Not Now Bernard

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Bernard’s parents are so busy doing their own thing, that the monster can eat Bernard’s dinner, break his toys, and even eat Bernard, without being noticed!

Teaching Ideas and Resources:

English

• Look at the use of speech marks in the story.
• Can you turn the story into a play, using the speech to make lines for each character?
• The author uses the word ‘said’ a lot in the story. Can you think of any synonyms that would be more suitable in each sentence?
• Can you think of speech / thought bubbles for each illustration in the story?
• Write a story that explains where the monster came from. How did he end up in Bernard’s garden?
• Write a story that explains what happens next. How do Bernard’s family react when they realise what has happened?
• Look at the words ‘There’s’ and ‘It’s’. Why have apostrophes been used in these words?
• The sentences in the story are all quite short. Could you use a connective to join some of them together? Does this improve the story?
• Think of words to describe how Bernard tasted when the monster ate him!
• Write a story for the newspaper that Bernard’s father reads, about the sighting of a monster in the local area.
• Write a newspaper article which tells people about Bernard’s disappearance.
• Look at the illustrations in Bernard’s comic. Could you turn these into a story?
• Retell the story from the monster’s point of view.
• Write a sequel to the story, explaining how Bernard escaped and managed to return home to his family.
• Read the story to an audience, using expression and sound effects.

Computing

• Use comic-creation software (e.g. Comic Life) to turn the story into a comic strip, or to create a story in one of Bernard’s comics.
• Use a paint program to design a new monster or a family for the monster in the story.
• Could you retell the story in the form of a stop-motion animation?

Design Technology

• The monster broke one of Bernard’s robot toys. Can you design and make a new one for him?

Art

• The illustrations of Bernard usually show him with unhappy expressions. Can you draw him in a happy mood? What will his face look like? What will his body language show?
• Could you turn the story into comic strip?
• Look at the use of patterns in the illustrations. Can you design your own patterns?
• Look at the different shades of each colour in the pictures. Can you recreate these shades (and make your own) by mixing colours?

PSHE

• Bernard’s parents ignored him in the story. How does it feel when people are ignoring us? How should we behave when people are trying to speak to us? How can we attract people’s attention in a polite, positive way?
• Look at the expressions of the characters in each illustration. How are they feeling?