Steve Backshall Learning Resources
CFE Second Level
Resources created by Linda Murray
Contents
About Steve Backshall / Page 2Tiger Wars and Ghosts of the Forest / Page 3
Make the most of the Authors Live event / Page 3
Cross-Curricular Activities / Page 5
Eco-Schools and Outdoor Learning including Forest School / Page 10
John Muir / Page 11
Commonwealth Games / Page 12
Transition Activities Second from to Third Level / Page 12
About Steve Backshall
Steve Backshall is a BAFTA winning British Naturalist, writerand television presenter. From his early childhood he has been interested in all things wild. He studied English and Theatre Studies at Exeter University before embarking on an amazing merry-go-round of wild and exciting adventures. He has studied martial arts in Japan, travelled around Indonesia, writing for the Rough Travel Guides series and carved out his early career in adventure naturalist programme presenting in Columbia!
He has been the National Geographic Channel International’s ‘adventurer in residence’ before moving to the BBC’s Natural History Unit where he presented ‘The Really Wild Show’. Reading over his biography details on his official website you begin to appreciate the breadth and depth of his experiences in the wild. He is best known for BBC's Deadly 60. On camera he has been seen making first ascents of mountains, exploring unknown cave systems, being bitten by snakes, a crocodile and even a shark!
He has published a number of non-fiction books including The Wildlife Adventurer’s Guide and Looking for Adventure. He is now writing The Falcon Chronicles,a series of 4 adventure novels for older children (and adults!). This resource focusses on the first 2, Tiger Wars and Ghosts in the Forest, where Steve draws from his experiences in these wild and untamed lands.
●The official Steve Backshall website:
●The Meet Our Authors Scottish Book Trust event with Steve Backshall:
Note to teachers using this resource
It is assumed that when completing the suggested activities teachers and learners will have considered facts relevant to the task or will make research part of the learning. Websites have been suggested in many of the activities as starting points, but as we all know there is a wealth of information out there; some sources are more reliable than others. Internet safety and source reliability should also be addressed during these activities. We are assuming too, that books are available to most classes but have not made any recommendations as not everyone will have the same texts available to them.
Introducing The Falcon Chronicles
Tiger Wars
Saker is on the run from the only life he knows. From India to the Himalayas and Tibet he’ll be pursued by hunting dogs, mercenaries, spies, thieves, and assassins in his quest to set free the most majestic, lethal and valuable of all the predators – the Tiger
Saker’s story comes from my imagination, but is set in the very real wild world I know from my expeditions. I’ve tried to fill Tiger Wars with intrigue, danger, adventure, exotic wildlife and dramatic location. I hope I’ve made these things come to life, and that you enjoy reading the book as much as I enjoyed writing it. Steve
Orion Books
Ghosts Of The Forest
Saker and Sinter have split up. Sinter is a nurse in the shanties of Ho Chi Minh city. Saker is with the peace-loving Penan, deep in the lush jungles of Borneo. But they are being watched. And pursued. The Prophet has not forgiven them their betrayal. The Clan will take their revenge…
On their most dangerous, daredevil and audacious mission yet, Saker and Sinter fight to save not only themselves, but orangutans doomed to become ghosts of the forest.
The jungles of Borneo are the true dark heart of adventure, peppered with unknown species, forgotten tribes, unexplored forests, mountains and caves. But they are under attack. Runaways Saker and Sinter are on a lethal mission…I hope that you enjoy reading their story as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it. Steve
Orion Books
Make the most of Steve’s Authors Live event
Note: If you miss Steve’s live event, you can still view it via our Watch on Demand section:
Prepare for watching the video by finding out about Steve Backshall: what is important to him? What is he doing that you find inspiring? Read extracts from interviews with Steve to discover more about him. Plan to send your question in for the live event.
LIT 2-07a, LIT 2-10a
Watch Steve in action in his programme Deadly 60 and look at his presenting style. Consider his presentation skills and why he is so popular. What skills do you have – or will you need - to help you make it on your own show?
ENG 2-03a
Steve is likely to discuss predators as they feature heavily in his novels. What is a predator? What are their traits?
He is passionate about conservation and the protection of wildlife and both also feature in his novels.Try to familiarise yourself with some of the language or ‘buzz words’ around these subjects before the live event. This should help you to follow any discussions which involve these issues.
ENG 2-03a
Read the reviews of Tiger Wars – whilst readers have a different point of view about the plot and the novel in general, there are some common themes emerging from the comments – what are they? Why do you think the reviews are varied? What do you think? Write your own reviews and compare them as a class. Watch this short video clip of Steve talking about the book.
During The Event
Watch Steve’s delivery: this is a live broadcast, so no rehearsals! Is this any different to his programmes? What differences are there and is he just as engaging, or does he have even more of a ‘presence’ in a live situation? Discuss this afterwards.
Take notes on any aspect of the natural world you wish to learn more about. After the event research this further.
ENG 2-03a, LIT 2-05a
Cross-curricular activities
●Tiger Poaching
In Tiger Wars, the horrors and relative futility of poaching feature heavily: how this is leading to the near extinction of certain animals. Research the ever-growing issues of poaching (and smuggling) and design the paperwork required for an anti-poaching campaign. This might include posters, leaflets and a filmed infomercial. Set up a debate on the subject to help raise awareness of this issue.
LIT 2-26a, ENG 2-27A, SOC 2-15A, HWB 2-37A
●Deforestation
Steve Backshall brings home the shocking reality of the effects of deforestation in Borneo. He raises these issues through describing raids by local Penan tribesmen on logging company equipment. Investigate what is happening around the world and prepare a report which you will present in a special eco-assembly. Plan the whole assembly including appropriate songs and interactive activities as well as your report.
You could use our John Muir resources and explore creative responses to areas of natural beauty:
Think carefully about your overall aim – perhaps you wish to organise fundraising to adopt an endangered animal, sponsor an area of natural beauty or buy a piece of rainforest. There are opportunities here for whole-school involvement through vertical learning.
SOC 2-08b, SOC 2-13a
●Novel scene theatre box
Watch the Teachers TV video link and observe teacher Tracy Anderson’s demonstration of how she uses theatre boxes to assess her history topic. Adapt this to recreate a chapter or scene in the novel or, as more of a challenge, the ‘missing chapter’: suggest that Steve Backshall may have had too many chapters to include in the final novel and had to cut one. Ask your class to think about what that might have been and have your learners write the chapter or scene.
EXA 2-02a, LIT 2-04a
●The Saker Falcon
Saker is so named because of the qualities he shows during his challenge. Look into the plight of the Saker Falcon and develop a fundraising and awareness campaign for the survival of this falcon. Make posters and brochures and prepare presentations to convince others of your cause.
LIT 2-24a
Every member of The Clan has a tattoo indicating their given name. They are awarded their names by their leader, The Prophet. They are given a challenge to prove themselves and use all their skills. They are all named after animals, the animal they most closely resemble in the challenge. Thinking of the animal you would be if offered a similar challenge:what would your tattoo look like?
Alternatively, why not create your own challenge?
LIT 2-09a, LIT 2-27a
●Bug Recipe Book
Saker and Sinter have to fend for themselves in the wild when they are on the run. They eat an interesting variety of bugs and beasts. Look through the novels and find any reference made to their outdoor cooking. Can you transfer these into a recipe booklet and make them sound attractive. Find out about other edible bugs and create recipes for them. Hold an ‘I’m a Celebrity’ style cooking contest where people try to eat foodstuffs they currently don’t like e.g. tripe or liver.
LIT 2-28a, HWB 2-34a, Eng 2-27a
●Fears and Phobias
Steve Backshall offers us an insight into the often debilitating fear of small spaces; claustrophobia. He is very frank about how he came to suffer from this and in an almost autobiographical account, has Saker suffer the same. What do you fear? Write a story which involves the main character suffering from a phobia or fear, finding they are in a situation where they must try to overcome this. How did they triumph?
LIT 2-20a, ENG 2-30a
●Sink Hole Adventure
Steve Backshall’s novels feature some amazing settings. Some of the action in his novels takes place in or around either sink holes or caves. Imagine you have fallen down a sink hole! What happened next? Where did the hole take you? Think about all the features a journey through the ground might include: the scent and feel of the earth, the roots and undergrowth which may have followed you down and the impact when you finally reach the bottom. What did you find when you came to a stop? Caves…tunnels? In Ghosts in the Forest Saker and Sinter find themselves using a series of tunnels to be able to cross the border undetected. The tunnels have been abandoned after being used as hiding spaces, even living quarters and are riddled with booby-traps. Could this be part of your adventure? For a quick comparison, read the extract from Stig of the Dump by Clive King where Barney falls down a quarry cliff edge and falls into Stig’s cave.
LIT 2-20a
●Lost Cities
Saker and Sinter come across a lost city in the forest where nature was taking over; ‘statues, buildings and stonework…consumed by the jungle’. If you were to come across a lost city, what would it look like? Who would have lived there and in what period of history? Investigate an appropriate period in time and write a descriptive story about discovering the city and what you find as you walk through the once teeming streets. If you wish to write about something a little closer to home, consider creating a story around a lost or hidden garden, looking at either The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, in written or film form, or the real-life Lost Gardens of Heligan in Cornwall. Heligan is very appropriate for a World War One project as its demise is attributed to the gardeners heading off to the war.
LIT 2-20a
Alternatively
City in a box: create a lost city model using recycled materials and a shoe box. Can you make it look similar to the one in the novel, or perhaps your own city story?
EXA 2-06a
●Deadly Art
Not sure where to start when drawing wildlife? Try to follow some of the directions given for the Deadly 60 animals. Create a wildlife gallery. Think about animals not featured on the website. Can you create your own set of instructions and then test them out on another class by getting them to follow your instructions?
EXA 2-06a, EXA 2-04a
●Jungle Masks
Choose one particular predator named in the novels and complete a design study using an ideas board: the board should include a photograph of your animal’s head/face, a colour swatch, material samples and a few different testers e.g. papier mache, collage, oil pastels, paper layers. Select the most successful medium and make a full-sized mask. Display these for other classes to view and hold a vote for the most successful. Write a shape or acrostic poem to accompany your board.
Take it further and hold a ‘predator ball’. You can use Classic FM’s list of music inspired by animals to create dances and artwork:
EXA 2-02a, EXA 2-03a
●Surprise! Tiger Art
Study the painting Surprise! Tiger in a Tropical Storm by Henri Rousseau. There is a whole art project planned around it. Details including lesson plans and a downloadable image of the painting are available to help you plan your project. Look for other jungle art by Rousseau and plan a whole art project around them.
EXA 2-07a
●Good versus Evil? Form a Counter-Clan
Saker is brought up by an organisation called The Clan. They are trained to the highest degree to be able to complete dangerous missions which have a decidedly illegal or unethical nature – they are trained to kill. Create a Counter-Clan, one whose sole purpose is to do good in the world. Where would this clan live and what would they need to be trained in? Their training would have to be as intense as that of The Clan, but how will it differ in terms of the treatment of clan members? What sort of missions would they be given? Perhaps they could be an eco-based or conservation group? Could your eco committee be another clan making a positive difference?
HWB 2-10a
●Meditation and Relax Kids
The pace of these novels is fast and furious; the action stressful and charged with emotion. Sometimes our lives can feel a little like this and everyone needs to be able to find a way to release tension. Meditation features in this book series. How can we find ways to help us relax, release anxieties and worries and generally find a sense of well-being? Why not try some yoga activities and breathing techniques, or use Relax Kids Meditations. Relax Kids has a range specifically for second level. Some items are free and others cost a small amount.
HWB 2-02a
●Ethical Trading
Investigate what is meant by ethical trading. Look into companies listed on the ethical trading top 100 companies list, perhaps as part of an enterprise project. Why are they considered to be the best and what does this mean for you? Look into Fair Trade and its impact around the world. Sign up for One Planet Picnic and contribute towards your Eco Schools project.
LIT 2-09a, HWB 2-35a, SOC 2-15a
●Dark Sky Status
Saker and Sinter emerge from the forests to look over to the west, to the city of Phnom Pen where they see ‘the sky…more yellowy grey then elsewhere, the taint of human pollution’. Investigate dark skies and look at what is required to achieve Dark Sky Status: there are lots of resources including lesson plans and mini projects to be found in the Education section of the site. Plot out international dark sky places – where can they be found in Scotland? What did these areas have to do to qualify? Coll and Galloway Forest would be a start. Links can be found through the UK site.
SCN 2-20b
●The Penan Tribe and the Bajau
Saker is accepted by the Penan tribe in Borneo and tries to help them to protect their sacred homelands from the loggers. Investigate this tribe and write reports on them: their lifestyle, their beliefs and culture and the threats from the modern world. What more can we do to help preserve these special spaces and people? There are many sites and articles which will offer research information. There are opportunities here to discuss reliable sources and subjective/objective journalism.
SOC 2-15a/c, SOC 2-16b
Later, Saker seeks help from ‘sea-gypsies’ or Bajau people. They are another example of an indigenous race whose lives are threatened by what is happening to our planet and partly, by what they are doing to it too. Research the problems facing the Bajau and write a report for your Eco Newsletter. Again, there is lots of information available online.
A possible first web-stop might be
SOC 2-15a/c, SOC 2-16b
Eco-schools and Outdoor Learning
Consider how you and your class might contribute to your school’s eco work. If one of your current flag campaign’s two main topics is Biodiversity or Sustaining Our World, perhaps you could consider how you can use the inspiration found through these novels to help you implement a project which would dovetail with the work currently being undertaken. If neither of these topics feature in this flag, try to develop an action plan which may be used for your next flag: remember to consider the results of your most recent Environmental Review before you begin as this will help you to appreciate what needs to be addressed. When you click on the ‘Further Information’ link in each topic you will find the Objectives and Learning Outcomes. These are very useful when creating focus.