Private Peaceful – Michael Morpurgo

Deirdre Doran & Rosemary Beard

Lesson Plans

The following are ideas for you to work on as Teachers if you are going to teach Private Peaceful to your class. We have tried to include a wide range of activities for different levels, however you may have to adapt them to suit the level of your own class. We hope you enjoy teaching it as much as we have enjoyed putting this material together.

Pre-reading

Look at book cover and ask students what they think this book is about. Do they know anything about WW1? Draw a mind map on the board with students ideas.

Introduction to WW1. Play a clip from youtube www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3QJRM7tCI0

Ask the students about the following and what they know about each:o Trench warfareo Men shot for cowardiceo Propagandao Shell shocko Court martialso Origins of Remembrance day

Work in groups to brainstorm from each other. This can also be done in a jigsaw type format where 1 student from a group switches to another group every couple of minutes to share any new information they have learned.

Recruitment posters – Get students to work in groups. Pass around posters to each group. Which poster would persuade them to join the army? And why? What techniques did the artist use to draw that poster (language, imagery)?Get students to design a poster for their own club (hockey, football, drama or even school musical). What slogan and imagery can they come up with that will entice people to join.

Senses – Get students to imagine they are sitting in a trench during war time play sounds and get them in the mood. Ask students to close their eyes and read out text (text to read out in attachment). In the background play clip from youtube of shots been fired. Once you finish reading

Deirdre Doran & Rosemary Beard

the text wait a moment and ask students to open their eyes. Fill in the page on how they feel, what they smell and hear.

While-Reading

As the student reads through the book they should notice that there is no table of contents with chapter names. Also the names of the chapters relate to time. Why do they think this is? Is the time counting up or down? And what do they think this represents? As they read through each chapter get the student to give each chapter another name.

Writing exercise. On page 70 - 71 read paragraph, “The newspapers were full of the war............, broke all our hearts” out loud and get students to finish what they think happened next. Approx 50 words.

As a vocabulary exercise get students to find the words in the novel which means the same as: ... Get student to write the word down and then find it in a wordsearch. An example of this wordsearch is in the attachment.

Oranges and Lemons is mentioned a lot in the first three chapters and becomes a symbol. What kind of symbols does it become for the brothers? (unity, spirit and inner freedom) Do the students know it? Play the song Oranges and lemons. You can play the normal nursery rhyme version or the extended version.(info about churches www.youtube.com/watch?v=AiurJW1fK_M&feature=related )Get the students to sing along print out the words of the song from page 119. Once they know the song or at least familiar with the rhythm you can check their knowledge of the book so far by getting them to sing the song but replace the words with their own words. E.g. Tommo and Charlie are brothers in this story. Ask each student to then add a new line to the song.

Blockbusters Gamehttp://www.teachers-direct.co.uk/resources/quiz-busters/quiz-busters-game.aspx?game_id=1689Divide class into two teams and get the first team to pick a letter from the board. This game checks the students knowledge of the novel. If you wish you can also make another game with your own questions.

Pose question: How is Tommo’s relationship with Charlie and Molly changing? And how do we recognise that Molly and Charlie are falling in love. Students write a response to this question citing evidence from the text if they can.

Deirdre Doran & Rosemary Beard

Post-reading

Ask the students to re-read Tommo’s letter from his mother (pg 157 -158). How would he reply? Would he tell her that Charlie is lying and tell her the truth? Or would he try to write about things that wouldn’t upset her, that would make her feel hopeful?o Get the students to write his letter home. (If you feel students are weaker you

can also get them to write a postcard instead.)

Pete also read the letter from Tommo’s mother, but didn’t agree with what Charlie had told them. “Give me half a chance and I’ll tell them”.o Get the students to write Pete’s letter, telling his family what it is really like in the

trenches. (If you feel students are weaker you can also get them to write a postcard instead.)

When reading a lot of places are mentioned in UK, France and Belgium. Find these towns on a map and plot them. Use the internet to find additional information on these towns and how much they were or if they were affected by way. Also use google maps to zoom in on the towns and see what they look like now.

Ongoing timeline of events – This book is written at several levels, indicating present, near past and far past. This could be developed as a wall chart, with illustrations for important parts of the novel- e.g. key events; Grandma Wolf leaving the house; the boys go to war; Molly’s pregnancy etc. Get the students to plot this timeline to help them to gain a better overview of events.

Compare and contrast Private Peaceful to Dulce et Decorum est. Explain to students that there is a famous poem that describes the effect of a gas attack by Wilfred Owen called Dulce et Decorum est. Hand out copies of the poem and read through.Ask students to consider the following: What is the main image? Why is this an effective image? How does the poet develop this imagery? Give one min to discuss and then feedback, discussing as a class the imagery within this poem. Students compare the extract from Private Peaceful with the poem, drawing up a list of similarities and differences in a) narrative detail and b) language.

Deirdre Doran & Rosemary Beard

Additional Material

Videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTe-QLYXo54

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkN0rY51TWE&feature=fvw

Battle of the Somme

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Tv5gBa9DQs

A book has been published “Letters from the trenches”. However you can also sign up to the following blog and receive these letters every week. http://www.wwar1.blogspot.com/ These letters can then be used as additional material.

Suggested text for Senses exercise

You are 17 years of age. You didn’t really want to join the army but everybody else was joining up so you also felt pressured into enlisting. Now here you are a few weeks later lying in a trench somewhere in a country that you have never been to before. The people beside you, you have only met for the first time while you were in training camp. Now you are depending on them to save your life and the pressure is also on you to save theirs. They are your comrades. Your brothers in arms. For years to come you will have their faces imprinted in your mind. They told you, you would be protected by the trenches. Not to leave them, but these trenches that you are lying in are like the ditches that you climbed out of many times when you were younger. Unfortunately now you can’t even climb out of them to even go to the toilet. Showers are also out of the question and even water is limited or rationed. You hear something scurrying and running around at your feet but you don’t even bother to look any more. Officers shout out orders to you and no matter what time you have to respond. Be alert, be strong, your country needs you. You would love to jump to attention but you have not slept in days or is it weeks. In fact you do not know how long you have been in the trench, everyday just roles into another one.

Background war sounds

www.youtube.com/watch?v=uW038HWDZGw

Deirdre Doran & Rosemary Beard

Deirdre Doran & Rosemary Beard

Deirdre Doran & Rosemary Beard

Deirdre Doran & Rosemary Beard

Deirdre Doran & Rosemary Beard

Deirdre Doran & Rosemary Beard

DULCE ET DECORUM EST

WILFRED OWENDulce et Decorum Est  -  best known poem of the First World War

Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,  Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge, 

Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs  And towards our distant rest began to trudge. 

Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots  But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind; 

Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots4  Of tired, outstripped Five-Nines that dropped behind.

Gas! Gas! Quick, boys! –  An ecstasy of fumbling,  Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time; 

But someone still was yelling out and stumbling,  And flound'ring like a man in fire or lime . . . 

Dim, through the misty panes and thick green light,  As under a green sea, I saw him drowning. In all my dreams, before my helpless sight, 

He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.

If in some smothering dreams you too could pace  Behind the wagon that we flung him in, 

And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,  His hanging face, like a devil's sick of sin;  If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood 

Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,  Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud 

Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,  My friend, you would not tell with such high zest

To children ardent for some desperate glory,  The old Lie; Dulce et Decorum est 

Pro patria mori.

8 October 1917 - March, 1918

DULCE ET DECORUM EST - the first words of a Latin saying (taken from an ode by Horace). The words were widely understood and often quoted at the start of the First World War. They mean "It is sweet and right." The full saying ends the poem: Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori - it is sweet and right to die for your country. In other words, it is a wonderful and great honour to fight and die for your country 

Deirdre Doran & Rosemary Beard

Deirdre Doran & Rosemary Beard

What do you learn about Tommo’s relationship with Charlie and Molly from the statements below?

‘But when it’s Charlie’s turn, all we hear are the whacks, and then the silences in between. I am so proud of him for that. I have the bravest brother in the world.’

Tommo’s feelings about Charlie here are __________________________

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‘Molly likes Big Joe. Now I know for sure that I will love her till the day I die.’

Tommo’s feelings for Molly here are

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‘The trouble was that it was becoming more evident to me that the gap between us was more serious, and that is was widening.’

Tommo’s feelings for Charlie and Molly when they are all together are

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Deirdre Doran & Rosemary Beard

Oranges and lemons

Oranges and lemons,Say the bells of St. Clement's

You owe me five farthings,Say the bells of St. Martin's

When will you pay me?Say the bells of Old Bailey.

When I grow rich,Say the bells of Shoreditch.

Here comes a candle to light you to bedAnd here comes a chopper to chop off your head!

Deirdre Doran & Rosemary Beard

SENSES GRIDImagine you are lying in a trench in the middle of World War 1.

As you look around what do you SEE? As you become aware of the sounds,what do you HEAR?

You flare your nostrils, what do you SMELL? What do can you FEEL or TOUCH?

Deirdre Doran & Rosemary Beard

Deirdre Doran & Rosemary Beard

Word Search

CLUES:

Find the word in the novel which means the same as:

1. Not allowed (pg 161) ......................................................................................

2. Wearing away, erosion (pg 161)......................................................................

3. Running away in war (pg 161).........................................................................

4. Disappeared (pg 161).......................................................................................

5. Make fun of, mimic (pg 162)............................................................................

6. Tied up (pg 162)...............................................................................................

7. Untidy (pg 162)................................................................................................

8. Quick(pg 163)...................................................................................................

9. Person who looks after you (pg 164)...............................................................

10. Skiving (pg 164)................................................................................................

11. Confused, perplexed (pg 164)..........................................................................

12. Huge, enormous, giant (pg 165)......................................................................

13. Hitting like a hammer (pg 165)........................................................................

14. Self-control, calm (pg 166)..............................................................................

15. Summoned with a gesture (pg 167)................................................................

Deirdre Doran & Rosemary Beard

Word Search

Answers:

Find the word in the novel which means the same as:

1. Not allowed (pg 161) ......................................................................................Forbidden

2. Wearing away, erosion (pg 161)......................................................................Attrition

3. Running away in war (pg 161).........................................................................Deserting

4. Disappeared (pg 161)....................................................................................Evaporated

5. Make fun of, mimic (pg 162)............................................................................Mocking

6. Tied up (pg 162)...............................................................................................Tethered

7. Untidy (pg 162)..............................................................................................Dishevelled

8. Quick(pg 163)...................................................................................................Fleeting

9. Person who looks after you (pg 164)...............................................................Guardian

10. Skiving (pg 164).............................................................................................Malingering

11. Confused, perplexed (pg 164).......................................................................Nonplussed

12. Huge, enormous, giant (pg 165)......................................................................Titan

13. Hitting like a hammer (pg 165)........................................................................Pounding

14. Self-control, calm (pg 166)............................................................................Composure

15. Summoned with a gesture (pg 167)...............................................................Beckoned

Deirdre Doran & Rosemary Beard

Making predictions about the story

Read the extract below. Continue the story with what you think happened next.

The newspapers were full of the war that had now begun, but aside from the army coming

to the village and buying up lots of the local farm horses for cavalry horses, it had hardly

touched us at all. Not yet. I was still Charlie’s postman, still Molly’s postman. So I saw Molly

often, though not as often as before. For some reason the letters between them seemed

less frequent. But at least with me now working with Charlie for six days a week we were all

three together again in a kind of way, linked by the letters. Then that link was cruelly

broken, and what followed broke my heart, broke all our hearts.

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Deirdre Doran & Rosemary Beard