The unexpected death of his uncle thrusts 14-year old Alex Rider into a world of intrigue and spy training where MI6 must determine whether he has what it takes to be a spy. Have students pretend to be an MI6 inspector assigned to predict Alex's performance as a spy. Create a spy job description and make a class list of the necessary job qualifications. Examine the text for clues and write a performance report that rates Alex's physical and mental characteristics as well as his experience and performance during training against the required spy skills. Ask students to decide whether they would recommend Alex as an operative, and have each child write a paragraph explaining his decision.
The idea of being an heroic spy that saves the world with daring, ingenuity and cool gadgets fires many children's imaginations. Ask children to assess their own skills and characteristics in relation to spy requirements. Have each child write a formal letter of application to MI6 describing her qualifications with supporting evidence and examples. The writing style should be persuasive, designed to convince MI6 supervisors to select the child for MI6 spy training.
When presenting his new spy "toys," Smithers tells Alex, "The challenge was to think what a fourteen year old might carry with him -- and adapt it." Designing spy gadgets taps into a child's inventiveness and imagination. Brainstorm as a class the sorts of objects that kids their age normally carry around that would not attract in particular special attention nor be suspicious to the casual observer. Challenge the children to think up creative uses and adaptations that would transform the innocent-looking objects into secret weapons against the enemy. Have them draw detailed diagrams and write descriptions of the gadgets. A tech-minded student might enjoy the challenge of building an actual mockup wherever possible.
Herod Sayle's announcement about his Stormbreaker computer donation to the schools or an exposé on the foiling of the dastardly plot give students a chance to practice the who, what, when, where, why and how of a news story. Each student can pretend to be Sayle giving a press conference or a news reporter giving a report on breaking news of the Stormbreaker computer plot. Let each child choose whether to do a written newspaper report or an oral TV or radio report.