Feedback from 2019 Sessions
Thank you for a great day. My children were raving about it to their parents saying how amazing it was. It is so rare that the more able get such an opportunity to showcase their talents or even so much adult time.
Steven Singh – Cullingworth
The best part of the day was having children with us because they were amazing! The work they produced was truly stunning. It was also excellent to meet Y6 children from other schools.
Mike Lacey – East Morton Primary
Practical – excellent with the children actually being there to do the tasks.
Helen Gibson – Woodlands
This is a very different form of CPD. Trialled over the last two years with BD5 and BDAT schools, these workshops provide a unique opportunity for teachers to work closely with their GD children. The sessions employ classic narrative poems and throughout the day the children work together taking responsibility for turning verses into paragraphs before publishing and performing at the end of the day.
Typically, teachers from up around five schools bring six children each for the day to a school who host the sessions. I deliver the lesson using sound and vision, illustrations and the poems, The Lady of Shalott (Y6) and The Highwayman (Y5).
The structure of the day is usually like this:
- Teacher led Prediction in mixed school groups using a gradual reveal of sound and images
- Back to school groups – reading of the poem
- Vocabulary activity using context clues
- Cut and stick activity – grouping verses to make paragraphs
- Modelling – how to turn the poem into prose
- Allocation of verses/paragraphs to children
- Drafting, editing and further teacher input
- Relay writing performance – each child from each school reads their paragraph(s) aloud to form the whole text
As the Lady of Shallot floated across the musty river, the villagers, who lived in Camelot, heard her sing her deep songs and carols. Her warm blood started to freeze and her bright eyes started to darken. Singing her last song, she reached upon the tide. Suddenly, her precious heart stopped; her mindful brain stopped and her blood stopped. Singing her song, the Lady of Shallot’s eyes closed forever.
The Lady of Shalott – Y6
He was wearing an old, cocked triangle shaped hat on his large, sweaty forehead. The thin lace, that was used to tie it, lay loosely beneath his chin. Below his ruff sat a coat carefully concocted using claret velvet and also a pair of very long breeches made out of brown, doe skin. His boots, long and hard, came right up to his bony thighs. And his spurs, made a light twinkle as he rode silently through the dark, mysterious trees.
The Highwayman – Y5
During 2019/20, I will also be developing similar sessions for Years 2 to 4. Please get in touch if you are interested in any of the above for your school, or group of schools.