Teaching Package

Jan Gerrit 2013

Contents
1. Introduction and goal(s)

2. Part 1 Warm-up

3. Part 2 Pre-reading activities

4. Part 3 While-reading activities

5. Part 4 Post-reading activities

6. Worksheets

7. Answer keys

Introduction and Goal(s)

As part of a Young Adult Literature Course I received an assignment

which involved the development of a package for teachers to facilitate

the stimulation of reading targeted at young adults. The package was to

be attractive, with easily copyable worksheets which can be used to aid

in the reading and understanding of the assigned novel, in this case 'The

London Eye mystery' by Siobhan Dowd.

The package includes a warm-up, pre-reading-, while-reading-, and

post-reading activities, and worksheets with example answer-key(s).

What you have in front of you is a proposed way of teaching and guiding

students through the book. The activities and worksheets can be used as

and when needed and/or at the teacher's discretion. They can also be

copied or cloned to suit the teacher's/student's requirements and/or level.

As to the when and where of reading the book, my view is that reading

begins in the classroom and is carried on at home, on the bus or

wherever the student finds the time and space to read. It is however

recommended that the teacher keeps a close eye on progress and

motivates where necessary.

The choices made are meant to encourage, challenge, motivate and

peak the interest of your students.

The book may also lead to interesting discussions about the different

ways in which people's brains are wired and how viewing things from a

different perspective changes reality i.e. perceived reality.

Learning Goals

 Improve reading skills

 Expand vocabulary (words and expressions)

 Expand general knowledge

 Become sleuths

Required materials

 Book 'The London Eye mystery'

 Teaching package with copies of worksheets

 Beamer and Laptop (for warm-up)

 Pens, Markers, etc...

Part 1 Warm-up

To get your students into detective mode use the 'Riddles' worksheet

and/or 'coolriddles' on youtube. http://www.youtube.com/user/CoolRiddles

The idea behind this is to get your students thinking logically, as a

detective would, besides which they are also fun to do and can have a

competitive element. Split your class into groups of 3-4 and have

students come up with answers.

Introduce the concept of deductive reasoning. As Ted quoted Sherlock

Holmes "when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever

remains, however improbable, must be the truth? "

What does this quote mean?

Part 2 Pre-reading : discussion

To get started on the story first look at the cover of the book, read the

title, "what goes up must come down...mustn't it?".

What do the students think it's about? What can they deduce? What

does that sentence mean?

Now read the blurb on the back cover.

What do they think now? How much do they know?

Now read Chapter 1 together, either silently or have students read along

as you read it out loud.

What is the mystery? What happened? From who's point of view is it

being told? What do we already know about him/her?

The above points can be discussed in class after each part or students

can use the worksheet provided.

Part 3 While-reading: Language

In this book there are a lot of terms and expressions

which students may not know. To help them acquire this new language

and to understand Ted's confusion there is a list of expressions and

sayings to be found on the worksheet for part 3.

Ted takes things literally and is thus often confused, this provides plenty

of opportunities for comical situations. Included in the worksheet for part

3 is room for creativity with expressions. Students can be asked to create

images which depict the sayings literally. This can be used as a step to

researching the etymology of expressions/sayings.

Are there Dutch equivalents?

These exercises can be done individually or in groups.

Now is also the time for students to come up with theories of their own.

What do they think happened to Salim?

Have them write down their theory.

Part 4 Post reading : Characters

After reading students can be encouraged to delve into the main

characters and their characteristics.

How much do we actually know about the characters?

What do they look like? How old are they? What type of person are they?

What role do they play in the narrative?

Worksheet Part 4 provides room for group activities.

Divide the class into groups of 4 and assign them a character. The

groups shouldn't know which character the other groups have.

Have them find descriptive sentences in the book relating to the

character.

They will use these sentences to create a presentation after which the

other groups have to guess which character is being described.

Finally evaluate the book. Who guessed correctly? Check the theories

written down while reading.

 Worksheets

for

Students

Worksheet Part 1 : Warm-up

1. Riddles
Below are some riddles.

See if you and your group can figure them out.

1. Some months have 30 days, some have 31. How many months have

28 days?

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2. If you had only one match and went into a dark room where there was

an oil lamp, some paper and some wood, which one would you light

first?

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3. A man builds a square house with four sides. Each side faces south. A

big bear comes past his house. What colour is the bear? Why?

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4. If you drove a bus with 42 people on it from London and stopped at

Leeds, you picked up 12 more people and drove to York, dropped off 6

people and drove to Hull and arrived back in London 8 hours later, what

is the driver’s name?

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5. As I was going to St Ives, I met a man with 7 wives, each of his wives

had 7 sacks and in each sack were 7 cats. How many were going to St

Ives?

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6. A pet shop owner had a parrot with a sign on it's cage that said "parrot

repeats everything it hears". A young man bought the parrot and spoke

to it for 2 weeks but it didn't say a word. He tried to return the parrot but

the shopkeeper hadn't lied. How can this be?

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2. Deductive reasoning

What do you think the following quote means?Explain your group's

answer in the space provided.

"when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however

improbable, must be the truth."

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Worksheet Part 2 : Pre-reading

First look at the cover of the book, read the title, and the sentence "what

goes up must come down...mustn't it?".

What do you think it's about? What can you deduce? What does the

sentence mean?

Write your answer(s) below.

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Now read the blurb on the back cover.

What do you think now? How much do you now know?

Write your answer(s) below.

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Read Chapter 1

What is the mystery? What happened?

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From who's point of view is it being told? What do we already know

about him/her?

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Worksheet Part 3 : While-reading

1. Language

Ted doesn't understand a lot of expressions/sayings. Can you help him?

Is there a Dutch equivalent?

1. They were running around like headless chickens.

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2. She was talking up a storm.

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3. It was raining cats and dogs.

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4. I’ll have your guts for garters.

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5. You could have cut the atmosphere with a knife.

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6. Speak of the Devil.

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7. Small talk.

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8. That should be right up your street

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9. She’s going off the rails.

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10. Shake a leg.

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11. That building was sick - It has to come down.

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12. He’s the spit of his Dad.

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13. You’d better pull up your socks, young man.

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14. We’re going to have to tighten our belts.

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15. He was so fond of work, he’d lie down beside it.

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16. That car is on its last legs.

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17. My feet are killing me.

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18. I was so angry, l was fit to be tied.

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19. I was caught between a rock and a hard place.

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Etymology

Pick your 3 favourites from above and figure out where they came from.
What is the story behind the saying?
Write your answer below.
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2. Theories

Ted comes up with a lot of theories.

Which theory do you think is correct?

Or do you have a theory of your own?

Note down your opinion/theory in the space below.

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Worksheet Part 4 : Post-reading

Characters
In groups of 4 you will be assigned a character from the novel.
Your task is to find passages in the novel which describe your character.
Physical and mental/emotional characteristics.
Write down as many as you can find in the space provided below.
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Using these passages create a group presentation for your classmates.
The aim of the presentation is to describe your assigned character as
completely as possible without naming him/her or giving too much away.
At the end of your presentation your classmates are going to try and
guess who your character is.
 Answer key

Worksheet Part 1

1. Riddles

1. All of them

2. The match

3. White, it's a polar bear, house is on the North Pole.

4. What's your name?

5. 1, me!

6. The parrot is deaf.

2. Deductive reasoning

Open discussion in which opinions are exchanged. Aim is to think

logically and make connections.

Worksheet Part 2
Open questions/answers. Ideal for discussion.

Answer key

Worksheet Part 3

1. Language

1. Not having a plan or structure.

2. Talking a lot.

3. Raining very heavily

4. You'll be in trouble

5. Tense situation

6. We were just talking about the person who just came in

7. Chit chat

8. It suits you, you'll be good at it.

9. Things are going wrong/crazy.

10. Hurry up.

11. Not safe anymore.

12. Spitting image, looks just like.

13. Work harder, act correctly.

 14. Spend less money, live frugally.

15. Lazy.

16. Almost broken/useless.

17. My feet hurt.

18. Very, very angry to the point of insanity (straightjacket)

19. No good options, either way I lose.

Worksheet Part 4

Open.