The first men on Mercury
Lesson ideas
Ideas for writing poetry through the creation of imaginary places.
This lesson idea was developed by Laura Pryce.
Art resources
- Pictures of different houses, different doors
- Various objects such as door keys of different shapes and sizes – one each for child perhaps.
During art get the children firstly to think of a house, tucked beneath a forest, sitting by the ocean, high on a hill top or even out in the middle of the sea. Imagine the path running up to the front door, ask the children to think of something edible that the path can be made out of – biscuits, bread sticks all lined up? Or maybe the path is alive? Ask them what creature the letter box could be, is it timid and shy? Is it ferocious and carnivorous?
In pairs as part of an art and design workshop, they can construct the house. Then at the end of the lesson sit the children down and present them with a box (old looking – have inside it an old garden shed key). Explain to them that they can have the key only if they are ready for what they are about to see.
On the first turn of the key does the door swing open? Does it have to be pushed and tugged? Is it new or old, dusty or space age? Considering the rooms, are there many? Is there something drawing you to one room in particular? Is there someone living in the house? Ask the children to imagine exploring each room and through it elicit words to describe their feelings and what they see in each room, down the loo, in the fire place, is there a TV etc. Ask them to climb the stairs to the attic; are they shiny luminous stairs that take you to a space craft? Are they broken unsteady steps that reach to an unknown room, a time warp, a secret garden on the roof.
Fill the discussion with questioning and imagination. Ask the children to sit at their desks – they have 2 ½ minutes to interview their partner, asking them everything about their house. Then they swap and have another 2 ½ minutes to answer the questions asked by their partner (time them to give the children a sense of urgency and focus).
Children now have ten minutes to scribble notes down about their own house; they can discuss this in order to trigger the memory of their peer. From this a poem can be developed and eventually a village of imagination houses will have been created by the class.
Assessment focus/Development Options
Encourage the children to take risks with their imagination and be descriptive. If they are bogged down by technicalities and format this may stint the flow of writing. For the start of the lessons just let them write and the sequence and structure of the poem can be tweaked after.
Differentiate by giving some a suggested title or the start of every line. Perhaps at the end of the brain storming lesson you could get the children to type all of the words and phrases they remember from discussion. Print, cut out and place the words in a basket in the middle of each group to provide a trigger so the children can select a word that inspires them. This will help to overcome writers block and encourage ownership of their work.
Example
Mystery Mansion (Prose notes)
Cold and eerie the house sits on a hill. As I walk its snake like path I notice the snarling door. Inside there are moving walls and with each step I take the floor behind me breaks away. A chill is sent up my spine as I notice a scary black trap door. I jump in to find myself floating.
Where am I? Suddenly I notice planets all around me, I’m in outer space!
Mystery Mansion (Poem, chosen strategy-Rhyme)
Cold and eerie the house sits proudly,
Snarling its snake like tongue from the door.
Walls move in and as I hurry
I escape the collapsing floor.
Suddenly, I fall down a giant trap door and I’m lost without a trace.
I’m startled by Saturn that flies straight past me
I must be in outer space!
PDF file: Space poem lesson ideas