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The Firework-Maker's Daughter by Philip Pullman

Primary Middle Secondary

Australian Curriculum General Capability: Critical & Creative Thinking

Australian Curriculum General Capability: Literacy

Australian Curriculum General Capability: Ethical Understanding

Australian Curriculum General Capability: Intercultural Understanding

Philosophy

Cooperative Learning Activity

Teacher

Book cover
(Source: Booktopia)

This book has been directed at students who are 8 - 10 years of age and created in 1995 by Philip Pullman. However, the story has also been made into a stage play and an opera.

In the activities below, your students will be challenged to write, create, create a scene soundtrack and/or discuss this book. It is suitable for all students in Years 5 - 12.

Here are some resources for you:

A poster for the play:

The Firework Maker's Daughter
(Source: Phil Clark)

YouTube: The Firework-Maker's Daughter in 5 Minutes!
https://youtu.be/emuMrXXjM94

There are three activities created by On the Job:

Standing on the Shoulders of Giants - writing activity
Creating a cartoon of the story
The Philosophy within first chapter - a Community of Inquiry

You can decide whether to use all three or only one with your students. You might also use the Cornerstones resource booklet for other activities.

Full Text

For the full text, please click here - 116 pages PDF

Process

Read through all instructions for students and decide which or all of the activities you wish to use in your classroom.

For the Community of Inquiry [Philosophy], please look at the process here.

There is a resource [below] from Cornerstones with many activities: you could select another one for your class besides the Scene Soundtrack activity described below. [Activity D].

Educational view of The Firework-Maker's Daughter from Cornerstones
PDF 15 pages

Covers: Synopsis, Literary Techniques, Setting, Narrative Techniques, Structure, Language, &
Activities for Students

Educational Activities
(Source: Cornerstones)

Students

You have one of four or all four activities to complete based on the book "The Firework-Maker's Daughter" by Philip Pullman. You will be directed by your teacher about which activities you will complete.

A. Standing on the Shoulders of Giants - Individual Activity

"Standing on the shoulders of giants" is a metaphor wihich means: Using the understanding gained by major thinkers who have gone before in order to make intellectual progress (Source: Wikipedia)

In a letter to Robert Hooke in 1676, Isaac Newton wrote: “If I have seen further it is by standing on ye shoulders of Giants.” Newton was alluding to those who had come before, such as Galileo Galilei, on whose work he had built. The metaphor, implying the ratchet-like progress of human understanding, privileging accumulated culture over the gifted and inspired individual, was not original. (Source: Quillette)

Standing on the Shoulders of Giants
(Source: Medium)

What to do...

You are to critically examine this book - you are critically read, think and analyse; the characters; plot; the perspective and impact; context, purpose and the function.

For the full text, please click here - 116 pages PDF

To gain a synopsis of the book and the literary techniques, read The Firework-Maker's Daughter, PDF 15 pages.

Individually, you are to then write a story [with or without these characters] or continue this story [one chapter] in the same way as Pullman has written.

B. Create a Cartoon - Group Activity

Cooperative Learning Activity

Cartoon
(Source: Cornerstones)

What to do...

a. As a group of 3 - 4 students, you are to read only the first Chapter [1 - 10 pages of full text] or another chapter in the creation of your cartoon.

For the full text, please click here - 116 pages PDF.

b. Read The Firework-Maker's Daughter, [PDF 15 pages] to view beautiful drawings that will give you ideas about your cartoon.

c. Decide as a group which chapter you wish to create the cartoon about and a particular scene.

d. Your group is to create a cartoon of this chapter or scene using one of the cartoon creators on this page.

e. Remember to Storyboard this work first - you can use generators listed on this page. For example:

Storyboard

It would help you a lot to view the YouTube above

YouTube: The Firework-Maker's Daughter in 5 Minutes!
https://youtu.be/emuMrXXjM94

f. Give a presentation of your group's cartoon.

C. Community of Inquiry - Group Activity

Cooperative Learning Activity

To see the process of a Community of Inquiry click on this link.

a. There are many philosophical questions in Chapter 1 that you are to explore in a Community of Inquiry.

Read Chapter 1 [p 1 - 10] from this full text, please click here - 116 pages PDF as a class. This is your stimulus material.

b.Break up into pairs. Create two questions from each of the four Question Quadrants and put them onto post-its:

Question Quadrant

c. With your Philosophical or Inquiry questions, put your name and your partner's name on the post-it and stick onto a whiteboard.

d. Your teacher will see which Philosophical questions are the most popular or similar and collate it to one question.

e. In a circle, with your teacher directing you, start a discussion on the Philosophical Question most popular with the class.

d. Conduct a Community of Inquiry.

D. Scene Soundtrack (directly from Cornerstones - p13) - Individual or Group Activity

Cooperative Learning Activity

The Firework-Maker's Daughter [PDF 15 pages]

(Source: Cornerstones)

"Record your own scene soundtrack. Choose your favourite scene in the story that could easily have a
soundtrack attached to it, for example the firework display or the jungle, and start recording or downloading sounds.

Edit these sounds into a workable soundtrack. How well does your recording capture the scene?"

Share with the class.

Pets and Fireworks - Create an Infographic

Primary

Australian Curriculum General Capability: Critical & Creative Thinking

Australian Curriculum General Capability: Literacy

1. As a class, read the following article from The Conversation 3 November 2021 Read

2. List the five ways to help your pets cope with fireworks.

3. Create an Infographic using the resources on this page.

4. Share with the class.

The Science of Fireworks

Secondary

Cooperative Learning Activity

1. In groups of 3 - 4 students, you are to read the following articles from The Conversation [one each]:

The Conversation 2 July 2019 Read

The Conversation 22 December 2021 Read

The Conversation 31 December 2013 Read

2. Each of you is to use the following Retrieval Chart Strategy to fill out from your article: Draw up this table in your notebook.

3. After filling out your chart, you are to share with your group your article's information. This information is to be added to their charts. Repeat this until all three articles are shared.

4. Discussion