MICHAEL MORPURGO

Kensukes Kingdom Lesson Activities

Kensukes Kingdom by Michael Morpurgo

About the Author

The greater part of

writing is daydreaming,
dreaming the dream of my story,
until it hatches out.
I love finishing it and then
holding it in my hand and
sharing my dream with
my readers.

Michael Morpurgo was born in 1943. He lives in Devon

with his wife, Clare. Michael used to be a primary
school teacher before he decided to become a childrens
book writer. He has written many books, including
the bestseller, War Horse, which has been made into
a West-End play and a film. Michael and his wife also
run a childrens charity called Farms for City Children.
Check out Michaels website at
www.michaelmorpurgo.com
And for more information about Farms for City
Children go to www.farmsforcitychildren.org

Note to the teacher

This set of lesson plans is loosely based on the Year 5 Literacy Framework and covers a range of core skills such as
dictionary work and different writing styles. It can be used over a period of 3 weeks to form a unit of work.
However, the suggested activities are in no particular order and not specific only to year 5 so can be used as and when,
or as a guided reading activity. All the worksheets are designed to be photocopiable.
 MICHAEL MORPURGO

Kensukes Kingdom Lesson Activities

Activity 1: Warm up
Imagine you are on a sailing trip round the world like Michael. You have just docked
in a port after your first week and you promised your friends you would keep a blog.
Write your first entry in your blog. You might want to think of a title for your blog,
and you can include pictures if you wish.

Blog name: ..........................................................................................................................

My Name is .........................................................................................................................

I am ................ years old and I like .....................................................................................

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I am writing this blog because............................................................................................

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The most amazing thing I have seen so far is .....................................................................

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The best thing about the trip is ..........................................................................................

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The worst thing about the trip is .......................................................................................

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The one thing I really miss is .............................................................................................

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 MICHAEL MORPURGO

Kensukes Kingdom Lesson Activities

Activity 2: Blurb
Read the blurb again.

I heard the wind above me in the sails. I remember thinking, this is silly, you havent got
your safety harness on, you havent got your lifejacket on. You shouldnt be doing this. . .
I was in the cold of the sea before I could even open my mouth to scream.

Washed up on an island in the Pacific , Michael struggles to survive on his own.

With no food and no water, he curls up to die. When he wakes, there is a plate beside him
of fish, of fruit, and a bowl of fresh water. He is not alone . . .

What is a blurb? . ................................................................................................................

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Why do books have blurbs? ................................................................................................

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Name 3 things that you think make a good blurb

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 MICHAEL MORPURGO

Kensukes Kingdom Lesson Activities

Activity 2: Blurb
Does this blurb make you want to read the book? Why/why not?

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Write a new blurb for the book. Your blurb shouldnt be more than 2 or three sentences long.

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 MICHAEL MORPURGO

Kensukes Kingdom Lesson Activities

Activity 3: Quick comprehension

Remember
to answer
1. Did Michael have a brother or sister? Copy out the part in the text all
questions in
that tells the reader this information. full senten
ces!

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2. Why did Michael and his family set off on the Peggy Sue?

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3. How did Michael end up on the island?

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4. Use three adjectives to describe how Michael felt when he first arrived on the island:

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3 .......................................................................................................................................
 MICHAEL MORPURGO

Kensukes Kingdom Lesson Activities

Activity 3: Quick comprehension

Remember
to answer
5. Why do you think the old man was upset to have Michael on his island? all
questions in
full senten
ces!
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6. What did the old man call Michael?

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7. Where was the old man from?

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8. Would you like to live on an island on like Kensuke? Give at least 2 reasons for your answer.

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 MICHAEL MORPURGO

Kensukes Kingdom Lesson Activities

Activity 4: Dictionary work

Michael Morpurgo uses rich, descriptive language in his books to make the story
of Kensukes Kingdom as vivid as possible. Sometimes when we are reading we can
understand the meaning of the word even if we have never seen it before. The following
sentences have been provided to give you context for the meaning of some difficult words.
You can look up the passage by referring to the page numbers. Have a guess at what the
word might mean and then look up the definition in a dictionary.

1. Kensuke never once reproached me for what I had done. (p. 139)

My guess .............................................................................................................................

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Dictionary definition ..........................................................................................................

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2. Sometimes as I enunciated a new word , I noticed that his eyes would light up. (p. 120)

My guess .............................................................................................................................

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Dictionary definition ..........................................................................................................

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 MICHAEL MORPURGO

Kensukes Kingdom Lesson Activities

Activity 4: Dictionary work

3. He was diminutive, no taller than me, and as old a man as I have ever seen. (p.71)

My guess .............................................................................................................................

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Dictionary definition ..........................................................................................................

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4. Even then, as I stood there, that first morning, filled with apprehension at the

terrifying implications of my situation . . . (p.53)

My guess .............................................................................................................................

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Dictionary definition ..........................................................................................................

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5. Some of the bites, particularly on my legs, had now swelled up and become

suppurating red sores. (p.82)

My guess .............................................................................................................................

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Dictionary definition ..........................................................................................................

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 MICHAEL MORPURGO

Kensukes Kingdom Lesson Activities

Activity 5: For and against

Michaels father is the one who decides that the family will travel around the world.
Do you think that this would be a good idea if your family set off round the world
together? Complete the chart with your reasons for and against.

For Against
1. It would be a really exciting 1. It would be scary, sailing into
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adventure and would be great fun. the unknown

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2. One long holiday and no school. 2. Too much time with mum and dad
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 MICHAEL MORPURGO

Kensukes Kingdom Lesson Activities

Activity 6: Writing a balanced argument

Use the following phrases to write a balanced argument about sailing around the world.

I am not sure that sailing around the One good thing about it would be . . .
world with my family would be a good Nevertheless . . .
thing because . . . Another point of view is . . .
On the other hand . . . In conclusion . . .
However . . .

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 MICHAEL MORPURGO

Kensukes Kingdom Lesson Activities

Activity 7: Drawing the island

Re-read the passage below:

The Island looked perhaps two or three miles in length, no more. It was shaped a bit like
an elongated peanut, but longer at one end than the other. There was a long swathe of
brilliant white beach on both sides of the island, and at the far end another hill, the slopes
steeper and more thickly wooded, but not so high as mine. With the exception of these
twin peaks the entire island seemed to be covered with forest. So far as I could see there
was no sign of any human life. Even then, as I stood there, that first morning, filled with
apprehension at the terrifying implications of my dreadful situation, I remember thinking
how wonderful it was, a green jewel of an island framed in white, the sea all about it a
silken shimmering blue. Strangely, perhaps comforted somehow by the extraordinary
beauty of the place, I was not at all down-hearted. On the contrary I felt strangely elated.
I was alive. Stella Artois was alive. We had survived. (p.53)
Now draw a map of the island from the description. Label your map with as much
detail as you can.

 MICHAEL MORPURGO

Kensukes Kingdom Lesson Activities

Activity 8: Missing persons poster

Michaels Mum and Dad must have been really worried when Michael went missing.
Imagine you are either his Mum or Dad and try to design a missing persons poster to find
him again. Here are some pointers to help you get started:
Think about what information needs to be included in a missing persons poster
How would you describe Michael?
What evidence can you find in the text to support your ideas?
 MICHAEL MORPURGO

Kensukes Kingdom Lesson Activities

Activity 8: Missing persons poster

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 MICHAEL MORPURGO

Kensukes Kingdom Lesson Activities

Activity 9: Writing a dialogue

Read the last paragraph from the book again:

For almost a year my mother and father had searched for me. No one would help them,
for no one would believe I could still be alive not a chance in a million, they said.
My father too he later admitted had given me up for dead. But never my mother.

So far as she was concerned I was alive, I had to be alive. She simply knew it in her heart.
So they had sailed from island to island, searching on until they had found me.

Once Michael and Stella had gone missing, Michaels Mum and Dad must have had some
very difficult conversations. Imagine a conversation between Michaels Mum and Dad.
Then in pairs, act out the conversation. You can use this as a starter if you like:

Do you think we should carry on looking for him? Its been over six months now . . . (Pause)
Dad: ....................................................................................................................................

Mum: ..................................................................................................................................

Dad: ....................................................................................................................................

Mum: ..................................................................................................................................

Dad: ....................................................................................................................................

Mum: ..................................................................................................................................

Dad: ....................................................................................................................................

Mum: ..................................................................................................................................

Dad: ....................................................................................................................................

Mum: ..................................................................................................................................

Dad: ....................................................................................................................................
 MICHAEL MORPURGO

Kensukes Kingdom Lesson Activities

Activity 10: Writing from another point of view

Michael Morpurgo often writes about animals in his books. In Kensukes Kingdom,
Kensuke has made friends with the orang-utans. Read the following extract again:

A shadow under the trees moved and came lumbering out into the sunlight towards us.
A monkey, a giant monkey. Not a gibbon at all. It moved slowly on all fours, and was
brown, ginger-brown. An orang-utan, I was sure of it. He sat down just a few feet from

me and considered me. I dared not move. When hed seen enough, he scratched his neck
casually, turned and made his way on all fours slowly back into the forest. (p.66)

Re-write the story of Kensukes Kingdom from Tomodachis point of view. Use a

thesau
This is your chance to use as many adjectives as possible. rus to
give y
o
inspir u 
Here are some things to think about including in your writing: ation

Describe their initial reaction to having a stranger and a dog on the island
Describe what Michael and Stella looked like
Describe how Stella and Michael arrived
Describe how this would have made you feel. Did it remind you of anything?
Describe how the relationship between Michael and Kensuke changes over time.
Describe Michael and Stellas departure and the effect it had on Kensuke.

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 MICHAEL MORPURGO

Kensukes Kingdom Lesson Activities

Activity 10: Writing from another point of view

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 MICHAEL MORPURGO

Kensukes Kingdom Lesson Activities

Activity 11: Research

Kensuke refers to a war in Japan that forced him to leave his country and start life again
on the island. Do some research to find out more about the war that Kensuke refers to.
Use these questions to help you get started on your research. Record your findings in note
form. Maybe include some photographs if you can find any.

Which war is Kensuke referring to? Who won the war?

Which countries were involved in the war? What happened to Nagasaki?
When did the war take place? What is an atomic bomb?

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 MICHAEL MORPURGO

Kensukes Kingdom Lesson Activities

 MICHAEL MORPURGO

Kensukes Kingdom Lesson Activities

Activity 12: Writing a letter

At the end of the book, Michael Morpurgo includes a postscript.

Dear Michael,
I write to tell you, in my bad English, that my name is Michiya Ogawa. I am the son
of Dr Kensuke Ogawa. Until I read your book I thought my father had died in the war.
My mother died only three years ago still believing this. As you say in your book,
we lived in Nagasaki, but we were very lucky. Before the bomb fell we went into the
countryside to see my grandmother for a few days. So we lived.
I have no memories of my father, only some photographs and your book. It would be
a pleasure to talk to someone who knew my father as you did. Maybe one day we could
meet. I hope so.
With my best wishes,
Michiya Ogawa.

Imagine that Kensuke has just found out that his son is still alive.

Dear Father,
English author, Michael
After reading a book called Kensukes Kingdom by an
these years of thinking you
Morpurgo, I have discovered that you are alive! After all
I have so many questions I want
were dead. I cannot explain how happy this makes me and
to ask you.
mother. She died three years
However, I imagine you would like to hear about my
kept each other company and
ago believing that you had died. She was very sad but we
bomb fell as we went to see
talked about you a lot. We were very lucky that day the
until the bombs stopped.
grandma out in the countryside. We stayed with grandma
it has been rebuilt and there
For many years Nagasaki was an ugly place but now
my son, who is named Kensuke
are people who do not even remember the bombing. Like
after you.
you lived all this time?
Please write to me telling me all your news. Where have
How did you come to be on an island?
Your son, Michiya

Write a letter as Kensuke in response to Michiyas letter, explaining what happened.

Use your research, the newspaper articles and the text to help you.
 MICHAEL MORPURGO

Kensukes Kingdom Lesson Activities

Activity 12: Writing a letter

Dear Michiya,
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Love from Kensuke

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 MICHAEL MORPURGO

Kensukes Kingdom Lesson Activities

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 MICHAEL MORPURGO

Kensukes Kingdom Lesson Activities

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