Teach-Primary-Issue-19.4

www.teachwire.net | 65 T E ACH RE AD I NG & WR I T I NG Loved this? Try these... v My Other Life by Polly Ho-Yen v The Boy Who Grew A Tree by Polly Ho-Yen v The Great Snail Robbery by Daniel Henshaw v Call Me Lion by Camilla Chester v Brand New Boy by David Almond Once children have a good source of reference materials, ask them to look for the most important facts about their chosen subject, such as the area of the country a specific animal can be found (all across the UK, just in certain locations, or maybe in other countries, too); the size and appearance of an animal; facts relating to river pollution, etc. Pupils should make notes of these facts in their workbooks. Ensure children give proper time to headings and sub-headings, and let them know that they can also include pictures and diagrams, which they can draw on separate plain paper, then cut out and glue to their report in the style of a newspaper article. The idea is not to produce lots of writing, but to work on developing their skills in non-chronological report writing. We want quality over quantity, here. You can simplify the task for some children if needed, by breaking the task down into simple chunks – maybe just writing the heading before showing the facts by drawing pictures, and Including a sentence under each image to explain what they show. Use children’s reports as an interesting display for your classroom, or gather them together in the form of a class book. Ita managed a small nod although she was feeling frozen, absolutely rigid with fear. She couldn’t believe that she had agreed to this. Now that she was there, in front of the lapping water, Ita felt in every bone that she couldn’t go into the pool. Ask the children if they can imagine how Ita felt at this time. Maybe they can remember a time when they were scared of the swimming pool. Talk about the smell of the chlorine, the noise of water lapping, children calling and shouting, and the lifeguards blowing their whistles. Then consider the taste of the bleachy water and the things they might have been able to see; all the bright bathing suits and arm bands, plus the things they could feel, such as a tight swimming cap, the hard edge of the pool and the cool water. Next, give each child three slips of paper, and ask them to think of three words or phrases that describe the experience of being at a pool, being as imaginative as they like. Some ideas could include: diving like dolphins , smells like a hospital , all the colours of the rainbow , the sound of my heart pounding , floor like cold bone . Mix all the slips of paper up and put them into a large jar or similar. Pull out a few random slips and read them to the class anonymously. You can add some of your own suggestions, too, to give children a few extra descriptive words and phrases. Go on to ask the class to write a descriptive passage about a day spent at a public swimming pool, starting with the sentence: I felt a little bit scared as this was the first time I’d ever been to a swimming pool... Let children take turns, one table at a time, to pick a few papers from the jar to give them some ideas to use in their writing and kick-start the of sensory words they collected, and thinking about times spent in nature. Pupils can end their chapter with Ita touching the water and seeing her hands covered in fish scales. Children can go on to illustrate their written work, too. Finish the activity by asking for volunteers to share their work with the class. Pupils who may struggle with a lot of writing could instead create a stand-alone descriptive passage using the following story starter: The alleyway opened up into a hidden grassy area that was... Word jar In chapter seven, Ita and her family are having a day out at a swimming pool. Ita has just met her new swimming coach; she feels very scared of the pool and wants to go home. Ho-Yen writes: Karen Hart is an independent drama teacher, literacy workshop organiser, author and freelance writer. @Karen.Journalist imaginative process. You can use the word jar idea for subsequent writing activities, linking it to any subject your class is working on. My favourite food In chapter 11, Ita has made friends with Olive and Faisal. The three friends are having fun imagining having a magic plate that would only refill with one kind of food, and what food they would choose it to be. Ask children to work in pairs to discuss what they would choose if they could only eat one type of food for the rest of their life, and their reasons for choosing it. Is it because it’s something they think they will never get bored with? Or just because it’s always been their favourite food? They can also pick a second choice that they can only have twice a year, as a special treat. Next, tell pupils there’s a famous film called Stand By Me , where a young boy is asked this question and he says, “That’s easy, cherry-flavoured Pez!”. What do they think about that suggestion? Would they get fed up with only sweets to eat every day? Ask children to write a short piece in their workbooks about their chosen food. It might be a good idea to break this down using the following sub-headings: • Name of favourite food • Why I chose it • The first time I ate it • My second choice and why I picked it For a bit of fun, children can draw their favourite food on a paper plate and label it – these would make a great wall display.