Rhyme LineUsing a rope and pegs, build a rhyme line of words which rhyme with 'sea'in the book. Have spares of the word 'sea'. As you read the story ask children to stop you when they have a word which rhymes with 'sea'. Is it correct? Allow the repetition. Write it on a blank piece of paper and have them peg it to the line. When you finish read out the words – you should end up with the beginnings of a poem! E.g. Sea, me, tree, sea, tee-heeeee! me, tree, sea, coo-eeeeee!

Can anyone build words which rhyme with stars? Make a star map of rhyming words!

Rock the Boat!The wind is important in A Bagful of Stars – it makes the sea calm or rough. Can you pick out all the words which describe the sea. Look at the pictures for clues as to what the sea is like. Maybe you can use a water trayto demonstrate!

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Maths

Can You Count the Stars?Have stars ready to peg up on a line. Check every page and place a star on the line for everyone counted. Count the line! Singly or 2s or 5s. Have numbers ready to peg up the answer. Guestimates can also be made!

Why not take it outside? Use a chalk line and have the children draw in thestars. You could even play with pattern and have them draw using alternate colours and then see if anyone can guess which colour chalk to use.

Take stars away and see how many are left!

You can use 'star-lines' to add together or take away.

How Many Stars to Christmas Island?Use the 'Star Resource' sheet. Demonstrate to children how to measure with non-standard units. Children can work in pairs or singly. Some cutting out may need to be done in advance! Instruct children to find objects that are 3 stars long, 5 stars long etc.

Alternatively have a range of objects ready and ask children to estimate how many stars long the objects will be. Then measure. How close to their estimate were they?

Another idea, this time for standard measuring, is to have an island and different starting points. Children can measure how far it is to the island from various points in the room or beyond. Feeling adventurous? Take it outside and have them draw chalk lines (using rulers) to the 'island'. Then measure and record. You could use a block graph and call it a Star Chart!

Float the Boat!Have a water tray, bottles of various sizes, small world lego characters andboat. Place boat with figure in dry tray. How many bottles of 50 ml, 100 ml etc will it take to float the small boat? The medium boat? The large boat? Record your results!

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A Bagful of Shapes!A team game. Have a bag with 2D shapes inside. Have large shapes making a line on the floor to the Island destination. Team picks a child to get to the island. Child picks out a shape and team must match/name. If thesame as the first shape on the shape path then child can move to it. Once on the island. The child/team must try to make a star from available shapes. Who will use two triangles and win?

Turn and Turn Again, Me Hearties!Have two teams, two cardboard box boats, and agreed destination. From two starting points, program your boat to get you to the Island using quarter turn, half turn, three-quarter turn and whole turn! Start at one side of the classroom (or take it outside!) and navigate your boat team's boat between the desks. Who will get there first?

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Science

Star StruckAn introduction to Day and Night. Our nearest star is the sun. In a Bagful of Stars we notice how the children set sail in the daytime and decorate thetree in the night-time.

• What happens to the colour of the sky?• What's happening to the sun?• What do we see in the sky at night? • When the sun sets what's the temperature like?• Do you think Molly and Teddy and Me will be tired at the end of the

book?

A Whale of a Time!Have photos of dolphins and underwater life ready plus tablets for online research.

To begin with explain that animals need homes just like people. Put pictures of 5 different habitats around classroom – field, forest, lake, oceanand city. Have pictures of various animals which fit into these habitats - Molly, a cow, a thrush, a deer, a dragonfly, tuna-fish etc. Divide the children into 5 groups and ask them to pick a picture from your bag and take it to the correct habitat.

We meet dolphins and whales in A Bagful of Stars. They have a particular habitat – the sea or the ocean. This habitat is a very large area of salty water. Ask yourself – could you live in the sea? Why not?

Divide the class into groups with a question for each group.• How does a dolphin breathe underwater? • What do dolphins eat? Do other sea creatures eat dolphins?• Does a dolphin go to sleep?• Does a dolphin have a family?• What other animals live in the ocean?

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There is a nice resource with Seawatch Foundation who have videos and ed resources; http://seawatchfoundation.org.uk

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ICT

Let's Make a New Cover!Ask the children to create a new cover for a Bagful of Stars. Maybe they can take their favourite character and put that on the front. How about changing the font size and colour?

Art and Design

Make a 3D IslandMake a 3D map picture of the 2D Island maps made in Geography. Choose to draw three features e.g. the Christmas tree, the mermaid, the boat. Draw or paint onto a suitable paper size but with a flap which can be folded at the bottom. The drawing with the flap can then be stuck down onto the 2D map.

A Paper-strip Christmas TreeTo make a paper strip Christmas tree, simply glue coloured paper strips onto the page, with longer strips at the base of the 'tree' and shorter strips at the top. The strips of paper can be positioned at different angles, overlapping each other. You can challenge the children to use different shapes even use different shapes like a star or a present or a bauble.

Christmas Stars!You can decorate the stars in any number of ways!

More ideas!Make a flag for your islandMake a hat for a pirateMake another sea creature.

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PE

The Windy Warm-up!Tell the children that we're going to warm up and that when we finish we want to be breathing faster!

Start nice and slow standing up in our boats. We're looking all round at thesparkling sea. Point to Christmas Island.

We dip and dive gently like the dolphinsWe use our arms up and down like the mermaid combing her long hairWe crouch on the floor and go, up, up, up on the whale's spoutWe race away from the piratesWe sit down for a rest

Boat Race Three teams – Molly, Teddy and Me. Three bags of stars, 4 cones and an island at the other (large hoop). Each team member must take a star from the bag and weave round cones. Stop and throw the star into the hoop before returning and sitting down. First team to complete, wins!

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Geography

Mapping the StoryGive children a range of maps (include atlases where available) to explore.Include maps on different scales e.g. a map of the world and a map of the locality.

• Discuss with children what information they found on the maps. • Explain that maps tell us where places are; the location of places. • Look at symbols used on maps and find out what they represent by

using a key Look at the key locations in a Bagful of Stars – Mainland, sea, mermaid's rock, the island with the cave, the beach and the hills, trees.

Let children draw a map of A Bagful of Stars and see what they come up with!

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