KS: Lower KS2
Year Group: Year 3
Literary Theme: Overcoming Adversity
Author(s): Mal Peet
This is a Vocabulary Vine for Cloud Tea Monkeys by Mal Peet
A Vocabulary Vine is designed to be a sister resource to a Writing Root and Spelling Seed. It sits within our wider Teach Through a Text approach by explicitly identifying vocabulary from the book and providing additional opportunities for paired, small group and whole class experimentation with this vocabulary in context. Vocabulary Vines further complement spelling development too through exploration of the morphology (word structure) and etymology (origins) of words. They also provide oracy opportunities through a focus on talk tasks and on oral sentence construction. They are designed for short burst oral and vocabulary development.
A Writing Root is available for Cloud Tea Monkeys.
Descriptive passage, writing in role, ‘how to’ guide (instructions), letter, discussion
Non-chronological report
15 sessions, 3 weeks
This three-week Writing Root begins with the arrival of a Royal Tea –Taster in class seeking apprentice tea-tasters. The children experience an immersive session where they smell and taste a range of different teas before creating descriptive statements to describe a tea. A basket is then delivered and inside is a magical and moving story about Cloud Tea and how monkeys save a young girl and her mother. As the text is read, the children are exposed to range of language activities to stimulate grammatical development and reading comprehension skills. The children then write letters of thanks to the monkeys. Using the authors’ note as further stimulus, children research, plan and then write a non-chronological report on tea, the tea-trade and traditions relating to tea.
Tashi lives in a tiny village below the tea plantations where her mother earns a living. One day her mother falls ill, and Tashi must pick tea to earn the money for a doctor. But she is too small to reach the tender shoots and the cruel Overseer sends her away empty-handed. Tashi needs a miracle. Then, on the mountains high above the plantation where only monkeys live, something extraordinary happens that will change her life for ever…
This is a legend set in another culture in the centuries-old past but with close links to fair-trade and the food industry. The strong female protagonist fights to overcome traditional ideals in the name of family and eventual triumph. Shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Medal, the text has clever use of language and a powerful narrative which carry important messages about loyalty and respect.
Tea, fair-trade, plantations, monkeys, power
Date written: December 2016
Updated: February 2024
View Cloud Tea Monkeys Writing RootA Home Learning Branch is available for Cloud Tea Monkeys.
This is a Home Learning Branch for Cloud Tea Monkeys. These branches are designed to support home learners to access literature-based learning using a selection of books we love from Writing Roots. They include purposeful writing suggestions, links to the wider curriculum so that texts can be used across other subjects, key questions as well as spelling or phonics investigations.
View Cloud Tea Monkeys Home Learning Branch
