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The Earth has flooded. The only signs of humankind are the waterlogged structures they left behind. Peeking out from the deluge are the remnants of a zoo, home to rare and endangered animals, survivors of long neglect. Tender-hearted NOA is a construction robot who’s found new purpose as the caretaker of the zoo’s beleaguered inhabitants. Bracing for the next storm, NOA builds an ark from the wreckage in search of new land, only to discover something even more profound.
English:
- Look at the front cover of the book. Write a description of what you can see, or what you think might happen in the story. Why is the water level so high? What is on board the ship?
- Retell the story from the robot’s point of view.
- Write a diary entry from the point of view of one of the animals.
- Write a newspaper report about Noa, the robot who looks after animals at the flooded zoo.
- Create a persuasive advert to encourage people to visit the zoo before it was flooded.
- Think of some captions or thought / speech bubbles to accompany the illustrations.
- Create a character profile of the construction robot.
- Choose one of the settings in the story and write a detailed description of it.
- Where did the humans go? Write the start of a story in which people return to this place and discover robots looking after the animals.
- Can you plan and illustrate your own wordless book?
- Write a sequel to this story. What might happen next?
Maths:
- Make a timetable for the robot that shows its daily schedule and zookeeper tasks.
Science:
- Write some instructions to teach Noa how to look after one of the animals in the illustrations.
- The robots are powered by renewable energy. What forms of renewable energy do we use in our lives?
- Compare living and non-living things. What does it mean to be ‘alive’?
Computing:
- Create a stop-motion animation of Noa moving around the zoo, helping the animals.
- Create a trailer to promote the book using animation software. Here are some examples:
Design Technology:
- Design a safe shelter for some of these animals.
- Create and test a new vehicle that Noa and the animals can use to escape the flood.
- Can you make a model of Noa, the construction robot?
Art:
- Draw some illustrations of a place before and after a flood.
- Look at the pictures of Noa and discuss how the illustrator has shown its emotions through its body language. Can you try this yourself?
- Create a comic strip that retells part of this story.
- How has the illustrator shown the time of day in the pictures? Create some pictures of the same place during the day, evening and night.
- Design a new robot helper to accompany Noa.
- Create some silhouettes of abandoned locations.
Music:
- Compose a melody to accompany an animated movie that retells this story.
- Develop a soundscape of a ruined city.
Geography:
- What is a flood? What might cause floods? Write a report about flooding and how it affects plant, animal and human life.
- What other types of natural disasters can you learn about?
- Map the journey taken by the robot and the animals. Add labels to show the events that happened there.
- Explore human impact on the environment. How do people affect life in different places around the world?
- What is climate change and how might it affect the world around us?
History:
- Learn about civilisations that have collapsed in the past.
- Find out about the history of robots. When did they first develop, and how are they different from the robots we use today?
Religious Education:
- Read about the story of Noah. How did he save animals from a flood?
PSHE:
- What does ’empathy’ mean? Why do you think the robot looks after the animals?
- Explore environmental responsibility. Why (and how) should we look after our planet?
- Do you think Noa is lonely at the start of the story? What does it mean to be lonely? How can we help people who feel lonely?