The Shark Caller

The Shark Caller

Having worked with Zillah on our short story ‘Maria and the Silver Shoes’ (Click Here to Read), we were delighted to complete a literacy pack linked to her fantastic book The Shark Caller.

The Shark Caller” is an intriguing and captivating book for several reasons:

1. Unique Setting: The book takes place in a remote coastal village in Papua New Guinea, where the protagonist, Izzy, discovers her extraordinary ability to communicate with sharks. The vivid and atmospheric descriptions of the village, its traditions, and the surrounding oceanic environment provide a fresh and immersive backdrop for the story.
2. Cultural Exploration: Through Izzy’s journey, the book delves into the rich cultural heritage of Papua New Guinea, particularly its spiritual beliefs and the important role of the shark in their mythology. It offers readers a chance to learn about and appreciate a lesser-known culture, its traditions, and the connection between humans and nature.
3. Environmental Themes: “The Shark Caller” touches upon important environmental themes, emphasizing the significance of marine conservation and the delicate balance of ecosystems. The portrayal of the sharks as intelligent and misunderstood creatures challenges common stereotypes and encourages readers to reconsider their views on these magnificent animals.
4. Coming-of-Age Narrative: The story follows Izzy’s personal growth and self-discovery as she grapples with her unique abilities, confronts personal loss, and navigates the challenges of adolescence. Readers can relate to her journey of finding her place in the world and discovering her own strengths and identity.
5. Adventure and Suspense: The narrative is filled with adventure, mystery, and suspense as Izzy embarks on a dangerous quest to uncover the truth about her father’s disappearance and protect her village from a looming threat. The author weaves a compelling plot that keeps readers engaged and eager to unravel the secrets hidden within the story.

Main Focus: Comprehension – Ch 1

We have created this comprehension resource from chapter 1 of  ‘The Shark Caller’ to test your students understanding of the passage. We have created a range of questions for your class to reflect on what has happened, draw conclusions, and to describe some of the  current events based on some of the vocabulary used.

This resource has been differentiated 3 ways to cater for different learning needs.

Main Focus: Character Study – Ch 2

We have created a set of questions to gain more understanding of the characters involved in the story so far. These questions will prompt your students to think about the characteristics of each charecters, and find supporting evidence from the passage to fit the statements for each character. Your class will gain a better understanding of the characters’ and roles involved within the narrative.

This resource has been differentiated 2 ways. Answers included.

Main Focus: Abstract Nouns – Ch 4 & 5

This activity is focused on abstract nouns.

Main Focus: Character Study – Ch 6

We have created statements that highlight the character traits of the characters involved in the story so far. Your class will have to find the evidence in Chapter 6 of ‘The Shark Caller’ to support each statement. They will then have to aynalise the differences and similarities of Blue Wing and Maple.

We have differentiated this resource 2 ways.

Main Focus: Comprehension – Ch 8

We have created this comprehension resource from chapter 8 of  ‘The Shark Caller’ to test your students understanding of the passage. We have created a range of questions for your class to reflect on what has happened, draw conclusions, and to describe some of the  current events based on some of the vocabulary used.

This resource has been differentiated 2 ways. Answers included.

Main Focus: Vocabulary Extension – Ch 9

The purpose of this vocabulary extension exercise is to enrich your classes vocabulary. They will have to fill in the blanks of the sentences extracted from Chapter 9 of ‘The Shark Caller’ with suitable and appropriate words.

This activity is differentiated 3 ways. (Some involve word banks).

Main Focus: Inference – Ch 10

This resource has been created for your UKS2 class based on chapter 10 of ‘The Shark Caller’. Your class will have to answer the following questions based on the story so far by making predictions and conclusions. This resource tests your classes understanding of the story and characters so far.

We have created 3 differentiated versions based on your students learning abilities.

Main Focus: Word Exploration – Ch 10

In this word exploration activity your class will have to identify the underlined word into the class of word, synonym, antonym and give a the meaning. This resource tests your classes understanding of the language used in ‘The Shark Caller’.

This resource is differentiate in 3 ways.

Main Focus: Subordinate Clauses – Ch 14 & 15

Main Focus: Punctuation – Ch 16

We have taken extracts from chapter 16 of ‘The Shark Caller’. Your class will have to punctuate the sentences by adding capital letters, full stops, commas, question marks, apostrophes and ellipsis.

We have differentiated this resource 3 ways for different learning abilities. Answers are included.