Doctor Who Lesson Plans

Lesson plans for schools tying into Tuesday 12th November, 2.00pm – 2.45pm BST

BBC logo © BBC 1996. Doctor Who logo © BBC 2012. Cyberman image © BBC/Kit Pedler/Gerry Davis 1966. Licensed by BBC WW Ltd.

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this november ceLebrate 50 years of

With puffin virtuaLLy Live, an interactive doctor Who Webcast. ly live logo] What: [P 13 20 r be m ve No th 12 y da es Tu : te Da Time: 14:00 to 14:45 BST , Gallifrey, Where: Classrooms, libraries anywhere with internet!

Doctor Who Pufﬁn Virtually Live will be hosted by Charlie Higson and will include an incredible line up of your favourite authors discussing their Doctor Who stories. Hear from Children’s laureate malorie Blackman, author Eoin Colfer, plus there will be a few exciting surprises too!

Watch live at www.pufﬁnvirtuallylive.co.uk You may photocopy the sheets in this pack.


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GENERAL APPROACH AND CURRICULUM LINKS The resource pack provides material for approximately six hours of lessons, which can take place during the school day or as extra-curricular activities. Each one centres on a single story from Puffin’s Doctor Who ebook series.The material can be delivered in sequence as a small scheme of work or broken up into isolated lessons.

THE MAIN OBJECTIVES OF THE PACK INCLUDE: Literacy • To research for specific information and summarise it effectively • To develop their etymological knowledge • To write creatively using a stimulus • To locate information within a text • To improve understanding of genre • To use their knowledge of other texts Numeracy • To select and use appropriate calculation skills to solve problems including data Drama, Speaking and Listening • To present with confidence to an audience • To work effectively in a group, listening and contributing appropriately • To create and sustain different roles in drama activities • To explore character and issues through drama techniques History • To place events into the correct period of time and context • To learn about the culture and society of different historical periods (Ancient Mesopotamia, Ancient Greece,Vikings,Victorian Britain, the Second World War) • To understand the day-to-day experiences of people in those periods • To appreciate the influence of history on the modern world • To find out about historical events and people from a range of sources Geography • To use atlases and maps as a source of information PSHE/Citizenship • To reflect on and discuss topical issues and problems • To use imagination to understand other people’s experiences Art/Design & Technology • To work with tools and materials to create a three dimensional project • To interpret text to create a visual representation ICT • To find information using websites and search engines


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INTRODUCTORY ACTIVITIES: Doctor Who? DOCTOR WHO QUIZ Ask students whether they have watched any episodes of the Doctor Who series, or its spin-off series The Sarah Jane Adventures. What do they know about The Doctor? Establish a basic understanding of the series with the following quiz: 1. Which planet does the Doctor come from? Gallifrey 2. What is the name of the Doctor’s space ship? TARDIS 3. What does it look like? A blue 1960s police box 4. Who does the Doctor take on his travels with him? His companions 5. How many hearts does the Doctor have? Two 6. What happens to the Doctor when he is fatally injured? He regenerates 7. How many Doctors have there been? Eleven 8. Which of the Doctor’s enemies’ war cry is ‘Exterminate!’? The Daleks

Timeline task Throughout the pack, you will find references to timeline tasks. These can be completed at the end of each unit by the same class or by different classes if they are reading different stories from the Penguin Doctor Who series. Start by creating a timeline for the classroom, using a long strip of coloured paper or tape and marking it with different centuries from ancient to the present (or future). Many of the Doctor’s adventures take place at some point in history, and students can complete the Timeline Card for each one. They should then attach the card to the timeline in the correct place, using coloured string. The activity can also be applied to Doctor Who stories not covered in this pack, those that form part of the TV series, or even stories that the students make up themselves.


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timeLine card YEAR:

Name of story:

. .

Where does the story take place?

. .

What important events happened in that place and time?

. .

Which Doctor is the story about? (e.g. the Eleventh Doctor)

. .

What does he look like? Draw a picture in the box above

. .

Who is his companion?

. .

What is the name of the enemy/enemies he faces?

. .


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LESSON 1 A BIG HAND FOR THE DOCTOR BY EOIN COLFER Objective: • Research for specific information about the Victorian era • Work as a group to invent a ‘machine’ Outcomes: Fact files or group presentation Resources: Activity Sheet 1

LEAD-IN Tell students that you are going to read Eoin Colfer’s story, A Big Hand for the Doctor. Tell them that this Doctor Who story is set during the Victorian era, and ask them what they know from History lessons about this time period, writing important facts on the board. Read the story together.

TASK 1 Explain that the Victoria era was a time of great change and development, when a number of the items that are still important to us were first invented. However, the Doctor comes across a number of alien machines in this story as well. Activity Sheet 1 lists a set of inventions – some are Victorian developments, some are modern man-made inventions, while others are alien. Working in pairs, students circle all the Victorian inventions. Correct answers: Telephone; Radio; Camera; Toilet; Stamp; Train; Sewing Machine; Bicycle; Electric Light Bulb; X-rays

TASK 2 Still working in pairs, students choose one of the Victorian inventions they have circled and research it to create a fact file. This should include: • The date the item was invented • The name of the person who invented it, and which country they were from • A short description of what the item does • A drawing of the item (either then or now)

TASK 3 Tell the class that not all Victorian inventions were so successful. Some were quite bizarre, such as rolling bridge, a smoking machine, and a stamp licker. Students work in groups to come up with their own fantastic machine. Encourage them to use their imaginations when putting their ideas together – and to have fun! You could ask them to simply create a fact file for their new invention with a drawing and description of it as in Task 2, or this could be combined with an art project, using recycled materials to build a colourful, imaginary machine. Once the inventions have been completed, students should display and introduce them to the class – for older groups, you could set up a Dragon’s Den-style scenario, where other students are invited to ask questions of the ‘inventors’.

Timeline task When you have completed your activities on this story, fill in the timeline card on page 5 and add it to the class timeline display at the year 1900.You could also stick the invention fact files students have created around the timeline, with string or coloured wool pinned to the corresponding year of invention.


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activity sheet 1: victorian, modern or aLien? The Victorians were busy people! Some of our greatest inventions were thought up and used during this time – we still use many of them today. But even the Victorians couldn’t have dreamed up some of the machines that the Doctor comes across in Eoin Colfer’s story, A Big Hand for the Doctor. That’s because they come from other planets!

TELEPHONE LAPTOP COMPUTER BIO-HYBRID HAND x-RAYS TRAIN

ELECTRIC LIGHT BULB

Look at the inventions below. Some are Victorian earth inventions, some are more modern earth inventions and others are alien inventions. Which are which? Circle the ones you think are Victorian.

RADIO TARDIS TOILET CAMERA

IPHONE

STAMP

WRIST COMMUNICATOR

SEWING MACHINE

x-BOx

SPACE DOORS


SATNAV

VELCRO

ANTI-GRAVITY TRACTOR-BEAM BICYCLE

CAMERA STALKS

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Extract 1 The Spear of Destiny BY Marcus Sedgwick ‘Jo, do you remember we spoke about Odin?’ ‘What about him?’ ‘You know him as a god of Norse mythology, correct?’ ‘Yes.There’s Odin, and Thor too. He has a hammer and makes thunder. I think he was Odin’s son.’ ‘That’s right. And Odin was supposed to have the spear, Gungnir . . . and he only had one eye.’ ‘Doctor! Njord spoke about someone he called Oneeye, like a nickname.’ ‘We saw him earlier today, Jo. He killed one of his own men. And there was a man with a hammer, too.’ ‘Thor! But they’re supposed to be gods!’ ‘We’ve arrived at a most interesting time. Some scholars, and myself, I might add, have a theory about certain myths and legends.’ ‘A theory, Doctor? Like your one about the TARDIS being invisible . . .?’ ‘Yes, thank you. I think that one might need a bit more consideration. No, this theory is that many stories that scholars of your time believe to be myths, legends and mere tales were, in fact, originally based on real events, and the characters in them based on real people. Even those we now consider to be gods were just great men of the past. Jo, this is so fascinating! We are witnessing the origin of Norse myth!’ ‘You’re not serious.’ ‘I’m absolutely serious, my dear. Odin is the king of all Sweden. His people are called the Aesir.’ ‘Njord spoke about them. He said they’re going to fight them.’ ‘Quite so.What we witnessed by the river today was just an early skirmish. Odin had to kill one of his own men to stop the fight from escalating. According to the great Norse sagas, there were two races of gods: the Aesir, ruled by Odin, with his sons Thor and Balder, and the Vanir, ruled by Njord, with the assistance of Frey.’


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LESSON 2 The Spear of Destiny BY Marcus Sedgwick Objective: To consider how Old Norse has influenced modern English Outcome: A Viking dictionary Resource: Activity Sheet 2

LEAD-IN Ideally, students should already have ready The Spear of Destiny. Remind them that the story is about the Vikings and ask them what they know about them; including what language they spoke (Old Norse). Read through the extract and ask students to circle or highlight any words they come across that are in Old Norse (clue: most are names). Write them on the board: Odin, Thor, Gungnir, Njord, Aesir, Balder, Vanir, Frey.

TASK 1 Remind students that the Vikings came to England in 865; the Viking era ended in 1066. One of the things that the Scandinavian settlers left behind was their language, especially in the names of British towns and villages that were once Viking settlements. Some Viking words that can still be found at the end of British place names are: • ‘-by’ (village) • ‘-thorpe’ (smaller settlement or farm) • ‘-thwaite’ (clearing) Using atlases and working in pairs, ask students to find ten places in Britain with names that end in the Viking words above, for example, Whitby.

TASK 2 Tell students that the Viking alphabet was called the Futhark.Vikings carved these letters (called ‘runes’) onto wood or stone – to make it easier, all the runes are made of straight lines. In The Spear of Destiny, the spear Gungnir has its name carved on it in runes, as the Doctor points out at the museum. Explain to the class that they are going to name their own magical spear and decorate it with runes (Activity Sheet 2)

TASK 3 In the story, Jo and the Doctor can understand and speak to the Vikings because of the TARDIS. We would find this more difficult, but even today, words from Old Norse have entered the English language in some form. In this task, students create a dictionary of Viking words used in English today. Depending on the level of the group, provide them with some or all of the following list. In pairs, they should look up each word and find a definition and compile these into a mini-dictionary.You could also ask students to illustrate their dictionary pages. • bairn • bait

• berserk • crook

• dregs • geyser

• lad • mire

• ransack • saga

Timeline task When you have completed your activities on this story, fill in the timeline card on page 5 and add it to the class timeline display at the year 141 AD. BBC logo © BBC 1996. Doctor Who logo © BBC 2012. Cyberman image © BBC/Kit Pedler/Gerry Davis 1966. Licensed by BBC WW Ltd.

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activity sheet 2: norse runes The Vikings spoke a different language than we do, called Old Norse, and they also used a different alphabet, called Futhark. The letters (called runes) were carved into wood or stone. In the Doctor Who story, The Spear of Destiny, the Doctor comes across a very special spear with its name, Gungnir, written on it in runes. If you had a magical spear, what would you call it? Use a real name or make one up and write it here: _____________________________________________________ Now decorate the spear below with the name you have chosen, written in runes and any other designs you would like to draw on it. Here is the rune alphabet to help you:


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LESSON 3 Tip of the Tongue BY Patrick Ness Objectives: • To explore the historical context of the story • To examine character in the story • To use dramatic techniques to understand others’ experiences Outcome: Role play Resource: Activity Sheet 2, large sheets of paper, marker pens

LEAD-IN Ask students what they know about the Second World War. Write the key facts on the board and point out that 1945, the year in which the story is set, is the same year that the war would end. The Americans had been involved since 1941. Discuss with students what they know about life on the home front, including women working in what had previously been men’s jobs, as well as the reasons for rationing. Read Tip of the Tongue together as a class.

TASK 1 Explain that rationing was an important part of everyday life during the war. There was rationing in the US, where the story is set, but it was more severe in Britain. Hand out Activity Sheet 3, which has a set of weekly rations for one person. To complete the activity, students will need to work out how much they would have been able to get for their whole family, multiplying the rations according to the number of people.

TASK 2 Although the Doctor and Nyssa are important characters in Tip of the Tongue, the main character is Jonny.What sort of character is he? To explore this, students work in groups to create a ‘role on the wall’.The outline of a body is drawn onto a large sheet of paper, which is stuck on the wall. Students then write words or phrases describing Jonny inside and outside the outline (they can find phrases in the text or write their own).They should include physical descriptions, facts like Jonny’s friends and family and his job, as well as thoughts and feelings.The activity could also be carried out for other characters: Annabelle, Nettie, the Doctor and Nyssa.

TASK 3 Using the information they have gathered about characters from the previous task, students should now perform a hot seating exercise. Five students are invited to the front of the classroom to play the roles of the main characters, and the rest of the class are invited to ask them questions. As an added element, you could ask the hot seating students to imagine they are wearing a Truth Teller. Encourage questions about bullying and peer pressure, discrimination, and wartime life. To add a valuable further dimension to the activity, a student could be asked to play the role of a Veritan, to explore how they feel about being made into slaves by the Dipthodat.

Timeline task When you have completed your activities on this story, fill in the timeline card on page 5 and add it to the class timeline display at the year 1945.


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activity sheet 3: rationing During the Second World War, people in Britain and America couldn’t buy whatever they wanted at the supermarket as we can today. Each person was given a ration for the week – a limit to what they could buy and eat. Ration books were used to make sure that nobody got more than their fair share. The table below gives the weekly ration for ONE person in Britain in 1945. In the third column, write down the number of people in your family. In the last column, write the amount of each food you would have been able to buy each week for your whole family.

Type of food

Weekly ration

Bacon and ham

113g (4 oz)

Sugar

227g (8 oz)

Tea

57g (2 oz)

Meat

540g (19 oz)

Cheese

57g (2 oz)

Preserves

91 g (2lb) marmalade OR 45g (1lb) sugar

Butter

57g (2 oz)

Milk

1800ml (3 pints)

Eggs

1

Sweets

340g (12 oz) per month

Number of family members

Total weekly amount

Challenge:Vegetarians got a special extra ration of cheese to replace their meat allowance of 85g (3oz). If you had a vegetarian in your family, how would that affect your total amounts above?


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LESSON 4 The Ripple Effect BY Malorie Blackman Objective: To consider the idea of alternative worlds and compare them to their own Outcome: Creative writing Resource: Activity Sheet 4

LEAD-IN Ask students whether they have watched any episodes of Doctor Who in the past. Can they name any of his enemies? The Daleks should come up; ask students familiar with the series to think of adjectives to describe them to the class and write these on the board. Read The Ripple Effect together as a class.

TASK 1 In The Ripple Effect, the Doctor talks about Greece in 550 BC and compares the Dalek Academy to this time in history. Explain that he is referring to the development of Greek philosophy, the most famous school of which was Plato’s Academy. Here, students would debate important questions about life and the universe. Plato believed that there were some unchangeable truths about things, just like the Doctor says in the story: “Some things are not meant to be. Some things are too fundamental; they threaten reality itself”. He also believed in an ideal version of the world and that it was our job to try to become more like that ideal world, in the same way that at the end of the story we discover there is an ideal version of the Daleks that we hope they might live up to some day. Discuss these ideas as a class. What truths do students think are fundamental about their world? What would an ideal version be like?

TASK 2 Working in pairs, students go through the text to track the differences between Skaro as it is in the story, and as it should be in the real timeline. They should make notes on these differences, using the Activity Sheet, and feed back to the class.

TASK 3 Ask students to imagine that there has been a change to the universe like the one that the Doctor causes in The Ripple Effect.What might Earth be like? Ask them to imagine a different version of their world (it could be better or worse).They may find it useful to create a table similar to the one on Activity Sheet 4, to map out the differences between their real and imaginary worlds.Then invite students to write a short descriptive piece about their new world, and what it might be like to live there.


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activity sheet 4: tWo WorLds In The Ripple Effect, the Doctor and Ace visit a version of the planet Skaro that is very different to the one they are expecting, and meet very different Daleks there. This is because the real timeline of history in their universe has been changed and a new one created. Read through the story to find these differences, and write them down in the table below.

The Real Timeline

The Changed Timeline

How the Daleks look

How the Daleks act

How the Daleks speak

What the Daleks are known for

The planet Skaro

Tulana


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Extract 2 The Beast of Babylon BY Charlie Higson The TARDIS hummed and throbbed like the inside of the Doctor’s head. He was still groggy. Still in pain. Still trying not to be angry with Ali, and with himself for giving in to her and bringing her along. ‘I’m sorry,’ she was saying, ‘but they deserved their punishment. I should have killed them all.’ ‘You only did what you thought was right,’ said the Doctor. ‘This is why I usually take humans as my companions. They have … well, they have humanity. Not all of them, I’ll give you that, but the ones I choose.’ Ali looked at the Doctor but said nothing. ‘That’s why I was reluctant to take you in the first place,’ the Doctor went on. ‘Not for your own safety, but for others. You Karkinians have a scary reputation, particularly the females, and having seen you in action I can see why. Remember what I told you when we first spoke, Ali? I’m not a warrior unless I have to be. It’s not my way.’ ‘You killed the Starman.’ ‘I didn’t kill him. I simply sent him back to where he can’t do any harm.’ ‘But if I hadn’t saved you –’There was bitterness in Ali’s voice. ‘I’ve somehow managed to survive for quite a long time without your help.’ ‘You ungrateful –’ ‘I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.’The Doctor put up his hands in surrender. ‘You’re right.Thanks. You did save me.Without you I’d have had to – I don’t know – reboot again, or something, I suppose, and, yes, our goat-fish friend would probably have eaten the entire planet. So, yes, I will be eternally grateful to you. But your way, Ali … It’s too risky. I wouldn’t ever be able to go anywhere if I was worried you were going to go into a Karkinian war frenzy every time anyone looked at me funny.’ ‘I can’t help it –’ ‘Exactly.That’s my point.You’re from Karkinos. I thought maybe you were different.You are special, I’ll give you that. And you’re nearly as clever as me, but you’re also a warrior, and I can’t ask you to change that, because that’s what you were born to be. And the best place for you right now is back on Karkinos, looking after your family.’ ‘I gave those humans a fright, though, didn’t I?’ said Ali and she chuckled. ‘They won’t forget me in a hurry.’ ‘They won’t ever forget you, Ali.You’re a star and you always will be.You’ll be their star.They’ll name a constellation after you, and add you to their zodiac along with the twins and the goat-fish.You’re my A-star girl.’


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LESSON 5 The Beast of Babylon BY Charlie Higson Objective: To explore the ancient culture of Mesopotamia and enhance multicultural understanding Outcome: Research project Resource: Activity Sheet 5

LEAD-IN Write the word ‘Iraq’ on the board. Ask students what they know about the country, and briefly discuss recent events. Then introduce the word ‘Babylon’. Ask students whether they have heard of this ancient city, and explain that it was part of what is now Iraq. Students may be familiar with the ancient Mesopotamian cultures from history, where either Sumerian or Assyrian culture may have been covered; establish that the period in which this story is set is when Babylon first came to prominence. Explain that ancient Mesopotamia left a rich legacy of developments and knowledge, and that they will be researching these together. Read The Beast of Babylon as a class.

TASK 1 An important aspect of ancient Mesopotamian culture was the development of cuneiform, a writing system that was made up of pictures and written on moist clay tablets with a triangle-shaped stick. Writing things down allowed scribes to record aspects of daily life as well as stories and events.Visit www.penn.museum/cgi/cuneiform.cgi and allow each student to see how their names would have been written in cuneiform. Students can copy these symbols out on to pieces of paper or cardboard (this could also be made into an art project, using clay).

TASK 2 Building on the previous task, explain that a special group of Babylonian scribes were the astronomers, who watched the movements of stars and planets and recorded them in a diary. They developed a zodiac calendar that has much in common with the one we use today. In the extract, three constellations are mentioned that we still use. Do students know what they are? Introduce Capricorn, Gemini and Scorpio and complete Activity Sheet 5.


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LESSON 5 The Beast of Babylon BY Charlie Higson Objective: To explore the ancient culture of Mesopotamia and enhance multicultural understanding Outcome: Research project Resource: Activity Sheet 5

TASK 3 In this final task, students will complete a webquest to answer ten questions about Babylonian life: 1. Which two rivers flowed through ancient Mesopotamia? 2. King Hammurabi was famous for creating a code. What was it? 3. What is a ‘ziggurat’? 4. Who was the most important Babylonian god? 5. What sort of pet did this god have? 6. What happened after Hammurabi died? 7. Name three important Mesopotamian inventions. 8. What were Babylonian homes made of? 9. What sort of clothes did Babylonians wear? 10. What sort of sports did they enjoy? The following websites may be helpful: • www.mesopotamia.co.uk/ • www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/cultures/mesopotamia_gallery.shtml • mesopotamia.mrdonn.org/babylon.html • www.ducksters.com/history/mesopotamia

Timeline task When you have completed your activities on this story, fill in the timeline card on page 5 and add it to the class timeline display at the year 1894 BCE.


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activity sheet 5: the babyLonian Zodiac Astronomers were important people in Babylonian society. They recorded what they saw in the sky every night and advised the king when they saw something special or unusual, that they believed could affect the future. They created maps of stars that made up a picture in the sky that we still recognise today. Join the dots below to create the three constellations mentioned in The Beast of Babylon. Scorpio

Capricorn

Gemini


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LESSON 6 The Mystery of the Haunted Cottage BY Derek Landy Objective: To examine the genre of mystery adventure stories and the structure of fiction in general Outcomes: Planning and/or writing a story Resources: Activity Sheet 6 and 7

LEAD-IN Ask students what a mystery story is. Can they think of any examples? What about adventure stories? What do they like about these stories? What do they have in common? Explain that in the story you are going to read, the Doctor and his companion are trapped inside a story, similar to those written by Enid Blyton in the 1950s (for example, the Famous Five or Secret Seven series, which they may be familiar with). Read The Mystery of the Haunted Cottage together as a class.

TASK 1 Ask students what structure most stories, including mystery adventures, follow and elicit: opening, build-up, climax, resolution, ending. This structure can be broken down into a story mountain, as on Activity Sheet 6. Put the worksheet on the whiteboard and, referring to The Mystery of the Haunted Cottage, break it down into the different sections to ensure that students understand the story structure completely.

TASK 2 Tell students that they will be making up their own mystery adventure stories. Hand out copies of Activity Sheet 6 for them to fill in, starting with the title (you could start them off with this, if necessary) and characters, and then with a brief description of each part of the story from beginning to end. Once they have completed their planning, students explain their story to a partner and offer suggestions for improvement.

TASK 3 The final task will depend on the level of the class. For more advanced groups, you could have them write a short story following the plan that they have laid out. Alternatively, they could write openings, endings, book blurbs or design a book cover for their story.

Challenge In The Mystery of the Haunted Cottage, the Doctor encounters the settings and characters from a number of books that Martha has read. Do students know what they are? Using the clues on Activity Sheet 7, they play literary detectives, working out what each novel might be. (They can interview friends and family to complete the list as they will probably not be familiar with all the novels yet. Encourage them to ask questions about the stories from those who have read them.) Answers: The Harry Potter series, The Wizard of Oz, The Shining, Twilight


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activity sheet 6: story mountain Story title:

.

Characters:

. . .

CLIMAX

BUILD-UP

RESOLUTION

OPENING


ENDING

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activity sheet 7: Which booK is it? The Mystery of the Haunted Cottage doesn’t actually exist, but in the story, the Doctor and Martha meet a number of characters and visit a number of places that come from real books and stories. Can you guess what they are from the clues in the text? The first one has been done for you Clues (quotes from The Mystery of the Haunted Cottage)

Novel

“Two Un-Men closed in, their bodies stretching and flattening, turning into playing cards with limbs…”

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

“They ran through the door of the cottage, emerged into the dining hall at Hogwarts and then, before a single wand could be turned in their direction, they were sprinting away through a door at the far end.”

“They ran outside and the ground shifted, became bricks that spun into place, revealing an underside of gold. Martha heard the beating of wings and the shrieking of monkeys from above…”

“They ran to a building up ahead. A big one, like a hotel. She saw the name, the Overlook, and veered off. ‘Not that way.’”

“Wet leaves squelched under her feet. There was movement up ahead: two teenagers, a pale boy and a nervous girl, walked into a clearing. The sun broke through the clouds and the boy started to sparkle.”


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