Where My Wellies Take Me

Product Information

My class used to have a Friday afternoon rota where they had the opportunity to share any poem they had found that week. Guess what? They had often learnt these poems by heart, completely independently. Once the poetry seed is planted, keeping it watered doesn’t take long: read poem a day; make time for children’s scrapbooks during guided reading; and create a rich environment where poetry books are available in class at all times. 3 Mapping out the project As developing readers and writers, pupils need to understand and explore the first part of the writing process – that thought, the spark of an idea, an experience, passion or observation. Morpurgo has always been wonderful at sharing his inspirations and discussing these with the children is always powerful. Where My Wellies Take Me uses 40 evocative poems to celebrate the wonder of childhood, germinating a love of verse that will stay with pupils for many years to come… Take some of your favourite poems to read and share. Children love to see you recite a poem and poetry performance tends to be contagious: once you start, pupils will add more and more to their repertoire. Encourage children to bring in poems they love, or ask them to bring poems their family members love.

Many of Michael’s books have been adapted for the stage. These include Private Peaceful, Kensuke’s Kingdom, Why the Whales Came and The Mozart Question, and most notably, the National Theatre’s production of War Horse. This production of Michael’s moving and powerful story of survival on the Western Front, which reached number one in the Observer’s top ten theatre performances and was also awarded the best design prize in the Evening Standard Theatre Awards. This production has now moved to New York where it has been awarded five Tony Awards. In 2012 the film adaptation of War Horse, directed by Steven Spielberg, was a box office success. We journey with Pippa throughout a whole day’s walk in the countryside. Following her illustrated map, we are introduced to her favourite poems at every turn, bringing her discoveries, thoughts and reflections to life. Tell children that the writers loved walking through the countryside as children and can still remember what they saw now they are grown ups. There are many inspirations for this book, but the importance of an early love of poetry is high on the list. As a child, Clare Morpurgo – who chose the 40 wonderful poems in the book – was encouraged by her head mistress to learn a new poem a week by heart. Michael himself had a mother who instilled a love of poetry by reading to him at bedtimes.Some of the illustrations had an unfinished quality, as if we were peeking into a sketchbook. The songbirds and the wildflowers were a particular treasure although I loved each and every picture for one reason or another. Whether you’re in Y2 or Y6, there are so many opportunities to explore and use this book for reading, writing and cross curricular work. There are 40 top-quality poems here and to rush through them would be such a shame. For me, this is an ongoing poetry appreciation project to be explored, worked on and celebrated throughout the year – culminating in the creation of pupils’ own poetry scrapbooks, which they will treasure and share for years to come. The project will be remembered by children when they leave school, give them a treasured scrap book they can share with their own children, and plant the poetry seed for life. Mighty oaks from little acorns grow… Where will their wellies take your class this year? The new National Curriculum

The opportunities for cross curricular work are numerous and I’d be tempted to spend some time on both the narrative and art and design elements of the children’s scrapbooks to create something hugely special. Having kept the profile of poetry high across the previous months and through your ongoing exploration of the book, the children should be ready to choose their poems. Where My Wellies Take Me, of course, has its own theme, which you could continue. Alternatively, the children could choose a new direction. Themes you might want to consider include:Give each pupil an old exercise book to decorate and use as a draft scrapbook in which to start collecting any poems they like. My class used to have a Friday afternoon rota where they had the opportunity to share any poem they had found that week. Guess what? They had often learnt these poems by heart, completely independently. Whether your school is deep within the heart of Devon or in the big city of Manchester, an enjoyable introduction would be to take the recent Newsround Quiz: ‘ Do you know where your food comes from?’. After all, one in three of the children who took part in the British Nutrition Foundation survey thought that cheese came from plants… iv) Even the school grounds would be space enough to focus a walk – perhaps with school-themed poems to match. In 1976, Michael and his wife, Clare, started the charity Farms for City Children. They help to run three farms around the country, in Gloucestershire, Pembrokeshire and North Devon. Each farm offers children and teachers from urban primary schools the chance to live and work in the countryside for a week, and gain hands-on experience. For more information about the work of Farms for City Children, please visit www.farmsforcitychildren.co.uk Begin by introducing the book, the project and establishing your poetry environment. Read the introduction written by the Morpurgos, and ‘The Story of This Book’ (p92) – the final section which explains the origins of Where My Wellies Take Me.

To develop pleasure in reading by listening to, discussing and expressing views about a wide range of poetry (From English National Curriculum: KS1) Resources i) Any previous work on Katie Morag would lend itself beautifully to a day’s walk around the Isle of Struay and sea-themed poetry. It is important to have a boot that provides you not only with protection but also comfort, especially if you are hiking for hours. Who doesn’t want to hike in a boot that keeps them nice and dry in any rainy surprises nature might have in store? Wearing wellies while hiking allows you to focus on what actually matters - enjoying the hike! Tell the children that just like ‘Pippa’, the children are going to take a walk through the countryside and see what they can see! Activity Since its creation, the Historical Writers' Association has launched the first Festival of Historical Writing in association with English Heritage as part of their Festival of History at Kelmarsh in Northamptonshire.

Give AI a Try!

You might be surprised to hear that wellies are a popular choice for a night out on the town! Well, we’d love to welcome you to the dancing-in-wellies-club (we’ve yet to make an official title, suggestions welcome!). With a bunch of punchy colours, styles, and designs, amongst all our wellies you’ll definitely find your merry match. The girl riding a horse on the front cover, Pippa, takes a well established walk from Aunt Peggy's round the surrounding area depicted on the map in the front of the book ( I have a 'thing' for maps!) There are many inspirations for this book, but the importance of an early love of poetry is high on the list. As a child, Clare Morpurgo – who chose the 40 wonderful poems in the book – was encouraged by her headmistress to learn a new poem a week by heart. Michael himself had a mother who instilled a love of poetry by reading to him at bedtimes.