By Mrs Woodhouse (English Coordinator, Year 5 Teacher)

This term, Year 5 have had a fantastic time studying Shackleton's Journey by William Grill. The classes have been captivated by the story of Ernest Shackleton's expedition to Antarctica and the incredible journey of survival that the crew faced.

One of the elements that the classes have loved about studying this text is the appreciation of why stories are memorable and characters exciting. They have been able to see how the real-life characters in the book, such as Shackleton himself, are complex and dynamic, making them all the more interesting to read about. Additionally, the classes have been able to see how a story can be made more memorable by including elements such as adventure, danger, and survival.

Another aspect of the study of Shackleton's Journey that the girls have enjoyed is the consideration of how particular situations make individuals behave as they do. They have been able to see how the characters in the story reacted to the difficult conditions they faced and how their actions were influenced by the situation they were in.

The girls have investigated the dilemmas and difficult choices the characters in the story made; this helped them understand the importance of decision-making and the impact of choices. Furthermore, girls have been able to see how a fictional story can be based on real-life events and how it can be used to teach important lessons about history and human behaviour.

The year group have produced a range of writing to respond to the text through role play and dramatisation and have also created their own engaging book trailers here.