Ask students to turn to a partner and share one thing they found out about Ben's family in the first four chapters. Share a few responses with the class to re-engage with the text.

Explain the reading goal: "As you read Chapters 5-8, I want you to look for moments that create tension or make you feel nervous for the family. Highlight or write down one key quote that shows this tension."

Option A (Reading Circles): Divide students into groups of 4. Assign roles (e.g., Discussion Director, Summariser, Quote Finder, Connector). Give them 25 minutes to read the chapters together and discuss their roles.

Option B (Silent Reading): Students read the chapters silently at their own pace. They should complete the Cornell Notes for these chapters as they read.

Bring the class back together. Use these prompts to guide the discussion:

• "How does the author describe the cabin? What words does he use to make it feel threatening?" (e.g., 'Dark. Sad. Villainous.')
• "Ben's father says, 'You want me to put a nappy on you? Just hit it with your shoe.' What does this tell us about their relationship?"
• "Why is Ben so scared of nature? Find a quote that shows his fear."
• "The chapter ends with Ben finding the bag of money. What do you predict is inside it? Why is it a secret?"

Have students turn to their Cornell Notes for Chapters 5-8. Give them 5 minutes to fill in any missing details or write down any questions they have. Circulate and check for understanding.

Start with a "Quick Write". Prompt: "Imagine you found a bag full of money hidden in your house. What would be your first thought? What would you do?" Give students 3 minutes to write, then ask for 2-3 volunteers to share.

Set the reading goal for Chapters 9-12: "Pay close attention to the theme of trust. Who is lying? Who is being honest? Find one quote that shows a character is not being truthful."

Option A (Paired Reading): Have students read the chapters in pairs, taking turns to read aloud. They can pause and discuss after each chapter.

Option B (Independent Reading): Students read silently, focusing on finding evidence for the theme of trust and completing their Cornell Notes.

Lead a discussion centered on the family's secrets and the theme of trust:

• "Ben's Mum tells him they sold the wreckers. Do you think Ben believes her? Why or why not?"
• "Ben's dad buys everyone presents, including a diamond ring for Mum. How does this change the mood in the family? Does it make everything okay?"
• "Ben thinks, 'Did it matter where the money had come from? A million dollars could buy a lot of happy.' What does this tell us about his internal conflict?"
• "Why is it important that Ben and Olive build a raft together and keep it a secret?"

Instruct students to ensure they have filled out the 'Important Quotes' section of their Cornell Notes for these chapters. Tell them: "The quotes you collect today will be very useful for your TEEL paragraphs next week, so make sure they are good ones!"

Ask the class: "If you were a detective trying to solve a mystery, what would be your most important tool? (e.g., a notebook, a camera, a magnifying glass)." Connect this to Ben, who uses his Pop's notebook as his primary tool. Ask: "What did Ben record in the last chapter? Why is that so important?"

Set the reading goal for Chapters 13-16: "As you read, I want you to track Ben's investigation. What new evidence does he collect? Also, pay close attention to his relationship with his dad. Find one quote that shows their relationship is getting worse."

Option A (Paired Reading): Have students read the chapters in pairs, pausing at the end of each chapter to discuss the key events and Ben's feelings.

Option B (Independent Reading): Students read silently, instructing them to jot down key "evidence" in their notebooks as Ben does in the story.

Lead a discussion focused on the key events and themes of these chapters:

• The Recording: "Ben records his parents' conversation. What does he find out? (They need passports, might go to the desert). How does this make him feel?"
• The Rabbit Hunt: "Ben's dad hunts a rabbit. How does Ben feel about this? How does the author describe the dead rabbit? What does Ben think when his dad says, 'He seemed less alive than the rabbits'?"
• The Fight: "Why does Ben's dad take the notebook? Why does Ben react so strongly? What does this fight show us about their relationship?"

Instruct students to ensure their Cornell Notes for these chapters are complete, especially the 'Important Quotes' section. Ask them to select the quote they think is most important from these chapters and be ready to share why in the next lesson.

Start with a "Quick Write". Prompt: "Imagine you wake up and your parents have vanished. You are locked in the house with your younger sibling. What are your first three thoughts?" Give students 3 minutes to write, then ask for a few volunteers to share their immediate fears or ideas.

Set the reading goal for Chapters 17-21: "Ben and Olive are now trapped. As you read, I want you to find the moments where Ben has to make a difficult choice. What does he choose to do, and why?"

Option A (Guided Reading): Read Chapter 17 aloud as a class to build the tension of them being locked in. Then have students read Chapters 18-21 silently to find out how they escape.

Option B (Independent Reading): Students read all chapters silently, completing their final Cornell Notes entries.

Bring the class back together to discuss the major turning points:

• Being Trapped: "How does Ben feel when he realises his parents have left them locked in? How does Olive feel?"
• The Escape Plan: "Ben decides to saw a hole in the floor. What does this tell us about his character? How has he changed from the boy who was scared of spiders?"
• The Confrontation: "When his parents return, Ben confronts his mum. He asks, 'Why do you listen to him?' Why is this such an important question for Ben to ask?"
• The Truth: "Ben finds out the truth about the money. What is it? How does this change everything for him?"

Ask students to write on the small piece of paper the one word they think best describes Ben at the end of Chapter 21. Have them crumple it up and on the count of three, throw it into the centre of the room. Read a few of the words aloud to see the range of student perceptions (e.g., "brave," "scared," "angry," "determined").

Sentence Challenge: "Now, turn to your partner. Your challenge is to write one complex sentence that uses two of the words we heard to describe Ben. For example: 'Although Ben was still scared, he acted bravely by deciding to confront his parents.'" Share a few examples.

Start by asking students: "Why do we use paragraphs when we write?" Show them a jumbled, unstructured paragraph on the board (e.g., a series of disconnected sentences about the cabin). Ask them: "What's wrong with this? How could we make it clearer and more powerful?" This highlights the need for a clear, logical structure.

Use the Writing Booklet (or a slide) to explicitly teach the TEEL structure. Clearly define each component:

• T - Topic Sentence: The main argument or point of your paragraph. It should directly answer the question.
• E - Explanation/Elaborate: Explain your point in more detail. What do you mean?
• E - Evidence: Provide a quote or specific example from the text to prove your point.
• L - Link: Link your evidence back to your topic sentence. Explain *how* the quote proves your point.

Use a simple analogy: "Think of it like a lawyer making a case. The Topic Sentence is your argument, the Explanation is your reasoning, the Evidence is your proof, and the Link is your closing statement to the jury."

As a class, analyze the model paragraph on "Nature as a challenging setting" from the Writing Booklet. Project it onto the board. Deconstruct it together, identifying and highlighting the T, E, E, and L components. Ask: "What is the topic sentence? Where is the evidence? How does the author link it back?"

Assign students to find one quote from the novel that they could use in a paragraph about a challenging setting or a challenging character. They should write it in their workbooks and be ready to use it in the next lesson.

Quickly review the TEEL structure on the board. Ask students to call out what each letter stands for. Check their understanding from the previous lesson.

Direct students to the "Portfolio Tasks" page on the student website. Explain that today they will be writing two practice paragraphs to build their skills for the final essay. Clearly outline the two tasks:

• Task 1a: How does Bancks create Ben's home environment as challenging?
• Task 1b: Ray Silver is a challenging character for Ben. Discuss.

Work on the first paragraph (Task 1a) as a whole class. Brainstorm a strong topic sentence together (e.g., "Bancks creates Ben's home environment as challenging through its physical decay and emotional neglect."). Have students suggest evidence from the text. Guide them through writing the explanation and link, modelling the thinking process aloud.

Students work independently on the second paragraph (Task 1b) about Ray. Circulate around the room, providing individual feedback and support. Help students who are stuck finding evidence or structuring their sentences.

If time permits, have a few volunteers share their second paragraph with the class. Alternatively, have students pair up and read their paragraphs to each other, offering one piece of positive feedback and one suggestion for improvement.

Start with a "Quick Write". Prompt: "What type of conflict does Ben face most often in Two Wolves - character vs self, character vs others, character vs society, or character vs nature? Give one example." Give students 3 minutes to write, then ask for 2-3 volunteers to share.

Project the essay questions from the assessment pack. Ask students to identify which questions would benefit from discussing conflict types. Highlight how understanding conflict helps answer questions about:

• The "two wolves" internal battle (character vs self)
• Character choices (conflict drives decisions)
• Family and secrets (character vs others)
• Setting challenges (character vs nature)

Distribute A3 paper for character webs. Students work individually to construct a web focusing on the Silver family and their interactions. Encourage them to include evidence from the text to support their ideas. Model how to create connections between characters with specific examples from the novel.

Once complete, have students add more details about Ray and April, identifying how the audience is positioned to respond to these characters.

Distribute the conflict thinking sheet. Students work in pairs to analyze one extract from Reading Australia's suggested list, focusing on how the conflict reveals character development:

• Character vs self: Chapter Nineteen (pp. 146-147)
• Character vs others: Chapter Seventeen (pp. 127-129) with Olive
• Character vs society: Chapter Four (pp. 26-33)
• Character vs nature: Chapter Ten (pp. 66-73)

Each pair only analyzes ONE extract. They identify how the conflict connects to potential essay questions.

Ask students to turn to a partner and share one word that describes Ray Silver and one word that describes Ben. Create a class word cloud of these descriptors on the board. Discuss the contrasting words that emerge.

Distribute the Student Assignment Sheet from the assessment pack. Review each essay question together, brainstorming initial ideas for each. Explain the assessment criteria using the Analytic Rubric, highlighting the 'Going for Gold' criteria. Emphasize how their character analysis work connects to the essay tasks.

Model how to write a strong thesis statement for one of the questions, showing how it should clearly answer the question and provide a roadmap for the essay.

Students choose their essay question and write an initial thesis statement. Circulate to provide feedback on thesis statements, ensuring they clearly answer the question and provide a roadmap for their essay.

Distribute the Planning Template from the assessment pack. Model how to fill in the first section (Essay Question and Thesis) using a sample question. Students complete this section for homework.

Project this quote: "He needed to 'man up,' like Dad always said." Ask students to turn to a partner and discuss: What does this reveal about Ben's relationship with his father? Share responses with the class.

Divide students into small groups. Assign each group one of the Reading Australia guided reading extracts focusing on character relationships:

• Chapter Four: Chase (pp. 25-27) - Ben, Olive, Ray, April
• Chapter Seven: The Bag (pp. 46-48) - Ben, April, Olive
• Chapter Nineteen: The Plan (pp. 144-145) - Ben, Ray, April
• Chapter Thirty-Eight: One Wolf (pp. 264-266) - Ben, Ray, April

Students read their extract and identify strategies Bancks uses to create character. They should find at least 3 quotes that reveal character relationships or conflicts that could be used in their essays.

Model how to integrate quotes smoothly into sentences using the TEEL structure. Use the annotated sample paragraph from the assessment pack as a model. Show how to use complex sentences with conjunctions like 'although', 'while', 'because'.

Students practice integrating one quote from their guided reading extract into a TEEL paragraph that could be part of their essay.

Each group shares one key insight about their character extract. Students exchange their TEEL paragraphs with a partner for feedback using the Success Criteria checklist.