A comprehensive and engaging Years 7–8 English unit for Rooftoppers by Katherine Rundell. Designed to develop reading comprehension, analytical thinking, and writing skills, this resource guides students through the novel while exploring themes of family, belonging, determination, identity, and adventure.

Through a range of engaging learning activities, students examine Sophie’s journey of self-discovery and her search for family while analysing character development, setting, and the author’s craft. The unit encourages students to think critically about resilience, friendship, and the importance of following one’s beliefs.

What’s included
• Analysis of themes, characters, context, and key ideas
• Exploration of belonging, family, identity, friendship, and perseverance
• Language features, figurative language, and text structures analysis
• Study of setting, characterisation, and narrative techniques
• Close reading and comprehension activities
• Paragraph and extended writing tasks
• Discussion questions and collaborative learning opportunities
• Analytical writing support and model responses
• A 10-week teaching sequence with multiple learning activities each week
• Classroom-ready activities designed to promote engagement and critical thinking

Want a sneak peek before you commit? Check out Instagram @beyond_the_text_resources for preview videos of the units.

Teaching approach
This resource uses a flexible, activity-based approach rather than a scripted lesson-by-lesson format. Students engage with the novel through discussion, inquiry, creative responses, close analysis, and writing activities that build both comprehension and analytical skills. Teachers can adapt tasks to suit the needs of their classes.

File info
• Provided as a non-editable PDF
• Not designed as an editable PowerPoint
How to use
• Upload to your LMS (Google Classroom, Canvas, etc.) for digital learning
• Print selected pages for classroom use
• Display pages to support discussion, analysis, and writing activities
• Upload to presentation or design platforms if you wish to adapt for your own use (formatting may vary depending on the program used)