This Kensuke's Kingdom Planning Pack, based on the wonderful book by Michael Morpurgo, is full of Year 6 reading comprehension activities that will both develop and challenge your children's reading skills!

Over the seven lessons, as a class, you will read and discuss 'Kensuke's Kingdom' together. Children will apply their skills of inference and deduction when examining characters' thoughts, feelings, actions, and motives, using the text to support their ideas and opinions. They will also be given opportunities to predict and summarise events.

Each lesson within this Kensuke's Kingdom Planning Pack includes a detailed lesson plan, an engaging and thought-provoking set of slides for the teaching input, as well as all the differentiated resources you will need for a successful, fun English scheme of work!

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.

You might also be interested in our Japan Topic Bundle - perfect if you are looking for a cross-curricular approach!

Exploring Events and Characters

In this first lesson, children will read Chapter 1 of 'Kensuke's Kingdom' together, discussing characters and exploring events.

In their independent activities, children are challenged to use evidence from the text to highlight the different traits two of the characters have. In the alternative activity provided, children put themselves into the shoes of each of the three main characters, and complete thought bubbles for them for different given points.

The resources for this first lesson include extract sheets, differentiated worksheets, a set of slides for the teaching input, and a detailed lesson plan.

View Lesson 1

Finding and Using Evidence from the Text

As a class, children will first read and discuss the events in Chapter 2 of 'Kensuke's Kingdom', before reading the 'Ship's Log' section of Chapter 3 themselves.

Children are challenged to use the text to identify the pros and cons of a sailing trip around the world. They then use their notes to further discuss their own opinions, as well as the opinions of each of the characters, about this. At the end of the lesson, as a class, children will read the final section of Chapter 3 together, and predict what might happen next, based on what they have just learned.

This downloadable, ready-to-teach lesson includes a detailed plan, an informative slideshow, and a range of differentiated printable worksheets and activity ideas.

View Lesson 2

Understanding a Character's Feelings

After briefly recapping the events so far, as a class, children will read Chapter 4 together.

They will discuss some examples of the author's choice of language before moving on to focus on Michael's situation in their independent activities, where they create 'feelings graphs', which map his emotions throughout the chapter.

Including a detailed lesson plan, an engaging set of slides for the teacher input, and differentiated, printable worksheets and activity ideas, this lesson pack has everything you need for a successful, enjoyable English lesson with your Year 6 class!

View Lesson 3

Exploring Actions and Inferring Feelings

Children will first read Chapters 5 and 6 together, and answer questions as a class, which focus on Michael and Kensuke's interactions with, and opinions of, each other.

Children use extracts from the text in their independent activities to further infer Kensuke's reasons for his actions, as well as what he could be thinking and feeling at various points throughout the two chapters.

All of the resources you need for a successful English lesson are included in this pack - a detailed plan, an engaging and informative slideshow, and differentiated worksheets.

View Lesson 4

Making Predictions

After reading Chapters 7 and 8 together as a class, children will discuss the growing friendship between Michael and Kensuke.

In their independent activities, they will predict what the conversation between the two characters might be like after the message in the bottle is found. In the alternative activity, children predict what might happen in the last two chapters of the book, and share their ideas, discussing the likeliness of each one as a class.

As well as differentiated resources, an easy-to-follow lesson plan and an engaging set of slides are included.

View Lesson 5

Explaining a Character's Decisions

Children will first reflect on the events at the end of Chapter 8, and how this may affect the friendship between the two main characters. As a class, they then read Chapter 9 together, discussing both Michael and Kensuke's differing emotions.

In their independent activities, children will explore Kensuke's decision to leave the island with Michael, using their inference skills as well as sharing and explaining their own opinions. In the alternative activity provided, children are challenged to explain how the behaviour of the animals on the island helps Kensuke to make decisions.

Included in this lesson pack are a detailed plan, a set of slides for the whole-class teaching input, and differentiated worksheets.

View Lesson 6

Summarising from a Character's Perspective

Children read the final chapter of the book together and discuss the events using the extracts and questions on the slides.

They are then challenged to summarise Michael and Kensuke's time together on the island in the form of a letter, from one character to the other. In the alternative activity, the children write to Michiya, Kensuke's son, as Michael.

This final lesson includes differentiated activity ideas and resources, as well as a detailed plan and an engaging set of slides.

View Lesson 7