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Year 6

Exploring and engaging with themes in 'Shackleton's Journey'

I can identify and engage with the key themes in ‘Shackleton's Journey’.

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Year 6

Exploring and engaging with themes in 'Shackleton's Journey'

I can identify and engage with the key themes in ‘Shackleton's Journey’.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. 'Shackleton's Journey' includes themes of leadership, resilience, hope and exploration.
  2. Shackleton is recognised as an excellent leader, who remained determined in the face of adversity.
  3. Ernest Shackleton set an excellent example to his crew; he was an inspirational role model.

Keywords

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

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

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

  • Inspire - To inspire is to motivate or encourage through positive influence or example.

Common misconception

Pupils may only consider themes that are universally understood.

Highlight that there are many possible themes that can be drawn out from a text; readers may interpret these differently.


To help you plan your year 6 english lesson on: Exploring and engaging with themes in 'Shackleton's Journey', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

In order to deepen discussion in Task B, you can create a list of points with pupils that link to Shackleton's leadership and another that links to how he was inspirational.
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Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What does inference mean?
to retrieve answers directly from the text
Correct answer: to use clues from within the text to draw conclusions
to provide evidence from the text
Q2.
What is evidence in the context of reading?
to use clues from within the text to draw conclusions
to give our ideas or opinions on something
Correct answer: the information from a text that can support or justify our reasoning
Q3.
Which of the following can be useful strategies to locate evidence to support an answer?
Including all the information we can find on a topic.
Adding in information from a different context.
Correct answer: Checking the context of the text you are reading.
Correct answer: Looking for specific information directly related to the question.
Q4.
True or false? While on Elephant Island, improvements made at the camp made morale deteriorate.
Correct Answer: False, false
Q5.
What is a suitable definition of a theme within a text?
a description of the sequence of events in a story
the details about the time and place where a story occurs
Correct answer: a big idea, topic or message that recurs within a story
Q6.
True or false? An impression a reader forms about a text always has to be positive.
Correct Answer: False, false

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Match the keywords to their definitions
Correct Answer:theme,a big idea, topic or message that recurs within a story
tick

a big idea, topic or message that recurs within a story

Correct Answer:convey,to communicate a message to the reader directly/indirectly
tick

to communicate a message to the reader directly/indirectly

Correct Answer:legacy,the lasting impact of particular events in a person's life
tick

the lasting impact of particular events in a person's life

Correct Answer:inspire,to motivate or encourage through positive influence
tick

to motivate or encourage through positive influence

Q2.
True or false? Upon sighting the harbour near Stromness, Shackleton let out a cry of exhilaration.
Correct Answer: False, false
Q3.
Select some of the different ways we can identify themes within a text.
Correct answer: considering actions and characteristics of people within the text
reading the whole text again and again
Correct answer: searching for deeper meaning using inference
Correct answer: considering the overall message of the text
looking for the themes written explicitly in the text
Q4.
Which of the following are themes that are applicable to the text, 'Shackleton's Journey'?
love
Correct answer: hope
betrayal
Correct answer: leadership
Correct answer: adaptation
Q5.
Match the following dates from the text with the events they correspond to.
Correct Answer:8th August 1914,Endurance sets sail for Buenos Aires, Argentina.
tick

Endurance sets sail for Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Correct Answer:30th August 1916,The crew on Elephant Island are rescued.
tick

The crew on Elephant Island are rescued.

Correct Answer:21st May 1917,The Endurance Expedition arrives back in the UK.
tick

The Endurance Expedition arrives back in the UK.

Correct Answer:5th January 1922,Ernest Shackleton dies.
tick

Ernest Shackleton dies.

Q6.
True or false? Ernest Shackleton was considered a good leader during the Endurance Expedition.
Correct Answer: True, true