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- Pig-Heart Boy (KS2/3)
Pig-Heart Boy (KS2/3)
by Malorie Blackman
All Cameron wants is a 'normal' life - friends, swimming, school, family.
But most normal thirteen-year-olds don't desperately need a new heart because theirs doesn't work properly.
One doctor offers hope. Cameron could - if he and his parents agree - take part in a radical and controversial procedure involving the transplant of a pig's heart into his human body. It's risky. And it's never been done before . . .
While Cameron comes to terms with the idea, he finds the world around him is much, much less accepting. But surely everyone will understand that it's better to have a pig's heart that works than a human heart that doesn't - won't they . . .?
"A powerful story about friendship, loyalty, and family around this topical and controversial issue"
- Guardian
Resources
Age: Key Stage 2/3 (middle grade)
Subject: English Literature
Fiction Text: Pig-Heart Boy
Author: Malorie Blackman
The activities in this resource pack give KS2/3 students opportunities to engage with a fiction text. There are activities for comprehension and critical analysis, structuring ideas and looking for descriptive and narrative techniques.
The activities in the resource pack are designed to be used alongside the videos below of author Malorie Blackman who reads aloud an extract in addition to introducing the text, talking about Character, Themes, Structure and the Writing Process.
What's included in the resource pack?
- 4 Activity PowerPoints
- 4 Student Worksheet PDFs
- 1 PDF on Teacher notes
- 1 Text Extract PDF
Extra Resoures
The following materials are focused on Winsome Pinnocks' stage adaption of Pig-Heart Boy.
- 1 Creative Activities PowerPoint for KS2/3 students
- 1 Student Worksheet for activity two
How to use the pack
- Review all videos below
- Download the resource pack, which includes the activity PowerPoint presentations and all accompanying documents
- Take your students through the activities and watch the corresponding videos with the author
- Use the worksheets and text extracts to support the activities
Download the resource pack
Pig-Heart Boy (KS2/3) - Resource Pack
Pig-Heart Boy (KS2/3) - Extra Resources
Introduction and Extract Reading
Malorie Blackman, Pig-Heart Boy - Chapter 21 (Reading) | Lit in Colour
Author Interviews
Malorie Blackman, Pig-Heart Boy - Writing Process (Interview) | Lit in Colour
Malorie Blackman, Pig-Heart Boy - Theme (Interview) | Lit in Colour
Malorie Blackman, Pig-Heart Boy - Structure (Interview) | Lit in Colour
Pig-Heart Boy Stage Adaption
Bringing Pig Heart Boy to the Stage, with Winsome Pinnock (Interview)
Pig-Heart Boy- Teacher's Note
by Daniel Fenwick (Deputy Head Teacher at St. Paul's C of E Primary School)
Despite Pig Heart Boy being written in the last millennium, the issues explored in the book are still relevant to today. Whether someone should harvest a heart from a pig to save a human life is a question that children are genuinely interested in.
Recent news that a stage production of Pig Heart Boy was coming to our local theatre, confirmed my decision to include the novel in the Year 5 curriculum. Watching the play really made a difference with my class. One student said, “It helped me see the book come to life.” Another said, “It helped me to think more deeply about the issues.” Winsome Pinnock’s adaption is imaginatively staged and thoroughly entertaining. Upon returning to school, I felt that the children were able to make comparisons and critique it in a more sophisticated way.
Having never taught the book before, I found the Lit in Colour Resources a really useful starting point. I have used them as part of a unit, but they’re also suitable for stand-alone activities. The introductory slides were helpful – particularly in combination with the author’s video clips.
I remember a fellow teacher questioning whether the book was appropriate for a Year 5 class. In one of the author videos, Malorie Blackman said that we should never underestimate children and their ability to deal with mature subject content. I wholeheartedly agree, especially due to the excellent debates that took place in my classroom. While schools across the country focus on oracy, the subject matter in Pig Heart Boy provides a perfect platform for students to develop this. One of my pupils said, “It helped me realise everyone has a chance at life.”
Malorie Blackman said “Reading is an exercise in empathy; an exercise in walking in someone else’s shoes for a while.” I found the Sympathy vs Empathy slide featured in the Character PowerPoint helped us to delve deeper and understand the difficult choices that Cameron had to make. The fourth activity – writing the email – was pertinent and helped embed students’ understanding of these emotional responses.
In a world where young people need to navigate a path through social media and fake news, the Structure and Process slide uses the newspaper sections of Pig Heart Boy well to help students develop media literacy. This activity is a great place to start if you want your pupils to generate their own newspaper reports.
The Writing Inspiration slides combined with Malorie Blackman’s video explaining her motivation for writing the book were really helpful. As the story is written from Cam’s perspective in the first-person, a lot of my students decided to write diaries. We decided to recount Chapter 21 ‘Blood’. Like most Year 5 pupils, many of our students read the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series,so the diary form is one they are particularly familiar with. I was incredibly pleased with how well they wrote in such a short time, with minimal teacher input. The way they captured Cam's voice demonstrated how fully they had immersed themselves in the story.
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