Lesson video

Hi there! My name is Mr. Charlesworth, and in today's reading lesson we're going to be exploring the text, "Shackleton's Journey".

This is one of my favourite picture book texts.

It's illustrated and written by William Grill, and it tells the tale of Ernest Shackleton and his crew as they set off in the Endurance expedition to Antarctica.

I hope you're looking forward to the lesson.

Let's get started.

The lesson outcome is, I can identify and engage with the key themes in "Shackleton's Journey".

The keywords are: my turn, your turn; theme, convey, legacy, inspire.

Let's try those once more.

Theme, convey, legacy, inspire.

Well done.

A theme is a big idea, topic or message that recurs within a story.

Recurs means to repeat.

To convey means to communicate a message to the reader directly or indirectly.

Legacy is the long-lasting impact of particular events and actions that took place in the past, or in a person's life.

And finally, to inspire is to motivate or encourage through positive influence or example.

Perhaps you have someone that inspires you.

Don't worry if you're unsure about any of these keywords.

We'll be exploring them throughout the lesson.

In today's lesson, we're going to be exploring and engaging with themes within the text "Shackleton's Journey".

We're going to begin by finishing the story and understanding and identifying themes within it.

Before then, in the second part of the lesson, looking at the legacy that Shackleton left behind.

I think you might already know some of the positive attributes and things that Shackleton did that might inspire others.

We'll explore some more in this section later.

Let's begin by looking at understanding and identifying themes within the text.

Here's a quick recap about what we've learned so far.

Shackleton and his crew had to abandon The Endurance.

They spent six months living on the ice floe.

They set up two camps: Ocean and Patience.

Eventually, the ice began to break up.

The crew had to move again.

They set sail for Elephant Island in three lifeboats.

Shackleton, who was aware of the need for rescue, embarked on it with a small crew to South Georgia, which was over 800 miles away.

The rest of the crew were left on Elephant Island and set up camp.

Let's continue to read and find out what happens in the resolution to the story.

Shackleton and his small crew managed to navigate to King Haakon Bay, which is in South Georgia, where they set up Peggotty Camp.

He then sets off to Stromness with two members of the crew, Crean and Worsley.

They travelled across mountains, crevasses, and glaciers.

A crevice is like a narrow gap in the ice.

It's also known as a fisher.

And a glacier is like a slow moving large sheet of ice.

I'd like you to now read page 57, which is titled "Stromness Whaling Station".

Pause the video now whilst you read with your partner.

Well done.

There's lots of information here.

I wonder, why do you think Shackleton's name makes Mr. Sorlle immediately change his attitude? Well remember, Mr. Sorlle's the manager at the whaling station.

Why might Shackleton's name have an effect on him? Have a discussion with your partner.

Refer to the text if you'd like to for support.

Pause the video now whilst you answer the question.

Great discussion.

The section where this information is located is in the third paragraph.

Mr. Sorlle is very likely to have heard of the expedition.

So an example answer might be, being the manager of the whaling station, Mr. Sorlle is likely to have heard of Shackleton's expedition and their intentions.

He offers to help them alongside the Chilean government.

So Shackleton's name carried a lot of weight.

That means that he has a positive influence.

By mentioning his surname, he's able to get support for him and his crew.

Here's our first check for understanding.

Which of the following are mentioned in the text? You can of course refer to page 57 to support.

Is it A, Upon citing the harbour, Shackleton let out a cry of exhilaration; B, Shackleton and his crew walked five miles to get around the drop; C, Shackleton and his crew slid down the precipice; Or D, the name of the steam-powered ship that would rescue the remaining crew on Elephant Island was the Yelcho.

There may be more than one correct answer here.

Refer to the text if you need to.

Pause the video now whilst you answer the question.

Well done.

Did you find both of the answers? I know it's not option A, because when they sighted the harbour, both Shackleton and the remaining crew members didn't let out a sound.

They shook hands in silence.

This perhaps shows how exhausted they might have been.

I know it's also not option B because Shackleton and his crew were exhausted at this point and adding another five miles to their journey would probably be too much.

So they decided to slide down the precipice instead of walking around it.

So the answers here are C and D.

They slid down the precipice and the name of the ship that helped them was the Yelcho.

Well done if you've got them both correct.

On the 30th of August 1916, help finally arrived for the men on Elephant Island.

The crew received a hero's welcome when they arrived in Punta Arenas, which is located in Chile.

You can see this on the map of South America.

I'd like you to now read pages 60 and 61, which are titled "Rescue" and "Departure".

Pause the video whilst you read with your partner.

And I'll let you to answer the following question.

What was most surprising and inspirational about Shackleton's expedition? Have a look on these two pages for the information.

Pause the video now whilst you discussed the question with your partner.

Great work.

There were lots of things that were inspirational about Shackleton's expedition.

I think what was most surprising though was that in these extreme conditions, all the men on the Endurance expedition survived.

Let's have a look at an example from Lucas.

He says, "Not a single member of the Endurance crew perished.

All had survived in incredibly challenging circumstances." I wonder if your discussion was similar.

Ernest Shackleton and the remaining members of the Endurance expedition finally made it back to the UK on May 21st, 1917, and I'd like you to read pages 65 and 66, which is titled "Home at Last".

Pause the video now whilst you do so.

Well read.

Did you notice the quote at the bottom right-hand side of page 66? I'd like you to reflect on this now.

What does it tell you about Shackleton? Pause the video whilst you discussed the question with your partner.

Great work.

I think the quote for me links to the themes around determination and perseverance.

It also makes me think about Shackleton as someone who's quite selfless, who puts others before himself.

An example might be, Ernest Shackleton persevered through many challenges.

He viewed himself as an explorer, curious about the world around him and what can be discovered.

This reminds me of the quote at the beginning of the text, in the Dedications page, which linked to Roald Amundsen.

Maybe you'd like to compare the two now.

Here's our next check for understanding.

True or false? The 30th of August was a significant date for the members of the Endurance expedition.

Is that true or false? Pause the video now whilst you decide.

Well done.

It's a really significant date for lots of the crew members, so it's true, and I'll let you to justify your answer.

Is it because A, the crew were rescued on the 30th August 1916 over two years after the Endurance had left the UK? Or B, help arrive for the crew after three failed attempts.

The men rushed aboard the Yelcho.

Which justification best links the original statement? Pause the video now whilst you decide.

Well done.

Statement A best links here because it tells us that it's the date that they were rescued.

The boats finally arrived after three failed attempts, but this doesn't tell us why the date was significant for the crew.

Well done if you got them correct.

We're now going to look at exploring and identifying some of the themes.

A theme is a big idea, topic or message that recurs within a story.

Within literature, authors use techniques to convey themes to the reader.

Well done on noticing two of our keywords.

These themes often mirror issues and topics that we encounter in our own lives, making the stories relatable to the reader.

Let's have a look at some examples of themes.

There's friendship, family, love, courage, and betrayal.

Then themes of good versus evil, death, protection, loneliness, and survival.

These are just some themes that can be present in lots of different texts.

Perhaps there's a few that jump out at you straight away that link to "Shackleton's Journey".

We'll be exploring them now.

Identifying themes within a text involves inference.

Themes are not explicitly stated within the text.

That means we can't find them within the words.

They're ones that we have to think about.

Authors commonly use repetition to convey themes to the reader.

Here are a few ways to identify themes.

You can consider the actions and characteristics of people within the text.

For example, Ernest Shackleton and Frank Wild.

You can identify repetition.

So these are actions or emotions or traits that are repeated across the text.

Perhaps that's someone saving someone's life or keeping morale high.

You can search for deeper meaning using inference.

That can link to the words on the page, and the illustrations in this case.

And finally, you can consider the overall message of the text.

What you learn from reading it? What does it teach you? Here's another check for understanding based on what we've just learned.

True or false? Themes within a text are explicitly stated by the author.

That means that they tell us what the themes are.

Is that true or false? Pause the video now whilst you decide.

well done.

I know that themes aren't explicitly stated by the author.

Once they've written the text, it's over to the reader to make up their mind about the themes and ideas within the text.

So it's false.

And I'd like you to justify your answer.

Is it because A, to identify themes you need to retrieve key information from the text, or B, identifying themes involves using inference to identify underlying messages the author is trying to convey.

Have a think.

Which justification best links to the original statement? Pause the video now whilst you decide.

Well done.

Did you find the right answer? It's B, identifying themes involves using inference.

It doesn't use retrieval.

Well done if you got the answer right.

There are many possible themes that can be drawn out from this text.

Readers can interpret themes and their importance differently.

So just like our reader identity, the themes that we decide within the text are unique.

Some of the themes that I drew out from "Shackleton's Journey" were themes around leadership, resilience, that's determination and perseverance against challenge.

The theme of hope and the theme of exploration.

The whole text is about exploring the continent of Antarctica.

These are just some of the themes that can be inferred from the text.

There are many more.

Before we discuss what themes you can find in the text, I'd like you to match the existing themes that I've described with how they might be portrayed in the text.

On the left-hand side, we've got resilience, hope, and exploration, and you've got descriptions about how this could be conveyed on the right.

Pause the video now whilst you match them up.

Well done.

The theme of resilience is shown by Shackleton and his crew never giving up.

So I think this links to Ernest Shackleton never giving up even when facing significant challenges.

The theme of hope is shown in lots of people, but particularly Frank Wild, who kept the morale of the crew high, keeping them engaged and giving each of them a purpose.

Which means the theme of exploration could be shown by Shackleton and his crew setting off to cross Antarctica from coast to coast.

Well done if you match them all correctly.

And I'll like you to discuss which other themes appear throughout the narrative.

Here are my four examples and I'll like you to have a go at adding to them.

Some themes are more complex and encourage us to consider their meaning.

Remember, if you can find an example of this in the text, then it's a possible theme that you can identify.

Have a discussion with your talk partner now.

Pause the video whilst you complete the task.

Great work.

There are lots of possible themes within the text.

Let's explore a few other options.

The themes around optimism links very closely with hope.

Being optimistic is always looking for the positives in a situation.

Something Frank Wild does very well in the text.

Themes around determination and wanting to succeed.

Collaboration, working together.

The power of nature.

This is something you can't avoid in the text.

The conditions seem to be very hostile, so it shows a power that nature can have over man.

Themes that are also present in the text are themes around sacrifice and also adaptation, having to change ideas and plans in the face of challenge.

Finally, there's themes around adventure, which links really closely with theme of exploration, and also perseverance and camaraderie.

Camaraderie links to the friendship and the bonds the crew built together.

We're now going to explore Shackleton's legacy.

These are things that we think about when we hear about Ernest Shackleton now, the events and the challenges that he came up against, and the inspirational qualities that he has that we might learn from.

Ernest Shackleton died on January 5th 1922 in South Georgia, in the middle of his fourth Antarctic expedition, which was ultimately unsuccessful.

He is laid to rest in a church in Grytviken.

A granite headstone was placed which includes a quote chosen from one of Shackleton's favourite poets.

It reads, "I hold that a man should strive to the uttermost for his life's set prize." The poet was Robert Browning.

I wonder, what does the quote make you reflect on? How does it link to the text "Shackleton's Journey"? Perhaps read this again with your talk partner before discussing the questions.

Pause the video now whilst you do so.

Well done.

I think the text, "striving to the uttermost", links to the idea of determination and perseverance in the face of challenge.

And "his life set prize", well that's the goal that they're sitting out to achieve.

So you might end an example like Laura's who says, "The quote makes me think about my own goals and how I can work hard to achieve them.

I think it links to the text through Shackleton's determination to explore Antarctica and return with all of his crew, even when he encountered great challenge." I wonder if your thoughts were similar or different to Laura's.

We have learnt so much from reading the text and discussing key events in Shackleton's Endurance expedition.

When we reflect on the text "Shackleton's Journey", we can focus on Ernest's legacy and think about how he might inspire others.

Ernest Shackleton's legacy includes his leadership under extreme conditions and his ability to inspire and motivate his crew in the face of adversity.

Here's our final check for understanding.

True or false? Ernest Shackleton's legacy reflects his failed expeditions.

Is that true or false? Pause the video now whilst you decide.

well done.

The answer's false.

When we tend to think about people's legacy, we think about their achievements, not their failed expeditions.

I wonder if you can justify your answer.

Is it because A, Shackleton's legacy includes his leadership skills and ability to inspire his crew, or B, the quote featured on Shackleton's headstone links to his determination to succeed against all odds.

Which justification best fits with the original statement? Pause the video now whilst you answer.

Great work.

It's A, Shackleton's legacy includes his leadership skills and ability to inspire his crew.

It's not linked to the poem that's inscribed on his headstone, even though that inspired him.

In this final task, we're going to reflect on Ernest Shackleton, and you can refer to the text as a whole.

I'd like you to answer the following question.

Can you explain how Ernest Shackleton was a good leader? The definition of leadership is helpful here.

It's the action of leading a group of people.

You can use the sentence stems, "I think Ernest Shackleton was a good leader because," or, "Shackleton demonstrated good leadership skills when." Pause the video now whilst you answer the question.

Great work.

There were lots of qualities and things in the text that might help you here.

Let's have a look at two examples.

"I think Ernest Shackleton was a good leader because he knew when to change his plans and adapt.

He was aware of how his decisions impacted everyone else." Or you might have said, "Shackleton demonstrated good leadership skills by keeping his crew's morale high so they'd remain positive and hopeful." You could have also mentioned Shackleton's ability to select a crew who had a diverse set of skills.

In our final question, I'd like you to explain with your partner why Ernest Shackleton is inspiring.

To be inspiring is to motivate or encourage through positive influence or example.

You might like to use the sentence stem, "I think Ernest Shackleton is inspiring because." Refer to the text if you need to to support your answers.

Pause the video now whilst you complete the task.

Well done.

Saying why someone is inspiring to you is a very personal response.

So these three examples could be very different to your own.

You might have said that Ernest Shackleton is inspiring because "he led by example, sharing in the hardships faced by his crew." You might have also mentioned that "he was resourceful, finding creative solutions to problems." Or you might have said that "he saved the lives of his crew by making tough decisions in challenging circumstances." There are lots of reasons that Ernest Shackleton is inspiring.

I wonder why William Grill was inspired by him in the first place? Perhaps you'd like to research to find out more.

In today's lesson, we've been exploring and engaging with the themes in "Shackleton's Journey".

We know that a theme is a big idea, topic or message that recurs within a story and authors use these to convey deeper meaning.

There are many possible themes that could be drawn out from a text.

Readers may interpret these and their importance differently.

That means that they're also personal too.

Finally, Ernest Shackleton's legacy includes his leadership under extreme conditions and his ability to inspire and motivate his crew in the face of adversity.

I've really enjoyed exploring this text with you.

I hope you have too.

Well done for all your hard work.

I'm really looking forward to working with you again soon.