Stig of The Dump by Clive King is a story that addresses the issues of developing new friendships, history and overcoming personal issues.
The book tells the story about a boy named Barney and what he discovers whilst visiting his grandparents. His adventure starts with him going to explore a chalk pit/dump, his grandparents have already warned him against playing there but he goes there anyway because he is bored. Unfortunately, Barney has an accident and winds up falling into the pit, whilst there he sees something there, who does not look like a typical man, it is Stig. Stig is a caveman who has been living in the pit, building a fort, with all the rubbish that has been thrown out. Barney and Stig overcome the language barrier to develop a friendship, going on adventures and Barney begins to enjoy his time at his grandparents. Their friendship remains secret but also blossoms, as nobody believes Barney. Towards the end of the book, Barney and his sister are transported back in time to Stigs era and help him complete a building, bringing Barney and his sister closer together.
Stig of The Dump, is aimed at Key Stage 2, with considerably less illustrations, the chapters and complex sentences make it more accessible to older children. The children get to follow the story from beginning to end with massive detail, literacy tasks could involve simple comprehension, allowing them to practice retaining information, asking questions about what had happened in each chapter. As the book touches briefly upon historical issues, classroom activities could also include, thinking about what things we think we need now, that Stig did not have or how they would survive, what instruments did they have?
The book tells the story about a boy named Barney and what he discovers whilst visiting his grandparents. His adventure starts with him going to explore a chalk pit/dump, his grandparents have already warned him against playing there but he goes there anyway because he is bored. Unfortunately, Barney has an accident and winds up falling into the pit, whilst there he sees something there, who does not look like a typical man, it is Stig. Stig is a caveman who has been living in the pit, building a fort, with all the rubbish that has been thrown out. Barney and Stig overcome the language barrier to develop a friendship, going on adventures and Barney begins to enjoy his time at his grandparents. Their friendship remains secret but also blossoms, as nobody believes Barney. Towards the end of the book, Barney and his sister are transported back in time to Stigs era and help him complete a building, bringing Barney and his sister closer together.
Stig of The Dump, is aimed at Key Stage 2, with considerably less illustrations, the chapters and complex sentences make it more accessible to older children. The children get to follow the story from beginning to end with massive detail, literacy tasks could involve simple comprehension, allowing them to practice retaining information, asking questions about what had happened in each chapter. As the book touches briefly upon historical issues, classroom activities could also include, thinking about what things we think we need now, that Stig did not have or how they would survive, what instruments did they have?