Introduction
Welcome to your novel study webquest. A webquest is an online quest or mission which you work through at your own pace as you read the novel. Your aim is to complete and achieve all the tasks given. The purpose of the webquest is to encourage you to research and think beyond the book so you have a better understanding of the themes and ideas you read about.
You will be practising lots of different reading skills as you work your way through:
W.A.L.T...
- Find and compare information in texts.
- Identify key themes and messages in a story and explain how they are connected to each other.
- Identify and explain key ideas and supporting details in texts.
- Pick up subtle clues in the story and connect them to gain a deeper understanding of events and characters.
- Develop knowledge of more complex vocabulary in the story.
- Share personal responses about the story which show deeper thinking.
Shadow of the Boyd is the fictionalised account of Thomas Davidson, a real apprentice seaman who survived the massacre on board the brigantine, Boyd, in the Whangaroa Harbour in December 1809. Menefy uses a combination of diary entries, flashback and present moment to recreate this historical event, a tragic tale of cultural misunderstandings and revenge.
Task
Setting the Scene and Motivational Acitivities:
• Tell students that the story tells of the killing and eating of most crew
members and passengers on the sailing ship Boyd in 1809 by a
Maori tribe in Whangaroa Harbour in Northland. Tell students that
Maori had very little contact with Europeans at this time in our history.
Have students speculate on how Maori could have reacted when
meeting a new and strange ‘white’ race who arrived in big ships with
guns and strange ways from the other side of the world. Can they suggest
possible reasons why the massacre took place?
• Using Google Maps, Google Images and Google Earth, have students
become familiar with the area where the massacre took place.
Process
During and Post Reading Acitivities:
Introduce the concept of chronological order. Why do they think that
the author chose to tell this story in a different way by skipping fro
the present to the past? How has this helped the story?
• What does Mana and Utu Mean? Write down what each word means and give examples of Mana and Utu in the Bethells community. Use this link below
http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/culture/frontier-of-chaos/maori-values
• Have students locate incidents on the voyages that show that life
on board ship was harsh, dangerous and sometimes cruel, both for
passengers and the crew in every chapter.
• Summarise every chapter into your own words and predict what you think will happen next.
• Do students know the Maori idea of mana* can often mean that
other people show you and treat you with respect because of who
you are and what you have done? How would the treatment of
George have been disrespectful of his mana? Can students identify
any reasons why George’s tribe would believe that their mana had
been shown disrespect by a previous ship visit? Introduce the idea of
lack of immunity to European diseases such as influenza that could
cause many Maori became sick and die. Do students think George
and the tribe would be justified in seeking revenge for their
mana being shown disrespect in this way? Help students relate this
to the context of the time.
• Have students find reasons why Thomas and Mrs Morley survived.
• Tell students there are many accounts of the Boyd massacre on
the web and that several tell slightly different stories from the one
they have read. Have students visit the following sites and list the
differences in interpretation including the role that Te Pahi played.
www.nzhistory.net.nz/culture/maori-european-contact-before-1840/the-boy…
www.teara.govt.nz/en/1966/boyd-massacre-of/1
http://new-zealand-history.suite101.com/article.cfm/attack_on_the_boyd_…
For more information on the Boyd tragedy:
http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/culture/maori-european-contact-before-1840/the-boyd-incident
http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/1966/boyd-massacre-of/1
http://www.nzetc.org/tm/scholarly/tei-McNTasm-t1-body-d10.html
• Have groups construct a timeline of the major events Thomas
witnessed during his voyages on the Boyd and the Boyd massacre
Evaluation
Choose any 1 of the activities below. Try to show what you think of the novel and the issues involved. Try to justify your thoughts, opinions and ideas:
- Collage
Make a collage from magazine pictures illustrating a scene from the novel, or events and characters from the entire novel.
- A Book Review
Now is your chance to share the novel with others. Write a review of "Shadow of the Boyd" describing in no more than one paragraph an outline of the plot, and then in another paragraph how you enjoyed the novel (or didn’t) and why. (Please don’t give away the ending!) This review can be posted to a website like www.amazon.com for others to enjoy.
-
Lights, Camera, Action!
Suppose Hollywood decided to make Shadow of the Boyd into a full-length feature movie. Who would star in this exciting project? Now suppose you were asked to be the casting director for this movie. Who would you cast for the principal roles? Thomas, Betsy, George e.t.c
You may wish to choose Hollywood actors for this task, or for some fun, limit your choices to people in your school (teachers and students). Beside each selection write a brief explanation for your choice to demonstrate your understanding of the character.
- Artwork!
Create a "symbol chart" as a piece of art work (paint/pastel/clay/material/chalk/ICT etc) with all the symbols you have identified from the story. Think about how your art work could show their meaning...
- Activity of your Choice
You must justify to your teacher your reasons for choosing the activity. The activity must show you have read the book thoroughly and understood the main characters, events, ideas and issues as well as some of the 'hidden ones'!
Conclusion
Personal Responses:
Get together with the rest of your reading group (and perhaps your teacher) and discuss your thoughts on the novel e.g.
What did you likke/dislike and why? What are the main issues explored in the novel? What can you say about the main characters? What messages does the author convey in the book? What have you learned? What's your opinion of this book? Who would you recommend it to? How would you improve it?