Saffy's Angel 01a

7/29/2019 Saffy's Angel 01a

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H O D D E R L I T E R A T U R E

Saffys Angel

TEACHERS RESOURCEAndrew Liddle


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Acknowledgement

The author and publishers would like to thank the following for permission to

publish copyright material:

p.21, The Upanishadstranslated by Valerie Roebuck (first published by Penguin Books India 2000). Translation copyright Valerie Roebuck, 2004.

First published on web 2005www.hodderliterature.co.uk

Copyright text 2005 Andrew LiddleCopyright extracts from Saffys Angel 2001 Hilary McKay

Hodder Literature Teachers Resources can be downloaded and printed outas required. This material may be freely copied for institutional use. However,this material is copyright and under no circumstances can copies be offered for sale.

Published by Hodder Murray, a division of Hodder Headline, 338 Euston Road,London, NW1 3BH. Visit our website at www.hoddereducation.co.uk


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Saffys Angel

CONTENTS

H i l a r y M c K a y s I n t r o d u c t i o n t o t h e I n t r o d u c t i o n v

I n t r o d u c t i o n t o t h e Te a c h e r s R e s o u r c e vi

G u i d e d S e s s i o n s vii

O u t c o m e s viii

S h o r t - t e r m P l a n s 1

L e s s o n 1 : C o l o u r A s s o c i a t i o n sTeachers Prompt Page 5Colour Codes 6

Colourful Names 7L e s s o n 2 : C h a r a c t e r , S e t t i n g a n d M o o dTeachers Prompt Page 8The Banana House 9Drawing the Banana House 10

L e s s o n 3 : F o r m a l L a n g u a g eTeachers Prompt Page 11

Will Shakespeares Will 12The Last Will and Testament of 13

Indigos Fears 14Production Planner 15

Whos Doing What? 16

L e s s o n 4 : D i a l o g u e a n d C h a r a c t e rTeachers Prompt Page 17Dont Use Said 18Lets Chat 19

L e s s o n 5 : N u m i n o u s Q u a l i t i e sTeachers Prompt Page 20Rebirth 21R.E. Spellings 22The Stone Angel 23The Documentary: Saffy the Stowaway Girl 24Character Chart: Mrs Warbeck 25

L e s s o n 6 : P e r s o n a l C h o i c e sTeachers Prompt Page 26Make Sense of It 27Personal Choices and Discussion Tennis 28


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L e s s o n 7 : P o i n t a n d C o u n t e r p o i n tTeachers Prompt Page 29Decisions! Decisions! 30No I Wont! Yes You Will! 31

Stepping Stones to Stowing Away 32Its Hot in This Chair 33Investigators Notebook 34

L e s s o n 8 : M n e m o n i c s a n d M o t i v a t i o nTeachers Prompt Page 35Learning Made Fun 36Saffys Motives 37

L e s s o n 9 : S a f f y s H o m e

Teachers Prompt Page 38The House Where Saffy was Born 39Saffys Tears 40Saffys Letter: Writing Frame 41The Journey Home 42

What Am I Doing? 43

L e s s o n 1 0 : T h e M o m e n t o f R e c o g n i t i o nTeachers Prompt Page 44Knowing Yourself 45Saffy Sees Herself 46

L e s s o n 1 1 : A N e w P e r s p e c t i v eTeachers Prompt Page 47

Antonias Viewpoint 48Saffy the Stowaway Girl: Running Order 49

Jerry Springers Questions 50Seating Plan for Forum 51Summary of Individual Scenes 52

L e s s o n 1 2 : T h e S t o n e A n g e lTeachers Prompt Page 53Self-assessment: Saffy the Stowaway Girl 54

Saffys Angel


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Hilary McKays Introduction to theIntroduction

I think Introductions are in the wrong place. They should come at the end of books, notthe beginning. Who reads introductions first? Not me. I read them (IFI read them), whenI have either 1) finished a book, or 2) read as much of a book as I can endure. In eithercase, what I really want is not an Introduction but an Explanation. I want the author toexplain to me why they wrote this (unendurable or otherwise) book. So here goes:

Introduction

Explanation for Saffys AngelI wrote this book for fun. It was a personal thing. I filled it with things I enjoy very much. Iput in hamsters because I am fond of hamsters, and Italy because I like Italy. I named halfthe characters after paint colours because I like the names that artists call their paints.(Paint colours are two-word stories if you prefer your history in small doses read anartists colour chart.)

Most of all I put in people. Bright, irreverent kids. Boyfriends who refuse to fall in love.Kind, dopey mothers. The sort of people whose company I enjoy. I did not mean SaffysAngelto be taken seriously. I did not mean it in any way to be educational.

Therefore it is very strange to me that here is Saffy, taken seriously, in an educationaledition. What can it mean?

I think I know. I have been seen through. Comprehended. Apprehended. I have beenrumbled and my secret is out. It is no use protesting any longer that I meant it only in fun.Someone, somewhere, has realised that a joke is not less serious for being a joke.

That is my explanation for Saffys Angel. I wrote a book full of people and places and ideasand hopes that matter to me. It reallywasa personal thing.

Hilary McKay

Saffys Angel: Hilary McKay v


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Introduction to Saffys AngelTeachers Resource

This is an excellent choice of novel for a Year 7 class for a variety of reasons. Thecharacterisation of Saffy, the central consciousness, is particularly strong and sensitive, andmost of the others in the book adults as well as children are sympathetic and three-dimensional. The chief setting, that of the Banana House, is both vividly realised andpowerfully atmospheric. It is the perfect ambience for the Casson family, all members of

which are strong-minded and quirkily artistic. Saffys memories of her original home in Italyare evoked wistfully until her powerfully emotional and climactic revisitation of Siena. Theplot is sinewy and intriguing. The theme of seeking, of questing, of striving after somethingspiritual and to be intuited rather than understood, runs throughout the novel.

Saffys Angelis, then, a real page-turner, which provides numerous opportunities for

Reading, Speaking, Listening and Writing activities. The teacher will find especially usefulthe fact that each of the twelve lessons deals with a separate chapter, there being,coincidentally, twelve chapters in the novel. This gives a strong focus to each lesson, andobviously lends itself to completion, both of task and of chapter. Saffys motives provide alsoa focus for the pupils reading logs, and the series of lessons build to, and culminate in, ageneral discussion, Jerry Springer-style, of the central character seen from a variety ofperspectives.

The lesson plans are intended as a guide for teachers and may be easily and readily adaptedaccording to the needs of the class, the teacher or the occasion. The resource sheets offersuggestions for a variety of stimulating and thought-provoking text-based activities.

Saffys Angel: Introduction vi


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Guided SessionsThere are five proposed lessons where guided work (called Guided seminars) takes place:Lessons 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11. In these lessons it is suggested that the teacher works with one

group for approximately 20 minutes, guiding them as they work on a specific task. Thetasks and the groups can, of course, be adapted according to the various levels of ability inthe class, but in this unit the five guided sessions are directed at five distinct groups ofpupils of similar abilities: two lower, two middle, and one upper.

It is important to view this only as a suggestion; classes vary too much for there to be onlyone way of planning guided sessions. It would be possible to use the planned activities forsmall groups of mixed ability, letting the pupils choose together which task they wish to

pursue. Some classes may have fewer or more upper or lower groups, and work and Guidedseminars would need to be adapted accordingly.

In these lessons the Resource Sheets are structured to assist the groups not guided by theteacher, giving them a specific task and leading them through the stages. A Guided seminarplan also provides the teacher with a framework for working with the chosen group.

Saffys Angel: Guided Sessions vii

Lesson 3 Teacher guides a The teacher works with this group to guide their discussion.middle ability group.

Lesson 5 Teacher guides the The teacher works with this group to extend their understanding ofupper ability group. characters and how to use the role of investigator.

Lesson 7 Teacher guides a The teacher works with this group to probe their understanding of the

lower ability group. sequence.

Lesson 9 Teacher guides a The teacher guides this group in their close reading of the text.different middle group.

Lesson 11 Teacher guides a This group is guided through the final stages of their tasks for the Jerrydifferent lower ability Springer discussion.group.


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OutcomesThe rationale behind this resource is that pupils should read, and have read to them, a text

which provides enjoyment and inspiration while also encouraging them to challenge their

own thinking.

The activities described here are therefore designed to promote enjoyment and fun as wellas depth of thought, so that pupils respond to the reading in a variety of ways: teasing outtheir own conclusions about character and feeling from clues in the text; transferring theirknowledge and understanding to create other forms of writing; and beginning to lookbeyond the story at the writers craft.

Speaking and Listening Read aloud dramatised readings, pairs, small groups and silently.

Listen to readings by teacher or other pupils.

Discuss ideas and responses in small and large groups.

Take part in role play and hot-seating.

Take part in a class presentation.

Reading Begin to analyse what happens in the reading process.

Gather and use textual evidence to understand character. Use various media to do research.

Look for patterns and links within the text.

Understand how themes underpin the novel.

Writing Record responses to their reading and related research, in various forms.

Make notes on characters, setting, plot.

Write in role as a character.

Write news bulletins using the events and characters.

Write up investigations and analysis of the text in the form of a reading log.

Key themesThe novels themes provide many opportunities for reflective thought and discussion:

Adoption and family life.

Making personal choices. Questing after your own personal Holy Grail.

Growing up: coping with feelings of being different.

Saffys Angel: Outcomes viii


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Saffys Angel: Short-term Plans 1

Short-termplanningfo

rSaffysAngelbyHilary

McKay

Year7

Aimsandrationale:

Objectives:

Wholeschoolpriorities:

Toprovideaninnovative,creativeandstructuredapproachtothe

Word14

defineanddeploywords

withprecision

Term____

readingofHilaryMcKaysSaffysAngel,

bylinkingthereading

Sentence11varysentencestructuretolendpace,

processtoaparallelwritingtask,w

hileincorporatingguidedwork,

varietyandemphasis

Week____

alternativeroutesfordifferentkindsoflearners,andopportunities

Reading12commentonhowwrite

rsconveysetting,

forpupilstoworkcollaborativelyandindependentlyinICT,

characterandmood

Teacher

researchanddebate.

S&Lpromote,justifyordefendap

ointofview

___________

Theprojectisdesignedtodovetailn

eatlywithCitizenship

andR.E.atKS3.

Lesson

WordandSentence

Introduction

Development

Plenary

Homework/Extension/

objectivesintegrated

(includingguidedwork)

Research

approaches

Pupilsreflectonassociationsof

colouranddoexerciseoncolour

codes.

1 Colour

Associations

Pupilsrespondtobookscover

andblurb,andteacherreads

outopeningpage.

Teacherintroducesgenreand

literaryconventions;pupilsin

independentgroupsassessfirst

impressions.

Pupilsdiscusstheirfirst

impressions.

Pupilscom

pletethereading

ofChapte

rOneanddo

exerciseo

ncolourfulnames.

Pupilsreflectonsetting,character

andmoodoftheBananaHouse,

usingappropriateterminology.

2 Character,

Settingand

Mood

Pupilscompletethechartofthe

BananaHouseandpeerread

ChapterTwo.

Teacherintroducesconceptof

readinglogandmodelsamind-

mappingexercise.

Pupilsbegin

firstlogentry.

Pupilsreadaloudfrom

theirfirstentriesand

discusstheirresponses.

Pupilsreadtotheendof

ChapterTwo.

Pupilsreflectontheextractsfrom

Grandadswill,

theformal

language.

3 Formal

Language

(Guided)

Pupilsmakealistoftheirmost

treasuredpossessionsinformal

language.

Teacherreadsoutfrom

Shakespeareswilla

ndmodels

writingthesame.Pupilswrite

theirownwills.

Teacherdiscussesthedivisionof

labourrequiredforanon-going

project,adocumentary.

Teacherworkswithamiddle

abilitygrouptoguidetheir

discussionandallocatecharacter

roles.

Pupilsreadfromtheir

ownwillsanddiscussthe

impactofGrandadswill.

Pupilscom

pletereadingof

ChapterThreeandupdate

readinglo

gs.

HodderMurray20

05.www.hodderliterature.co.uk


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Saffys Angel: Short-term Plans 4

Short-termplanningfo

rSaffysAngelbyHilary

McKay

Year7

Aimsandrationale:

Objectives:

Wholeschoolpriorities:

Toprovideaninnovative,creativeandstructuredapproachtothe

Word14

defineanddeploywords

withprecision

Term____

readingofHilaryMcKaysSaffysAngel,

bylinkingthereading

Sentence11varysentencestructuretolendpace,

processtoaparallelwritingtask,w

hileincorporatingguidedwork,

varietyandemphasis

Week____

alternativeroutesfordifferentkindsoflearnersandopportunities

Reading12commentonhowwrite

rsconveysetting,

forpupilstoworkcollaborativelyandindependentlyinICT,

characterandmood

Teacher

researchanddebate.

S&Lpromote,justifyordefendap

ointofview

___________

Theprojectisdesignedtodovetailn

eatlywithCitizenship

andR.E.atKS3.

Lesson

WordandSentence

Introduction

Development

Plenary

Homework/Extension/

objectivesintegrated

(includingguidedwork)

Research

approaches

TeacherreadsfromChapterTen,

andpromptsdiscussionofepiphanic

moments.

10TheMomentof

Recognition

Pupilsself-analyse,usingthe

KnowingYourselfresource.

Teacherpromptsdiscussionofthe

implicationsofSaffysself-

recognition.

Pupilscompletean

exerciseonthesubjectand

completereadinglogs.

Pupilsdiscussthenew

insightanditsplacein

thedocumentary.

Pupilsupd

atetheirreading

logsandcompletereading

forChapterTen.

Teacherreadsoutextractsfrom

ChapterEleven,

focusingon

pp.1

471

51,

themeetingwith

Antonia.

11ANew

Perspective

(Guided)

UsingtheresourceAntonias

Viewpoint,pupils,

inpairs,

scriptaninterviewwiththeold

lady.

Eachgroupworksonpreparing

thedocumentary,organisingthat

whichistobescriptedor

improvised.

Teacherworkswithlowerability

grouptosupporttheirfinald

rafts

andpreparations.

Somegroupsimprovise

excerptsfromtheir

scenes,usingreading

logsandfiledresources.

Pupilsfina

lisematerialforthe

documentary.

12TheStone

Angel

Teacherskip-readsfinalc

hapter

andpromptsdiscussionofthe

conclusionandpossible

changesofviewpoint.

Pupilsresponsiblefor

documentarysfinals

ectionwrite

notesabouttheangel.

Others

makefinalp

reparations.

Seatedaccordingto

agreedplan,pupils

performinrole.

Inthe

finalo

penforum,

the

teachertakestheroleof

JerrySpringer.

Pupilscom

pleteself-

assessmen

ttasksandread

finalc

hap

teringreaterdetail.

HodderMurray20

05.www.hodderliterature.co.uk

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