This resource pack features the story of Voytek, the bear who carried bombs. It is taken from Heroes: Incredible Stories Of Courageous Animals by David Long. This book is a perfect KS2 non-fiction class reader for Years 4–6.

Inside this pack you’ll find reading comprehension questions to improve reading inference, retrieval and predictive skills. There are also suggestions for classroom activities to enjoy the book across different areas of the curriculum.

This includes creating WWII battlefield freeze-frames, writing chronological timelines and creating drama inspired by heroes.

Who was Voytek the bear?

Poland was the first country to be invaded at the start of the WW2, but many soldiers and airmen escaped from the country and were able to fight on the side of the Allies.

More than a hundred thousand of them joined the Polish II Army Corps, and together with a mountain bear called Voytek they fought alongside British and Commonwealth troops in the Middle East and North Africa before taking part in one of the most ferocious battles of the whole war.

During the battle, Voytek the bear was seen carrying one giant shell after another from the Polish supply depot forward to the Allies’ guns.

Literacy activities

• Create a timeline of events that happen in the story, including dates, locations and characters present.
• Create an Animal-Hero ID Card for Voytek listing his strengths and weaknesses. Use your Animal-Hero ID Cards to make a classroom display.
• Imagine that you are a soldier from the story and you disagree with the decision to not allow Voytek on the ship. Create a persuasive poster to convince others to let Voytek on the ship. Make sure you give them reasons to take your side.
• Look at the illustration of Voytek on pages 38–39. How does the illustration help to show the animal’s personality or character? How does it convey the atmosphere of the battle? Write a list of words that the illustration makes you think of.
• Write a diary entry in-role as Voytek when he suddenly finds himself at the Battle of Monte Cassino. How has his environment changed? How does he feel? How does he try to adapt to his new environment and why?
• Think of an event or a situation where an animal helped you. How could you turn this into a historical account like the one you have just read? Draw a storyboard of the different stages of the event or situation that you have in mind. Can you write the first few panels of the storyboard?

Similar resources

• The Last Boy – Learn about child labour, astronomy and more
• Powerful verbs – Writing an emotional response KS2 WAGOLL
• Reading comprehension research – Overview for teachers
• Viking worksheets – Colour-and-write sheets for history & writing
• Year 6 spelling words – ‘-ent’ and ‘-ence’ endings