'A Medal for Leroy’

Adult Guidance
This resource contains potentially sensitive and/or upsetting topics that may
emotionally impact on students you use it with due to their experiences in their
past. It is your responsibility to consider whether it is appropriate to use this
resource with your students. If you do use this resource, it is your responsibility
to ensure that appropriate support is available for anyone affected.

The ‘A Medal for Leroy’ activity pack contains an adult guidance sheet which
includes an overview of the story and key skill questions that can be used to target
pupils’ understanding as you are reading the book.

Additionally, there is an activity sheet for children who may have not read the
whole text before. This contains an extract from the text, a warm-up synonym task
and a discussion activity.

Overview
Michael doesn’t remember his father who was a pilot who had lost his life during war. His mother finds it
difficult to talk about him as she is so heartbroken so Michael grows up knowing very little about his father.
However, everything changes when Auntie Snowdrop gives Michael some important items that start to reveal a
fascinating hidden history about the family’s life. A beautiful story of love, loss and identity.

‘A Medal for Leroy’ was inspired by the true story of Walter Tull, the first Black British officer in the British army.

Medal for Leroy: Text copyright © Michael Morpurgo

2012; Illustrations © Michael Foreman 2012

visit twinkl.com
Page 1 of 3
‘A Medal for Leroy’
Key Skills Questions

p.9: What do you think they are going to do when Predict

Jasper stops?

Infer
p.11: Why do you think Michael may have been called ‘Poodle’?

p.26: How does the author suggest

Discuss Authorial Choices
that Maman is nervous?

Explain Vocabulary
p.33: Which word is a synonym for secretively?

Compare and Contrast

?
After reading the chapter, ‘Rock Cakes and
Snowdrops’, compare Auntie Snowdrop and Auntie Pish.
What similarities and differences do they have?

p.51: Auntie Pish silenced. It was a rare and wonderful moment. It cheered me up no end. Infer
Why do you think Michael was so happy when Auntie Pish stopped talking?

Infer
p.56: Why do you think the boy keeps the snowdrops from previous visits?

Medal for Leroy: Text copyright © Michael Morpurgo

Retrieve
p.76: How did Auntie Pish know about Auntie Martha’s nickname?
2012; Illustrations © Michael Foreman 2012

Predict
p.79: What do you think Auntie Pish will send Michael?

p.100: I knew even as I began to read – and I have no idea how I knew – that my life Infer
would be changed forever, that after I’d read this I would never be the same person again.

What do you think Michael means by this?

visit twinkl.com
Page 2 of 3
‘A Medal for Leroy’
Key Skills Questions

p.107: Every time he came into the

Discuss Authorial Choices
room it seemed that a cold draught came in with him.

What impression is given about Auntie Snowdrop’s father?

Retrieve
p.139: Why did Leroy become known as ‘The Wizard’?

pp.149-162: How do you know that Jasper was a loyal Infer

companion to Leroy?

Compare and Contrast

After reading the chapter, ‘I called him Roy’,
have your feelings towards Auntie Pish changed
at all? Discuss.

Retrieve
p.196: Why did Michael feel like he had been left with a dilemma?

pp.207-212: Why do you think that Auntie Snowdrop felt that she had to hide her Infer
story in the photograph?

Why do you think the author chose to structure the book through the Compare and Contrast
different characters’ voices?

Why do you think that the author chose to give lots of the Discuss Authorial Choices Medal for Leroy: Text copyright © Michael Morpurgo
2012; Illustrations © Michael Foreman 2012
characters nicknames throughout the book? What effect did this have on the story?

Summarise
What themes were present in ‘A Medal for Leroy?’ What message did you learn?

visit twinkl.com
Page 3 of 3