Thunder from the Sea: Adventure On Board the HMS Defender
By: Jeff Weigel
Published by: G.P. Putnam's Son
Graphic Novel, Historical Fiction
Jack Hoynton is only a boy when he enlists in the Royal Navy and is assigned to the HMS Defender during the Napoleonic Wars. The ship is assigned to blockade a French port to keep the French from invading England.
On the ship, Jack has trouble with the tough work at first, but is taken under the wing of a sailor Hewitt. When the men run out of drinking water on the ship, they go ashore to find more, but are attacked by French troops and have to retreat to the boat. Jack's friend Hewitt gets left behind on shore and makes a deal with the French. He tells his fellow British sailors to come ashore to attack, but when they get there the French are waiting to attack them too! When they all get put in jail, Jack makes it his duty to escape from the jail and save his mates.
Reading Level:
Grade Level: 2 and up
Suggested Delivery:
Individual Read, Small Group Read
Electronic Resources:
This is the official website for the author of the story. There are many different links on the page to his other books, his artwork and a bio about him.
This site gives a brief overview of the Napoleonic Wars for children, including the different countries involved and what caused them.
This wikipedia page gives a full glossary of Nautical terms used in the book. Teachers or students can use this as a reference when reading the story.
Key Vocabulary:
Napoleonic Wars, Frigate, bosun, The Maritime Society, oakum, yardarm, shrouds, grog, starboard, schooner
Comprehension Strategies:
Before Reading:
Before reading the story, students will need some background information about the historical context of the story. A quick history lesson about the Napoleonic Wars would be advantageous to students. http://www.history.com/topics/napoleon This website gives a brief biography of Napolen Bonaparte and his rule. Students need to understand his rule and the reasons behind the wars in order to understand the historical content in the story.
During Reading:
Have students stop at points during the story to predict what will happen next. Students can write their prediction in a reader's journal or use a graphic organizer to organize their thoughts. There are many different points in the story where the tension rises and falls. Teachers can utilize these points to stop students in their reading to practice their comprehension skills in predicting.
After Reading:
After finishing the story, students can complete a writing assignment in which they change the story. Students must change an important turning point in the story and predict what would have happened next due to their change. What if Hewitt didn't get left on the island? What if Jack didn't escape the jail?
Writing Assignment:
The main character of the story is twelve years old, a close age to elementary students. Elementary students in the United States would not have similar experiences to Jack. For this reason, writing a journal entry from Jack's point of view would be a very different writing experience. Students would need to include nautical vocabulary and specific details from the story in their journals.
Weigel, Jeff. Thunder from the sea: adventure on board the HMS Defender. New York, NY: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2010. Print.
Like you suggested, I think this book would be a great choice to use in a social studies unit on the Napoleonic Era. The fact that the book is in a graphic novel format would make it intriguing to all students, even those may not have an interest in history. The electronic resources you provided would be great additions to help support the book. Your comprehension strategies are also very helpful to implement this book in a social studies unit, and the before reading lesson would definitely be very helpful to students to build background knowledge. The after reading activity is a good way to help students practice and apply inferential comprehension of the story. Lastly, the writing activity you suggested is a great way for students to extend their narrative writing on a topic that they don't have experience with.
ReplyDeleteI also love your blog as a whole, the pictures you provided in the posts, as well as the summaries help to get a sense of what they books are about even if the reader hasn't read the books themselves.