Boy Overboard – Year 7 8 Novel Study Teaching Pack with Team Challenge Pack

Explore the powerful and inspiring story of Boy Overboard by Morris Gleitzman with this engaging teaching pack designed for Year 7 English. This novel unit helps students investigate themes of courage, hope, resilience, and the refugee experience while building strong comprehension and analytical skills.

Following Jamal and Bibi’s dangerous journey as they flee Afghanistan in search of safety, students examine how the novel explores friendship, determination, family, and the challenges faced by displaced people. The story encourages empathy and meaningful classroom discussions about global issues, justice, and perseverance.

A highlight of this resource is the Team Challenge Pack, where students work collaboratively to complete a series of problem-solving and investigation challenges connected to the novel’s key events and themes. These interactive activities encourage teamwork, critical thinking, and active engagement with the story.

What’s Included:
A structured sequence of ready-to-teach Year 7 lessons and activities
A Team Challenge Pack with collaborative classroom challenges linked to the novel
Character analysis activities focusing on Jamal, Bibi, and key figures
Theme exploration including courage, hope, resilience, and belonging
Language and narrative feature analysis (voice, humour, tension, imagery)
Context activities exploring refugees and global displacement
Scaffolded analytical paragraph writing support
Creative and reflective activities to deepen student engagement

You can:
Convert to PowerPoint: Upload the PDF to PowerPoint (File → Open) and it will automatically convert to slides.
Use in Google Slides: Upload the PDF to Google Drive, right-click, and open with Google Slides.
Use digitally or print: Upload the PDF to your LMS (Google Classroom, Canvas, etc.) or print it for handouts.
You could also use Canva to upload the PDF and convert and save as a PowerPoint.