Description
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.
The three lesson overviews focus on:
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Comprehension and inferencing, supporting students to locate information, make meaning, and draw conclusions from the text;
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The author’s use of language and structure, exploring how word choice, sentence structure, and text features shape meaning; and
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Author’s purpose and themes, encouraging students to think critically about ideas, messages, and viewpoints.
Curriculum Phase: Phase 3
Year Level: Year 8
Curriculum Coverage:
English – Reading: narrative structure, inference, author’s craft, themes, making connections
Social Sciences – 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
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