fantastically funny stories from - penguin books · fantastically funny stories from ... turned up...

Fantastically funny stories from

Inspiring you to share storieswww.teachitprimary.co.uk

Inspiring you to share storieswww.teachitprimary.co.uk 2

Letter to teachers

Dear teachers,

thank you for downloading these terry Pratchett lesson plans.

The Witch’s Vacuum Cleaner and Dragons at Crumbling Castle are collections of short stories written by terry Pratchett long ago, when he was a junior reporter. In recent years he gathered the stories together, added a few notes and accompanied them with new illustrations by Mark Beech. Pratchett’s tales in these collections cover a variety of fantastically funny imaginary settings, wonderful characters and quirky plots. they are perfect for reluctant or new readers and their short length makes them easy for classes to read and enjoy together.

In these lesson plans we aim to help your classes further their reading. the next few lessons offer ideas and activities that will encourage the class to think and learn about different components of short-story writing before they embark on writing their own short stories.

Lesson objectives: • to provide focused opportunities to discuss texts

• to encourage an imaginative response to what is read

• to improve understanding and comprehension of a specific text type, with focus on humour

• to be able to identify and use literary techniques effectively

• to support and develop pupils’ story writing – creating interesting characters, settings and devising plot

• to participate in discussions, presentations, performances, role play, improvisations and debates


objectives: • to engage critically with a text

• to understand the importance of openings

• to explore the different ways stories can begin and discuss their effects

Explain to the class that you are going to explore how stories can begin in many different ways.

task 1: Unpicking what a story opening offersask pupils to work with a partner and look at the openings of eight of terry Pratchett’s short stories on the worksheet overleaf. these are taken from the Witch’s Vacuum cleaner and Dragons at crumbling castle.ask pupils to consider the following:

• try to decide what kind of story each opening is going to be (adventure, mystery, fantasy, ghost, science fiction, historical). Write your decision alongside each opening.

• Do any openings introduce a character? tick the box for character.

• Do any openings introduce a time or a place? tick the box for time/place.

• Do any of the openings give a clue about the plot that could follow? tick the box for plot.

• choose one opening and use your powers of prediction to suggest to your partner how it might continue.

• choose the opening that would hook you into reading the rest of the story and explain why.

once pupils have completed the above questions, discuss everyone’s answers as a class.

LESSON 1: eXPLorING oPeNINGs


terry Pratchett STOry OpENiNgS

a) ‘I dare say you know all about the Wild West.’

b) ‘the Great expedition to find the snorry began to assemble at the harbour one misty morning.’

c) ‘once upon a time there was a gnome who lived in a hollow tree on even Moor.’

d) ‘Gas and electricity are tricky things. they leak.’

e) ‘In the days of King arthur there were no newspapers, only town criers, who went around shouting the news at the tops of their voices.’

f) ‘Doggins lay on his stomach, sucking a straw and listening to the bees.’

g) ‘Back in the day, Blackbury Park (no singing, dancing or riding by order) was closed every night at six o’clock with a big green padlock.’

h) ‘What’s he doing now?’ asked Uggi, the witch doctor, trying to peer through the crack.’

story opening kinD of story character? tiMe/pLace? pLot?



task 2: Making changes Now ask the pupils, working independently, to think about the following:

If you could alter one of the story openings, what change(s) would you suggest to make it more compelling or gripping?

you could provide them with this example as a starting point:

in the following sentence more information has been added about the gnome and the moor:

Do they think that these additions make the opening any more interesting?

ask pupils to try out their ideas on one of the different openings listed on the previous page.


task 3: Matching enDings read aloud to the class the ending below. Before you begin, ask them to think about which of the openings it might belong to while they’re listening. they should write their answer down or prepare to share it with the class. Discuss why pupils made their decision. Were there any words that echoed the opening?

‘then as the moon came UP, the statue of Pan and the statue of Menuenchi, the violinist, turned up and started to play a waltz, Lord Palmerston swept up Mrs Mince in his arms and they swirled out among the dancing statues over the park keeper’s carefully mown, snow-dusted grass.’

task 4: evaLUating openings ask pupils, working individually, to go back to the list of the eight openings and rank them in order of preference – from best to least liked: 1 as the best and 8 as the least. they should note down a reason for each choice.

task 5: key points for opening a short story ask pupils to work with their original partner to note down two pointers that are important to remember when you begin writing a story. you could begin by giving an example, such as:

• open with a sentence that really intrigues your reader or captures your reader’s imagination.



objectives: • to understand stereotyping and character traits

• to develop interesting characters

starter task as a starting point, suggest to pupils that terry Pratchett’s characters in these short stories are often mischief-makers, but they are not ‘evil’ characters like captain hook from Peter Pan or the White Witch from the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Do pupils agree?

suggest that the mischievous and sometimes even strange characters in terry Pratchett’s stories create problems that provide an excellent foundation for his plots.

task 1: stock charactersPresent the following idea: too often, particularly with characters like witches, wizards, dragons, grandmothers or ballerinas, there is a fixed expectation of what a character will look like and how they will act in a story. can the class suggest any other examples? Write their suggestions up on the whiteboard. explain that this is called stereotyping and such characters are called stock characters.

a) ask the class to offer ideas on the expectations you have when you think of a stereotyped witch and write up on the whiteboard.

b) ask pupils if they think terry Pratchett manages to break our expectations when he writes about the witch Mrs riley in the story the Witch’s Vacuum cleaner?

ask pupils to work with a partner and give them five minutes to skim pages 12–18 of the Witch’s Vacuum cleaner (extract included). ask them to list the ways in which the writer describes Mrs riley and then list some examples of how she is different from what is usually expected of a witch, using the activity sheet provided. challenge the class to see which pair can make the longest lists.

then discuss the pupils’ lists. ask them why they think terry Pratchett breaks our expectations, trying to elicit that breaking the reader’s expectations in a story can make it unusual, surprising and often very funny.

LESSON 2: characterIZatIoN


eXtract froM ThE WiTCh’S VaCuum CLEaNEr



(continued)

* sadly for Mimms, ron’s skills did not seem to include turning a bowl of sunflower seeds into pizza. or even bananas.† and even his Nanki-Poo azalea from his Nature’s Mistake.

that night ron found it was very uncomfortable to sleep wearing woolly gloves, but he couldn’t take them off in case he turned the bed into a knife rack or a horse.

What on earth am I going to do? he wondered. ron had to take the next day off his ordinary job because of his magic hands. Lucy phoned up the factory where her father worked, and said he had flu, because she thought it was better to tell his boss that than the unbelievable truth.

Presto changeo came round at lunch time. ‘I’ve got an idea,’ he said. ‘can’t we get the vicar to do something?’

‘Mrs riley is in the choir, and she’s embroidered thousands of kneelers,’ sighed Lucy. ‘reverend cowparslie would never believe she’s a witch. anyway, she’s a nice old soul at heart, just a bit bad-tempered. I quite like her, actually.’

‘Perhaps if I went round to see her with a box of chocs and some flowers she might forgive me,’ said ron, blushing.‘Bananas!’ screamed Mimms.‘and to think I see her every week when she comes in to change her library books,’

said Presto, who worked in the library. ‘they’re not even magic books, either. Just novels about doctors – you know the sort, Doctor fingdangle and the angel of Ward ten or Love among the Bedpans – and books on gardening, like My troublesome fig and other terrible torments. If I hadn’t seen her on her vacuum cleaner, I’d never have believed she was a witch.’‘Pizza!’ added Mimms.* ‘Gardening, eh?’ murmured ron, who knew his nettles from his nightshade.† ‘I have

an idea . . .’



(continued)


aCTiViTy ShEET 1: characterIZatIoN

an example has been done for you.

1. she wears a flowerpot hat, not a pointed black one

2.

3.

4.

5.


task 2: pLaying with the reaDer’s expectations of character Now encourage pupils to try out breaking the reader’s expectations using a stereotypical character of their choice.

ask pupils, working individually, to pick another stereotyped character (they could use an example from the earlier whiteboard list) and write down some expectations a reader might have about their chosen character.

Pupils should then list how they would make this chosen character very different from expectations and what kind of plot could develop from this character’s actions. as further inspiration, you could give the example of a cowardly wizard who cannot do magic, or a ballerina who achieves stardom for her out-of-step dancing.



aCTiViTy ShEET 2: stereotyPeD characters

My chosen character is:

how might readers expect this character to behave?

1.

2.

3.

4.

how I would make my character different:

1.

2.

3.

4.

this character’s dramatic actions that will help give me a plot for my story:

1.

2.

3.

4.


task 3: Use of LangUage Discuss how Pratchett prompts character ideas by playing around with their names. read aloud the description below. What do the pupils think of the name ‘Lord cake’? Does his name match with his description?

can pupils remember any unusual or funny names from other stories they’ve read? Why are they unusual and how do they help create an image of the character?

for this task, photocopy and cut out the PersoNaLIty and NaMe cards on the next page. ask the class, working in groups or pairs, to match the names with their descriptions. Discuss their results: did they get it right?

Now ask each pupil to write down the names they really like and explain to the group why they have chosen one of these names.

Encourage responses to the following questions:

• Why do you think terry Pratchett used this approach to names in lots of his stories?

• Will the idea of using comic names appeal to you when you begin writing your short story?


task 4: creating a characterchallenge pupils to create their own character who does not conform to expectations.

Using the worksheet provided, pupils should draw and label a picture of their character, before describing their appearance and personality.

Don’t forget a comic name!

DESCripTiON OF LOrD CakE:‘he resembled a large pudding and had a face as red as a cherry. When he walked, he wobbled so much that he looked like he would fall over.’


aCTiViTy ShEET 3: PersoNaLIty & NaMe carDs

naMe personaLity


aCTiViTy ShEET 4: creatING a character


as a class, begin by discussing how many of the locations in these stories are places that terry Pratchett might have known. they are not imaginary, but they have been given strange or funny extra details.

explain to pupils that they are going to begin by writing about places they are familiar with, in preparation for creating a location for their short story.

task 1: a faMiLiar pLaceencourage pupils, working in pairs, to write a short list of features that they think are notable about the place where they live – whether this is a city, a town or a village. this could include any prominent statues or shop signs, the longest or the shortest road, an outstanding tree, a favourite shop or park, and so on.

to expand this task, pupils could be encouraged to think creatively about their town. could they locate an ideal place in their neighbourhood for an alien ship or helicopter to land? or is there a place where they can imagine a frantic chase? Why would this setting work well? you could remind them that many of terry Pratchett’s stories are set in an imaginary Welsh town, Llandanffwnfafegettupagogo, wherethe steep hills make the many robber chases funnier.

TakiNg ON a rOLE:

(if possible, use a cleared space for a drama activity.)

arrange pupils in groups of three. one pupil should take on the role of an entertaining tour guide who is showing two tourists around the area pointing out interesting features. they can base their comments on some of the features on their list, but they can also use their imagination to add further items as well if they wish. after one minute, the role of the tour guide passes on to another group member until all three have had their turn.

LESSON 3: a seNse of PLace


LESSON 3: a seNse of PLace

task 2: bringing together pLace anD characterPrint and cut out the theme and scene slips on the next page.

the theme slips should be placed in one box and the scene slips in another. Divide the class into groups of four or five and ask one representative from each group to take one slip of paper from each box. each group should prepare a really short sketch based on their theme and scene.

additional instructions to be given:

• Invent the main character and any minor characters that will be involved in the dramatic incident that you create.

• Without props, try to set the scene and reveal where the drama takes place by what your characters say and their actions.

Theme based on a proverb or a saying

crime doesn’t pay

you get what you deserve

Better late than never

Boys will be boys

first come, first served

honesty is the best policy

one good turn deserves another

Love me, love my dog

flattery will get you everywhere

Scene

on a picnic

In a café

In an airport

on a cliff top

In a cave

In a city shopping centre

In a dense forest

In a dinosaur museum

In a haunted house


aCTiViTy ShEET 5: theMe aND sceNe

theMe scene


LESSON 4: PLaNNING aND WrItING yoUr story

Now that pupils have worked through the tasks on openings, characters and locations, tell them that they are going to embark on writing their own short stories. Using the activity sheet on the next page, pupils should begin planning their stories individually or in pairs. they can use the characters and locations they created earlier as a starting point.


aCTiViTy ShEET 6: PLaN yoUr oWN story

fantastically funny stories from - penguin books · fantastically funny stories from ... turned up...

Documents