KS: Upper KS2
Year Group: Year 6
Literary Theme: Evolution & Inheritance
Author(s): Jake Williams
This is a 12-session Literary Leaf for Darwin's Voyage of Discovery by Jake Williams where children learn about the voyage that Darwin took on the HMS Beagle in chronological order, identifying on the way how he sorted and classified information so they can do the same! Children retrieve information as we journey through the text and identify any vocabulary and terminology associated with classification, evolution and discovery so that they can eventually create a glossary for the book.
We chose this book for a Literary Leaf as it is a subject that children in Year 5 or 6 are expected to be familiar with and it's a fascinating area of study for science, geography and history. In terms of layout, this is a brilliant example of a narrative non-fiction book, that although can be dipped into at any page, is best tackled in chronological order as it follows Darwin's life from childhood onwards.
This is a wonderful celebration of history's most remarkable journey; published to celebrate 160 years of Charles Darwin's ground-breaking text on evolution: On The Origin of Species. Step on-board The Beagle and follow the remarkable journey that inspired almost all modern-day knowledge of the natural world. From England to Cape Verde, Brazil to the Galapagos, Tahiti to Australia; discover the wildlife of Charles Darwin - giant sloths, platypus, tarantulas, fireflies and more. As well as gorgeous artwork and fascinating information on the journey, this book also features the equipment used by Darwin and cross-sections of the ship itself.
Any study or topic where evolution and adaptation is to be covered would benefit from this being used and we would sit this alongside any our Writing Roots in Y6 that sit under the theme of 'Evolution and Inheritance': The Hidden Forest, The Promise and Can We Save the Tiger?
Evolution, inheritance, adaptation, journeys, discoveries
