Running Wild by Paul Mason is a gripping historical narrative that weaves together boyhood adventure and one of the greatest survival stories in exploration history. The text shifts between Frank Worsley’s youth in Akaroa — where curiosity and risk-taking shaped his love of the sea — and his later role as navigator on Ernest Shackleton’s ill-fated Antarctic expedition aboard the Endurance.

Blending fiction with historical fact, the story highlights courage, resilience, leadership, and problem-solving under extreme pressure. Students are invited to explore how early experiences shape identity, how relationships support survival, and how human determination can triumph in the harshest environments. The text supports rich discussion, inference, and connections between personal growth and historical context.

 

This pack contains a wide range of response activities including:

• A skimming and scanning task to build confidence in locating key information, and making early predictions about the text.
• Comprehension and critical thinking activities exploring key historical understandings.
• A structured discussion guide with rich, open-ended questions designed to promote inference, reasoning, collaboration, and evidence-based thinking.
• Thinking tools and exploration frameworks to support metacognition and balanced perspective-taking and to deepen understanding of key themes and messages
• Practical, real-world extension tasks and activities to reinforce key literacy skills. 

 

This comprehensive pack supports comprehension, historical inquiry, critical thinking, creativity, and connection-making — all grounded in the exploration of Running Wild. 

 

Curriculum Phase: Phase 3

Year Level: Year 8

Curriculum Coverage includes:

Reading: narrative structure, inference, author’s craft, themes, making connections

Aotearoa New Zealand Histories: historical context, exploration, leadership, decision-making, cause and consequence

Text Type: Historical fiction / narrative non-fiction

 

Key words include: adventure, Akaroa, ANZ histories, Antarctic expedition, Antarctica, Aotearoa New Zealand histories, brotherhood, courage, decision-making, Elephant Island, Endurance, Ernest Shackleton, expedition, exploration, Frank Worsley, historical fiction, history, identity, James Caird, leadership, narrative non-fiction, navigation, ocean, Paul Mason, perseverance, polar explorers, polar exploration, problem-solving, relationships, resilience, risk-taking, Running Wild, sailing, seafaring, siblings, South Georgia, survival, the Southern Ocean, youth and adventure