Year 5/6Varmints (part one) by Helen Ward and Marc Craste

Publisher: Templar

ISBN: 978-1840113235

This is a thought-provoking book of very few, yet very well-chosen words. It tells of one little creature’s quest in a thunderous, monotonous world to find some peace and quiet in which to be able to think once again, though can be interpreted as an allegory for many phenomena. It was written for a film-maker who later recreated it as an award-winning animation and the cinematic illustrations are testament to this purpose.

Books by the same author Linked textsThe Tin ForestThe Dragon MachineOld Shell, New ShellMoon DogUnwitting Wisdom: An Anthology of Aesop’s FablesWonderful Life

Watership Down by Richard AdamsThe Red Tree by Shaun Tan

National Curriculum Programme of StudyIdentify and discuss themes and conventions in and across a wide range of writing

Identifying the book’s ‘message’ and making links between other texts, including visual and moving image, on a similar theme

Ask questions to improve their understanding Noting things that puzzle or interest about the plot, presentation, etc.

Draw inferences such as inferring characters’ feelings, thoughts and motives from their actions, and justify inferences with evidence

Inferring from text and imagesPredict what might happen from details stated and implied

Predicting from images and word definitionsSummarise the main ideas drawn from more than 1 paragraph, identifying key details that support the main ideas

Summarising the main mood/message/events and identifying when and how these changes throughout the story

Provide reasoned justifications for their views Explain ideas with reference to the text Articulate fuller responses

Pre-reading taskGive pupils the images from the front and back covers of the book with the title omitted, telling them to ‘spot the difference’ in pairs. They can annotate the pictures, or use sticky notes on enlarged copies, etc. Prompts could be supplied such as ‘appearance’, ‘mood’, ‘theme’, ‘reminds me of…’Introduce the definition of ‘varmint’ from the frontispiece. Ask pupils to predict what this book may be about and give reasons for their answers, referring to their annotations and knowledge beyond the text to explain their thinking. They could tell

Year 5/6a partner, make notes in their reading journal, add to the annotations, etc. but will need something to jog their memory in the following session.

Session 1

Book Introduction

Ask the group to bring any notes and annotations from the initial task.

What had pupils predicted the book might be about, and what had led them to these conclusions? (Is it likely to be fiction, non-fiction, poetry or play script? Why?)

How had being given the definition of ‘varmints’ changed their ideas (if it had)? Clarify understanding of ‘C16’, ‘dialect variant’, etc. if any are unsure of meanings.

Who/what might be the varmints/vermin? What words other than ‘irritating’ and ‘obnoxious’ does vermin suggest?

Strategy Check

When you read, you need to check that it is making sense. What will you do if you come to a word you are not sure about?

Use knowledge of morphology (what parts of words mean) and etymology (where words come from).

Read to the end of the sentence. Go back and read the whole sentence again. Think about other words that might make sense in its place

(grammatically and appropriate to the mood).

As you read, build a picture in your head of what is happening. Think about the key ideas and events in the story.

Independent Reading

Pupils read the whole book individually. Ask them each to jot down, somewhere the whole group/table can see, something that they think merits further investigation; this could be in the form of questions, and teachers might like to add some of their own suggestions.Encourage those pupils that finish more quickly to go back and look more closely at the things suggested.

Respond to Text

Review the questions pupils have suggested, choosing ones that might best address any misunderstandings or puzzles not covered when discussing predictions. Talk about possible answers. If using sticky notes, questions could be shared out between pairs or small groups for pupils to talk about. Take feedback.

At what points in the story did pupils adjust or refine their predictions in light of something they’d read or seen?

Ask pupils ‘What changes in this ‘part one’ of the story?’ Take all responses and list, without discussion.Have pupils noticed it is divided into three sections? (A copyright-free vintage film countdown clock could be shown from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8o0dYPfN-PM if pupils are unfamiliar and if teachers wish to make the link with film at this point.) What changes appear in which? Challenge pupils to

Year 5/6summarise the events and mood of each of the three sections in turn in a single full sentence.

Final thought: ‘Who/what do you now think the ‘varmints’ are?’

Post-session taskThe story has been organised into three sections but there may be many more turning points than that. Encourage pupils to think back to the changes that were discussed in the taught session. Using sticky notes, or choosing from small images of the pages, pupils identify these turning points. Select the three most important and record ‘before’ and ‘after’ ideas to highlight what changes at this point.

Session 2

Book Introduction

Recap on the book and previous discussion/independent work on changes. (The animated film trailer may be a useful prompt: https://vimeopro.com/studioaka/varmints-trailer/video/7309659.)Flick through the book to look at the colour palette used. When is it darker and when lighter? When are font sizes changed or capitalisation used? What does this emphasise? Why might it be important?

Strategy Check

When you read, you need to check that it is making sense. What will you do if you come to a word you are not sure about?

Use knowledge of morphology (what parts of words mean) and etymology (where words come from)

Be alert to words that might indicate mood or feelings at different points in the story (you may choose to jot some down as you read)

As you read, build a picture in your head of what is happening. Think about the key ideas and events in the story.

Independent Reading

Re-read section 2 and begin to consider what might be the theme or message.

Respond to Text

Look at ‘As he watched from his window… It was TIME!’Ask pupils to think about what the character’s wishes might have been, what the hope his heart longed for was, where it was found and how it could have been growing. What was it time for? Share ideas, encouraging speakers to relate their answers back to clues in the text.

Direct pupils to look at the sentence containing ‘all their hopes and wishes took to the air like new seeds upon the wind’. What do they notice? (If they don’t pick up on the use of the simile, guide them.) Is this real or imagined? Does it matter? Give pupils time to look through the book and decide whether the plants are real or metaphorical and what might be the implications of each in terms of conveying the book’s message.

Year 5/6Give pupils statements (perhaps on cards) that claim to affirm the theme of the story (see resources; add or replace with own). Match pupils or pairs of pupils so one is asked to agree and one to disagree, in each case backing up their ideas with evidence from the book’s text and/or illustrations. Choose some to listen to.

Final thought: With these ideas of possible themes/messages in mind, what could ‘part two’ focus on when it is finally written?

Post-session task(s)1. Ask pupils to choose from given statements determining the theme/message (see resources used in the taught session) and write a few paragraphs to explain why they agree or disagree, this time voicing their own opinions.

2. Write the blurb, in the style of the frontispiece flap, for part two.

Session 3

Book Introduction

Direct pupils to the book’s blurb. We are told that it was ‘especially written for BAFTA award-winning film-maker and illustrator Marc Craste’. Share a few stills from the film (see resources) and compare these with the book. How might Helen Ward’s filmic purpose have influenced the pictures, layout and organisation?

Strategy Check

When you read, you need to check that it is making sense. What will you do if you come to a word you are not sure about?

Use knowledge of morphology (what parts of words mean) and etymology (where words come from)

As you read, build a picture in your head of what is happening. Think about the key ideas and events in the story.

Independent Reading

Give pupils, in pairs, a double page spread from the book. Ask them to focus on the images and talk to one another about how these emphasise and relate to the story’s mood and message/theme. Tell pupils to pay close attention as they read to the way in which illustrations have been framed, looking at which are close-ups and which situates the reader further away from the action and therefore may be more scenic.

Respond to Text

Pairs work together to annotate everything they notice on the page they have been given. Teachers could give prompts used in the BFI’s (British Film Industry) education materials: story, setting, [sound] colour, character, camera (the way the image is framed in shot).Add to the annotations to explain the effect of these features on the reader – complete a shared example first and then encourage oral rehearsal as children talk to their partners. Probe pairs’ ideas as they work to get them to justify their explanations in further depth.Share discoveries with the group.

Year 5/6Post-session taskIf a copy can be obtained, pupils watch the animation (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTAaQToJI9M). Compare this with the book and/or explore it in animated form. Free resources to support teaching about the film are available to download from http://ripassetseu.s3.amazonaws.com/www.discoveryfilmfestival.org.uk/_files/documents/sep_10/dca__1283348598_Varmints_teachers_resource.pdf

Other independent activities based on the book

Marc Craste explains why he made the film, and the message he’d hoped to get across, at https://www.studioaka.co.uk/FilmWorks/varmints. Give pupils time to read and consider this and compare with their own identification of themes.

Watch https://vimeo.com/8266112: ‘Excerpt from the making of documentary, going behind the scenes on the animated, BAFTA nominated short film by award winning director Marc Craste.’ Choose a moment of your own from the text, or a related one, and sketch out and label/annotate ways in which you might bring it to life if you were making your own film.

Write a series of diary entries in the role of the main character, recounting a day from each section of the story.

Produce a spidergram of other books and films on a similar theme (whichever has been identified by the pupil during the earlier reading sessions.

Write a letter from the main character at the end of this story to its earlier self, giving advice to make him/herself feel better at his/her darkest time.

Read and enjoy The Tin Forest by the same author. In reading journals, explore what is the same and what is different about the two stories and/or the way they have been presented.

Year 5/6Resources

The story is about climate change.

The story is about loss of nature.

The story is about the need for silence.

The story is about resilience.

The story is about small acts of thoughtfulness making a big difference

The story is about growing plants.

The story is about industrialisation.

The story is about the importance of bees.

The story is about courage.

The story is about personal space.

The story is about fulfilling your dreams.

The story is about hoarding precious things.

The story is about memory.

Year 5/6

Year 5/6