Ideas for developing a visual representation of the Loch Ness Monster's Song, integrating art and design and ICT.
Pupils can explore the connection between sounds and images and develop pictures that illustrate the poem.
This lesson idea was designed and piloted by Laura Pryce with the P7 class of Clydemuir Primary School. The pupils produced a short movie to represent their interpretation of the poem:
Windows Media video: The Loch Ness Monster's Song
Quicktime movie: The Loch Ness Monster's SongStimuli/Resources
- Pictures, photos, stories and old newspaper articles on the Loch Ness Monster
- Interactive whiteboard or OHP
- Art materials
- Digital camera
- Computer
Focus on developing awareness of sound used to describe actions and vice versa; develop expression and tone.
Children must hear as many different people reciting the poem as possible while seeing a copy of the poem.
As a class, carry out research on the internet for examples of ‘footage’ and ‘photographs’ of the Loch Ness Monster. Do they see any similarities between the poem's shape when turned on its side and the shape of the monster?
As a class, break the poem up into 10 sections. Develop pictures that depict what is happening in each stage, e.g. scene of Loch Ness, same scene with a slight bump coming up out of the water, bump gets bigger, crowd appears, etc.
Elicit ideas from the children about where they think the monster is at certain stages, e.g. submerged by water, just above the surface?
In pairs the children should explore and design these clips, making sure each stage has similarities, i.e. the surrounding trees and the shape of the loch have to be constant; the monster must be rising and descending from the same place in each clip.
Once these have been planned, discussed, sketched and completed the children can take a photo of each clip and place on a slide show. The slide show can then be pieced together with the audio of the children reciting the poem so that it fits like a short film: their depiction of the poem alive.
Assessment focus / development options
A final PowerPoint presentation will show interpretation of the poem and the children's ability to work collaboratively in order to have each picture in the frame coinciding geographically with the last.
There is the option of doing this with modelling plasticine to develop use with camera frames and storyboarding.
Download the lesson plan
Download a PDF version of the Loch Ness Monster's Song: Lesson ideas:
PDF file: The Loch Ness Monster's Song: Lesson ideasRelated links
Loch Ness
A feature about Loch Ness to coincide with the release of the children's film, 'The Water Horse, Legend of the Deep', a story about the Loch Ness monster. Find out more about the movie and the Scottish legend of the kelpie.