Title of the book: FArTHER

Author/ illustrator: Grahame Baker-Smith

Publisher/Year: Templar, 2010
Features of the text: circular plot, two main characters, is it a dream?
Notes: Based for a year 5
Linguistic features. Use the New National Curriculum to focus on:
Vocabulary, Grammar and Punctuation /
Questions/Pages you would want to explore further
and why
Genre: Picture book
This book is absent of criteria on the national
Post- modern
curriculum, therefore it would be great to use for the
Structure: Chronological
circle of life- reflects this through the story line.
Words in bold and capitals tell their own story of the dream.
Narration: First person. No dialogue which reflects the features of a dream (you do not
normally speak in dreams).
Aspirations are often left silent.
Layout: Most pages are double page spreads with pictures are part from a few which have
boarders. Boarders are used on pages where aspirations and dreams are almost gone.. The
text follows the images on both left and right pages. Font is in black and all in capitals. Most
of the text is small.
Illustrations: Repetition of collage portrays how father and son have similar aspirations and
dreams. The view point stays the same throughout the story. The book contains a lot of blue
illustrations representing sky and therefore freedom. For example when the father goes
away to war the blue sky disappears suggesting the dream and freedom goes with the
father.
Foreshadowing illustrations:
the poppies
the doves
Reference to wings through images on every page, apart from when the father leaves to go
to war.

children to adapt the book with national curriculum

points.
For example:

using the perfect form of verbs to mark

relationships of time and cause.
using modal verbs or adverbs to indicate
degrees of possibility.

Children can use the text as a basic structure to then

add in verbs and adverbs.

The father is physically drawn to be particularly large to show prominence in the sons life.
However the father is drawn small when he leaves to go to war.
Characterization: The characterization is mainly told through the pictures in the novel.
However we do learn that the father is particularly aspiration and likes to look after his son
and protect him and show him the way. Clear relationship between the father and son rather
than the mother and the son.
Setting: Cliff house over a long period of time.
Themes: family relationships, dreams, aspirations, perseverance

Close Reading of key pages:

Drama Opportunities:
When filling this in, make sure you add images from the page or page
references so that the teacher knows what parts you are referring to
Drama Opportunities:
When his father leaves to go to war,
get the children to use freeze-framing
and thought tracking to depict this
part of the book. This must have been
a difficult time for the family, so have
the children recreate this scene and
the teacher will then tap each
character in the scene to find out
their thoughts and feelings.
During this part of the book the boy
has managed to fly with his fathers
wings. Children could use a drama
strategy called soundscape. What
would this scene sound like? Can they
use their bodies and percussion to
show a particular theme or mood to
do with this moment in the story?
How do you think the character felt at
this time and how could you show
this through sound/music?

Literacy Opportunities (with a focus on grammar) :

Ensure that the links relate to the year-group expectations. Remember, get
the grammar to fit around the text and not the text around the grammar. If
you want to explore connectives, but there are none in the book then create
an activity that has the children add them. Consider what types of writing
activities might work around the text. Make sure you have made a
game/sheet and attached it to your file.
(see pages below)

Cross Curricular Opportunities:

Use the curriculum jigsaw and copies of the NC to help you see relevant links
to the text.

History
Ancient Greece
The story of Daedalus and Icarus. Explore how this story runs in
parallel with part of the story (where the Father builds wings etc.)

Design and Technology

'Use research and criteria to develop products which are fit for
purpose and aimed at specific groups'
....create wings that respond to design specification: can't melt in
the sun and defy gravity

Science
'Introduce gravity, resistance' ...'Understand location and interaction
of Sun, Earth and Moon'
...Use understanding of Science as criteria for creating the wings in
D&T
Mathematics
Geometry and measures- this is used when creating the wings in
D&T

Receptive Context:
Think about how you can use the room to excite and engage the children into
wanting to explore the book and anything related to it more. How can you
wow them when they first walk in?
Before:
Exciting book display- copies of book, audio recording of it being
read, images of Ancient Greek myth
Blank board of aspirations to be filled throughout unit...
word/aspiration of the week
Questions to provoke thoughts about the book
Asking children prior to display who inspires them and why and then
collate information and add to display/around the classroom
Other books by the author and/or books about aspirations etc.

During (or after read the book)

Filling in the aspirations board
Children's thoughts about the book- picture of front of book and
children to add post-it thoughts as book is explored
Different types of wings hanging from the ceiling... alongside
aspirations hanging from the ceiling as well
Have picture of each character displayed and as the book is explored
things about that character are revealed and put around the
character... mainly looking at strength in relationships
After:
Wings on display with aspirations attached
Work done throughout topic displayed
Parents in to see what they've made

Questions you could ask to develop comprehension:

Try and refer questions to specific pages from the text and make sure theyre
open-ended

What do the poppies represent? (Page 1-2)

Why do you think the Father dreamed of flying? (Page 1-2)
What do you think the Father is thinking in the picture on page 3? Why?
What do the birds represent on each page?
Why has the illustrator made the Father look so big on page 6?
What do the colours used on these two pages show? (pages 7-8)
Why has Grahame Baker-Smith chosen to split the page into lots of different
images? (Page 9)
Why do you think the dream was described as 'bossy'? (Page 11)
Describe how the Father was feeling in the picture? (Page 16)
What do the colours used on these two pages show?
Where do you think the Father is going? (Both pages 17-18)
What does the tree resemble? (Page 20)
Compare the table with the tools on pages 3 and 21. What do you notice?
What does this show?

Notes:
Events -

Must

Literacy Opportunities (with a focus on grammar) :

The following game is to support the use of Using modal verbs or
adverbs to indicate degrees of possibility.

Should

Might

Ought

Shall

Could

In groups of 4/5, children are to throw the dice and decide which
sentence, from the pictures provided, the model verb is more suitable to
in order to indicate a degree of possibility. A justification is needed.
Children can then discuss other possibilities.