The Meerkat Wars: Resources

UK National Literacy Strategies     IB Primary Years Programme                   

                            US Common Core State Standards

 



Synopsis

It’s all very well helping a young meerkat who’s been poisoned by a scorpion… 

…but when you’ve made friends with the whole Duwara tribe of meerkats, and you discover that they’re at war with the Utongo, you may find yourself involved in that too, even if you’re only a little black-and-white cat. 

And when you realise that the two tribes are fighting because each one believes it lives under The One True Sun, then you may have to undertake a very dangerous journey to help them see things differently.  

You may have to go through The Gorge

 



 

A wonderful middle-grade book!” Books Are My Friends Reviews

 “This is a book for all ages. It is thought-provoking and both humorous and serious. It carries some important messages but carries them lightly.” Amazon.com Reviews

“Overall...an excellent adventure book for Middle School readers.” TCM Reviews

The characters are quirky and loveable, especially Sheena. The writing is flawless and creative.” Ella Bella Reviews

“Tackles the serious issues of bias and prejudice with gentleness and sensitivity.” D.W. Carper, Amazon.com Reviewer

“The Meerkat Wars isn't a read to be ignored." Midwest Book Reviews.

“What makes this book so refreshing to read to children or to share with young adults…is the high quality of prose delivered through the pen of Toshack. This book entertains, but it also respects intelligence at every level.” Grady Harp, Amazon Top 30 Reviewer

“The Meerkat Wars deserves to become an animal classic.” Allison’s Book Bag Reviews

“I loved the creativity of the story… The Meerkat Wars is one of those interesting, fun books that everyone should read, even if you hate to read (which I think is crazy!)…If I was asked to read any sequels to this book I would jump at the chance. All I can say is GREAT job!” 10-year old Gisele, at The Eclectic Reader Blogspot

  

Resources

Exceptionally detailed (130+ pages) lesson plans covering every aspect of this story.  Comment by TES Australia Primary Team

To view a sample chapter and the teaching resources designed to help young readers explore it fully, click on the following link:

                                                                                                Download

 

Four full versions of the Teaching and Learning Resources are available for free download. Click on the link below to any version you wish to access. (For quicker initial viewing, open the pdf version.) Problems? Questions? Suggestions? Get in touch: litworks@live.com 

Please note that since the Word files are quite large they may take some time to download. If a Word file opens as 'Read Only', save it to your computer under a different name. If you have difficulty downloading a file, right-click on the link and select 'Save Target As'.

o Teaching Copy (pdf): Download

o Teaching Copy (Word): Download

o Student Copy (Word, allowing space for student responses): Download

o Student Copy (Word, condensed, for use when students have separate workbooks): Download 

(If you intend to use the materials only for your own reference you may find it helpful to have the .pdf version - to which no changes can be made - so that you always have an intact set. If, however, you would like to be able to modify the resources so that they better match your own needs, to print them out only in part, or to incorporate them into your own teaching materials, then you will find that the Word versions provide that kind of flexibility.)

 

Sheena the PYP Cat

This study unit encourages students to relate the story's events to the IB Learner Profile and the PYP Transdisciplinary Themes, and will enhance their understanding of all of those concepts. Click here to view the resource.

 

Themes and Topics

o Animal (and human) nature

o How things work

o The importance (and fun) of language

o Humour

o Belonging

o Personal and group identity

o Names

o Friendship

o Parenthood

o How societies organise themselves

o How older members of a community are regarded

o Divided loyalties

o Rituals

o Beliefs and their impact on how we behave

o Becoming whatever we want to be

o Competitions and rules

o Negotiations and agreements

o How conflict arises between groups

o Cruelty and kindness

o Responsibility for our actions

o Territoriality

o Militarism

o Economic principles

o History, the past and the future

o Reconciliation

Cross-curricular teaching ideas

Additional suggestions for work across a range of curricular areas can be found on the Teaching Library website. Click here.

Illustrations

Please note that copyright to the illustrations is held by PakaMdogo Press. Use of the illustrations is allowed for educational purposes only (within schools which have purchased copies of the book), or for private purposes. The illustrations must not be copied to any public medium. 

Right-click on a link, then 'Save Target As' to download and save the illustration, which you will then be able to print out as you wish:  

Chapter One

Page 9

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Chapter Fourteen

Page 124     

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Chapter Two

Page 11

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Chapter Fifteen

Page 129

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Chapter Two

Page 17

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Chapter Sixteen

Page 134

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Chapter Three

Page 31

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Chapter Seventeen

Page 138

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Chapter Four

Page 38

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Chapter Eighteen

Page 143

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Chapter Five

Page 51

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Chapter Nineteen

Page 150

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Chapter Six

Page 56

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Chapter Nineteen

Page 156

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Chapter Seven

Page 70

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Chapter Twenty

Page 160

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Chapter Eight

Page 76

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Chapter Twenty

Page 166

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Chapter Eight

Page 83

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Chapter Twenty-One

Page 177

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Chapter Nine

Page 91

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Chapter Twenty-Two

Page 184

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Chapter Ten

Page 96

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Chapter Twenty-Three

Page 190

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Chapter Eleven

Page 104

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Chapter Twenty-Four

Page 198

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Chapter Twelve

Page 109

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Map 

Download

Chapter Thirteen

Page 113

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Sheena Portrait

Download

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