Cloud Busting

#TheCompleteSeries6lessons

Throughout these six lessons, your class will become familiar with the main characters in the story. They will infer Sam and Davey's thoughts and feelings, and express this through poetry, diary entries, drama and discussion. Children will make predictions based on their knowledge and understanding of the story, and explore how different characters react to the same event. They will analyse both how and why Sam and Davey change throughout the book, and link this to the themes of bullying, friendship and conformity.

Each of the six lessons in this Cloud Busting KS2 English Pack comes with a detailed plan, a set of engaging slides for the teaching input, differentiated activity ideas and printable resources. Please be aware that, for copyright purposes, we are unable to provide the full text for this scheme of work. Extracts are provided where appropriate.

#Lesson1ExploringCharacters

This first lesson introduces your class to 'Cloud Busting' by Malorie Blackman. Children will define what 'verse' is and discuss their opinions of poetry before reading the first three chapters of the book together.

As a class, children will discuss what they know, and what they can infer, about the main characters based on their reading so far. In their independent activities, they will rewrite the 'fizzy feet' scene from Davey's point of view. In the alternative activity provided, children are challenged to gather appropriate words and phrases to write a haiku about Davey.

Included in this first Cloud Busting KS2 lesson pack is a detailed plan, an engaging slide show for the teaching input, differentiated activity ideas, and printable resources.

#Lesson2InferringThoughtsandFeelings

After sharing their initial perceptions of the main characters from the previous lesson, your class will read chapters 4-7 of 'Cloud Busting' by Malorie Blackman.

Children will explore and discuss how different styles of poetry have been used to show the reader how Davey was bullied. In their independent activities, children are tasked to infer Davey's feelings throughout these events, in the form of thought bubbles or diary entries. In the FSD? activity, children are challenged to create a shape poem to represent the thoughts and feelings inside Davey's head.

An easy-to-follow plan, a set of slides for the teaching input, differentiated activity ideas and printable resources are all included in this ready-to-teach Cloud Busting KS2 lesson pack.

#Lesson3MakingPredictions

Once children have recapped and discussed how the revelation in chapter 8 in the last lesson has changed their perception of Sam, as a class they will read chapters 9-13 of 'Cloud Busting' by Malorie Blackman.

Children will discuss how Sam and Davey's friendship is developing, as well as the dilemma Sam faces. In their independent activities, children are challenged to predict what will happen next in the story, based on their knowledge and understanding of both the characters and the events so far. In the alternative activity, children discuss and order the likelihood of several different given scenarios.

This ready-to-teach Cloud Busting KS2 lesson pack comes with a detailed plan, an engaging set of slides, differentiated activity ideas and printable resources.

#Lesson4CharactersReactionstoanEvent

At the start of this lesson, children will discuss the secret shared by Davey and the promise made by Sam at the end of the last chapter they read together, as well as their predictions for what might happen next.

As a class, they will then read chapters 14-19 of 'Cloud Busting' by Malorie Blackman, and discuss the given questions on the slides. In their independent activities, children will explore how different characters reacted to the peanut allergy incident by inferring their thoughts and feelings. In the alternative activity provided, children achieve this by creating freeze frames.

This Cloud Busting KS2 lesson pack includes an easy-to-follow plan, a set of slides for the teaching input, differentiated activity ideas and printable resources.

#Lesson5HowandWhyCharactersChange

As a class, children will read chapters 20-26 of 'Cloud Busting' by Malorie Blackman, and then discuss the questions on the slides about the outcome of the boys' friendship.

In their independent activities, children will explore how and why the characters of Davey and Sam changed throughout the story. In the alternative activity, children are invited to take part in a whole-class discussion about conformity.

This penultimate Cloud Busting KS2 lesson pack comes with a detailed plan, a slideshow including comprehension questions, differentiated activity ideas and printable resources.

#Lesson6IdentifyingandDiscussingThemes

In this final lesson, based on Malorie Blackman's book, 'Cloud Busting', children will focus on some of the main themes within the story: bullying, friendship and conformity.

As a class, you will discuss how these themes appear in the book, and talk about what message they think the author intends us to learn from them. Children further explore this in their independent activities, where they identify what they have personally learnt from these themes in the story. In the FSD? activity, they are challenged to write a letter to Malorie Blackman, writing about their opinion of the book and the themes within it.

An easy-to-follow plan, a set of thought-provoking slides, differentiated activity ideas and printable resources are all included in this Cloud Busting KS2 lesson pack.

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Curriculum Objectives covered

• continuing to read and discuss an increasingly wide range of fiction, poetry, plays, non-fiction and reference books or textbooks
• reading books that are structured in different ways and reading for a range of purposes
• increasing their familiarity with a wide range of books, including myths, legends and traditional stories, modern fiction, fiction from our literary heritage, and books from other cultures and traditions
• identifying and discussing themes and conventions in and across a wide range of writing
• checking that the book makes sense to them, discussing their understanding and exploring the meaning of words in context
• asking questions to improve their understanding
• drawing inferences such as inferring characters’ feelings, thoughts and motives from their actions, and justifying inferences with evidence
• predicting what might happen from details stated and implied
• Identifying how language, structure and presentation contribute to meaning
• discuss and evaluate how authors use language, including figurative language, considering the impact on the reader
• participate in discussions about books that are read to them and those they can read for themselves, building on their own and others’ ideas and challenging views courteously
• explain and discuss their understanding of what they have read, including through formal presentations and debates, maintaining a focus on the topic and using notes where necessary
• provide reasoned justifications for their views.

• listen and respond appropriately to adults and their peers
• ask relevant questions to extend their understanding and knowledge
• articulate and justify answers, arguments and opinions
• give well-structured descriptions, explanations and narratives for different purposes, including for expressing feelings
• participate in discussions, presentations, performances, role play/improvisations and debates
• consider and evaluate different viewpoints, attending to and building on the contributions of others