Reading historical fictionHomework project

Autumn term September/October 2013

Set Date Tasks Due dateWeek 1Beginning 9th September

Choose reading book and begin reading. Compulsory tasks 1 and 4

Week 2Beginning 16th September

4 compulsory tasks and one other

Week 3Beginning 23rd September

4 compulsory tasks and one other

Week 4Beginning 30th September

4 compulsory tasks and one other

Week 5Beginning 7th October

4 compulsory tasks and one other

Week 6Beginning14th October

Compulsory tasks 1 and 4. Also tasks 19 and 20

Write the History homework below in your diary

Word Meaning1. pestilence Infectious illness such as the plague

2. pardoner A preacher who forgives the sins of others for a price

3. Franklin A man who is not a peasant but is free and owns land

4. mottled Spots or patches of skin with different shades of colour

5. Hermit A person who lives on their own away from society

6. forge Workplace of a blacksmith

7. blacksmith

Someone who creates objects from heating iron and then tools to mould the iron

8. frowsy Untidy, shabby appearance

9. byre A barn for cows

10. miasmas A mist of bad smells

3. Summary of All Fall Down (up to pg 44)

The story is set in 1349 and is told by 14 year old

Isabel. She lives with her large family in a small

house in the village of Ingleforn near York. Isabels

family are ‘villains', which means they are not free

but have to work for the Lord of the Manor Sir

Edmund. Isabel has heard stories about a strange

sickness and people are afraid as it has come to

nearby Leeds. Some people have fled toScotland but Isabel cannot escape. Some villagers are trying to prevent refugees

from the sickness entering the village but Isabel

has secret. She has discovered that there are

fugitives stayingwith Randulf. She decides to say nothing.

Spend a minimum of 30 minutes a week reading your book. This could be five minutes a day.

Task 4. Get your parent or carer to sign your diary to confirm that you are reading and completing tasks

Task 1 Read

Task 2 Find unfamiliar words and explain their meaning

Task 3 Write a summary of what has happened in the story so far

Four compulsory

tasks to complete

every week

One additional task to complete every week. Choose from the list below

5. Draw what you think one of the main characters looks like. Annotate their physical features as well as their personality.

6. Script a conversation between you and the librarian explaining why you chose this particular book*.

7. If the characters in your book are based on real people research them and try to identify where the author has been true to life.

8. Write a diary entry for one of your characters.

9. Create a labelled map of the setting for your book including all the key locations in the book.

10. Make a shoebox scene of a key moment in the book. This should include titles and subtitles and speech or thought bubbles.

11. Make a spider diagram about other events (national and international) that are taking place at the same time your book is set*.

12. Imagine that you are the author write the script for an assembly explaining why students should read your work.

13. Design an alternative book jacket*.

14. Draw and annotate a new character for the book.

15. Write a letter from one character to another.

16. Make a timeline of the key events you are reading about.

17. Write a biography of the author*.

18. Design a Facebook page for one of the main characters.

www.classtools.net/main_area/fakebook

19. Write a review of your book. Try to write at least 1-2 sides in your exercise book*.

20. Prepare a two minute presentation about your book to give to your class

Help sheets are available for some tasks and there are examples of what the completed work should look like in the Library.You can attend homework club after school too.

An example of a students book jacket 1

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Another example of a students book jacket

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Book Review of Hetty Feather by Jacqueline Wilson

Unlike Wilsons other books this is set in the past. It is about a feisty young girl who was abandoned by her mum when she was a baby. Hetty is left at the Foundling Hospital in London, a place that cares for abandoned children and teaches them to be servants. But baby Hetty is too small to start school so she is sent to live with a foster family until she is six. Life in the countryside is tough but Hetty spends time with her foster brothers Jem and Gideon. They sneak off to visit a circus and Hetty is mesmerised by Madame Adeline and her performing horses. But Hetty’s happy childhood is shattered when she is forced to return to the foundling hospital. The new life of awful uniforms and terrible food is a struggle for her. But now she has the chance to find her real mother. She escapes from the Foundling Hospital and has to survive life on the streets of London. Could her real mother be the wonderful circus performer she met earlier?

The main character is of course Hetty. She is feisty. She sticks up for her friends and won’t take no for an answer. Other characters include Hetty’s bullying classmates at the Foundling Hospital and the nasty Matron Peters who runs the school and punishes Hetty for the smallest of things.

One of the best bits is when Hetty breaks into the circus. The description of the circus performers makes you think you are actually at the Big Top.

The book is probably one for girls as there aren’t many boys in the story. This maybe a gripping story but it takes a while to get going. Also this book can be quite sad at times and not everyone gets a happy ending.

The book describes really clearly what it was like to live in a Foundling Hospital in the 1800’s. It is nothing like a hospital today! The book also has Victorian looking illustrations at the start of each chapter which help you to imagine the scenes.

If you love Tracy Beaker then you’ll certainly enjoy this book. You can also read the sequels.Rating 8/10

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Year 9 example of a book review