Gozzle

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It’s springtime. Bear has woken up hungry and finds a lost egg outside his cave. Breakfast? No! Out hatches Gozzle, a very sweet little gosling who is convinced that Bear must be her daddy – and that she should be able to climb, dig and eat honey just like him.

English:

• Write a set of instructions to help Bear look after Gozzle.
• Retell the story from the point of view of another animal who sees Bear looking after Gozzle.
• Write some character profiles for Bear and Gozzle. How are they similar / different?
• Write diary entries for Gus for the days when he first meets Gozzle.
• Write some of the direct speech as reported (or indirect) speech.
• Think of some thought bubbles to accompany the illustrations.
• Could you write a similar story about a different animal that becomes a parent unexpectedly?
• Write a newspaper article about a bear who looks after a gosling.
• Write lists of words and phrases to describe Bear and Gozzle. How are the lists similar / different?
• Write a postcard from Gozzle to Bear when they arrive in Mexico.
• Write a sequel in which Bear tries to look after his ‘grandchildren’.
• Act out some scenes from the story, using role-play and freeze frames to explore the characters’ emotions.
• In the following video, the author gives some writing advice. What questions would you like to ask her?

Maths:

• Make a daily (or weekly) timetable for Bear and Gozzle.

Science:

• This story takes place in different seasons. Why do we have seasons? How do they affect plants, animals and humans?
• Find out more about bears (or geese). Where do they live? What do they eat? What special adaptations do they have?
• Make some labelled diagrams of bears and geese to show how they are adapted to living in their natural habitats.
• Why do birds migrate to new places? Why do bears hibernate during the winter? What other animals migrate / hibernate?
• Think of different ways of sorting animals. Where would Bear and Gozzle fit into your groups?

Computing:

• Make an animation of Gozzle walking around behind Bear.
• Make an animation of a flock of birds flying.
• Record a narrated version of this story. Could you edit the video and add special effects? Here is one example:

Design Technology:

• Could you make a model (or a puppet) of Bear or Gozzle?

Art:

• Look at pictures of bears and geese. Use these to create your own drawings or paintings.
• Make a new page for the story in which Bear tries to teach Gozzle a new skill.
• Create illustrations to depict the various stages in Gozzle’s life.

Music:

• Compose a melody to accompany an animated version of this story.

Geography:

• Find the natural habitats of bears or geese.
• Gozzle migrates to Mexico. Could you plan a journey there? What form(s) of transport would you use?
• Create a story map that illustrates the locations featured in the story. Add labels to show the different events that happened there.

Languages:

• Learn animal names in other languages.

PSHE:

• How do Bear’s feelings towards Gozzle change throughout the story? Think of a time when your thoughts and feelings about something changed over time.