A Rope, A Map and a Mystery to Solve...

This morning, the children were immediately intrigued by a mysterious bag placed at the front of the room. “What’s in it?” they wondered. Once they were told the items were clues for our next book, excitement quickly grew.

Inside the bag, we discovered a large rope, a hard hat, a map of New York, a picture of Notre Dame and an image of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. We then read a diary entry from Philippe Petit, who described his excitement about secretly entering the South Tower at night to conquer “the biggest challenge of all”.

The children eagerly shared their ideas, making thoughtful connections between the objects and the diary entry. They generated their own investigative questions, keen to uncover what these clues might reveal.

When we finally looked at the front cover of The Man Who Walked Between the Towers by Mordicai Gerstein, the class was amazed to discover that Mr Petit was a tightrope walker. Their astonishment grew even more when they realised the story is based on a true event.

The children went on to write their own predictions, using the clues and cover to imagine what might happen in the story. There is a real sense of anticipation in the classroom as they look forward to learning more about this incredible moment in history.