m01 poca rea 06ame 8740 · pocahontas is the 33rd disney animated classic. it was released in 1995....

POCAHONTAS LEVEL 61

Teacher’s NotesPearson English Kids Readers

www.pearsonenglishkidsreaders.com

Level 6Suitable for: young learners who have

completed up to 300 hours of study in English

Type of English: American

Headwords: 1200

Key words: 20 (see pages 2 and 5 of these Teacher’s Notes)

Key grammar: past continuous, present perfect simple, common phrasal verbs, first conditional, reflexive pronouns, indefinite pronouns (everyone, someone), pre-determiners (all)

Summary of the storyIn 1607, King James I of England sends a ship to the “New World” to look for gold. On the ship are Captain John Smith and Governor Ratcliffe. After a stormy journey, during which John Smith saves the life of Thomas, one of the sailors, the ship arrives in what is now known as Virginia, in the USA.

Pocahontas is the daughter of Chief Powhatan who wants her to marry one of his bravest men, Kocoum. But Pocahontas believes she has a different destiny. She tells Grandmother Willow, the spirit of an old tree, of her dreams. In one dream she sees huge white clouds, which she later realizes are the sails of a strange ship. She watches as John Smith begins to explore the land, and rushes back to tell her father everything.

Ratcliffe’s men build a fortress and he names it Jamestown, after King James. Then he orders his men to start digging for gold. Smith continues exploring and meets Pocahontas and they soon fall in love. Meanwhile, Powhatan’s men are puzzled to see the Englishmen digging. The Englishmen see them and start to shoot.

Chief Powhatan tells his people to stay away from the white men, but Pocahontas goes to meet John Smith. Kocoum finds them together and attacks the Captain. Thomas shoots Kocoum dead. Chief Powhatan is furious and calls for war against the Englishmen, and the execution of John Smith – who has been captured – at sunrise.

Ratcliffe’s men and Powhatan’s men march toward each other for a final battle. But first, John Smith must die. Pocahontas goes to Grandmother Willow and realizes that John Smith is her destiny. She stops Smith’s execution, but Ratcliffe tries to shoot Chief Powhatan in anger. Smith jumps in front of the Chief and takes the bullet. The Governor is captured and arrested by the other sailors. In the end, Smith is forced to go back to England to get treatment for his bullet wound. Will he ever return to Pocahontas’s homeland or will the young lovers be apart forever?

Background informationPocahontas is the 33rd Disney Animated Classic. It was released in 1995. It is the first animated Disney movie to be based on real historic characters. The movie won many awards, including two Academy Awards®, for Best Original Music Score and Best Original Song, Colors of the Wind.

Did you know … ?

The real Pocahontas, probably born in 1595, was captured by the English. She married an Englishman, John Rolfe, with whom she had a child. Pocahontas was one of the first Native Americans to visit Britain, where she met King James I.


POCAHONTAS LEVEL 62



The charactersJohn Smith is the captain of an English ship that sails to the New World. He is a good, brave man. He has sailed to the New World before. He falls in love with Pocahontas.

Pocahontas is the daughter of Chief Powhatan. She loves to spend time in the forest and talks to the spirits of the wind and the trees. She falls in love with John Smith.

Ratcliffe is the new governor of Jamestown. He is only interested in finding gold and getting rich.

Chief Powhatan is Pocahontas’s father and the leader of his people.

Kocoum is a very brave man. Chief Powhatan wants Pocahontas to marry him.

Kekata is a wise old man in the village. Chief Powhatan goes to him for advice.

Thomas is one of the English sailors. John Smith saves his life during the journey to the New World. He saves John Smith’s life when he shoots Kocoum.

Grandmother Willow is a tree spirit. Pocahontas goes to her for advice.

Nakoma is Pocahontas’s best friend.

Key words(see page 5 of these Teacher’s Notes for the Key words in context)

anger (n) march (v)

arrow (n) necklace (n)

bullet (n) onto (prep)

compass (n) peace (n)

defeat (v) rope (n)

dig (v) sailor (n)

drag (v) spirit (n)

gun (n) spit (v)

journey (n) stranger (n)

kiss (v) waterfall (n)

Topics and themesGeography The story starts in London, England and continues in Jamestown, Virginia, in the USA. Ask the students if they have been to London and if they can tell you anything about it. Ask them to find the city on a map. Can they name any other capital cities? Ask them to find the USA on a map. Show them the location of Jamestown in Virginia. Ask them to show you on the map the route the ship took from London to Jamestown.

History The story takes place over 400 years ago. Ask the students to look at the illustrations in the book and tell you what indicates that the story happened long ago (e.g. people’s clothes, weapons, and buildings). Can the students imagine what it was like to a) spend many months on a long sea voyage? b) arrive in a strange country for the first time? c) live in Chief Powhatan’s village? (See also Activities 3 and 5 on pages 3 and 4 of these Teacher’s Notes.)

Accepting differences How are the Englishmen and Chief Powhatan’s men different? How are they the same? Why does Ratcliffe think it is okay to kill Chief Powhatan’s people?

Different values The Englishmen are looking for gold. Chief Powhatan’s men think corn is more important. Ask the students why the attitudes of the two groups might be different.

Love and duty Chief Powhatan tells his people to stay away from the Englishmen. Pocahontas disobeys him and meets John Smith. Does she do the right thing? Is it her fault that Kocoum is killed?

Friendship and duty Nakoma tells Kocoum that Pocahontas has gone to see John Smith. Does she do the right thing? Is she responsible for Kocoum’s death? Will Pocahontas be her friend in the future? Ask the students how friends should behave, and if there should be limits to friendship.

Colonization Ask the students who, in the story, calls America the “new land”. What might Chief Powhatan’s people think of this name? Have the students’ own countries ever been colonies in the past? What effect might this have had on both countries?

POCAHONTAS LEVEL 63



Class Activities (After Reading)

Here are some activities to do with your class after reading Pocahontas.

1. Make a necklaceMaterials: pictures of necklaces from the internet that were made and worn by Native Americans; string / wool / ribbon; scissors; glue; a range of items to make up and decorate the necklace: beads, small pieces of fabric, colored construction paper, feathers, buttons, sequins, shells.

• Before the session, make a necklace by threading the beads through the string, wool or ribbon. The fabric or colored paper could be cut to various shapes and thread onto the necklace through holes cut with the scissors. Other decorative items can be thread through, tied on or stuck to the necklace.

• Tell the students that they are going to make a necklace like the ones worn by Pocahontas, Nakoma, or the Native American men in the story. Show the students pictures of necklaces made and worn by Native Americans for inspiration.

• Go around the class as students are making their necklaces to help them or make suggestions. Help the students make holes in the fabric or paper to thread onto their necklaces.

• When they have finished, the students can wear their necklaces and talk about their designs to the class.

• The students could wear their necklaces when they act out a scene from the story (see Activity 5 on the next page).

2. Interview John Smith• Divide the class into pairs. Tell the students that

they are going to perform an interview with John Smith after he returns from the new land.

• Ask the students to decide who will be John Smith and who will be the interviewer. The students then write their scripts.

• Explain to the students that the interviewer should be asking questions such as how John feels after the long journey home with his wound, what the new land is like, was any gold found, what the people who live in the new land are like, etc. The students in the role of John Smith should be prepared to answer these questions.

• Allow the students to interview each other. Encourage them to speak without looking at their scripts. Go around the class and monitor their work.

• The students can then swap roles, and work with another pair to carry out the same task.

• Ask some volunteers to perform their interviews in front of the class.

3. Report on a new land• Tell the students to imagine that they are on

a ship 400 years ago with their families. The people on the ship are trying to find a new land. Explain to the students that they are going to write a report about their experiences.

• Ask the students to close their eyes, listen and imagine.

• Say: You are traveling to a time 400 years ago. You are on a ship on the ocean with your family. Suddenly, a sailor shouts “Land!”. You look. What can you see? (pause). The ship gets closer to the land and you all climb out of the ship and into a small boat. You reach the land. What can you see now? (pause) What can you hear? (pause) Can you smell anything? (pause) Can you see or hear people? (pause) How do you feel? (pause) What do you do? (pause) What happens next? (pause).

• The students write a short text in their notebooks about what they imagined. Give them the first few words, e.g. My name’s … and I’m (age). I was on a ship traveling to find a new land … .

• The students can then swap books and read and comment on each other’s reports. Alternatively,

POCAHONTAS LEVEL 64



homes like? What did they eat? What clothes did they wear? What transport did they use? What tools and weapons did they use? What games did the children play? What were the roles of the men and women? Can you find out more interesting facts about the Powhatans?

• Ask the students to do their research in pairs. They make notes, draw a map of the area where the Powhatan Native Americans lived and draw any other pictures of Powhatan items, such as clothing, tools, weapons, houses, etc. They could also print out pictures of these items from the internet as part of their project.

• Students then write out their descriptions of the Powhatan Native Americans and include the drawings and pictures. (This activity could also be done as homework.)

• Display the information around the class. Discuss the interesting facts with the students.

6. Act out a scene

• Before the session, decide which scenes from the story the students can act out and how many students are needed for each scene.

• Write the scenes on the board, and allocate each one to a different group of students.

• The students read the scene in their books and decide who will play each role.

• The students write a script and practice acting out their roles.

• When everyone is ready, the students perform their scenes for the rest of the students in the order that they appear in the story.

7. Write a different ending• Ask students to imagine a different ending to

the story.

• In pairs, the students brainstorm their ideas then write their alternative endings.

• Ask for volunteers to read out their texts. The class votes on which alternative ending they like the best.

students work in small groups and describe their imagined experiences to each other.

4. Pocahontas’s diary

• Ask the students if any of them write a diary. Do they write it every day? Do they write about the events of each day? Do they write about their feelings?

• Talk to the students about some of the events from the story, such as Pocahontas’s first meeting with John Smith or the time when Kocoum was killed.

• Tell the students to imagine that they are Pocahontas or John Smith, and to write about one or more of the events in the story. They should write about their feelings as well as about the events themselves. Their diary entries should have a date, e.g. 14th May 1607.

• The students could copy out their finished diary entries onto sheets of paper and include sketches or pictures to illustrate them. The diaries could then be displayed in the classroom.

5. Project: The Powhatan People

Materials: internet access and / or reference books; atlas / map of the world; colored pens / pencils; safety scissors; glue

• Ask the students if they know anything about the Native Americans of North America. Explain that the area of the USA that John Smith reached in 1607 was Virginia, a land inhabited by Algonquian-speaking Native Americans. There were about thirty Algonquian tribes in the powerful Powhatan territory on the coast. Show the students the area on a map. It is the coastal area around Chesapeake Bay.

• Tell the students that they are going to do a project about the Powhatan Native Americans in this area to learn more about Pocahontas and her people.

• Write on the board some key points for the students to find out, such as: What were their

POCAHONTAS LEVEL 65 PHOTOCOPIABLE Text copyright © Pearson Education. Disney material © 2013 Disney.


Key words

anger ................ “We have all come here with anger in our hearts.” (p. 32)

arrow ................ “There’s an arrow in front of me.” … “Well, perhaps the arrow is showing you your

path.” (p. 11)

bullet ................ Suddenly, a bullet from Ratcliffe’s gun hit one of Kocoum’s men in the leg. (p. 18)

compass .......... It was a compass. She looked at it. There was an arrow! It was moving! (p. 30)

defeat ............... “We have defeated our enemy in the north and saved our villages,” he said. (p. 7)

dig ..................... “OK, men. Start digging!” … “What did the Spanish find in the new land? Gold,

mountains of it! Now it’s our turn.” (p. 15)

drag ................ They took John Smith by the arms and dragged him back to the village. (p. 28)

gun .................... He put down his gun and moved toward her. (p. 16)

journey ............ But John Smith knew the danger of journeys to new lands. (p. 4)

kiss .................... He looked into Pocahontas’s eyes – and they kissed. (p. 26)

march ............... In the morning, Ratcliffe and his men marched toward the village to fight the Indians.

(p. 31)

necklace .......... He gave her a necklace. “This was your mother’s necklace.” (p. 10)

onto .................. Slowly, the sailors pulled the two men back onto the ship. (p. 5)

peace ................ “You want to be together. So there must be peace between your peoples.” (p.26)

rope .................. He quickly put a rope around himself and jumped into the water after Thomas. (p. 5)

sailor ................ John smith was on a new ship. … He was excited about traveling again from England

to the new land … . The sailors were excited, too. (p. 3)

spirit ................. She could feel the spirits of the forest with her. She loved this land. (p. 8)

spit .................... She spit some water at Nakoma and laughed. (p. 8)

stranger ........... He wanted to kill this stranger! (p. 27)

waterfall .......... He walked along the river, then turned a corner. He hid behind a waterfall. (p. 16)



While-Reading activities

Activity 1 (pages 3–6)

Circle the right words.

1 John Smith and the sailors traveled from England to the new land in the

summer / spring of 1607.

2 Thomas / Ratcliffe was a young sailor on the ship, too.

3 The other sailors liked / disliked John Smith.

4 The sailors were unhappy / excited because they could become rich in the

new land.

5 The King of England wanted to call the new land they discovered Johnstown /

Jamestown.

6 The journey to the new land was easy / dangerous.

7 There was a storm, and Smith / Ratcliffe saved Thomas from the big waves.

8 Ratcliffe told all the sailors that they would rescue / defeat any Indians

they met.


Who said it? Match. Draw lines.

1 “And you don’t want to marry him?” a Pocahontas

2 “I was thinking about my dream again. b Kekata

I know it means something.” c Grandmother Willow

3 “You know Pocahontas. She has her d Nakoma

mother’s spirit.” e Chief Powhatan

4 “Kocoum will be a good husband. He f Pocahontas

will look after you.”

5 “Clouds. I can see big white clouds.”

6 “Aren’t we too old for these games?”




Check 4 the right answer.

1 Why was Pocahontas surprised when she saw the man in the forest?

a He had dark hair and dark eyes.

b He wore clothes like her people.

c He had yellow hair and blue eyes.

2 What could Kekata see in the fire?

a Men who were like animals.

b Mountains of gold.

c Sailors on a ship.

3 What did Chief Powhatan want to do about the men?

a Kill them.

b Watch them.

c Help them.

4 Why did Ratcliffe tell the sailors to start digging?

a To build houses.

b To find food.

c To find gold.

5 What did John Smith see when he walked into the forest?

a Some dangerous animals.

b A beautiful woman.

c Some gold.

6 What happened when Pocahontas held John Smith’s hand?

a She felt the spirits of the forest become stronger.

b She was afraid of the Englishman.

c She ran away from him.




Order the sentences.

a Grandmother Willow said that John Smith was a good man.

b The Englishmen started to shoot at the Indians and hit one of

Kocoum’s men.

c John Smith explained to Ratcliffe and the sailors that there was

no gold.

d Nakoma told Pocahontas not to go with John Smith.

e There were a lot of white men, so Chief Powhatan asked for help

from the other villages.

f John Smith told Pocahontas that the sailors wanted to find gold.

g Chief Powhatan was very angry and decided to fight the strangers.

h Ratcliffe was very angry and wanted to kill all the Indians.


Complete the sentences with the words in the box.

kiss stranger dangerous gun secret rope dragged peace

1 It was for Pocahontas and John Smith to meet.

2 Nakoma did not want to keep another for her friend, so

she told Kocoum about Pocahontas and John Smith.

3 Pocahontas and John Smith wanted there to be between

their peoples.

4 Kocoum saw Pocahontas and John Smith , and he

attacked Smith.

5 Thomas shot Kocoum with his to save Smith.

6 The Indians John Smith back to the village.

7 Chief Powhatan was very angry with the because

Kocoum was dead.

8 John Smith was a prisoner in a tent and there was a

around his hands.




Copy each sentence under the correct picture.

a It was time for Chief Powhatan to kill John Smith.

b Chief Powhatan realized that his daughter was right. Fighting was not

the answer.

c They took away Ratcliffe’s gun and dragged him back to the ship.

d It was time for the sailors to go back to England. The Indians brought

food for their journey.

e John Smith had to leave and Pocahontas had to stay, but they loved each

other very much.

f Pocahontas and her father knew that John Smith was a good man, and

they were sad to see him go.

1

4

2

5

3

6



After-Reading activities

Activity 1

Write T (True) or F (False).

1 John Smith is going on his first adventure as a sailor.

2 Pocahontas is the daughter of old Kekata.

3 Pocahontas wants to marry Kocoum.

4 John Smith and Pocahontas love each other.

5 Grandmother Willow helps Pocahontas to understand her dreams.

6 Ratcliffe wants to kill Chief Powhatan and his men.

7 Kocoum shoots Thomas.

8 John Smith is happy to return to England.

Activity 2

Match. Draw lines.

1 Pocahontas wants to save John a he shot John Smith.

Smith because

2 Chief Powhatan wants to kill John b she wants to stay with her people.

Smith because

3 John Smith jumps in front of c Kocoum is dead.

Pocahontas’s father because

4 The English sailors lock Ratcliffe in d Ratcliffe shoots at the Chief.

a room on the ship because

5 John Smith has to go back to e she loves him.

England because

6 Pocahontas does not go to England f he will die in the new land.

with John Smith because



Activity 3

Complete the crossword.

1 Thomas is a on the English ship.

2 Ratcliffe tells his men to for gold.

3 Kocoum’s brothers John Smith back to the village.

4 Thomas shoots Kocoum with a .

5 Chief Powhatan gives Pocahontas a from her mother.

6 Is the arrow on the showing Pocahontas her path?

7 Grandmother Willow is the of the old tree.

8 Ratcliffe thinks that his sailors can Chief Powhatan’s men.

9 There was a around John Smith’s hands.

2 3

1

4 5

6 7

8 9

10 Make a word from the story with the letters in the bold orange boxes.

Write it here.



Activity 4

Write the correct names.

Chief Powhatan John Smith Nakoma Ratcliffe Pocahontas Kocoum Thomas Grandmother Willow

1 was an important passenger on the ship to the new land.

2 was very brave and fought with the power of a bear.

3 believed she had to take another path in life.

4 told Pocahontas to listen to her heart.

5 returned to his village after defeating some enemies in

the north of the land.

6 was a prisoner of the Indians.

7 asked her friend not to meet John Smith.

8 shot Kocoum to save his friend.

POCAHONTAS LEVEL 613



Answer Key

In the back of the Reader

Before You Read1 Students’ own answers.2 1 f 2 d 3 b 4 e 5 a 6 c

After You Read1 c Pocahontas d John Smith e John Smith

f Pocahontas g both

2 1 b 2 c 3 b 4 a 5 c

3 Possible answers:

a They thought that he killed Kocoum. They were not right.

b He thought that they had a lot of gold. He was not right.

In these Teacher’s Notes

While-Reading activities

Activity 11 spring 2 Thomas 3 liked 4 excited 5 Jamestown 6 dangerous 7 Smith 8 defeat

Activity 21 c 2 a / f 3 b 4 e 5 a / f 6 d

Activity 31 c 2 a 3 b 4 c 5 b 6 a

Activity 4The correct order is: b, g, e, d, f, a, h, c

Activity 51 dangerous 2 secret 3 peace 4 kiss 5 gun 6 dragged 7 stranger 8 rope

Activity 61 c 2 e 3 b 4 a 5 f 6 d

After-Reading activities

Activity 11 F 2 F 3 F 4 T 5 T 6 T 7 F 8 F

Activity 21 e 2 c 3 d 4 a 5 f 6 b

Activity 3

2 3

5

4

7

6

8 9

10 The word is gold.

Activity 41 Ratcliffe 2 Kocoum 3 Pocahontas 4 Grandmother Willow 5 Chief Powhatan 6 John Smith 7 Nakoma 8 Thomas

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m01 poca rea 06ame 8740 · pocahontas is the 33rd disney animated classic. it was released in 1995....

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