The Bear-Shaped Hole

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Gerda and Orlo are best bear friends. When Gerda was there, Orlo always had time for a game or a story, a joke or a rhyme. He was never too busy to listen, to talk, to help, to share, or to go for a walk.

But slowly, something starts to change. Orlo reveals he is ill, and as he softly explains to Gerda, he is not going to get better. Gerda is overwhelmed by emotions she cannot quite explain, but Orlo gently helps her prepare, so they can spend their time together making memories that will last a lifetime. When the time comes, Gerda can fill the Bear-Shaped hole in her life with the special moments she shared with Orlo.

English:

• Read The Hare-Shaped Hole and make a list of similarities and differences between the books. Which story do you prefer? Why?
• Imagine you could ask Gerda some questions. What would you ask? How might she respond?
• Write a diary entry from Gerda’s point of view, explaining how she feels at different points in the story.
• Rewrite some of the pages in the first person.
• Change some of the text from direct to reported (or indirect) speech.
• Write a poem about a special friend.
• Write a letter from Orlo to Gerda (or vice versa), reflecting on their time together.
• Look at the illustrations and think of some thought / speech bubbles that could be added to them.

Science:

• Learn more about bears and create a report to teach others about them. Where do they live? How are they adapted to living in that environment?
• What do bears eat? Create a food chain (or food web) that includes bears.
• Learn about the life cycle of a bear and compare it to the human life cycle.

Computing:

• Choose a scene from the book and make an animation based on it.
• Use publishing / graphics software to design a new cover for the book.

Design Technology:

• Make some puppets to represent the characters and use them to retell the story.
• Make a box that Gerda could use to store some special objects that remind her of Orlo.

Art:

• Draw some illustrations of Gerda and Orlo. Create different versions that show their emotions through facial expressions and body language.
• Retell the main points of the story in the form of a comic strip.
• Draw an outline of a person, place or object and decorate the inside with some special memories.
• Make a bear-shaped collage that shows some of your favourite memories. A template is available to download below.
• Make your own version of one of the illustrations in the book.

Music:

• Choose a rhyming verse from the book and compose a melody to accompany it.
• Compose a melody that could be used in an animated version of this story. How might it change as Gerda’s emotions change throughout the story?

Geography:

• Map the locations where different bear species live around the world.
• Look at the illustrations in the book. What kind of environment do Gerda and Orlo live in?

Religious Education:

• Discover how various religions approach loss, grief, and remembrance.

PSHE:

• Read the first two pages of the story and find words that are used to describe Gerda. What do they mean? What words would you use to describe yourself (or a best friend)?
• Orlo makes Gerda feel ‘safe, understood and secure’. How do your friends make you feel?
• How do Gerda’s emotions change as the story goes on? Make a list of words that describe her emotions at the start, middle and end of the story.
• How does Gerda react when Orlo says that he is going to die? Why does she behave in this way?
• If appropriate, think of a time when you have lost something or somebody. How did it make you feel?
• What could you do to support somebody who is going through a similar experience to Orlo or Gerda?
• Orlo says ‘Don’t be ashamed of the way that you feel.’ What does this mean?
• Orlo and Gerda create many fond memories together. What are your happiest memories of a special person, time or place?
• Discuss ways to cope with difficult times and emotions.

Downloads: