New
New
Year 2

The theme of family in 'Grandad's Island'

I can explore the theme of family in 'Grandad's Island'.

New
New
Year 2

The theme of family in 'Grandad's Island'

I can explore the theme of family in 'Grandad's Island'.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Texts often have a theme, or big idea, which is repeated through the story in different ways.
  2. A theme is a big idea or lesson that the author wants you to explore or understand.
  3. In "Grandad's Island", the themes of family and separation are explored.

Common misconception

Children might think that all families look like their own.

Emphasise the idea that all families are different and families go beyond just the people you live with.

Keywords

  • Theme - the big idea or lesson that the author wants you to learn or understand from reading the story

  • Infer - to draw a conclusion based on evidence from the text

  • Emotions - a feeling or mood

  • Separation - being away from someone you love

You may want to use more illustrations from the text to highlight and analyse the key ideas in this lesson.
Teacher tip

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of sensitive content

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

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6 Questions

Q1.
Who are the two main characters in 'Grandad's Island'?
Correct answer: Syd
the parrot
Correct answer: Grandad
Q2.
Where does the story 'Grandad's Island' begin?
the island
Correct answer: Grandad's attic
the ship
Q3.
Starting with the first, order these events from the story 'Grandad's Island'.
1 - Syd finds Grandad in his attic.
2 - Syd and Grandad travel on a tall ship.
3 - Syd and Grandad arrive at an island and explore together.
4 - Grandad tells Syd he is going to stay on the island.
5 - Syd travels home alone.
Q4.
Match the keyword to the correct definition.
Correct Answer:vocabulary,the words we know and use to communicate

the words we know and use to communicate

Correct Answer:illustration,a picture in a book

a picture in a book

Correct Answer:plot,what happens in a story

what happens in a story

Correct Answer:character,a person or animal in a story

a person or animal in a story

Q5.
Tick two words (synonyms) which mean the same as 'sad'.
Correct answer: miserable
happy
Correct answer: unhappy
curious
Q6.
Tick two words (synonyms) which mean the same as 'happy'.
worried
upset
Correct answer: delighted
Correct answer: joyful

6 Questions

Q1.
Match the keywords to the correct definition.
Correct Answer:infer,to draw a conclusion based on evidence from the text

to draw a conclusion based on evidence from the text

Correct Answer:emotions,a feeling or mood

a feeling or mood

Correct Answer:vocabulary,the words we know and use to communicate

the words we know and use to communicate

Q2.
What can you infer about Grandad and Syd's relationship by the fact that Syd was allowed to visit Grandad whenever he liked?
they were grandfather and grandson
they lived next door
Correct answer: they had a close relationship and cared for each other
Q3.
What is a theme in a story?
Correct answer: the big idea or lesson that the author wants you to explore
the relationships between the characters
the main plot of the story
Q4.
Tick two themes from the book 'Grandad's Island'.
Correct answer: separation
journeys
Correct answer: family
islands
Q5.
In 'Grandad's Island', which word best describes Syd's feelings when he travelled back on the ship alone?
joyful
Correct answer: lonely
calm
Q6.
What does 'separation' mean?
a special relationship
Correct answer: being away from someone you love
the feeling when you say goodbye