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Michael Morpurgo Facts & Worksheets

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Michael Morpurgo is a British writer and author of over one hundred books, mostly for children, many of which have given many prizes and awards. See below for more Michael Morpurgo facts and information.

He is a famous and award-winning English author and poet who is known best for children’s novels – including Private Peaceful, War Horse, and The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips.

Interesting Facts about Michael Morpurgo

  • Michael Morpurgo was born in St Albans, Hertfordhire on October 5th, 1943.
  • He set up “Farms for City Children” charity with his wife Clare in 1976 after leaving his job as a teacher that he held for ten years.
  • Both Michael and his wife were awarded an MBE for services to youth in 1999 and in 2006, Michael also received an OBE from the Queen.
  • Michael Morpurgo has written over 120 books. His 100th book, Private Peaceful, was first published in 2003 and was adapted into a play in 2004 which was later revived in 2014.
  • He became a primary school teacher in Kent after graduating from the university of London.
  • About 85,000 children have taken part in the Farms for City Children scheme since it was set up, and the charity now has three farms in Devon, Gloucestershire and Wales.
  • Many of Michael Morpurgo’s books have been adapted. Film versions have been made of Friend or Foe, Private Peaceful, and Why the Whales Came – which was also adapted to a stage play. My Friend Walter, Purple Penguins and Out of the Ashes were also adapted for TV. War Horse, one of Michael’s best selling novels, has been adapted as a radio broadcast and stage play.
  • War Horse was also adapted into a 2011 British film directed by the world-famous director, Steven Spielberg.
  • Michael Morpurgo has revealed that he writes all of his books in exercise books. He also doesn’t work from a desk, instead choosing to write sitting on his bed, propped up with pillows.
  • His favorite animal is the elephant and he enjoys reading works by his favorite authors, including Rudyard Kipling, Robert Louis Stevenson and Ted Hughes.
  • Michael is a very traditional author and is known to not enjoy the process of editing and rewriting his novels.
  • In 2003, Michael became the third person to fulfil the role of Children’s Laureate. This is a position awarded in the United Kingdom once every two years to a “writer or illustrator of children’s books to celebrate outstanding achievement in their field”. Michael served in this role, a two-year position, from 2003 to 2005.
  • Michael has three children. Their names are Sebastian, Horatio and Rosalind. He also has several grandchildren.
  • He likes to relax by listening to the works of the composer Mozart, but when he is writing, Michael needs to be in a silent room to concentrate.
  • He enjoyed French at school, and studied French along with English at the University of London before becoming a teacher.
  • Michael Morpurgo has won many awards for his writing. These include winning Prix Sorcière in France three times for King of the Cloud Forests (1993), Wombat Goes Walkabout (1999) and Kensuke’s Kingdom (2001) and he also won the Red House Children’s Book Award twice for Kensuke’s Kingdom (2000) and Private Peaceful (2004).
  • His novel War Horse was ‘discovered’ by National Theatre associate director Tom Morris when Michael was Children’s Laureate. War Horse is now the biggest-selling production ever at the New London Theatre.

List of Popular Michael Morpurgo Books

Below is a list of some of Michael’s most popular books.

  • War Horse
  • Private Peaceful
  • The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips
  • Cool!
  • Out of the Ashes
  • Kensuke’s Kingdom
  • The Butterfly Lion
  • The Wreck of the Zanzibar
  • Tom’s Sausage Lion
  • Why the Whales Came
  • Not Bad for a Bad Lad

Michael Morpurgo Worksheets

This bundle includes 11 ready-to-use Michael Morpurgo worksheets that are perfect for students to learn about Michael who is a famous and award-winning English author and poet who is known best for children’s novels – including Private Peaceful, War Horse, and The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips. Throughout the extensive worksheet pack there are multiple lesson resources and quizzes for students to practice their knowledge which can be used within the classroom or homeschooling environment.

Included Michael Morpurgo worksheets:

Michael Morpurgo Word Search
Help to fill out the diagram using what you know about the Feudal System

Fact Or Bluff
“Chivalry” is a code of conduct followed by medieval knights. Students shall read the Code of Chivalry and share their thoughts.

My Story Book I
Read about some of the Medieval technological advances and write about them in the space provided.

My Story Book II
Decode the puzzle to learn how the picture represents the Black death.

Book Review
Can your students solve the clues and fit the answers into the grid?

Book Analysis
Students are challenged to look at some examples of Danse Macabre art and create a piece of their own.

What Can You Say About Michael Morpurgo?
Challenging questions sheet on the Crusades.

Michael Morpurgo Timeline
Color the Peasant life picture and describe what is happening in the specific scene.

I Want to Become a/an…
Compare the Islamic society with the European society at the time and answer a number of challenging questions.

I appreciate them…
Can your students successfully unscramble the words?

After completing these worksheets students will be able to:

  • Have a clear understanding about Michael Morpurgo and the history of his fantastic work.
  • Complete a number of quiz and fill in the blank activities to test their knowledge of the man himself.
  • Encourage students to be creative with their own writing and storybooks.
  • Learn a common literacy skill in successfully completing a book review on one of Michael’s novels.
  • Understand facts and fiction based upon studies.
  • Share thoughts and expressions on what they have studied.
  • Understand chronology and timelines and use dates to identify other milestones of time.
  • Multiple core literacy skills are worked on and are the foundation of this study worksheet pack.

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Link will appear as Michael Morpurgo Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, August 10, 2017

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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