TR&W Issue 20

40 | www.teachwire.net TURKISH DELIGHT TASTE TESTING One of my favourite activities to do alongside reading and exploring the text in our writing and reading lessons, is a Turkish delight taste testing session. Most children I teach have never tried it or, if they have, it will have been the chocolate-coated supermarket version, not the real deal. I like to source a range of flavours from mint to honey and set up the Take it further way of helping the children set the scene, as the opening of the film fills in those gaps and allows the children to understand the context of the setting and time. Comparing the opening of the movie and the opening of the book allows for great class discussion – why do the children think the film includes new elements? I like to use the film alongside the book as a comparative tool, and I always feel it serves to boost engagement and the excitement pupils feel. The children love to engage in discussions exploring how certain scenes are created in the movie, and how the filmmirrors so much of the actual dialogue from the text exactly. It really focuses them on the words they are reading if they know they will be looking out for them in the film. Talking about the book I’ve found that because The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is an older book – and indeed the movie was made back in 2005, 19 years ago – it isn’t always a text the children are familiar with. This is great from a teaching point of view; the element of surprise and shock is something I relish seeing in the children’s faces when key moments happen. Nothing is more dramatic than the sudden change from war-torn Britain in the summer, to the setting of the wintery world of Narnia when Lucy steps through that wardrobe. When reading the first chapter, I like to pause the story when Lucy goes through the wardrobe, and get the children to use clues in the text to make predictions about what is happening and where she may end up. It’s a great way to build skills of inference, and to demonstrate how you can employ direct quotes to back up ideas. The first chapter also provides a Book topic bad choices, we’re not inherently bad. Redemption and forgiveness are possible if we show remorse and make the right choices. Creative writing opportunities Children’s writing is always so much better when they can see a purpose and reason for writing. The chapter where the reader meets the Beavers makes for a brilliant opportunity to really great way of getting the children to put themselves in the shoes of Lucy and to think about how they would be feeling and what questions they might have at this point in the story. This rich discussion serves to draw the children in and enhance their engagement. Character profiling Due to his redemption arc, Edmund is a great character to follow through the book. Profiling Edmund’s character promotes deep discussions around how the children feel about him at various points in the text. At the start he is cruel and spiteful, and takes delight in making Lucy feel silly. He loves humiliating her, and we are given further glimpses into his life when Peter discusses his cruelty to others at school. I like to get my class to be ‘phrase collectors’ and record quotes that make them feel certain things about Edmund. It’s useful to keep a class bank of ideas too, to refer back to later. As the story progresses, get the children to refer back to their earlier views on Edmund – how have these changed? When Edmund is captured by the White Witch, made to walk tied up behind the sleigh and whipped, I like to ask the children how they feel now. Do they feel sorry for Edmund? Does he deserve his treatment? The debates that follow are fascinating, and the children always surprise me with the careful consideration they give to their answers. By the end of the story, Edmund has completely changed; it is a really important message to remind the children that even if we make