Created for Book Week 2026
Celebrate Derek by Anne Donaldson and Matt Shanks with this cross-curricular activity pack, designed to inspire curiosity, big questions and friendship in early years and primary classrooms.
This resource is packed with craft, literacy and maths activities inspired by Derek's journey from a lonely fish bowl to a world full of new friends and unanswered questions. Perfect for planning a whole-day Symphony of Stories experience or weaving into your Book Week celebrations!
What's included:
Book Craft
Derek fish craft - assemble a 3D fish using the template, with layered tail fins and eye pieces, in colour or black and white
Differentiated Literacy Activities
Open-ended writing prompts - 10 prompts inspired by Derek's questions and journey, with three differentiated templates
Punctuation - sort sentences by full stop or question mark, plus an alternative tally activity for questions heard in the story, with differentiated levels
Diary entries - write from Derek's perspective, with differentiated scaffolding from fill-in-the-blank starters to a three-part before, during and after structure
Bubble Adventure - imagine an alternate story for Derek's journey, with sequencing scaffolds (first, next, after that, finally) across differentiated levels
Persuasive writing - persuade the store owner that fish should never be alone, using the OREO structure, with differentiated levels
Class book of questions - a collaborative class book where each student contributes a question and answer
Hunting for onomatopoeia - find sound words in the story, create your own list, and design a comic strip
Differentiated Mathematics Activities
Fish subtraction - subtraction within 10, 20 and 30, plus creating your own word problems, across differentiated levels
Fish and pet addition - addition to 10, 20 and 30, plus creating your own word problems, across differentiated levels
Mystery picture addition - addition to 20 and 50, and vertical 2-digit and 3-digit addition without trading, in colour or black and white, with answers included
Data: question words - tally and graph the question words found in the book, across differentiated levels
3D objects - match objects from the book to their 3D object names, then trace and record properties (edges, vertices and faces)
Colour by code - fractions and 2D shapes, with answers included
Design Activities
Fish food packaging - design packaging for a new fish food, with pouch and can templates
Design a rocket - design a rocket to launch Derek into the universe
Wonder machine - design a machine that could answer any question
Derek's dream home - design the perfect home for Derek
Bubble vehicle - design a vehicle to carry Derek on a big adventure
Want it all?
Grab the matching Derek slide deck to bring the story to life. Includes writing prompts and maths tasks (linked to the worksheets), as well as additional design prompts.
Hive Members Bonus
Enjoy exclusive artwork and themed slide backgrounds to level-up your Book Week experience!
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