Year 5 find out where stories come from

In their reading of Michael Morpurgo’s ‘Kensuke’s Kingdom’ this term, Year 5 have learned about more than just story-writing. We have discussed everything from the language of sailing (bow, stern, sextant, starboard, winching in) and atomic bombs in WW2, to the Japanese language (‘Dameda!’) and the way that orang-utans are being hunted in the wild. Morpurgo says, “I weave different truths into the same story to make another kind of truth”. This is very much the case with our class novel, which is based on a newspaper article Morpurgo read about Japanese soldiers left in Pacific islands, who, in some cases, have lived in these isolated places for decades, not knowing that the war is over.

This week, Year 5 were challenged to find a real-life event in the newspapers which would make a Morpurgo-worthy story. As you can see from the photo, they are taking the assignment very seriously! The focus so far has been on stories featuring animals, or loss, or war – all themes very close to Morpurgo’s heart.

Copies of ‘First News’ (a fantastic weekly UK newspaper for primary aged children) can be found in all the tutor rooms and the library, and are very popular with our Year 5s. More details about First News can be found at https://www.firstnews.co.uk/

Other great periodicals for children, which give them another window on the world include:

National Geographic for Kids
A monthly general interest magazine for children which offers insight into current affairs from across the globe.
https://www.natgeokids.com/uk/

Aquila Magazine
A monthly magazine with articles about science, history and general knowledge – a different theme every month.
https://www.aquila.co.uk/

The Phoenix Magazine
A very accessible, fun-to-read, weekly comic, with no advertising, which includes comic-based articles on science, history, engineering and more.
https://thephoenixcomic.co.uk/