An Adventure for Charlie

Learning intention:  

I am learning to identify the point of view in a text and suggest alternative points of view so that I can experiment with creating a role-play examining an alternative point of view.  

 Success criteria:  

• I can identify the point of view a story is told from.  
• I can consider alternative points of view when events from the story are adapted.  
• I can experiment with a role-play examining alternative points of view.   

Essential knowledge: 

View the video on Point of View from The School Magazine. Discuss with students the information in the video, ensuring they note that point of view means the perspective a story is told from.  

Learning resource:  

 

Read An Adventure for Charlie. Discuss whose point of view the story is told from (Charlie’s). Discuss the reaction of the crew and the captain when they discover the stowaway. Ensure students note that they treat Charlie kindly, finding a cabin for him and providing him with food. Reflect on why they might have treated him kindly, concluding that it was most likely due to the fact he is an animal and therefore isn’t seen as being responsible for his actions.  

View the article Stowaway found in South Africa plane wheel at Amsterdam airport about a human stowaway. 

Trigger warning: the third paragraph mentions that most stowaways do not survive so consideration should be taken when viewing this article with students who may be sensitive to such material.  

Inform students that they will be experimenting with point of view by composing a story where the stowaway is human to reflect on the impact this has on the crew and captain’s reactions. Tell them that they will be role-playing the reactions of the captain and the stowaway.  

Discuss the following:   

• how might the captain and the crew react if they were to discover a human stowaway? (e.g. the captain may be angry with the stowaway, the stowaway would be in trouble)  
• how might a human stowaway be treated differently once detected, to the way Charlie was treated? (e.g. it is likely a human stowaway would be arrested rather than offered a comfy cabin)  

Discuss how the stowaway might feel. Refer back to the story to identify extracts that reveal how Charlie felt when he was first detected on board. For example,  

Poor Charlie began to shake with fright.  

Students will most likely conclude that the stowaway might be stressed and nervous and that they might have stowed away out of desperation.  

Select a student to experiment with the teacher, improvising a role-play of an interaction between a human stowaway and a captain on board a ship. A sample role-play has been provided below.  

Captain: Well, well, what do we have here? (spoken in a loud, booming voice) 

Stowaway: I, I, I, I’m sorry, I’m just heading to my room… (spoken in a scared, quivering voice) 

Captain: Wait right there. Are you a stowaway?  

Stowaway: Maybe, yes. I didn’t mean to cause any harm. I’m just trying to visit my family.  

Captain: Well that may be, but you’ve broken the law.  

Stowaway: Please, don’t report me.  

Captain: I’m afraid I have to. Come with me. I need to call the police.  

Place students in pairs and instruct them to role-play their own interaction between a ship’s captain and a stowaway. Remind them to consider each persons’ point of view. Allow time for students to take a turn experimenting with each of the roles. Once students have had time to rehearse, match them with another pair and instruct them to perform their role-plays to each other.