ARTiculate Bulletin #2 - Have you tried The Whales' Song?

This week's bulletin is inspired by a wonderful, charity shop chance-find picture book: The Whale Song by Dyan Sheldon. Here are some great ideas for you to use with this text.

A 'Have You Tried?' ideas sheet for The Whale's Song can be found here.

The Whale's Song by Dyan Sheldon and Gary Blythe

This modest little book might not look like much on first glance, but it is a treasure trove of starting points for English and art. Lily, a little girl living with two elderly relatives, hears a tale about the whales that visit their shore. Infused with dreams and memories, the story explores the girl's imaginings and the hazy illustrations give the book a detached, ethereal quality.

In brief: Have you tried?

Ideas for talking and thinking: explore the characters' perspectives on the whales through drama and discussion. Are they magical beasts or an economic resource? Included this week are resources for character development.

Ideas for writing: with your class, experiment with form, combining fiction and non-fiction to retell this tale from the whales' perspective.

Ideas for art: experimenting with watercolours can allow children to create fluid, dreamlike illustrations of whales and other sea creatures. See examples on my Pinterest board here.

Enjoy!

Stefan

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