Sequence of work on for Goodnight Mister Tom by Michelle Magorian
© CLPE 2007. This sequence is adapted and abridged from the CLPE Power of Reading Project and BookPower, Literacy through literature, Year 6, Jane Bunting and Deborah Nicholson, CLPE 2006. Available from www.clpe.co.uk/publications
The teaching sequence lasts approximately 5 weeks.
Goodnight Mister Tom
Willie Beech, a neglected child from a deprived home in London, is evacuated to the country during the Second World War to live with Tom Oakley, an old widower. With Tom, Willie flourishes, develops friendships and finds real happiness and security for the first time. Then he has to return to London to his mother, and his old life experiences wait for him again there, only to worsen. This is an accessible, but powerful, emotionally charged novel, which explores themes like safety and trust, parenting, fear and loss.
Session 1: Introducing the story: reading aloud, discussion and drama work
After reading the first chapter to the class, gather children into small groups and ask them to talk together about the scene on the doorstep with the billeting officer, Tom and Willie, and the other evacuees waiting anxiously at the gate. Give the children time to think about what this might have felt like from the point of view of the evacuees. What would they be experiencing, and what would they be thinking?
Drama
Matthew, in his lesson, chose to highlight 2 moments for drama work. Firstly children were asked to begin the drama work with a brief activity where they worked in pairs on an extract of dialogue which might have taken place between Tom, the old widower and Willie, the evacuee. For example one child in role as Tom says ‘I need a hard-working boy’ while Willie replies ‘I am a hard-working boy.’
In the second drama activity Matthew asked children to divide into groups of 5 or 6, giving each group a slip of paper with a moment from the first chapter which he wants them to develop. The class rehearsed, performed and discussed their dramas. This kind of drama work supports involvement with the story and helps children to think about predictions and implicit meanings.
The sequence of work on Goodnight Mister Tom can be continued in the following way.
Session 2: Drawing characters and developing character studies
Read aloud to chapter five.
What do we think we know now about Tom? What do we think we know about Willie?
Think about the characters of Tom and Willie as they are shown to us here. Suggest that the children draw either Tom or Willie in their books or journals, as they see them, and annotate their drawings with labels to express their views of the characters: describing what they look like, quoting characteristic sayings etc.
Sessions 3, 4: Writing in role
Retelling
Having read the first five chapters, ask the children to retell the story so far to each other, from Willie’s point of view, working in pairs and taking turns. Invite two or three of the children to retell their versions to the class, in role as Willie.
Children will need sustained writing time for to write the beginnings of their stories.
Sessions 6 and 7: Visualising and drawing settings
Use dramatic visualising to create images of the place this story has focused on so far: Tom’s cottage (inside and out) and parts of the village. Ask children to ‘stand’ in the middle of Tom’s parlour, or in the churchyard, as Willie, and to describe what they see, each from their viewpoint (they will be facing different ways).
Session 8: Language study
Explore the dialogue in this book, looking particularly at dialect speech.
Session 9: Writing a shared diary entry for Willie
Reread chapter 9 aloud.
Willie might have used a diary to record his experiences – what would he have written in it? Brainstorm ideas and, using shared writing, compose one day’s entry. Invite children to share ideas with a partner before you ask for suggestions to include in the shared writing. Children could continue the diary, beginning with this entry.
Session 10: Hotseating
Think about subsequent diary entries for the children to write independently. What other events might be important to Willie; what might help us to understand what is in his head? Think about what has been read so far, and then suggest that the class could ‘hot-seat’ Willie to find out more about his experiences, thoughts and feelings.
Writing own stories
During this week give some extended writing time for the children to continue their own stories in role as Willie. Stories could be published as books. As each part of the story is drafted, some time will be needed for copying up ready to go into their books.
Sessions 11, 12, 13: Story writing
Chapters ten to fourteen: Summarise these chapters
Mapping the village
Invite the children to draw maps of the village, showing all of the places that Willie is getting to know. They could annotate the maps to show some of the village characters and where events took place.
Writing
Children continue with their stories, including the building of the shelter, the shopping, meeting Zach, and the birthday party. The character portraits, with their quotes and comments, will be an important resource for children as they write.
Session 14: Drawing
We have found out that Willie has a talent for art, and that drawing is important for him in expressing how he sees his experiences and his world. Invite children to draw a picture that Willie himself might have drawn. These drawings could be incorporated into their stories.
Session 15: Story writing
Writing continues. Children should have opportunity during the writing for sharing with their writing partner and with you, and for redrafting where necessary.
Session 16: Conscience alley
Read chapter 15.
When you have read the first half of chapter 15, the drama technique ‘conscience alley’ would help children to empathise with Willie’s confused and ambiguous feelings, and understand his fears.
Session 17: Reading around the subject
During this part of the work, it will be helpful for children to hear other stories or poetry about World War 2 read aloud, and to read these texts independently or in guided reading. Using information texts and the Internet will also provide information to feed into children’s learning within this cross-curricular project.
Session 18: Using video
Watch a clip from the TV version of Goodnight Mr Tom, about Willie’s journey back to London.
Divide the class into five groups and ask groups to discuss what they thought of the video interpretation, each focusing on one of the following:
setting
sounds
dialogue
clothes
characters
Sessions 19 and 20: continue writing
Children will need to have sustained time to continue with their stories.
Session 21: Reading aloud, discussion and making notes
Read chapters 16 and 17.
These are emotionally powerful chapters and it will be important to allow sufficient time for children to talk about their responses, questions and concerns, in groups and as a class. You will need to facilitate the discussion with open questions. Allow the children time to write in response to this part of the story in their reading journals.
Sessions 22, 23, 24 and 25: Writing
Reading on and finishing the stories
During these sessions, children should reach the traumatic climax of the story in their own versions. Still writing in role as Willie, they will need to find their own words for the terrible events here.
Finish the novel, reading from chapter 21 onwards, in read aloud times, and give time for children to complete their stories.