- Making predictions about the characters and story
- Background information about David Walliams
- Empathetic writing as Ben
- Exploring characterisation - Ben and Granny
- David Walliams's use of vocabulary
- Writing an agony aunt letter as Ben about his life at home and in school and write a reply
- Using different types of sentences and apostrophes, pronouns, adjectives and adverbs
- Exploring key themes - loneliness, attitudes to the elderly, prejudice, family, childhood
- Discussion of events, characters and themes - using zone of relevance technique and conscience alley
- Writing in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd person
- How to write a recount and how to write a letter
- Using the authoritative voice
- Writing to explain and writing a newspaper report
- Writing to instruct and writing to explain tasks
- Cross curricular - science (digestive system), geography (rivers and jewels) history (the crown jewels) PSHE (charities - Childline and Silverline, the highway code) history (Robert Peel and the police)
- 123 slide PowerPoint
- 24 worksheets
- And a lot more!
The range of activities in this unit of work are intended to suggest opportunities around the novel Gangsta Granny by David Walliams which can be used in Literacy and across the curriculum. At least one copy of the novel will need to be used. There are weblinks to extend and enrich children’s learning and teachers will identify PSHE opportunities arising from these activities (Respect, Care for the elderly; Values and ethics; The Law)
There are specific activities to teach grammatical aspects of literacy but teachers will identify further opportunities which should be tailored to children’s needs. The whole unit of work could be completed in about 2 weeks, or extended to half a term’s work using the suggested links.
It is not intended to be a prescriptive unit of work where all activities are worked through slavishly, although it is structured chronologically. Teachers should select from, and adapt, these resources to meet the needs of the children they teach. There are some potentially sensitive issues explored throughout the story and teachers should make their own decisions about which elements to include. All the links to external sites are valid at the date of publication but should be checked before use.
In December 2013, the BBC transmitted a 70 minute adaptation of this novel, which starred David Walliams as Ben’s father, and this could be used to enhance the study of this novel.
To preview KS2 Literacy Teaching Resources: Gangsta Granny (David Walliams) click on the images below.
/_thumbs_lrg/Gangsta%20Granny%20(David%20Walliams).JPG "Gangsta Granny (David Walliams)")
