We’re Off To Look For Aliens

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Dad’s new book has just arrived, and the children are sitting down to read his latest adventure…

Blasting off into space, Dad’s on the hunt for aliens. He meets lots of them – cute, hairy, bug-eyed and scary – and, strangest of all, he falls in love. Dad brings his alien girl back to Earth, where they have a family and live happily ever after. When Dad’s book is finished, the family are amused – because it’s an extra-terrestrial, extra-true story – all about them!

Teaching Ideas and Resources:

English

• Look at the illustration showing some of the characters that Dad writes about. Can you make up a new story featuring one of those?
• This book features a ‘book within a book’. Could you create a story that features another story inside it? Could you write the main story and ask a friend to write another story inside it (or vice versa)?
• Imagine your own alien creature and make a character profile about it. Where does it come from? What is its personality like??(see Resources below)
• Imagine that you went on a journey to look for aliens. Plan what you might need to take with you.
• Investigate how authors write / illustrate / publish their work.
• Count the number of syllables in the lines of Dad’s book.
• Find the rhyming words in Dad’s book.
• Think of words to describe the aliens that appear in Dad’s book.
• Write a story about what happens to the alien babies as they grow up.
• Write a book review for Dad’s book.
• Dad’s book features quotes from different people on the back. Can you write some short single-sentence reviews that can be used as quotes on the back of your favourite book(s)?
• Look at the use of speech marks in the story. Can you write a conversation between a family that uses speech marks in the correct place?
• Imagine that you are going on a trip to space in a rocket. What would you need to pack for the journey??(see Resources below)

Maths

• Use direction words to describe the journey of the spaceship around the universe.

Science

• Find out about the different planets in our solar system. Can you make a poster to teach people about them?
• Can you think of a mnemonic to help people to remember the order of the planets?

Computing

• Use a painting program to make a picture of an alien.

Design Technology

• Create a model of an alien.

Art

• Create your own alien pictures using different types of media.
• Colour the alien pictures (see Resources below).
• Design a rocket that you could use to travel into space.
• Decorate a rocket image using pencils / paint?(see Resources below).

Music

• Compose a tune that can be used to sing the words in Dad’s book.

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