STARSEEKER
Teachers’ Resources
By
Frances Gregory
CONTENTS
Introduction
3
Overview for Scheme of Work
4–5
Navigator
6–7
Lesson Plans and Worksheets
Assessment
8–56
57
Acknowledgements
The author and publishers are grateful for permission to include the following copyright material in this
resource:
Extract from Tim Bowler’s website, author notes, and press release, used by permission of Tim Bowler.
We have tried to trace and contact all copyright holders before publication. If notified, the publishers will be
pleased to rectify any errors or omissions at the earliest opportunity.
Illustrations:
Barking Dog Art
INTRODUCTION
English teachers don’t need to be told the
enormous value and pleasure of reading whole
texts as class readers. Little compares with that
feeling when a class are truly engaged in the
reading of a really good book. Fortunately,
contemporary writers of fiction for young adults
continue to offer us fresh opportunities to enjoy
literature with our students.
focuses and the resources available for each
lesson.
Oxford Rollercoasters is a series that offers
teachers the opportunity of studying first-class
novels as whole-class readers with Year 7, 8,
and 9 students. Each set of materials has been
written in response to the diverse needs of
students in that key stage.
The Navigator offers a clear plot summary,
identifying the stages in the structure of the
novel. It is designed to help teachers adapt the
pace and detail of work according to the needs
of their class.
Focus on assessment of reading
Oxford Rollercoasters includes titles with varied
themes, challenging subject matter and
engaging plots. For example, Noughts and
Crosses takes a contemporary slant on racism,
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas explores the
holocaust through the eyes of a young German
boy, Iqbal tells the real-life story of young Iqbal
Masih, whose courageous rebellion against child
slavery eventually cost him his life.
Lesson Plans suggest particular Framework
objectives, but the Word files can be adapted to
suit the level of progression for each particular
class. All Worksheets and OHTs can be easily
adapted for differentiation.
Each Teacher’s Pack contains suggested
Guided reading sessions as well as the
opportunity to develop further specific group
teaching.
Every set of lesson plans ends with its own
student Reading Assessment Progress sheet,
based on the assessment focuses, which can be
used to identify areas for student development in
line with APP (Assessing Pupils’ Progress).
Reading Guide
In the latest wave of Rollercoasters, each novel
is accompanied by innovative and engaging
teaching materials, designed to help all students
access the texts and also to reflect the changes
in the National Curriculum Programmes of Study
and the renewed Framework. The key concepts
of competence, creativity, cultural and critical
understanding are clearly addressed, and the
schemes offer a wide range of cross-curricular
opportunities.
Rollercoasters continues to be written by
practising teachers and consultants, and draws
on approaches to reading fiction recommended
by the English strand of the Secondary National
Strategy. The latest teaching materials are firmly
based on the reading strands and sub-strands of
the renewed Framework, though teaching plans
include approaches to literature through oral
work, drama and media. Theories behind both
assessment for learning and thinking skills are
evident in the lesson plans.
Time-saving resources
In each on-line Teaching Pack there is a
compact Overview which summarizes the work
scheme, identifies the relevant key concepts, the
Framework sub-strands that are tackled, the
learning outcomes, the relevant assessment
Each of the novels has its own student Reading
Guide – an accessible, magazine-style booklet,
packed with visual, textual and activity materials
to help engage students in their study of the
novel. Each one features writer’s craft material
to enhance and enrich the students’ appreciation
of the author’s skills, offering communication
with real writers that is recommended in the new
Programmes of Study. Original drafts and
commentary from the authors of the novels
provide valuable insight into the process of
writing.
Ideas for wider reading and for the extension of
independent reading are provided in the
Pathways section at the end of the Reading
Guide.
Oxford Rollercoasters provides first-class
teaching resources for first-class contemporary
fiction. The series is designed to engage the
widest possible range of students in reading for
pleasure, and we feel confident that it will
contribute to those memorable experiences of
reading together in the secondary classroom.
Frances Gregory
Series Edit
Oxford Rollercoasters: Starseeker © OUP 2009. This may be reproduced solely within the purchaser’s school or college.
3
OXFORD ROLLERCOASTERS
Starseeker
Overview
OVERVIEW FOR SCHEME OF WORK
Lesson and focus
(Book chapter)
Key concepts
Reading AFs
Reading strategies
Framework sub-strands
Rollercoasters
resources
1 Response to
character
Pages 1–22
(Chapters 1–3)
Competence
Critical understanding
AF2
AF3
AF6
Reading between the
lines
Predicting
5.1 Developing and adapting active reading
skills and strategies
5.2 Understanding and responding to ideas,
viewpoint, themes and purposes in texts
5.3 Reading and engaging with a wide and
varied range of texts
WS: 1a, 1b
RG: pp. 4–5
2 Setting and
relationships
Pages 23–50
(Chapters 4–5)
Creativity
Critical understanding
AF2
AF3
AF6
Visualizing
Interpreting ideas/images
4.1 Using different dramatic approaches to
explore ideas, texts and issues
5.1 Developing and adapting active reading
skills and strategies
5.2 Understanding and responding to ideas,
viewpoint, themes and purposes in texts
WS: 2a, 2b
RG: 6–7
3 Character
Pages 51–67
(Chapters 6–7)
Critical understanding
AF 2
AF 3
AF 6
Rereading
Asking questions
4.1 Using different dramatic approaches to
explore ideas, texts and issues
5.1 Developing and adapting active reading
skills and strategies
5.2 Understanding and responding to ideas,
viewpoint, themes and purposes in texts
WS: 3a, 3b, 3c
RG: p. 8
4 Tension and fear
Pages 68–114
(Chapters 8–10,
and 11–12 for
homework)
Competence
Critical understanding
AF4
AF5
Feeling
Empathizing
6.2 Analysing how writers’ use of linguistic and
literary features shapes and influences meaning
6.3 Analysing writers’ use of organization,
structure, layout and presentation
10.2 Commenting on language use
WS: 4a, 4b
5 Narrative interest
Pages 115–140
(Chapters 13–15)
Competence
Critical understanding
AF4
AF5
Passing comments and
judgements
Rationalizing
5.2 Understanding and responding to ideas,
viewpoint, themes and purposes in texts
6.2 Analysing how writers’ use of linguistic and
literary features shapes and influences meaning
10.2 Commenting on language use
WS: 5a, 5b
6 Character
Pages 141–156
(Chapters 16–17)
Critical understanding
AF3
AF6
Deducing evidence
Passing judgments
5.1 Developing and adapting active reading
skills and strategies
5.2 Understanding and responding to ideas,
viewpoints, themes and purposes in texts
WS: 6a
7 The title
Pages 157–179
(Chapters 18–20)
Creativity
Critical understanding
AF4
AF5
AF6
Interpreting images
Asking questions
Predicting
5.1 Developing and adapting active reading
skills and strategies
6.2 Analysing how writers’ use of linguistic and
literary features shapes and
influences meaning
10.2 Commenting on language use
WS: 7a
RG: pp. 9–10
8 Theme/music
Pages 180–202
(Chapters 21–22)
Creativity
Critical understanding
Cultural understanding
AF3
AF6
Rereading
Interpret patterns
5.1 Developing and adapting active reading
skills and strategies
5.2 Understanding and responding to ideas,
viewpoint, themes and purposes in texts
6.2 Analysing how writers’ use of linguistic and
literary features shapes and
influences meaning
10.2 Commenting on language use
WS: 8a, 8b, 8c, 8d
RG: pp. 8–11
9 Character and
mystery
Pages 203–241
(Chapters 23–24,
and 25–26 for
homework)
Competence
Critical understanding
AF3
AF4
Rereading
Re-interpreting
Empathizing
4.1 Using different dramatic approaches to
explore ideas, texts and issues
5.1 Developing and adapting active reading
skills and strategies
5.2 Understanding and responding to ideas,
viewpoint, themes and purposes in texts
WS: 9a
RG: p. 14
Oxford Rollercoasters: Starseeker © OUP 2009. This may be reproduced solely within the purchaser’s school or college.
4
OXFORD ROLLERCOASTERS
Starseeker
Overview
Lesson and focus
(Book chapter)
Key concepts
Reading AFs
Reading strategies
Framework sub-strands
Rollercoasters
resources
10 The escape
Pages 242–260
(Chapters 27–28)
Competence
Creativity
Critical understanding
AF4
AF5
AF6
Empathizing
Feeling
Passing judgements
6.2 Analysing how writers’ use of linguistic and
literary features shapes and
influences meaning
6.3 Analysing writers’ use of organization,
structure, layout and presentation
10.2 Commenting on language use
WS: 4a, 10a, 10b
RG: pp. 12–13
11 Resolution
Pages 261–284
(Chapters 29–30)
Creativity
Critical understanding
AF4
AF6
Rereading
Seeing patterns
Passing judgements
4.1 Using different dramatic approaches to
explore ideas, texts and issues
5.2 Understanding and responding to ideas,
viewpoint, themes and purposes in texts
6.3 Analysing writers’ use of organization,
structure, layout and presentation
WS: 11a, 11b, 11c
RG: p. 13
12 Resolution
Pages 285–-301
(Chapter 31)
Creativity
Critical understanding
Cultural understanding
AF4
AF6
Empathizing
Reinterpreting
Seeing patterns
5.2 Understanding and responding to ideas,
viewpoint, themes and purposes in texts
6.3 Analysing writers’ use of organization,
structure, layout and presentation
WS: 12a, 12b, 12c,
12d, 12e, 12f, 11c
13 Resolution and
end
Pages 301–323
(Chapters 32–33)
Creativity
Critical understanding
AF4
AF6
Passing judgements
Reinterpreting
5.2 Understanding and responding to ideas,
viewpoint, themes and purposes in texts
6.3 Analysing writers’ use of organization,
structure, layout and presentation
WS: 13a, 13b, 11c
RG: p. 15
14 Review
Whole novel
Creativity
Critical understanding
Cultural understanding
AF6
AF7
Relating to other reading
experiences
Passing judgements
Drawing comparisons
5.3 Reading and engaging with a wide and
varied range of texts
6.1 Relating texts to the social, historical and
cultural contexts in which they were
written
RG
WS: 14a, 14b
15 Review
Whole novel
Competence
Critical understanding
Cultural understanding
AF6
AF7
Relating to other reading
experiences
Passing judgements
1.2 Understanding and responding to what
speakers say in formal and informal
contexts
5.3 Reading and engaging with a wide and
varied range of texts
7.2 Using and adapting the conventions and
forms of texts
RG and if possible,
some of the novels
listed in the
Pathways section
on p. 16.
Progression: teachers’ choice of this text should be influenced by the degree to which the study of
Starseeker will allow a class to make appropriate progress in their knowledge and skills of reading.
Starseeker offers excellent opportunities to develop students’ skills in the interpretation of patterns
within a text, such as: tracing themes; noticing repetitions of ideas or images; finding connections
between events or characters or places or ideas; tracing narrative structure. The language of the novel
also offers teachers the chance to analyse a writer’s creation of mood and atmosphere with a class.
Cross-curricular links: strong opportunities to link with music, PSHE, art and religious education. Mrs
Little’s experience also offers opportunities to discuss aspects of the Second World War and the Battle
of Britain.
Oxford Rollercoasters: Starseeker © OUP 2009. This may be reproduced solely within the purchaser’s school or college.
5
OXFORD ROLLERCOASTERS
Starseeker
Navigator
NAVIGATOR
Chapter
Plot outline
Chapter 1
Fourteen-year-old Luke Stanton – an evidently sensitive boy who plays the piano – is pressured by a gang of boys to break
into The Grange to steal a precious box from an old lady who lives alone in this neglected old house. Once inside, Luke
discovers not the box but a little girl, whose plaintive voice and weeping so disturbs him that he runs from the house without
further thought of his original purpose.
Chapter 2
Luke flees to his haven in the Buckland Forest – to the old oak tree that was the favourite haunt of his father. Luke has yet to
be reconciled to the death of his father which happened two years ago. The gang – Skin, Daz and Speed – are furious with
Luke’s failure to rob the old lady at The Grange. Though Luke hides from them in his old oak tree, the gang leader, Skin, waits
until Luke leaves the tree, and beats him up, viciously.
Chapter 3
Luke struggles home, more worried by the girl he has found and her tiny, haunting voice, than by his injuries. He is not happy
to find his mother’s boyfriend, Roger Gilmore, leaving the house as he arrives home.
Chapter 4
Luke’s mother is suspicious of his wounds, but he is evasive. He quickly becomes defensive and aggressive in response to
her comments about his current ‘friends’ (Skin and the gang) and yet he is clearly not happy about them himself. He and his
mother know that he has changed for the worse in recent months. Alone in his room, he hears his mother playing the piano
which makes him recall the strange little girl and the forest trees. That night he has vivid dreams about his father, the oak tree
and a bright star.
Chapter 5
Luke tries to avoid Skin the next day but fails, and has to accept Skin’s command that he return to The Grange that night. Luke
meets Roger Gilmore and a school friend, Miranda Davis, who discuss a wooden sculpture of a dancing figure that Roger has
made for Miranda’s mother. Again, Luke finds himself thinking of the mysterious girl at The Grange. Luke agrees to help
Miranda prepare her flute piece for a musical concert in their village. Though Roger tries to be pleasant with Luke, Luke
resents him, disapproving of his relationship with his mother.
Chapter 6
Luke visits his music teacher, Mr Harding, who is an eccentric but affable old man. Mr Harding understands that Luke is
troubled by hearing sounds not heard by others. He also senses that Luke is anxious. They discuss what Luke might play at
the concert and Mr Harding agrees that Luke’s options can remain open. Luke is still haunted by strange noises – the girl’s
voice, a deep roaring sound and a strangely familiar yet unknown melody.
Chapter 7
At home, Luke goes to check his emails and, guiltily, his mother’s, discovering how serious her relationship with Roger
Gilmore actually is. Wildly, he attempts to email his father, and within minutes he is, yet again, hearing that melody, and
contemplating with some dread the night ahead and his return to The Grange.
Chapter 8
Luke and the gang return to The Grange and Luke breaks in again. He discovers the box, but realizes that he is being
watched: Mrs Little is standing behind him.
Chapter 9
Mrs Little tells him that she has phoned the police and Luke is deeply worried about the consequences of his actions.
However, Mrs Little engages him in conversation and introduces him to the strange little girl who proves to be blind. Mrs Little
challenges him to do something good and not to waste his talent, eventually, asking him to come to The Grange again to play
her piano for the benefit of her granddaughter. She swears him to secrecy.
Chapter 10
Luke faces the gang again, pretending that he has searched the house and failed to uncover the precious box. Skin does not
believe Luke’s story and threatens him once again. Luke struggles home, worried by his situation and yet again hears the
strange melody which continues to develop with the introduction of new and more varied sounds.
Chapter 11
Luke has breakfast with his mother. She tries to talk to him about his father, about his friends and about her friends, but he is
difficult to talk to, questioning his mother’s relationship with Roger Gilmore.
Chapter 12
Luke visits his father’s grave and, as a result, arrives late for the practice session with Miranda. She, too, recognizes that Luke
is struggling with his life, but they focus on their music and Luke begins to enjoy it. Quite suddenly Luke, once again, hears the
strange melody that has been haunting him – yet another element is added to the piece in his imagination.
Chapter 13
The gang meet in Luke’s old oak tree. Skin demands that they return to The Grange at midnight that night, and hints at
dreadful consequences if Luke lets him down yet again.
Chapter 14
Luke’s mother tells him that she has received some silent telephone calls. Luke discovers they were from Mrs Little, who later
comes to his house to beg him to come to The Grange to play her piano for her granddaughter. That night, Luke deliberately
fails to go with the gang to The Grange at midnight. As he lies in bed, he hears the strange music again, and with it, he
dreams of colours and shapes that end with a five-pointed star. He is woken from his dream by a torch beam – it’s Skin, ready
to punish him for failing their rendezvous at The Grange.
Chapter 15
Luke fakes an email from his mother to excuse himself from school and, making it look as though he is going to school as
usual, he escapes to The Grange.
Chapter 16
At The Grange, Mrs Little tells him the story of the little girl – how her parents were killed in a car crash, how she needed
someone to care for her and how she took her from a care home that was inadequate. She also tells Luke that a visit from the
piano tuner made her aware that the little girl – Natalie – loved piano music.
Chapter 17
Luke plays the piano for Natalie. She is entranced by his playing and he is entranced by her trusting, gentle nature. She calls
him ‘Funny Ears’.
Chapter 18
Luke, hiding in the oak tree until it’s time for school to end, contemplates the little girl’s response to him. On the way home, he
passes Roger Gilmore’s house and glimpses his mother and Roger together. He goes back to the graveyard where he is
found by Miranda. She senses he is troubled and tries to confront him with the reality that his father is dead. He resists her
challenge but they return to her home to continue their music practice.
Chapter 19
Under pressure from Luke, his mother declines a proposal of marriage from Roger Gilmore. They go for a walk together, and
begin to discuss how his father used to hear sounds and see shapes associated with those sounds, as Luke does.
Chapter 20
Luke dreams of his father again, but again is woken by Skin. This time, Skin is throwing stones at his window. As he tries to
block out the threat of Skin, he finds himself recalling how he used to listen to his father playing music, like Natalie does with
his piano playing. The next morning he finds a new email from his mother to Roger Gilmore – Luke now knows that he has
prevented them from being together and he feels guilty, but he must return to The Grange and sends another email to his
teachers, disguised as one from his mother.
Oxford Rollercoasters: Starseeker © OUP 2009. This may be reproduced solely within the purchaser’s school or college.
6
OXFORD ROLLERCOASTERS
Starseeker
Navigator
Chapter
Plot outline
Chapter 21
Luke plays all sorts of music for Natalie. She draws him a star in the dust on the piano. When he starts to play ‘Peace of The
Forest’, Natalie tells him that she can see trees and sunlight. He starts to ask her about her previous life and suddenly Natalie
starts to hum a tune. He recognizes that the tune is one his father used to play and asks Natalie if that too makes her see
things. She replies ‘Barley’ and he assumes she means fields of barley.
Chapter 22
Luke visits Mr Harding. His main reason is to find out what the tune that Natalie was humming is actually called. At the same
time, though, he talks to Mr Harding about all the sounds that he is hearing, and Mr Harding explains that his father also had
experience of hearing sounds and associating sounds with shapes and colours, including shining five pointed stars. Luke
discovers that Natalie was humming a piece of music by Tchaikovsky, called ‘Reverie’.
Chapter 23
Luke’s mother finds out about Luke’s absence from school. She and Luke have to attend a meeting at school. Luke is
desperate to avoid Skin and his friends and fortunately, Miranda helps him do so. She, and everyone else, is still unaware of
his visits to The Grange.
Chapter 24
Luke returns to The Grange where he finds Mrs Little and Natalie in a terrible state. Neither has slept for days and Natalie is
weeping inconsolably. Luke plays ‘Reverie’ and miraculously, Natalie falls into peaceful sleep. When Luke carries Natalie up to
sleep in Mrs Little’s bedroom, he finds the precious box. It contains not the jewels or money that Skin imagined but old
photographs and letters – Luke uncovers Mrs Little’s past and evidence of her husband that died in The Battle of Britain during
the Second World War. He also finds a tiny identify bracelet in the box, which is engraved with the name Barley May Roberts.
He takes the bracelet when he goes home that day.
Chapter 25
Luke discovers that Barley May Roberts is actually a missing child. He realizes that Mrs Little’s story about being Natalie’s
grandmother may be false, and phones Natalie/Barley’s real parents. He establishes that Mrs Little is no relation at all of
Barley, and that, as a baby in the womb, Barley loved the tune ‘Reverie’. Indeed, Mrs Roberts had once attended a concert
where the pianist, Matthew Stanton, played that very piece of music.
Chapter 26
Making careful arrangements with Mr and Mrs Roberts, Luke returns to The Grange, with the intention of removing Barley so
that she can be returned to her real parents. While Mrs Little is making hot chocolate, Luke makes his escape and takes
Barley to the Buckland Forest.
Chapter 27
Luke and Barley listen to the sounds made by the trees. Luke hums the tune of ‘Reverie’ and this keeps her happy. He follows
the arrangements he has made with Mr and Mrs Roberts who arrive in the forest to collect Barley without Luke being seen by
them. Luke is deeply content when he sees the child and parents re-united.
Chapter 28
However Skin has finally tracked down Luke. Luke seeks refuge in his old oak tree but Skin sets fire to it. Luke tries to escape
the choking flames and fumes by climbing to the end of a branch, but falls.
Chapter 29
Luke recovers in hospital to find out that Roger Gilmore has saved his life. Luke now feels differently about Roger’s
relationship with his mother. Luke is also anxious that the musical concert should go ahead as planned.
Chapter 30
Luke, his mother and Roger are reconciled. Luke finds out that the gang have been taken into custody and that Skin will face
serious charges for attempted murder. Luke, however, fears for Mrs Little whom he knows will have been deeply troubled by
his removal of her little Natalie.
Chapter 31
Bravely, Luke returns to The Grange to make his peace with Mrs Little. The true story of Natalie is told, and Luke and Mrs
Little have a frank discussion about her actions. She asks Luke to play for her once more – this time a piece by Scriabin that
her husband loved. Luke refuses to play the music at The Grange, telling her that she must attend the concert if she wishes to
hear it. She feels unable to attend such a public event and it looks as though Luke will play the piece without her. Luke goes
home to practise for the concert, and memories of Barley, mixed with memories of his father and that recurring melody he has
been developing in his imagination result in the composition of a new piece of music.
Chapter 32
The concert takes place. Miranda’s flute piece is perfect. Just as Luke is to begin the Scriabin piece, Mrs Little does arrive and
he dedicates to her. She is deeply moved and his piano playing is so excellent that the audience ask for an encore. Luke plays
his new composition, at the end of which the audience are stunned with admiration before they begin to clap. Everyone
gathers round Luke. All his family and friends gather round to congratulate him, and he introduces Mrs Little to them all. As
everyone makes their way home, Luke and Miranda take a walk to the forest.
Chapter 33
Luke takes Miranda to the old oak tree. He senses the spirit of his father so strongly that he actually sees him by the tree, but
Luke recognizes that his father is now satisfied that Luke is fulfilling his potential as a musician. Luke feels deeply satisfied. He
can live his life to the full. He and Miranda kiss – it is the future that now matters and Luke knows the direction he needs to
take.
Oxford Rollercoasters: Starseeker © OUP 2009. This may be reproduced solely within the purchaser’s school or college.
7
OXFORD ROLLERCOASTERS
Starseeker
Lesson 1
LESSON 1
Sub-strands: 5.1; 5.2; 5.3
Focus: Chapters 1–2
Response to character
Learning outcomes
Students will be able to:
 Use relevant textual evidence to make
judgements about characters
 Make predictions about plot based on initial
responses to character
Engage
As students enter the classroom, play ‘Peace of
the Forest by Grieg’, available at
www.timbowler.co.uk/media-hi.html. Ask
students to jot down anything the music makes
them imagine or visualize, or any emotions or
memories that are stimulated. Briefly, share and
explore initial thoughts before moving on,
indicating that the novel they are about to start
reading makes several references to music and
how it can stimulate ideas.
Distribute Starseeker and the Reading Guide.
Using the Pathways (page 16) explain to
students that they are expected to read at least
one of these book titles while they are studying
Starseeker.
Explore
Using the Reading Guide, page 4 (First Voices),
explore one of Tim Bowler’s inspirations for
Starseeker – a little girl from one of his school
visits, whose tiny voice becomes so crucial in his
novel. Focus on the novel’s opening words, as
printed in the Reading Guide, using the
questions that follow.
Then, setting aside the Reading Guide, pin up
four character outlines on a prepared space on
the wall. These outlines represent Luke, Skin,
Speed and Daz. Start reading Starseeker,
asking students to focus on these named
characters. As you read with the class, use a
display version of WS1a to model picking out
key character points, e.g. Speed has ‘fat stubby
fingers’ page 1 and prompting inferences based
on specific words, e.g. Luke is afraid of Skin’s
‘face as fierce as fire’ page 2.
Continue to read to the end of chapter,
prompting students’ selection and inference,
e.g. Luke is the outsider in this group (evidence
page 3, ‘you want to be part of this gang’ and
inference, he is the only one without a
nickname); Luke plays the piano, p3 ‘clear off
back to your piano playing’; Luke’s dad has died,
page 8 ‘since Dad died’. Once points are
collected, model selecting and writing key details
onto sticky notes to stick on the appropriate
outline. Look for short, pertinent quotations to
prove a point. Draw out that we are seeing
events through Luke’s eyes, even though the
novel is written in the third person. You may
wish to question why the author chose not to
write in the first person.
What questions do the class have at the end of
this chapter? What predictions do they have
about how the plot will develop?
Transform
Students read Chapter 2 independently, using
WS1b to collect points, to note inferences about
characters, to look for answers, and to record
more questions. When they have finished that
reading, ask them to use the Reading Guide
(Can you depend on your friends? pages 4/5) to
prompt further thoughts. Ask them to prepare
key points and to select evidence about each
character on sticky notes, as previously
modelled. Remind them to use short, relevant
quotations as proof.
Review and reflect
Students post up their notes and share answers
to the Reading Guide questions. Point out how
Skin’s physical power over Luke is shown by
muscular verbs, e.g. ‘pounded’, ‘jerked’,
‘dragged’ and by his abusive language: ‘chicken
bastard’ (page 16).
Ask the class how helpful they have found the
method of recording key points as a way of
developing their sense of character? Suggest
they continue to use the method as they meet
further characters. What questions do they still
have? What predictions have they to make?
Homework
Students will need their novels for this
homework. Tell them it focuses on setting.
Firstly, they must try to draw a very rough
diagram/sketch of The Grange as Luke sees it in
chapter 1 – outside and inside. Then, reading
Chapter 3, see if they can visualize the
geography of Luke’s village, noting down the
specific places mentioned and who lives there.
Oxford Rollercoasters: Starseeker © OUP 2009. This may be reproduced solely within the purchaser’s school or college.
8
OXFORD ROLLERCOASTERS
Starseeker
Lesson 1
Worksheet 1a
Chapter 1
Use this sheet to record some key points as you read.
Some examples have been given to help you.
What we are told about characters:
Speed is overweight, ‘his fat stubby fingers’ (page 1)
Luke is afraid of Skin, ‘Skin flashed an angry glance at him’ (page 2)
Mrs Little has lived at The Grange for two years (page 2)
What else we can infer or deduce about characters:
Skin seems to be the ringleader of the group of boys (pages 1 and 2)
Questions that are suggested by the story:
Whose voice is Luke hearing?
Why is she weeping (page 1)
Questions that are answered in this chapter:
Oxford Rollercoasters: Starseeker © OUP 2009. This may be reproduced solely within the purchaser’s school or college.
9
OXFORD ROLLERCOASTERS
Starseeker
Lesson 1
Worksheet 1b
Chapter 2
Use this sheet to record some key points as you read.
Some examples have been given to help you.
What we are told about characters:
Luke loves the old oak tree because he associates it with his Dad (page
12) ‘the place Dad had loved’.
Skin is violent and aggressive – he beats Luke up (page 16) ‘the fist simply
pounded into him again’.
What else we can infer or deduce about characters:
Luke is unhappy with himself (page 14) ‘he just wasn’t a very nice person
any more’.
Questions that are suggested by the story:
What will Skin do to Luke when he catches him? (page 11)
Why does Luke think he is losing his mother? (page 14)
What will Skin do next time? (page 17)
Why does Luke dislike Roger Gilmore? (page 20)
Questions that are answered in this chapter:
Luke’s mother has a boyfriend – Roger Gilmore.
Oxford Rollercoasters: Starseeker © OUP 2009. This may be reproduced solely within the purchaser’s school or college.
10
OXFORD ROLLERCOASTERS
Starseeker
Lesson 2
LESSON 2
Sub-strands: 4.1; 5.1; 5.2
Focus: Chapters 4–5
Setting and relationships
Learning outcomes
Students will be able to:
 Develop mental picture of a key setting in
the novel based on text
 Use a diagram to represent the initial state
of relationships in the novel
Engage
Ask students to compare outlines of the house in
pairs, before distributing the Reading Guide to
compare their idea of the outside with the
drawing on page 6. Emphasize that this is no
more ‘correct’ than their version – both are
based on what we are told. Share words that the
class think apply to The Grange. Then, ask
students, working in pairs, to follow the task on
page 6. Use ‘Peace of The Forest’ by Grieg as
background music, again, using the music
supplied on Tim Bowler’s website.
Explore
Ask individuals to mention the other places that
matter in Luke’s village (mentioned in Chapter
3). Then, using the Reading Guide pages 6 and
7 review what the reader already knows about
Luke and the characters that live around him.
Draw out the tensions that surround Luke,
pointing out Luke’s own view of himself as he
thinks about helping the little girl he sees in the
Grange: ‘it was a long time since he had done
something good, or so it felt. He didn’t know why
this was. Maybe he just wasn’t a very nice
person any more… he found it hard even to talk
to people nowadays’ (page 14).
Tell students that as they read on, they must
track some key themes through the whole novel
– all things that are important to Luke and his
future. Distribute WS2a that identifies the five
key things:
1. The oak tree
2. Stars
3. The girl’s voice
4. Other sounds heard by Luke
5. Any reference to a piece of music – title
and composer.
examples on WS2a – model doing this for
students at first.
Read Chapters 4 and 5. Draw out the
relationship between Luke and other characters
as a shared focus.
Transform
Dwell on two key moments:
1. Page 28 ‘Luke, some time or other
you’ve got to bring yourself to talk to me
about Dad’. Ask one student to sculpt
two other students into position as Luke
and Mum when this is said. Ask other
students to name the space between
the two characters at this point, i.e. use
an appropriate descriptive word, such as
love, distrust, betrayal, disappointment,
etc.
2. Do the same with Roger Gilmore and
Luke when Luke says to him, on page
49 ‘I can’t help the way you feel.’
Distribute WS2b. Model the use of this sheet to
place characters in relation to Luke, annotating
to elaborate on relationships, as in the sculpting
exercise. The Reading Guide also supports this
activity. The drama activity can be repeated at
any stage in the novel for a new character or for
a change in the relationship.
Review and reflect
Ask the students what has been learnt about
Luke’s relationships with others, so far. How did
the sculpting exercise help?
How does Luke feel about himself? Read for
them again page 32 from ‘He closed the door
behind him and this time… as dry and barren as
the rest of his life’.
Homework
Students try mapping out relationships with a set
number of characters – according to student
needs. This is a continuation of work done in
class.
A wall display copy of the relationships chart,
enlarged, could be added to as students
progress through the novel, including new
characters as they emerge.
Give suitable groups of students one of the
above five key themes to track. Page references
or very short quotations will suffice, as in the
Oxford Rollercoasters: Starseeker © OUP 2009. This may be reproduced solely within the purchaser’s school or college.
11
OXFORD ROLLERCOASTERS
Starseeker
Lesson 2
Worksheet 2a
Tracking key themes
Track one of the following:
1. The oak tree
2. Stars
3. The girl’s voice
4. Other sounds heard by Luke but not by others
5. Any reference to a piece of music with title and/or composer.
Tracking of ____________________ by ____________________________
Page
Word, phrase, fact – relevant to your focus
Continue on a fresh sheet.
Oxford Rollercoasters: Starseeker © OUP 2009. This may be reproduced solely within the purchaser’s school or college.
12
OXFORD ROLLERCOASTERS
Starseeker
Lesson 2
Worksheet 2b
Luke’s relationships – family and friends
Cut out the character profiles below. Arrange them on a sheet of A3 paper to show the characters’
relationships with each other at the start of the novel.
When you have placed the characters, draw lines between them, adding labels which describe how
the characters feel about each other, e.g. ‘uneasy’, ‘distant’, ‘detached’. Add further short comment
that you think is important:
Skin
Kirsti Stanton
Mr Harding
Mrs Little
Matthew Stanton
Luke Stanton
Roger Gilmore
Speed
Miranda Davis
Daz
For example:
Mum tries to help
him but he pushes
her away.
uneasy
distrust
Kirsti Stanton
fear
Luke Stanton
Skin
Luke has not come to terms with
the death of his father, and is
uneasy with his mother.
You can record these relationship patterns on a wall chart, adding more patterns as you meet more
characters, or as their relationships change.
Oxford Rollercoasters: Starseeker © OUP 2009. This may be reproduced solely within the purchaser’s school or college.
13
OXFORD ROLLERCOASTERS
Starseeker
Lesson 3
LESSON 3
Sub-strands: 4.1, 5.1, 5.2
Focus: Chapters 6–7
Character
Learning outcomes
Students will be able to:
 Trace and collate points on writer’s
presentation of Luke’s musical talents
 Establish the function of Mr Harding in the
novel
Engage
Students peer review their character charts from
homework. A class, shared version can reflect
the consensus or show a variety of views.
Draw out key points about Luke’s relationships
before moving on, asking particular students to
explain their charts in more detail.
Explore
How would students feel if they were Luke,
given what we know of his situation and the
characters around him? Briefly, hot-seat one or
more of the class as Luke and ask other
students to question him about the people
around him. Remind them of Luke’s reflections
at the end of Chapter 4. End by asking Luke –
what is it that you really want? Some students
may feel more empathy for Luke than others.
Allow responses to be discussed.
Move on to ask, why does Luke keep hearing
the girl crying? (Ask the group tracking the voice
to comment on the number of times this has
happened so far.) Why does he keep
associating her with other important things in his
life – music, his father, the forest? Is it
associations with his childhood? Or is there
some mysterious link between Luke and this
girl? Use the Reading Guide page 8 to stimulate
thinking. Re-read the dream sequence on pages
32–34 with students and invite them to interpret
the dream.
builds on skills practised in Lessons 1 and 2, so
remind the rest of the class to use inferring,
deducing and questioning as key strategies.
Remind students to continue their particular
tracking exercise with the five key things (started
in Lesson 2).
Review and reflect
Share ideas about:
a) Luke’s musical talent, e.g. he’s ultra-sensitive
to sound, page 53; music ‘consumes’ him, like
his father, ‘you have your father’s touch’, page
58, he’s so good that Mr Harding has no more to
teach him.
b) Mr Harding’s function in the novel, e.g. Is Mr
Harding a father figure? Is he the only trusted
male? Note that he speaks his mind and Luke
accepts it. He knows that Luke is a genius but
that Luke’s current mood prevents real
inspiration.
Students decide what details about Mr Harding
and Roger Gilmore can be added to their
character relationship charts. These can be
added to the displayed chart – the guided group
could take responsibility for this.
What further questions arise? For example, will
Luke’s mother marry Roger Gilmore? How does
Miranda feel about Luke and vice-versa? Is the
little girl’s voice some sort of inspiration to Luke,
like it was to Tim Bowler? Record the questions
so that students look for answers.
If there is time, play another piece of music
mentioned in the text and model the homework
task. (‘The Dance of the Blessed Spirits’ by
Gluck would be appropriate as Miranda chooses
this to play on her flute.)
Homework
Give students a particular piece of music or
musician mentioned in Starseeker to research,
as appropriate to ability/need. They can continue
this research as they read the whole novel.
WS3c supports this task.
Transform
Give students WS3a to focus their reading
(independent or group reading, as you prefer) of
Chapters 6 and 7. Use guided work and WS3b
with the group that have been collecting music
references. As this is the most straightforward of
the collecting tasks, this may be a lowerattaining group, and their guided work seeks to
consolidate inference and questioning. WS3a
www.timbowler.co.uk/media-hi.html This website
offers the key pieces of music used in the novel.
Oxford Rollercoasters: Starseeker © OUP 2009. This may be reproduced solely within the purchaser’s school or college.
14
OXFORD ROLLERCOASTERS
Starseeker
Lesson 3
Worksheet 3a
Group task for Chapters 6 and 7

Luke has a special musical talent. What do these chapters tell us about
his talent? How might it help Luke, as well as others, as Mr Harding
suggests on page 55?

What do we learn about Mr Harding? How and why is this character
important to Luke and to the story?

What words and quotations could you add to your relationships charts?
Any more on Roger Gilmore, for example?

What further questions do these chapters suggest?
Oxford Rollercoasters: Starseeker © OUP 2009. This may be reproduced solely within the purchaser’s school or college.
15
OXFORD ROLLERCOASTERS
Starseeker
Lesson 3
Worksheet 3b
Guided reading plan
Introduction
Teaching intention: to consolidate inference and deduction, to focus attention on key points about a
new and important character, to stimulate questioning as a strategy to increase engagement.
Strategy check
What reading strategies, that students have already used in reading Starseeker, will help to complete
WS3a? (Infer and deduce about Mr Harding, Luke and Roger Gilmore; pick out points about Mr
Harding or Roger Gilmore that will answer questions 2 and 3, ask questions.)
Example:
 Infer – Mr Harding understands Luke and manages Luke’s grumpiness, page 51, ‘Come and sit
down… I am sitting down… I mean away from the piano’.
 Pick out – Mr Harding seems to read Luke’s mind, page 52, ‘the old man seemed to catch his
thought’.
 Questions – Does Mr Harding act as a father figure? Why can’t Luke accept Roger Gilmore?
Independent reading
Students read the two chapters with the focus questions in their minds.
Sharing responses
Teaching intention: to identify that each student can:
 Pick out a detail from the text in answer to WS3a
 Make an inference based on the text in answer to WS3a – especially points about Luke’s musical
talents and feelings about others
 Frame a question based on these two chapters.
Review
Ask students to rate their confidence in the three strategies by holding thumbs upwards, sideways or
downwards for each skill.
Oxford Rollercoasters: Starseeker © OUP 2009. This may be reproduced solely within the purchaser’s school or college.
16
OXFORD ROLLERCOASTERS
Starseeker
Lesson 3
Worksheet 3c
Composer research
My musician is:
Date of birth and death:
Where he lived and worked:
Special things about him:
Piece of music mentioned in Starseeker:
When I listened to this piece of music I imagined:
Other things he is famous for:
A picture of your composer:
Oxford Rollercoasters: Starseeker © OUP 2009. This may be reproduced solely within the purchaser’s school or college.
17
OXFORD ROLLERCOASTERS
Starseeker
Lesson 4
LESSON 4
Sub-strands: 6.2, 6.3, 10.2
Focus: Chapters 8–10
(11 and 12 for homework)
Tension and fear
Learning outcomes
Students will be able to:
 Analyse how a writer builds tension in
narrative
Engage
Ask the class to recall what they know of Skin
and to check the role-on-the-wall for him. This
display needs to be developed during
subsequent reading. Ensure students focus on
his association with fire through his eyes, his
violent actions (expressed in muscular verbs),
aggressive language and his police record (page
41 gives examples of all these). Draw attention
to his threats and prompt students to notice how
these increase in intensity as Luke fails to meet
his demands.
What does the reader fear Skin might do to Luke
and why?
Explore
The focus for reading in this lesson is on how
Tim Bowler builds narrative tension in chapters
8, 9 and 10.
While reading Chapter 8, model to students the
identification of points that create tension. For
example, the opening sentence, Skin’s voice,
knowledge that the house is occupied and Luke
must break in, the delay in action as Luke asks
questions, his thumping heart, the moonlight, the
silence that meets him in the house (‘the house
ached with silence’). As the description
develops, tension drops when Luke does not
find the girl in her room, but then suddenly
increases when Mrs Little corners him at the end
of a chapter. Mark the levels of tension on a
scale of 1 to 5 on a tension graph (WS4a) – 5
being highest and o being the lowest.
would be suitable to accompany Luke for his
second break into The Grange, drawing together
the musical theme and the building of tension in
narrative. Students could also consider, if this
episode was filmed, how would the camera be
positioned? This would consolidate ideas about
Luke as focaliser as the camera would most
likely be positioned from his viewpoint.
Transform
Ask students to read Chapters 9 and 10, looking
for and noting levels of tension, using another
copy of WS4a. For example, tension remains
low once Mrs Little admits she has not contacted
the police, but rises steeply once Luke faces
Skin’s threats again. Encourage students to note
particular words, phrases and techniques that
help create tension.
Guided work can be done here, using WS4b to
support a group of suitable students. This
worksheet could also be adapted to support
independent work.
Review and reflect
Students compare their ideas of tension. What
words, phrases or techniques have the most
effect on the reader?
What is Luke’s greatest worry now? This can be
debated – is it Roger Gilmore? The little girl?
Skin? Ask students to justify their ideas with
textual evidence from Chapters 8, 9 and 10.
What is the reader’s greatest concern at this
stage in the novel (i.e. what creates the greatest
tension for the reader)? If it does not arise, draw
attention to the reader’s sympathy for Luke: the
receptive reader shares Luke’s fears.
Homework
Read Chapters 11 and 12. Ask students to
consider whether Luke’s relationships with
a) his mother
b) Miranda
improve or get worse in these two chapters.
Explain to students that they should be prepared
to talk about their views in the next lesson.
Suggest to the class that tension is usually
greatest when the reader is anticipating an
event, or has a question that is not being
answered. Writers create and build that tension
in the reader by using particular words, phrases
or techniques, as well as withholding information
and suggesting threats and dangers. You could
ask the class to suggest what sort of music
Oxford Rollercoasters: Starseeker © OUP 2009. This may be reproduced solely within the purchaser’s school or college.
18
OXFORD ROLLERCOASTERS
Starseeker
Lesson 4
Worksheet 4a
Tension graph
Mark a scale 1 to 5 vertically and put appropriate page numbers on the horizontal line.
Then complete your graph showing the rise and fall of tension.
Oxford Rollercoasters: Starseeker © OUP 2009. This may be reproduced solely within the purchaser’s school or college.
19
OXFORD ROLLERCOASTERS
Starseeker
Lesson 4
Worksheet 4b
Guided reading plan
Introduction
Teaching intention: to consolidate the effective use of textual evidence to support a tension graph
(WS4a).
Strategy check
Check that students have understood how to use the tension graph to chart how a writer structures a
reader’s response. In particular, check the use of textual evidence to support decisions, emphasizing
the need to select just a few key words at key moments.
Example:
 How Chapter 8 starts with some tension (6/10) at The Grange at midnight ‘a scarier place than it
had been before’.
 How the threat from Skin remains, ‘eyes smouldering’, page 68.
 How tension increases as Luke sets off on his own, ‘no way out of this’ (7/10), and rises as he
climbs in ‘there were no sounds of movement’ (8/10).
 How the chapter ends with a climax when he sees Mrs Little, ‘Mrs Little standing in the doorway’
(10/10).
Independent reading
Students read Chapters 9 and 10 looking for the rise or fall of suspense, noting key words and
phrases that they attach to those rises and falls.
Example:
 How Chapter 9 begins with suspense (10/10). Mrs Little has caught him, ‘a cordless phone in one
hand and a stick in the other’, page 75.
 How the tension stays high as she challenges him, ‘he felt only fear, fear of the consequences of all
this’, page 76.
Sharing responses
Teaching intention: to check progress and confirm that responses are backed up with relevant short
and pertinent textual references.
Review
Students peer review their use of textual evidence to back up their judgment of tension levels. How
effective is the use of a tension graph in helping them to notice how the writer is shaping their
response to a situation?
Oxford Rollercoasters: Starseeker © OUP 2009. This may be reproduced solely within the purchaser’s school or college.
20
OXFORD ROLLERCOASTERS
Starseeker
Lesson 5
LESSON 5
Sub-strands: 5.2, 6.2, 10.2
Focus: Chapters 13–15
Narrative interest
Learning outcome
Students will be able to:
 Analyse how a writer chooses character,
ideas and language to maintain narrative
interest
Engage
Ask pairs to tell each other what they felt about
Chapters 10 and 11. Share a few opinions as a
class, seeking ideas about how Luke’s mother
and Miranda add interest to the plot. Ask
students to identify where Miranda fits into the
relationships chart. Suggest also that Mum and
Miranda have particular functions in the plot, e.g.
Luke’s Mum allows Tim Bowler to reveal Luke’s
past, Miranda is the kind girl-friend that Luke
really needs, and she’s the love interest!
Before moving on, dwell on the end of Chapter
10 – what was that final paragraph about? Read
it through again to show how the language
appeals to the senses: the contrasts in colour;
the many sound effects (onomatopoeia); the
way Tim Bowler conveys strong feelings through
sentence structures.
Then read Chapters 13 and 15 with the class,
focusing on why Luke is telling lies. Is he
changing? Is he changing for the worse or for
the better? Ask students to note textual
evidence for their view. For example, ‘he knew
he had to protect them somehow, especially the
little girl’, Page 121.
Transform
Use WS5a to carry out a short guided session
on pages 130–32 to analyse the language. The
group that have been collecting star references
will run the review session, drawing on their
WS2a collection of points and displaying the
explanations they have composed. WS5b can
be used with the guided group and adapted for
the rest of the class, as required.
Review and reflect
Following feedback, focus discussion on what
sense the star/music/father theme is making
currently. Are these ideas stimulating reader
curiosity, or are they just baffling? Draw
attention to how often light and dark are used as
contrasts in the novel and ask students what
they think this might represent (e.g. good and
evil).
Explore
Ask students what interests them the most in
their reading so far: character, ideas or
language? All of these have been the focus of
work on the novel so far. Advise all students to
continue their WS2a tracking.
Read the opening two paragraphs of Chapter
13. Ask a student to sculpt Skin into position for
his words ‘Half an hour late…’. Ask another
student to sculpt Luke into position. Before
reading any further text, ask other students to
suggest:
a) what Skin is thinking – what he might say if he
said what he really felt
b) what Luke is thinking and feeling.
End the lesson by showing students the
computer images that are generated by music
on Windows media player screensaver, using
the piece ‘The Snow Is Dancing’. Music
available at: www.timbowler.co.uk/media-hi.html
Or, if you prefer, use Powerpoint to show a
slideshow of forest scenes as visual stimuli to
accompany the music.
Ask a few students to stand behind a sculpted
character and voice their inner thoughts. Sculpt
Daz and Speed into the scene. What are their
inner voices saying? What does all this reveal?
What sort of conflict emerges? Is Luke’s conflict
just with Skin? Are Daz and Speed thinking
similar or different things? Is their a conflict
inside Luke – his good and bad angel, as it
were?
Homework
Ask students to write up their language
analyses. Set some students to write their
explanations as full paragraphs, while others just
complete a neat version of WS5a.
Oxford Rollercoasters: Starseeker © OUP 2009. This may be reproduced solely within the purchaser’s school or college.
21
OXFORD ROLLERCOASTERS
Starseeker
Lesson 5
Worksheet 5a
Language analysis
Draw an arrow to indicate an appropriate place in
the text for the technique used. Add your own comment
on its effect.
Sentence length to add impact
He lay back on the bed and stared up at the
Appeal to senses
e.g. the word ‘limpid’
to describe the glow
of the moonlight
suggests a
transparent frostlike shine which
appeals to the
reader’s sense of
sight, and creates a
ghost-like
atmosphere.
ceiling. Darkness had not smothered it
completely; moonlight was breaking through a
gap in the curtains and throwing a limpid glow
over the surface. He closed his eyes and saw
under his brow the deep blue that had appeared
there before, and the splashes of gold against it,
forming slowly into a circle; and now, in the
middle, something new: a tiny white speck. The
sounds he had heard earlier started to pour
through him again. He heard the bell sound and
Repetition
the flute sound and the harp sound and the
buzzing sound and the sound of rushing water,
Vivid adjective(s)
all playing together in a weird, ethereal
symphony, then somehow, as he listened, it was
as though the different sounds all merged into
one: the deep oceanic roar that seemed to
Use of contrast,
including light and dark
pervade everything. He stared through the
golden circle at the white speck in the middle and
saw at last what it was.
A five-pointed star.
Starseeker pages 130–131
Oxford Rollercoasters: Starseeker © OUP 2009. This may be reproduced solely within the purchaser’s school or college.
22
OXFORD ROLLERCOASTERS
Starseeker
Lesson 5
Worksheet 5b
Guided work on language analysis
Introduction
Teaching intention: to develop students’ explanation of specific features of language.
Strategy check
Ask students to identify features of language that are used for effect, drawing on their previous work
on language use in Starseeker.
Use WS5a to check student level of understanding of the key features.
Independent reading (only two or three minutes for this)
Students’ re-reading enables them to pick out examples of each of the features required. If this is an
able group of students, it can be completed swiftly.
Sharing responses (the bulk of the available time)
Teaching intention: to develop detailed explanation of the EFFECT of the use of the language
features.
 Student picks out a detail from the text in answer to WS5a.
 Student is prompted to explain the effect of that feature.
 Teacher prompts further detail from that student.
 Teacher prompts another student to develop further detail.
 Teacher models composing a complete comment to fill one of the boxes, to suit the level of the
students in the guided group.
 Students write in the provided boxes or add additional sticky notes to facilitate expanded
comments.
Review
Students pick out their best explanation. All students view those best explanations and decide what
makes them effective (i.e. the success criteria for explanation of a writer’s language choices).
Depending on the nature of the guided group, these can be shared and explained in the review/reflect
part of the whole lesson with the class. If this is an able group, the models could be very helpful for the
homework task, scaffolding the attempts of lower attainers.
If some students need more scaffolding with the homework task, fill in further boxes for them, or
identify more examples of features for them. Set some students to write their explanations as full
paragraphs, while others just complete WS5a.
Oxford Rollercoasters: Starseeker © OUP 2009. This may be reproduced solely within the purchaser’s school or college.
23
OXFORD ROLLERCOASTERS
Starseeker
Lesson 6
LESSON 6
Sub-strands: 5.1, 5.2
Focus: Chapters 16–17
Character
Learning outcome
Students will be able to:
 Comment on the writer’s presentation of Mrs
Little and the little girl, using textual
evidence
Engage
Remind students of their wider reading and
allow pairs to discuss what they are currently
reading before a brief class sharing of titles and
responses. Draw any comparisons with
Starseeker that have been noted, allowing
students to consolidate ideas on character
presentation, for example, even if only on a very
basic level at this stage.
Review the story of Starseeker so far. Make
some predictions about Luke’s next actions.
How will he manage Skin? And Roger Gilmore?
Will he return to see the little girl?
Explore
For a quick paired and note-making activity, ask
students what is already known about Mrs Little.
Use WS6a to support the task. This worksheet
can be differentiated by adding to or reducing
the examples given. With the class, start
drawing up a verbal portrait of Mrs Little from
what we have encountered of her so far in the
novel. Pick out points and supporting quotations
(reminding the class of the process used with
Skin and others). Some of the class can
continue working on her profile in pairs, while
others do the same for the little girl whose voice
is heard (Natalie, as we told in Chapter 16). The
group that have been tracking the voice, should
work on Natalie to consolidate their special
knowledge of this character.
Then focus on the shifting presentation of Mrs
Little as you read Chapter 16 with the class.
Ask: what does Tim Bowler want the reader to
think of Mrs Little in this chapter? Prompt the
class to track changes in Mrs Little’s tone of
voice, noting adjectives, adverbs and phrases
that are used to describe her, e.g. she begins by
being ‘frosty and hard’, her voice becomes ‘a
little softer’. Pause at the end of the chapter to
consider the story of Natalie’s arrival at The
Grange. If we had been Luke, would we have
questions we’d ask her? Record these questions
for future reference.
Transform
The class read Chapter 17 by themselves,
focusing on how the reader feels about Natalie,
noting how she is presented by the writer.
Suggest they look for the way Tim Bowler uses
language to describe the little girl, and the way
she and Luke respond to each other. Encourage
students to draw on their previous work on
identifying language that appeals to the senses
and the way sentences can be ordered to build
emotion.
Following the reading, ask the class to note
down what they have learnt about Natalie from
these two chapters.
Review and reflect
Share ideas about Natalie, e.g. how her
smallness makes her intriguing; how Luke is
drawn by her eyes and her shyness; how he is
attracted by her love of his music; how she
creeps up to him in stages; how they share their
‘funny ears’; how Tim Bowler makes Luke’s
sensitivity to Natalie something that is shared by
the reader.
Reflect on these two chapters. Question what
effect Mrs Little and Natalie are having on Luke
(he is softening and being more open to others,
he’s caring about his playing because he has a
receptive audience in Natalie). Where would
students place Natalie and Mrs Little in Luke’s
relationship chart (completed in Lesson 2)?
Homework
Using existing notes (continuing WS6a), add to
the profiles of Natalie and Mrs Little drawing on
Chapters 16 and 17. Be prepared to add words
to the display copy of the character relationships
chart for Mrs Little and Natalie.
Oxford Rollercoasters: Starseeker © OUP 2009. This may be reproduced solely within the purchaser’s school or college.
24
OXFORD ROLLERCOASTERS
Starseeker
Lesson 6
Worksheet 6a
Character analysis
Use this worksheet to collect notes about what we know about Mrs Little and the little girl. Back up
your notes with quotations.
Mrs Little
Use the following to get started:
‘She snaps if anyone goes near her house’ (page 2).
She is thought to be ugly: ‘That is one seriously ugly old woman’ (page 2).
She knows who Luke is (page 75) and that his father has died (page 81).
She wants Luke to do something to help the girl (page 82).
The little girl
Use the following to get started:
She is ‘nine or ten years old… with short black hair’ (page 10).
She is easily frightened and she cries frequently (page 10).
She’s blind (page 79).
She’s Mrs Little’s granddaughter (page 82).
Oxford Rollercoasters: Starseeker © OUP 2009. This may be reproduced solely within the purchaser’s school or college.
25
OXFORD ROLLERCOASTERS
Starseeker
Lesson 7
LESSON 7
Sub-strands: 5.1, 6.2, 10.2
Focus: Chapters 18–20
The title
Learning outcome
Students will be able to:
 Consider the choice of Starseeker as a title
for the novel
what makes them think this? Draw on previous
discussions of her role.
Then read Chapter 19 with the class – does this
help to explain the title? Is the meaning of this
clear to the students? What still needs
explaining? Have dictionaries available for
checking the meaning of some of the more
challenging vocabulary in this chapter.
Transform
Engage
Students peer review language analysis of
pages 130–2 (set as a homework task after
Lesson 5). As a class, note what makes a good
explanation of the effect of language (i.e.
detailed, relevant exploration of why the writer
has selected particular words and phrases, NOT
paraphrase. Comments like ‘this word has the
effect of…’ are helpful).
Does that section explain the title? On the basis
of this description, what are the students’
feelings about the cover design? Would they
want to change it in any way? Use WS7a to
show some alternative covers that have been
used for Starseeker. More covers for different
editions can be found on the internet, including
some playscript versions.
Encourage students to discuss the pros and
cons of the alternative covers. Ask them for their
own ideas about a new cover for Starseeker,
encouraging them to justify their choices.
Some students may feel that the cover, most of
all, needs to be a contrast of light and dark. If
this point does not arise, suggest, and ask for
comments. This can be picked up later to
explore the novel as a struggle for Luke between
good and evil. Maybe students who have been
collecting references to one of the five key
things are biased in a particular direction – allow
them to justify their bias.
Suggest that the next few chapters will provide
more exploration of the ideas that gave Tim
Bowler his title. But point out that ‘Starseeker’
was NOT his original choice, as they will soon
discover.
Explore
But first, the reader needs to think again about
Miranda. Ask the class to read Chapter 18. Is
Miranda a help or a hindrance to Luke? Justify
opinions before moving on. What predictions do
the class have about Miranda and Luke and
Use the Reading Guide pages 9 and 10 to pull
together ideas about the title that have already
been suggested to the reader and to open the
topic of synaesthesia. This could be done as a
whole class or group activity. The Reading
Guide suggests several questions to explore
that can be followed through into the review
session. You may wish to use an ICT suite for
this lesson to allow students to access the
websites on synaesthesia as they are introduced
to it or this theme can be pursued later.
Follow up this study with the reading of Chapter
20 with the class, focusing on the problems that
Luke still has to overcome. Draw attention to the
way Luke describes himself as a child lingering
at his father’s music room doorway rather as
Natalie did. Are there links between the two as
children?
Review and reflect
What problems does Luke still have to resolve?
Roger Gilmore seems to have gone from his list,
but Skin is very much present and still threatens
with his stone throwing: ‘he found Skin’s menace
terrifying’ (page 175). If Luke is the starseeker of
the title, has he found his star, yet? What is his
star, do the class think?
Homework
Musical research – find out if your composer is
known to have experienced synaesthesia. Or
give the option of researching synaesthesia
itself. Two books which explore this concept are:
Blue Cats and Chartreuse Kittens: How
Synesthetes Color Their Worlds by Patricia
Lynne Duffy, and The Frog Who Croaked Blue:
synesthesia and the mixing of the senses by
Jamie Ward.
Earlier musical research should also be
completed before the next lesson, and students
should continue to keep a record of the five key
themes that they started to trace in Lesson 2.
Oxford Rollercoasters: Starseeker © OUP 2009. This may be reproduced solely within the purchaser’s school or college.
26
OXFORD ROLLERCOASTERS
Starseeker
Lesson 7
Worksheet 7a
Alternative covers
Oxford Rollercoasters: Starseeker © OUP 2009. This may be reproduced solely within the purchaser’s school or college.
27
OXFORD ROLLERCOASTERS
Starseeker
Lesson 8
LESSON 8
Sub-strands: 5.1; 5.2, 6.2, 10.2
Focus: Chapters 21–22
Theme of music
Learning outcomes
Students will be able to:
 Recognize the importance of the musical
theme in the novel in relation to Tim
Bowler’s interest in music
 Analyse language used to convey this
theme
Harding mean? Pull together thoughts on tree,
music, star – returning to the Reading Guide
and/or seeking group comments (drawing on
their WS2a task) to support this, to suit the
class.
Transform
With the class, read Tim Bowler’s own
comments on music, using WS8a. Then, skim
Tim Bowler’s list of the pieces of music that he
mentions in Starseeker, on WS8b. Have the
group collecting musical references spotted
anything that has not been mentioned? Discuss
the questions on WS8a before moving on.
Engage
Select another of the pieces of music mentioned
in Starseeker and stored on Tim Bowler’s
website to play as students enter. Pictures to
accompany the music also could be projected –
natural scenes related to those mentioned in the
novel would be appropriate.
Remind the class of Luke’s special hearing:
have this on the board: ‘You hear lots of things,
the way your father did’ (page 101) and ‘Funny
ears’ (page 156).
What other factors have told the reader that
Luke has extraordinary hearing?
Address this question before moving on,
drawing particularly on the group that have been
collecting all references to Luke’s powerful
hearing.
Explore
Start with the students’ research findings on
their musicians – they could present their
findings in groups of students who have
researched different musicians, or individuals
could share their research with the whole class.
Then, using the Reading Guide pages 9 to 11,
explore the musical theme in the novel a little
further. Start with the music quiz and test how
much the class have learnt from each other
about the musicians.
Before moving on, ask the class, now they know
about synaesthesia, if any of them respond to
music in colour? Or in shapes, as Luke does?
Then, give students guided, group or
independent work on the novel’s musical theme.
Explain that they need to analyse a short section
of text from the novel, printed on WS8c, about
music (apportion the three alternatives to
different groups in the class). This builds on the
previous skill of language analysis practised in
Lesson 5, and for homework for Lesson 7. If
necessary, remind students of the features of
language analysis that they decided were most
effective. If you wish, pick out a detail of one of
the passages to model good exploration of
language use. WS8d structures this task for all
and can be used or adapted to guide a selected
group of students.
Review and reflect
For detailed review, display a copy of each text
on a whiteboard or OHT so that students can
present their ideas to each other. Encourage
students to articulate their ideas fully to build a
wide range of ideas to meet the challenge of the
homework task.
Students should now be more aware of the way
a writer’s interests feed into the themes of a
novel and influence how that theme is handled.
Homework
Students redraft or complete their language
analysis from this lesson as short written
paragraphs. For some students, you may wish
to encourage a more detailed analysis than for
others, according to ability level.
Read Chapters 21–22 and relate the content to
the discussion on the title. Pause, in particular,
to question the class about Mr Harding’s
comment on the sheet music of ‘Reverie’ that he
gives to Luke (page 200). What journey does Mr
Oxford Rollercoasters: Starseeker © OUP 2009. This may be reproduced solely within the purchaser’s school or college.
28
OXFORD ROLLERCOASTERS
Starseeker
Lesson 8
Worksheet 8a
Musical theme
Read the following explanation from Tim Bowler. How does it increase your appreciation of the
musical theme in Starseeker? Does it illuminate any other aspect of the novel?
I come from a very musical family. My mother and father play the piano, I play the piano
and my brother Graham (two years older than me) plays the piano. (I have no other
brothers or sisters.) On my father’s side, my great grandfather was a self-taught musician
who ended up playing the organ in church and my great aunt was a concert pianist. On
my mother’s side, my grandmother (called Nan, to whom Starseeker is dedicated) was
also a brilliant pianist. Like my great aunt, she could play anything. If you put a piece of
music in front of her, she’d just play it straight off. If it was a song and the key was too
high or too low for you to sing, she’d transpose it from the printed score. If she didn’t have
the music but knew the tune, she’d just play it by ear. She died at the age of 98 and was
playing the piano well into her 90s. During the First World War she used to entertain the
troops. She sometimes went to prisoner of war camps and played to the inmates. She had
an extraordinary musical gift and was a massive influence on me.
My brother Graham has inherited a similar gift. He’s not a professional musician but he
can play pretty much anything. Like Nan and my great aunt, he is omnivorous in his
musical tastes. He likes to play classical, jazz, anything. It was through Graham that I first
heard about colour in music. I remember when he was a boy that some notes made him
see particular colours. For example, he had a certain note that he said gave him what he
called a ‘luxurious blue colour’ and another note that gave him a ‘pillar-box red colour’. He
doesn’t now remember what these notes were and he no longer experiences colour with
sounds. He also has one-directional perfect pitch, i.e. if you play a note on the piano, he
will tell you what it is but if you ask him to sing a B, for example, he may find that difficult.
He is extremely sensitive to the temperament of an instrument. If a piano is out of tune, he
can still tell what the correct note should be.
I am also very musical. I do not have my brother’s technical ability at the piano, nor do I
possess perfect pitch, but I am extremely sensitive to sound and music has always had a
profound effect on me. I started studying the lives of the great composers seriously from
the age of about twelve. I was interested to find that some of them also experienced
colour in music. Sibelius was a particular example. His biographer recorded how he saw
colours with all notes. He had absolute pitch and could both recognise and sing any note
he chose. He also experienced other senses in relation to sound. For example, he
sometimes had gustatory experiences with music. An unpleasant sound would give him
not just a corresponding colour but also sometimes a metallic taste in his mouth. Other
composers who apparently saw colour in music include Messiaen, Scriabin, Liszt and
Rimsky-Korsakov. The technical term for this crossing over of two or more senses is
synaesthesia and some of the things experienced by synaesthetes are extraordinary.
On Worksheet 8b, you will find Tim Bowler’s list of the music that he uses in Starseeker. He adds
quotations from the novel about those pieces of music. What do they all suggest about Tim Bowler’s
interest in music?
Oxford Rollercoasters: Starseeker © OUP 2009. This may be reproduced solely within the purchaser’s school or college.
29
OXFORD ROLLERCOASTERS
Starseeker
Lesson 8
Worksheet 8b
Ten key pieces of music in Starseeker
1. Gluck: ‘Dance of the Blessed Spirits’ (from Orpheus and Eurydice)
“ ‘The Dance of the Blessed Spirits’ turned out to be exactly that. As the notes cut
through the air, he felt as though all the dancing spirits he had sensed in that magic
world of light and sound were here again, moving endlessly around them.” (page
306)
2. Grieg: ‘Peace of the Forest’ (also called’ Peace of the Woods/Woodland
Peace’), Opus 71 No. 4 of The Lyric Pieces
“The first two chords reminded him of distant bells, then came the soft singing
melody, the left hand running up and down with a slow rhythmic bass while the right
hand picked out the tune; and suddenly it was all bells, bells ringing in a forest. He
saw pictures flooding his mind as she played, pictures of Buckland Forest, of lush
green canopies, of leaves dripping with dew, of light pouring through treetops.” (page
32)
3. Debussy: ‘The Snow is Dancing’ (from The Children's Corner Suite)
“Luke started to play ‘The Snow is Dancing’. He hadn't expected to know the piece
but the moment he started it, he recognized it. Dad had played it several times. It
wasn’t the wistful tune that even now was singing in his head like a cross-current of
melody, but it was beautiful in itself and he played on, gradually settling into the
music; and before long the snow was dancing in pictures before him.” (page 58)
4. Grieg: ‘I Love Thee’ (also called Ich Liebe Dich)
“She was humming the tune of ‘I Love Thee’ by Grieg, the piece Dad used to play for
her. She wasn’t humming boisterously, just very quietly to herself, almost as though
she didn’t want him to hear her. Perhaps she didn’t realize that he could… He sat
down at the piano, propped open the music in the holder and started to play.” (page
137)
5. Ravel: ‘Pavane’ (also called Pavane for a Dead Infanta/Pavane pour une
Infante Défunte’)
“He started to play again, Ravel’s ‘Pavane’ this time, a piece he hadn’t played since
he was Natalie’s age, but he remembered it well enough. It was perhaps a little
mournful and he wasn’t sure he should be playing something that had once been
written in memory of a dead child, but in a strange way the music seemed to mirror
the mood he felt.” (page 152)
6. Grieg: ‘Nocturne’, Opus 54 No. 4 of The Lyric Pieces
He played on, Grieg’s ‘Nocturne’ this time, and very quietly. The girl was barely a few
feet from him. She had made her way towards him with lots of stops and starts but
now she was almost within touching range. He glanced at her as he played, feeling
slightly nervous at her closeness, and anxious in case he frightened her again. He
took the lively section of the piece much more slowly than it was meant to go, and
with no crescendos at all. Too much sound and movement and he felt certain he
would lose her again.” (page 153)
Oxford Rollercoasters: Starseeker © OUP 2009. This may be reproduced solely within the purchaser’s school or college.
30
OXFORD ROLLERCOASTERS
Starseeker
Lesson 8
Worksheet 8b (continued)
7. MacDowell: ‘To a Wild Rose’
“He chose ‘To a Wild Rose’ by MacDowell. It was nice and simple and it seemed a
good piece to play for Natalie right now. He glanced down at her. She had turned
back towards him and her eyes were darting about the room as though the notes
were flashes of light and she was trying to catch them.” (page 155)
8. Tchaikovsky: ‘Reverie/Douce Reverie’ (also called ‘Daydream/Sweet
Dreams’) from Album for the Young, Opus 39
“Luke played; and as the notes moved, so the presence of his father – still close by –
seemed to move, too, through his fingers, through the music, through all his
emotions. He played on, fighting hard to keep his composure, but the poignancy of
the piece, and the thought of his father playing it all those years ago, mastered him…
He stood up and let Mr Harding take his place on the piano seat. The old man’s
hands stretched out and he started to play, at the point where Luke had left off. Luke
closed his eyes as the melody ran through him.” (page 198)
9. Scriabin: Etude, Opus 2, No 1
“He played on and tried to lose himself in the music. At least the Scriabin étude was a
beautiful piece. He hadn’t heard it before but he was glad to now. There was a
yearning to it, a beseeching quality, especially in the opening phrases. He played it
again and again, each time a different way, and each time growing to love it more…
Strange to think that this piece had been composed by a boy about his own age.”
(page 298)
10. Luke's own composition: the piece he plays at the concert at the end of the
book.
Oxford Rollercoasters: Starseeker © OUP 2009. This may be reproduced solely within the purchaser’s school or college.
31
OXFORD ROLLERCOASTERS
Starseeker
Lesson 8
Worksheet 8c
Musical analysis
Choose one of the following short passages.
How does Tim Bowler use language to suggest Luke’s (and his own) interest in and love of music?
(Use Worksheet 8d for further guidance.)
Passage A: page 32
It was the sound of the piano down in the music room. He listened, his eyes closed. It was
so long since Mum had played but he knew this piece at once. He’d played it himself
enough times, though not for a couple of years: ‘Peace of The Forest’ by Grieg, Mum’s
favourite composer. It was good to hear it again. The first two chords reminded him of
distant bells, then came the soft singing melody, the left hand running up and down with a
slow rhythmic bass while the right hand picked out the tune; and suddenly it was all bells,
bells ringing in a forest. He saw pictures flooding through his mind as she played, pictures
of Buckland Forest, of lush green canopies, of leaves dripping dew, of light through
treetops, and then – to his surprise – the girl’s face, her black hair brightened by the sun;
and she wasn’t frightened: she was laughing, singing even, and he was with her, in the
forest, in the music.
Passage B: page 183
He thought for a moment of what to play, then remembered ‘Peace of The Forest’. He
hadn’t played it for ages but his fingers found the notes at once, the two opening chords
that made him think of distant bells, and suddenly the music was flowing out of him like
running water, the song of the forest speaking through the notes… He played on to where
the bell-like chords came back, his mind running ahead as he tried to remember how the
music went; but his fingers knew the path… The bell sounds returned, more softly, the
slow final chords opening like petals. He felt the rustling of leaves, the movement of
treetops, the stillness of hidden glades; then silence. The forest slept.
Passage C: page 198
And Luke played; and as the notes moved, so the presence of his father – still close by –
seemed to move, too, through his fingers, through the music, through all his emotions. He
played on, fighting hard to keep his composure, but the poignancy of the piece, and the
thought of his father playing it all those years ago, mastered him. He stopped, halfway
through. Before him on the page, the printed notes awaited his attention; yet he could not
play them. He felt Mr Harding’s hand on his shoulder.
“Stand up, Luke. Let an old man have a try.”
He stood up and let Mr Harding take his place on the piano seat. The old man’s hands
stretched out and he started to play, at the point where Luke had left off. Luke closed his
eyes as the melody ran through him.
Oxford Rollercoasters: Starseeker © OUP 2009. This may be reproduced solely within the purchaser’s school or college.
32
OXFORD ROLLERCOASTERS
Starseeker
Lesson 8
Worksheet 8d
Guidance on language analysis
Select one of the three passages for close comment using the skills of language analysis. Remember,
it is the effect of the language choices, not just spotting the language feature that really counts.
In your group, you could explore:
 How the writer appeals to the reader’s senses (including sound effects in the actual language, like
alliteration or onomatopoeia; visual effects like similes and metaphors; words that suggest textures
or touch) and what effect these have on the reader.
 The effect of the use of repetition (both words and phrases).
 The effect of the use of contrast (light/shade, loud noise/soft noise)
 The effect of the use of vivid vocabulary (adjectives, verbs, nouns).
 The effect of the length of sentences and the order of the words in the sentences – do they create
feelings or suggest the musical melody?
 Anything else that you think contributes to the impact of the writing to suggest Luke’s and Tim
Bowler’s interest in and love of music?
Annotate your copy of your passage to provide prepared comments to feed back to the class.
Oxford Rollercoasters: Starseeker © OUP 2009. This may be reproduced solely within the purchaser’s school or college.
33
OXFORD ROLLERCOASTERS
Starseeker
Lesson 9
LESSON 9
Sub-strands: 4.1, 5.1; 5.2
Focus: Chapters 23–26 (25 and 26 for
homework)
Character and mystery
Learning outcomes
Students will be able to:
 Synthesize points from across the narrative
 Explain reasons for changing the reader’s
response to Mrs Little
Engage
she holds that item in her hands and looks at it.
Each group must write two copies of their
monologue, one of which they keep and one
which they give to Mrs Little. In the presentation
of this work, the student sculpted as Mrs Little
must pick up each item in turn. As she handles
it, the group who have written her thoughts
about this item must read the words aloud.
Finally, the teacher reads out the letter about Mr
Little’s death as it appears in the novel. One of
the pieces of music featured in the novel can be
used as background music to this whole activity
to give it greater impact.
With the teacher in role as Mrs Little, students
should be encouraged to address questions to
her, trying to uncover more about her. The
teacher must keep up Mrs Little’s cold façade,
softening only at the mention of Natalie and the
soothing potential of Luke’s piano playing. She
must remain absolutely closed on certain
subjects, only revealing as much as is known
currently. However, hints that she has more to
her past than has yet been revealed are
allowed.
Review and reflect
Use this activity to summarize how the class, as
readers, feel about Mrs Little. Consider how Tim
Bowler has shaped our response by presenting
her from the outset from the outside, and at first,
through Skin whose judgements are not perfect!
Before concluding, dwell on very last part of
Chapter 24. What is the bracelet that Luke
finds? What would any member of the class
have done with the bracelet if they had found it?
Why does Luke take it? What will it prove to be?
Explore
Homework
Before reading on, ask the class to consider how
the reader’s response to Mrs Little develops as
they read further. Chapter 23 deals with Luke’s
problems at school first, but Chapter 24 takes us
back to Mrs Little. Read and trace shifting
empathies. Then distribute the Reading Guide
and ask students to read page 14 of the
Reading Guide to begin to uncover some
important contextual details about Mrs Little’s life
and misfortune.
Read Chapters 25 and 26 to find out how Luke
responds to finding the bracelet. Without reading
further, ask students to predict what he might do
next.
Ask the class how their perceptions of Mrs Little
have changed. Did the sculpting exercise
increase their sympathy? Why or why not? How
do they think Luke feels about her when he
looks through her box?
Students may wish to add to their notes on Mrs
Little or change the words that name the space
between Luke and Mrs Little on the displayed
relationships chart.
Transform
Ask one student to sculpt another as Mrs Little
as she might be when she looks through the
contents of her precious box – what does each
photograph and item in the box mean to her?
Divide the class into groups of five or six. Each
group should take responsibility for one of Mrs
Little’s precious things (these are listed on
WS9a which supports this task). Each group
must compose a short monologue for Mrs Little,
based on what she might think or remember as
Oxford Rollercoasters: Starseeker © OUP 2009. This may be reproduced solely within the purchaser’s school or college.
34
OXFORD ROLLERCOASTERS
Starseeker
Lesson 9
Worksheet 9a
Mrs Little’s precious things
Cut into separate cards for student groups.

A photograph of several young
A photograph of a young man by a RAF pilots all in flying gear at the
Spitfire. On the back are the words airfield, playing cards with planes
– ‘Bill at Biggin Hill August 1940’.
in the background – many of them
smoking.
A photograph of a group of young
RAF pilots playing football.
A photograph of Bill (dressed in
RAF uniform), sitting on wild grass
near an airfield, alone, whittling a
stick.
A photograph of Bill with a young
woman standing outside a pub –
smiling and arm in arm – words on
the back say ‘Bill and me outside
the Black Horse August 1940’.
A folded piece of paper and a
tangle of brown hair.
Oxford Rollercoasters: Starseeker © OUP 2009. This may be reproduced solely within the purchaser’s school or college.
35
OXFORD ROLLERCOASTERS
Starseeker
Lesson 10
LESSON 10
Sub-strands: 6.1, 6.2, 10.2
Focus: Chapters 27–28
The escape
Learning outcomes
Students will be able to:
 Analyse and evaluate the writer’s language
choices to build to a climax
 Trace the development of the threat of Skin
to Luke’s safety
Engage
Discuss what did Luke did when he found the
bracelet and why.
Using the Reading Guide page 12, consider
Luke’s secretiveness. Is it acceptable that he
lies? Then ask pairs to discuss what they think
about Luke taking Natalie? What questions
would they like to ask him at this stage?
Organize a brief hot-seating exercise to reflect
on his action. Was it the right thing to do?
Explore
Recall how narrative tension is built by a writer,
listing the key features. What level of tension did
students feel at the end of Chapter 26?
Read Chapter 27 with the class. Trace how Tim
Bowler tackles this climax in the plot strand
involving Natalie/Barley. Pick out a few
examples of language that creates narrative
tension, building on skills developed in Lessons
4 and 5. Suggest that the use of contrast, in
particular, becomes crucial at the end of the
chapter.
As on previous occasions, chart events and
tension strategies (including words, phrases or
key passages) on a copy of WS4a (the tension
graph used previously). What is the students’
response to events at the end of Chapter 27?
Do they find what has happened unexpected?
Or predictable?
Transform
Ask students read Chapter 28 for themselves, or
if you prefer in small groups, and use another
copy of WS4a to continue charting events,
tension strategies and key words or phrases or
key passages.
As they finish the chapter, and after taking initial
responses, return to the Reading Guide page 12
from ‘Now The Bullies’. Look in more detail at
their response to the climax in Chapter 28? How
does the writer make them feel? They must
begin to analyse their response to Skin’s final
act of cruelty, and how the writer has prepared
the reader for this act from the outset. This work
builds on both their sense of narrative
tension/structure and their skill in language
analysis.
A group of students could be guided through this
work using WS10a and b, which can also be
used or adapted to supplement pair or
independent work based on the Reading Guide.
Review and reflect
Ask all students to keep full notes from this
feedback session as it will be the basis of their
homework.
Agree the stages in Skin’s threat to Luke,
plotting on a flow diagram as prompted on page
13 of the Reading Guide. Explore how Skin’s
threat to Luke provides effective narrative
tension in the novel, drawing out student
responses and recording key points. Mention,
for example, Tim Bowler’s initial presentation of
him, the imagery of fire suggested from the
outset, his association with violent and muscular
verbs, Skin’s own violent language of threat,
how his presence often cuts across a moment of
peace for Luke (page 92, page 132), Luke’s
constant concern about the threat expressed in
desperate questions, Skin’s escalating
punishment of Luke feeding the readers’ sense
on impending danger.
Briefly explain the homework task which draws
heavily on the discussion in the review section.
Homework
Ask students to answer the question: How does
Tim Bowler use the character of Skin to provide
narrative tension in Starseeker?
Or, ask them to complete the flow diagram
which shows the progress of Skin’s threat to
Luke from Chapter 1 to Chapter 28.
Oxford Rollercoasters: Starseeker © OUP 2009. This may be reproduced solely within the purchaser’s school or college.
36
OXFORD ROLLERCOASTERS
Starseeker
Lesson 10
Worksheet 10a
Skin’s acts of violence
Skin’s eyes… it was like watching a black fire
reaching out to choke him p37
Next time you’ll do the job properly… don’t
try and avoid us… well find you p17
The flames in his eyes now seemed darker, deeper, hotter p6
Skin’s eyes … like looking at two black flames p4
Oxford Rollercoasters: Starseeker © OUP 2009. This may be reproduced solely within the purchaser’s school or college.
37
OXFORD ROLLERCOASTERS
Starseeker
Lesson 10
Worksheet 10b
Guided reading plan
Introduction
Explain to the students that they are learning to recognize how Tim Bowler has structured the
development of Skin’s treatment of Luke to create narrative tension.
Read through page 12 in the Reading Guide with students, following the questions and drawing
attention to the idea of Skin’s violence against Luke gradually increasing to create narrative tension.
Tell the students that their task will be to collect references to Skin’s violence against Luke to see if
this is correct.
Strategy check
Check that students recall how to skim a text to look for references to a particular character. They will
need to look at the chapters in which Skin appears – if necessary use the navigator to identify the
appropriate chapters to support some pupils. Take them through some early examples to model how
to use Worksheet 10a. Three references are already given in the Reading Guide.
Independent reading
Students use Worksheet 10a to fill in short references to the escalating violence, together with page
numbers. Students may work in pairs.
Sharing responses
Check progress and share the collected references. Ask the students how far they think the reader
has been prepared for the climax in Chapter 28. If they did anticipate the climax, did it create narrative
tension for them?
Review
Conclude the guided group work by asking them what they have learnt about how a writer can use
character and events to create tension.
Oxford Rollercoasters: Starseeker © OUP 2009. This may be reproduced solely within the purchaser’s school or college
38
OXFORD ROLLERCOASTERS
Starseeker
Lesson 11
LESSON 11
Sub-strands: 4.1, 5.2, 6.3
Focus: Chapters 29–30
Resolution
Learning outcomes
Students will be able to:
 Express responses to a writer’s structural
choices, drawing on textual details
 Trace the importance of the theme of
bullying through the novel, and consider
other themes
more underneath those, and so on, until they
have a diamond shape. Tell students that they
may add other themes and remove any not
wanted, but they must keep to the nine choices.
Before moving on, ask students to justify their
choice of theme. Suggest that some of the
themes may have contrasting counterparts, e.g.
if ‘belonging’ is a theme, then is ‘not belonging’
also important to consider? If ‘love’ is a theme
then ‘hate’ is also crucial, thinking of Skin and
even Luke with his hatred of Roger Gilmore.
Allow students a few minutes to reflect on
illuminating opposites to the themes on the
cards.
Engage
Follow up previous homework by an initial peer
review of their work on Skin’s role in the novel.
You might like to tell the class that Tim Bowler
did base the character of Luke on someone he
actually knew, but that he is certain that the real
person would not recognize himself!
Ask students what is still left unresolved in the
novel. Even though Skin is no longer a threat,
Natalie is safely at home with her parents, Luke
still has some problems to overcome. What are
they?
Transform
Set homework for this lesson – to write a
newspaper report about Luke’s accident. Model
the use of WS11a to support this writing task,
reminding students that a newspaper report
must focus on who, what, where, when and why
and use language economically to pack in the
interesting facts. The worksheet can be adapted
to suit individual students.
Explain that WS11c contains a chart tracking
different strands of the plot. You can adapt this
chart to meet particular needs of the students,
but use it in a form that enables you to model
how it works, i.e. a cross is placed when a
chapter tackles an aspect of the plot. Leave
blank the last few chapters so students can fill in
the crosses for the end of the novel.
Explore
As groups or individuals, read Chapters 29–30.
Ask students to complete the filling in of the
chart and to reflect on how the different strands
have worked together so far.
Return to the Reading Guide to reflect on the
theme of bullying and lies in the novel – set up
the conscience corridor for Luke as suggested
on page 13. How does this make the students
feel about Luke and the decisions he had to
make?
Then ask the students what they think needs to
be resolved in relation to the theme of bullying
and lies before the end of the novel. (For
example, Mrs Little’s lies. Will they be forgotten
and forgiven?)
What other themes can the students identify in
the novel? Pairs or trios of students should use
the diamond ranking exercise on WS11b to
prompt ideas and lead to discussion. Ask the
students to rank the given themes into a
diamond shape – the most important one at the
top, then two more underneath that, and three
Review and reflect
Briefly review the content of Chapters 29 and
30. Having filled in the chart on WS11c, students
should be able to see what has been resolved
(Luke’s relationship with his mother and, in
particular, Roger Gilmore taking a turn for the
better. Roger’s bravery in rescuing Luke is a key
factor. The fate of the other boys in the gang is
addressed – justice has been done). They can
also see what is left to be resolved in the
remaining three chapters.
Homework
Write the newspaper report of Luke’s accident
which was explained earlier. WS11a supports
this task.
Oxford Rollercoasters: Starseeker © OUP 2009. This may be reproduced solely within the purchaser’s school or college.
39
OXFORD ROLLERCOASTERS
Starseeker
Lesson 11
Worksheet 11a
Luke Stanton – Forest Fire
Use the following prompts to plan your newspaper article:
1.
2.
Compose an attention-grabbing, descriptive and short headline.
Answer all the questions below in as few words as possible, packed with facts to inform and
entertain your local readers. Make it sound interesting by using lively vocabulary and short, clear
sentences.
 When did the event occur and where?
 What happened?
 Who was hurt and how? Who was responsible? Why was it done?
 How was he saved and by whom?
In between your answers to the questions, add any suitable eye-witness quotations, saying who
said them, and who they are. Use characters from the novel.
End with a concluding comment – was there any lasting damage? How is Luke, now?
You could begin:
Local boy, Luke, son of the famous pianist, Matthew Stanton, had a narrow
escape in the Buckland Forest last week…
Oxford Rollercoasters: Starseeker © OUP 2009. This may be reproduced solely within the purchaser’s school or college
40
OXFORD ROLLERCOASTERS
Starseeker
Lesson 11
Worksheet 11b
Some themes
Choose nine of the themes below (or identify your own) and rank them in order of priority in a diamond
shape, with the most important at the top.
Be prepared to justify your choices.
Belonging
Love
Grief
Friendship
Hope
Anger
Music
Rebellion
Healing
Trust
Genius
Redemption
Oxford Rollercoasters: Starseeker © OUP 2009. This may be reproduced solely within the purchaser’s school or college.
41
OXFORD ROLLERCOASTERS
Starseeker
Lesson 11
Worksheet 11c
Strand tracker
Main plot strands
Mrs
Little
and
Natalie
Luke
and the
gang
Luke
and his
father
Luke’s
musical
growth
and Mr
Harding
Luke,
his
mother
& Roger
Gilmore
Luke
and
Miranda
1
X
2
Chapters
3
4
X
5
6
7
X
X
8
X
X
X
9
X
10
11
12
X
13
14
X
15
X
X
X
X
16
X
17
X
18
X
X
X
X
X
X
20
X
X
X
X
21
X
22
23
24
X
25
X
31
X
32
X
33
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
19
X
X
X
X
26
X
27
X
28
29
30
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Adapt this chart to include different headings or plot strands. Blank out XXXs to suit needs and level of challenge required.
Oxford Rollercoasters: Starseeker © OUP 2009. This may be reproduced solely within the purchaser’s school or college.
42
OXFORD ROLLERCOASTERS
Starseeker
Lesson 12
LESSON 12
Sub-strands: 5.2, 6.3
Focus: Chapter 31
Resolution
Learning outcomes
Students will be able to:
 Consider the overall effect of the writer’s
presentation of Mrs Little on the reader
 Interpret the role of Natalie and Mrs Little in
the plot and themes of the novel
same section). When the groups have had
sufficient time to become familiar with their
section, each group performs in order. The
performance must begin with a still image and
end with a still image.
In between each group’s performance, use the
Scriabin Etude as link music until the very last
scene when it must change to Reverie. That last
scene in the rolling theatre will be Luke reflecting
on Natalie at the point where Luke sees how his
life has been transformed by his connections
with her – ‘lost and found…’, page 300.
Engage
Point out to the class that Luke’s last meeting
with Mrs Little was when he took Natalie. Can he
return to see her again? Must he do so? Why?
Why not? Ask the class what Mrs Little and Luke
might have to say to each other when they next
meet, if they do. What might make the meeting
really tricky? Encourage pairs to discuss ideas
and try out some possible conversations. Ask
one or two pairs to show their conversations to
the class. Agree how difficult such a meeting
might be for both parties.
Following the performance, ask if the rolling
theatre has altered their response to or thinking
about this strand of the plot which involves Mrs
Little, Natalie and Luke. Explore responses.
Explore
Finally, ask what’s still left to be resolved. Use
WS11c to mark up the completed strands of plot
and identify the final piece of the jigsaw. Do all
plot strands HAVE to be tied up in a novel? Will
they be in this novel? This question leads into
the homework task.
Read Chapter 31 to uncover what actually
happens and explore the feelings that emerge.
Who do they think is being most responsible and
mature here? Ask them to recall Luke’s first
meeting with Mrs Little when she criticises his
behaviour. What has happened in Chapter 31?
(role reversal)
Explain that the class are now going to reflect on
the whole strand of the plot that involves Luke,
Mrs Little and Natalie.
Transform
Using the series of meetings with Mrs Little as
the basis for a rolling theatre, give small groups
of students different sections of the novel to
dramatize. WS12a sets out six mini-scenes and
a very short seventh scene. Students rehearse
their section of the text (two groups can do the
Review and reflect
Ask how these three characters contribute to
any of the themes identified in the last lesson.
Recall how Natalie’s voice is the first topic to be
mentioned at the start of the novel. What did her
voice set in motion for Luke?
Homework
Students make notes on how they would like
Starseeker to end, and reconsider the suitability
of the title.
They must also ensure they have completed the
reading of at least one other book on the
Pathways list, ready for discussion in Lessons
14 and 15. Some students could be asked to
find and bring in a website review of the novel
they have been reading to assist Lesson 14.
Oxford Rollercoasters: Starseeker © OUP 2009. This may be reproduced solely within the purchaser’s school or college.
43
OXFORD ROLLERCOASTERS
Starseeker
Lesson 12
Worksheet 12a
Stages in the relationship between Luke and
Mrs Little
Scene 1
Luke creeps across a room where he has seen the precious box that Skin wants. He
hears a small, delicate cough and turns round. Mrs Little stands in the doorway. She
has a mobile phone in one hand and a stick in the other.
Mrs Little:
(Contemptuous and critical) Don’t you even think of running. I know
exactly who you are. You’re Luke Stanton. You hang around with
those louts from the village. I’ve phoned the police. (In a softer tone)
You can come out now. He’s not going to hurt you.
Natalie:
Nana, Nana.
Mrs Little:
Here darling. (She comforts the girl and strokes her hair) Don’t you
want to say hello to him? (The girl hides behind Mrs Little)
Luke:
Hello …
Mrs Little:
(Looking crossly at Luke) She’s terrified of you.
Luke:
I’m not going to hurt her.
Mrs Little:
I know you’re not. You’re not like the boys you’re stupid enough to
hang around with. And you play the piano. Like your father – Matthew
Stanton. I read about the cancer.
Luke:
I don’t want to talk about this. Do what you like about the police! I’m
going home.
Mrs Little:
You’re going to help her
Luke:
How can I help her?
Mrs Little:
You want to rage against the world because the world took away your
father. But now you’ve got the chance to do some good. I want you to
come here again for her…
Oxford Rollercoasters: Starseeker © OUP 2009. This may be reproduced solely within the purchaser’s school or college
44
OXFORD ROLLERCOASTERS
Starseeker
Lesson 12
Worksheet 12b
Stages in the relationship between Luke and
Mrs Little
Scene 2
Luke calls at The Grange as Mrs Little has asked. She sits with him in her sitting
room. He looks around nervously.
Mrs Little:
(sharply) You’re not here to get to know me or for me to get to know
you. You’re here to help Natalie. Any visits you make to this house will
remain secret. I will tell no one. You will tell no one. Is that absolutely
clear?
Luke:
Okay, but you still haven’t explained how you want me to help her.
Mrs Little:
Natalie’s ten years old but she has a mental age of four. Her parents –
my daughter and son-in law – died in a car crash. Natalie survived but
the impact made her lose her sight. She’s very confused.
Luke:
I’ve never seen her round the village.
Mrs Little:
One reason is she’s too frightened.
Luke:
And the other?
Mrs Little:
(pauses) Because I’m not supposed to have her. They put her in a
home. I didn’t like it so I took her away. Sneaked out with her.
Luke:
So you’ve kept her a secret? But you’re her grandmother…
Mrs Little:
They’d argue she needed special care – her blindness, her trauma,
her low mental age. An old woman like me can’t provide for her…
Luke:
But I still don’t see how I can help Natalie.
Mrs Little:
You can play the piano.
Oxford Rollercoasters: Starseeker © OUP 2009. This may be reproduced solely within the purchaser’s school or college
45
OXFORD ROLLERCOASTERS
Starseeker
Lesson 12
Worksheet 12c
Stages in the relationship between Luke and
Mrs Little
Scene 3
Luke is at the piano with Natalie beside him and she tries to follow his fingers on the
keyboard.
Luke:
Let’s get you to play something. We’ll do Twinkle, Twinkle, Little star.
Do you know it, Natalie? Can you sing it? Do you know what a star is?
Natalie? Can you draw me a picture of a star with your finger? You
can draw it on the piano if you want. (She traces a star with her finger
on the piano top.)
Luke:
Well done Natalie. (Speaking to Mrs Little) So she can remember
things she’s seen. What about me? Does she know my name?
Mrs Little:
I’ve told her but I don’t think she’s taken it in.
Luke:
Natalie? Natalie? What’s my name? Do you know? (Natalie reaches
for his ears.) Funny ears, I know. What’s my name, Natalie?
Natalie:
Funny ears. (Luke grins and starts to play ‘Peace of the Forest’.)
Natalie:
Trees.
Luke:
Can you see them in the music?
Natalie:
Big, green trees.
Luke:
And leaves.
Natalie:
Lots of leaves.
Luke:
What else?
Natalie:
Sunlight.
Luke:
Can you remember where you used to live? (She starts to hum a tune
and Luke vaguely recalls this tune.)
Luke:
That’s a nice tune, Natalie. What’s it called? Can you see pictures in
it? Like you did with the other piece?
Natalie:
Barley.
Luke:
Barley?
Oxford Rollercoasters: Starseeker © OUP 2009. This may be reproduced solely within the purchaser’s school or college
46
OXFORD ROLLERCOASTERS
Starseeker
Lesson 12
Worksheet 12d
Stages in the relationship between Luke and
Mrs Little
Scene 4
Mrs Little has called Luke to help her because Natalie is hysterical and cannot sleep.
Luke plays her Reverie and she falls asleep at last. Mrs Little, exhausted herself,
allows Luke to carry Natalie upstairs to her room.
Mrs Little:
Just pop her in my bed and tuck her up and make sure she’s sleeping
all right. I’ll… I’ll…
Luke:
Just stay here. You don’t have to do anything. You just rest here for a
bit. She’s only light.
Mrs Little:
All right. Thank you. I’ll probably fall asleep. Can you stay with her a
bit? Make sure she’s all right? While I get some rest down here?
Luke:
I can stay till about quarter-past six.
Mrs Little:
That’s all right. If I’m asleep, wake me when you leave. And wake me
if there’s a problem with Natalie.
Luke:
OK.
Luke carries Natalie to Mrs Little’s bedroom and he makes sure she’s comfortable
and asleep. He looks round the room to find a chair that he can sit on. What he
actually sees is Mrs Little’s box. He sits down and looks at it, peering through the
unexpected contents (photos, letters and finally a small bracelet).
Luke:
(in a whisper) Barley May Roberts (pause) Barley May Roberts?
Oxford Rollercoasters: Starseeker © OUP 2009. This may be reproduced solely within the purchaser’s school or college
47
OXFORD ROLLERCOASTERS
Starseeker
Lesson 12
Worksheet 12e
Stages in the relationship between Luke and
Mrs Little
Scene 5
Luke has taken Natalie to Buckland Forest and Luke is on the phone to her parents.
Natalie sits happily listening to the sound of the trees in the forest.
Luke:
There’s a track that leads into the forest. OK? I want you to pull into
the lay-by and wait.
Mrs Roberts: Until you phone us?
Luke:
Yes
Mrs Roberts: And you will phone us, won’t you? Please tell us you’re not going to
raise our hopes and the…
Luke:
It’s OK. It’s OK. I will phone. This is for real, Mrs Roberts, I promise.
You’ll have Barley back very soon.
Mrs Roberts: Thank you. Whoever you are. Thank you. (Luke walks over to Barley
and kneels down. She has her eyes closed.)
Luke:
(very quietly) Only me, Barley. Only me.
Barley:
Singing.
Luke:
Who’s singing? The birds?
Barley:
Tree.
Luke:
The tree?
Barley:
Tree singing.
Luke:
Tree singing. Lots of trees singing now, Barley. Can you hear them?
Barley:
All singing. (She reaches for his ears and he laughs.) Funny ears.
Luke:
Funny ears. I’ll always think of you. I’ll always love you. And Nana will
always love you. And your mummy and daddy will always love you.
Barley:
Mummy and daddy.
Luke:
They’ll be with you very soon. They’re going to look after you from now
on. Keep humming, Barley. Keep humming.
(Quietly he takes out his phone…)
Oxford Rollercoasters: Starseeker © OUP 2009. This may be reproduced solely within the purchaser’s school or college
48
OXFORD ROLLERCOASTERS
Starseeker Lesson 12
Worksheet 12f
Stages in the relationship between Luke and
Mrs Little
Scene 6
Barley is safely with her parents. Luke calls on Mrs Little. At first she is stiff but then
she tells him what really happened when she took Barley.
Mrs Little:
I was meant to find her. I was meant to find her.
Luke:
But not to keep her! (shaking his head) It was wrong! You know it was!
Mrs Little:
I know, I know. And I did think of trying to get her back to her parents,
especially after their appeal on television. But the weeks went by, then
months… I just got so close to her. Barley didn’t hate me. She loved
me.
Luke:
It was still wrong. Didn’t you think about what her parents were
feeling?
Mrs Little:
They let her go! They let her go wandering off. They don’t deserve to
keep their daughter. (She slumps back in her chair.) I should have got
her back to them. Especially when she started to show signs of
distress.
Luke:
So I was just a means to an end. Someone who could play the piano
for Barley and calm her down so you could keep her locked up here a
little bit longer.
Mrs Little:
I didn’t just want you to play for Barley. I wanted you to play for me,
too. Would you play for me now? (She hands him some music. It’s a
Scriabin Etude, Opus 2 No. 1.) Scriabin was about your age when he
wrote it. Bill told me. Will you play it for me?
Luke:
I’ll play this for you, but not here.
Mrs Little:
Where then?
Luke:
At the concert in the village hall tonight…
(Scriabin music replaced by Reverie.)
Scene 7
(Luke at his piano, as if playing – music stays in background.)
Luke:
Where are you now Barley? Speak to me through music. (music
louder at this point, then fades) Lost and found, Barley. You and me
both.
Oxford Rollercoasters: Starseeker © OUP 2009. This may be reproduced solely within the purchaser’s school or college.
49
OXFORD ROLLERCOASTERS
Starseeker
Lesson 13
LESSON 13
Sub-strands: 5.2, 6.3
Focus: Chapters 32–33
Resolution
Learning outcomes
Students will be able to:
 Discuss and evaluate the effect of the
ending on the reader
 Trace changes in Luke and his relationships
Engage
Give students WS13a which suggests possible
endings for Starseeker. These endings could be
printed on cards for a card-sort activity or
displayed on an interactive whiteboard for
manipulation.
Ask pairs to discuss their own ideas and
consider the options. As a class, compare a few
students’ predictions and ask whether the
ending they have predicted is what they’d like to
happen, or really think will happen. Raise the
topic of what makes a good ending. If students
have comparisons with the other books they
have been reading, these should be explored.
Explore
Read Chapter 32 to the end with the class,
pausing to note the various resolutions, e.g. Mrs
Little’s public appearance and reconciliation with
Luke through his dedication to her when he
plays her Scriabin piece; the success of
Miranda’s performance at the concert; Mr
Harding’s possible friendship with Mrs Little;
Luke’s (and his Dad’s) composition (noting the
language on page 311); Mrs Little giving Luke
an alibi for his truanting; and into Cchapter 33
Luke’s vision of his father who seems to have
been watching over him all this time; Miranda
and Luke’s closeness at the end; Luke’s
certainty that old oak tree will recover from
the fire.
Do students find the ending satisfying? Mention
that the ending with Luke and Miranda was
crucial to Tim Bowler. He was unhappy about its
exclusion from the film of the novel. Tim says,
‘their final moment in the book is a key part of
the story’. How do the class react to this? Does
this make them re-evaluate any themes or
characters? Remind them of the diamond
ranking activity from Lesson 11.
observations, e.g. the group tracking sounds
that Luke hears may wish to comment on its
development into Luke’s first musical
composition.
Complete WS11c – tracking plot strands – to
assist and affirm judgement and allow reflection
before moving on.
Transform
Using the Reading Guide page 15, consider the
changes in Mrs Little and Luke. Then discuss
how Luke’s relations with the other characters in
the novel have changed since the novel began.
Dwell on that quotation from Tim Bowler about a
teenager being like a ‘child falling asleep and an
adult waking up’. Ask the class to consider
whether this applies to Luke (think back to the
way he handles Mrs Little in Chapter 31) and
what justification there is for this view.
Review and reflect
With the whole class, review the picture of
relationships drawn up as the story has
unfolded. Discuss how to adjust the words that
link the characters. Who changes most and
why? Who or what is at the heart of all the
changes? (Is it Luke? Is it Natalie? Allow
students to explore possibilities.)
Has Luke been the starseeker? Has he found
his star? What was it? Or is it several things at
once? Allow pairs or small groups to think
through these questions.
Homework
If Luke were to have a box of precious items,
following his experience with Natalie as well as
reflecting his life before he meets her, what
would we find in it?
Ask students to choose five things they think
would be appropriate for Luke to have in his box
to preserve precious memories, using WS13b.
Ask the different groups who have been tracking
the five key things if they have additional
Oxford Rollercoasters: Starseeker © OUP 2009. This may be reproduced solely within the purchaser’s school or college
50
OXFORD ROLLERCOASTERS
Starseeker
Lesson 13
Worksheet 13a
Endings
Consider what makes a good ending to a story. Does it depend on the type of story it is? What sort of
story is Starseeker?
So what sort of ending do you expect? Below are some suggested endings for Starseeker. Which do
you find most likely? Which are unlikely?
Possible endings
Rank 1 to 9 for
likelihood
Mrs Little tells the community the whole truth and the
community take pity on her. She and Luke’s family
become life-long friends.
Skin and Luke are reconciled and Skin becomes a
member of Luke’s music group.
Luke gets a scholarship to university to read music and
becomes a famous composer.
Luke and Miranda attend the marriage of Kirsti Stanton
to Roger Gilmore. They are all very happy.
Luke leaves home, unable to accept the changes in his
life, and goes in search of the only thing that gave his
life meaning: Natalie.
Luke suffers a relapse from his injuries and dies.
Everyone mourns the lost genius, but in the forest, on
quiet nights, the spirits of both Luke and his father can
be sensed, creating magical music around the old oak
tree.
Luke and Miranda take a walk through the woods. They
visit the old oak tree, which, though damaged, is still
alive. Luke knows this because he hears its singing.
Luke and Miranda, Roger and Kirsti, Mr Harding and
Mrs Little hold a joint engagement party.
Skin escapes justice and flees. He returns to take his
revenge on Luke and his friends. Starseeker 2 is out
next year.
Oxford Rollercoasters: Starseeker © OUP 2009. This may be reproduced solely within the purchaser’s school or college.
51
OXFORD ROLLERCOASTERS
Starseeker
Lesson 13
Worksheet 13b
Luke’s box
If Luke had a box of precious items, what would be in it? Describe five things that might represent
precious memories for Luke. Explain why you have chosen each object.
Object
Reason for selection
Oxford Rollercoasters: Starseeker © OUP 2009. This may be reproduced solely within the purchaser’s school or college.
52
OXFORD ROLLERCOASTERS
Starseeker
Lesson 14
LESSON 14
Sub-strands: 5.3, 6.1
Focus: Whole novel
Learning outcomes
Students will be able to:
 Develop personal views on the novel as a
whole, using comparison with another novel
to highlight distinctive features
 Ask questions about Starseeker to clarify
their judgements
up a list of success criteria for a review based on
the reviews that have been read, and of the
quality and length you wish students to produce
at the end of this series of lessons.
Before they write anything on Starseeker,
though, they will do some further background
reading, thinking of questions they would like to
ask Tim Bowler about Starseeker to focus their
research. Make a class list of questions and
display them for reference.
Transform
Engage
In groups, students share their ideas about what
Luke might have in his box. This should
consolidate responses to his character.
What about the title Starseeker? Consider this
early quotation, ‘Dad died and the light of his
existence went out’ (page 26). When does Luke
recover his light and find his star? Is Luke really
just like a fantasy hero on a quest, then?
Explore tentatively the idea of light being
associated with good, dark with evil – Luke
chooses good over evil and redeems himself.
Point out that Tim Bowler considers the spiritual
dimension to be very important.
Is the book cover, therefore satisfying? For
example, that scene on page 320 when Luke
‘sees’ his father by the oak tree suggests that
the oak tree in moonlight might make a better
cover with the star behind its wounded but
recovering branches? Or what about Natalie and
Luke at the piano with the star traced in the
dusty surface? What do the class think?
Explore
What other texts have they been reading? Allow
students to talk about their reading in pairs and
fours and as a whole class, to suit your context.
Specifically ask them to make comparisons with
Starseeker, thinking about characters, themes,
language, narrative tension and endings.
Drawing on the class list of questions, students
do independent research (preferably using
computers with internet connection) on
Starseeker. Remind them to refer to Tim’s
website and the Reading Guide, in particular the
author’s letter on page 3. WS14b offers further
useful comment from Tim Bowler. There are
further review comments in their copies of the
novel.
A guided group could be supported through the
research process, ensuring that they find
suitable websites and explore key questions.
Review and reflect
Allow students to share some initial thoughts
and findings. Are there any unanswered
questions? Explore these together, considering
the possibility of writing to Tim Bowler for further
answers.
If appropriate, invite students to make an
alternative form of review/response to
Starseeker. For example, some students might
create a visual and auditory response using
music and images, using their ICT skills.
Homework
Students plan and draft a review of/response to
Starseeker, working with the previously selected
success criteria.
Then, select a review of at least one other text
tackled to study with the class – do those who
have read that particular text agree with those
views? Does it inspire those who have not read
that book to read it? Draw on any reviews
students have brought in with them. Good
reviews can be found on several different
websites. Two sample reviews are given on
WS14a – more or less detailed reviews are
readily available on numerous websites. Draw
Oxford Rollercoasters: Starseeker © OUP 2009. This may be reproduced solely within the purchaser’s school or college.
53
OXFORD ROLLERCOASTERS
Starseeker
Lesson 14
Worksheet 14a
Two sample reviews
Hoot by Carl Hiaasen
Hoot by Carl Hiaasen is a great read. Roy Eberhardt, is new to his Florida town.
He’s clever, funny and big-hearted, and he doesn’t yet have any friends, yet. Dana
Matherson, the cigarette-smoking school bully, torments him daily on the school
bus. Roy misses his old life in Montana where he could go fishing and trek up in
the mountains.
One morning, while Dana is pushing Roy’s head into the window of the school bus,
Roy spots a running figure beside the bus. Roy is compelled to find out more about
the mysterious runner, and follows him right into his fight to protect an endangered
settlement of burrowing owls.
An All-American Pancake House is planning to fill in the owls’ habitat and build
another restaurant as part of their national chain. The company will stop at nothing
to make more money, and the owls’ protector isn’t afraid to keep going forward
with daring and ingenious actions that prevent the building.
The story has lots of layers, and contains both humour and realism. The writer
conveys the beauty of the Florida Everglades and clearly knows about the species
of animals that live in this part of America. In present-day Florida the natural, wild
places are disappearing at an alarming rate, and this story tackles that issue head
on.
As in many stories written for teenagers, some of the adults in this one are not
impressive. They are portrayed as apathetic, ignorant or cruel. But Roy has love
and respect for his parents, who eventually support his fight against the
destruction of the environment. His efforts bring him adventure, and most
importantly, the friends he needed before he can feel at home in Florida.
Storm Catchers by Tim Bowler
Teenager Fin and his family live in a house on the English coast. During a violent
storm, when Fin was supposed to be looking after his younger sister, Ella, she is
kidnapped. The whole family is shocked and Fin suffers from huge guilt. His
worries increase when his little brother starts wandering off to the dangerous cliff
edge to ‘catch the storm’, lured by the ghost of a girl. As Fin starts to hunt for his
missing sister, awful family secrets are uncovered that will change relationships in
the family forever. The kidnapper had his reasons, as Fin discovers.
Tim Bowler, known for his award-winning book River Boy, manages the suspense
in Storm Catchers with great skill – it’s a real page turner. The dark and
threatening tone of the book is beautifully represented by the cover image of a
wind-battered lighthouse silhouetted against a stormy sky.
Oxford Rollercoasters: Starseeker © OUP 2009. This may be reproduced solely within the purchaser’s school or college
54
OXFORD ROLLERCOASTERS
Starseeker
Lesson 14
Worksheet 14b
To support your review
My sixth novel is called Starseeker. It's quite a long book (about twice the length of
all my other books) and it's about lots of different things. It's set in a village situated
close to a large forest. One of the trees in the forest plays an important role in the
story. There's a big musical theme running through the novel but the story actually
starts with a gang of boys trying to break into a house.
I had to write several drafts of this novel before I worked out exactly what it was
that I was trying to say. Anyway, it's about a boy called Luke who is desperately
mixed up following his father's death two years earlier. He's a brilliant musician but
in his distress over the loss of his father he's fallen into bad company and is being
steered into terrible danger. To make matters worse, he's becoming increasingly
disturbed by strange psychic noises he keeps hearing day and night. It's a novel
that works on several levels and covers several themes. It's about hope and
healing and light. It's about music and the song of creation. It's about coming
through grief and learning to love again. It's about a boy growing into manhood,
growing into genius, growing into spirit. And it's about a tiny, unforgettable girl who
will change his life forever.
From http://www.timbowler.co.uk/home.html
Tim comes from a very musical family. He and his parents and older brother play
the piano. His great grandfather was a church organist and his great aunt was a
concert pianist. His grandmother, Nan, to whom Starseeker is dedicated, was also
a brilliant pianist. During the First World War she used to entertain the troops,
travelling round prisoner of war camps and playing to the inmates.
Tim started studying the lives of the great composers seriously from the age of
about twelve. He was fascinated to discover that some of them also experienced
colour in music, or synaesthesia (the crossing over of two or more senses). For
example, Sibelius’ biographer recorded how he saw colours with all notes and also
experienced other senses in relation to sound, e.g. an unpleasant sound would
often give him a metallic taste in his mouth.
From the original press release about Starseeker
Oxford Rollercoasters: Starseeker © OUP 2009. This may be reproduced solely within the purchaser’s school or college.
55
OXFORD ROLLERCOASTERS
Starseeker
Lesson 15
LESSON 15
Sub-strands: 1.2, 5.3, 7.2
Focus: review of novel
Learning outcomes
Students will be able to:
 Express and share personal responses to
the novel orally and/or in writing
 Respond to others’ views of the novel
 Review learning
Engage
Ask students to peer assess their draft reviews
in pairs, identifying two good features and one
area for development against the success
criteria. They may draw in other texts for
comparison if they wish, but the main focus must
be Starseeker. With the whole class, draw out
key points for redrafting – in particular, suggest
that students ensure that any opinions are well
backed up by textual reference (either from
Starseeker itself or from secondary sources).
Also, encourage students to make comments
about the language used to create mood and
atmosphere in Starseeker, especially in relation
to music.
A few possible questions:
1. Is the character of Natalie satisfying to
the reader? Why make her blind in
addition to a mental age below her
physical age? Or is Natalie’s almost
spirit-like quality the point? Is that
sufficiently developed, though?
2. Is the ending too neat? Or were some
things left unresolved for you?
3. Is the musical theme overplayed for
someone not fond of music? Or does
this novel actually inspire an interest in
music?
4. How did you feel about the spiritual
element (Luke’s strong feeling of his
dead father’s spirit in the tree, for
example)?
5. Is Luke’s transformation credible? Or
was he never in real danger of going
‘bad’?
6. Were the other boys in the gang too
stereotypical and underdeveloped? Or
are they meant to be seen almost as
aspects of Luke that he has to
overcome?
Review and reflect
Students have ten minutes to redraft their
reviews ready for oral presentation.
In the remaining time, ask students to complete
the unit assessment sheet.
Explore
Orally, ask the students to identify at least one
new thing they have learnt through reading this
text. It could be about themselves or about the
novel as a work of fiction or art. It could be about
a theme or character or event or piece of music
or a composer noted in the novel.
Either:
 Select three students to present their views
to the whole class. Students may draw in
other texts for comparison and to highlight
distinctive features. The rest of the class
listen and prepare to question them, agree or
disagree and then open the discussion to all.
Share concluding comments.
Or:
 Arrange students in groups to present their
oral reviews to each other, before
assembling as a whole class to share and
debate views.
End by reminding students of further Pathways
to a good read. Recommend texts that students
have not already tried, especially additional
novels by Tim Bowler, not all of which have
been included in Pathways.
Transform
Homework
The teacher encourages detailed debate and
useful comparison with other texts. Ensure that
students are giving reasons for their opinions
that are rooted in the text or in the secondary
sources that they have accessed. If necessary,
ask students to find parts of the text to support
views, and re-read small sections of text that
can stimulate debate or more detailed thinking
and re-interpretation
Students write their final draft of their review,
aiming to incorporate the interesting detail that
has emerged during discussion, including any
considered reservations they may have as well
as positive comments. Students may like to post
their reviews on one of the many reviewing
websites.
Oxford Rollercoasters: Starseeker © OUP 2009. This may be reproduced solely within the purchaser’s school or college.
56
OXFORD ROLLERCOASTERS
Starseeker
Lesson 15
Worksheet 15a
Self assessment
AF
Assessment focus
AF2
Understand, describe,
select or retrieve
information, events or
ideas from texts and
use quotation and
reference to text

Deduce, infer or
interpret information,
events or ideas from
texts


Identify and comment
on the structure and
organization of texts,
including grammatical
and presentational
features at text level

AF3
AF4
You practised this when:






AF5
AF6
Explain and comment
on writer’s uses of
language, including
grammatical and
literary features at
word and sentence
level

Identify and comment
on writer’s purposes
and viewpoints and the
overall effect of the text
on the reader





AF7
Relate texts to their
social, cultural and
historical contexts and
literary traditions


I do
this
well
I can
do this
sometimes
I need to
practise
this
you created role-on-the-wall for
characters
you collected titles of pieces of
music
you noted references to stars,
voices, sounds and trees.
you predicted events
you interpreted detail of
characterisation or event
you thought about the title.
you thought about Skin’s
increasing violence
you thought how Luke had
changed
you thought about narrative
tension
you thought about how satisfying
the end of the novel was.
you analysed the way Tim Bowler
writes about Luke’s dream and
Luke’s love of music
you analysed how language is
used to build tension
you noted how language is used
to create character or describe
setting or feelings.
you considered how the reader’s
feelings about characters change
during the novel, e.g. Mrs Little
you thought about the importance
of the musical theme
you considered the title of the
novel.
you researched the composers
that influence Luke
You did this when you read about
Mr Little and the Battle of Britain.
Teacher comment
Oxford Rollercoasters: Starseeker © OUP 2009. This may be reproduced solely within the purchaser’s school or college.
57