“There are never any rules,
rights or wrongs in imagining – imagining just is.”
The children in Key Stage 1 have just come to the end of studying The Whisper by Pamela Zagarenski and we have been reflecting on the amazing journey it has taken us on. The key theme was of imagination and the children’s was caught beautifully through the intricate illustrations. They were quickly hooked into looking for the seemingly endless tiny details.
The story begins with a little girl being lent a special book by her teacher. As she excitedly runs home all of the words fall out. She is crestfallen and her disappointment was shared by the class as we began to read the book. However, she soon hears a small voice whisper that she can imagine her own words and stories. Here begins her magical journey of learning how to write stories – and ours in classes 1,2 and 3 as well.
We have crossed enchanted lands and completed many challenges in our quest to become better writers over the last few weeks. We have learned some of Aesop’s fables, found facts about bees and foxes and even rehearsed poetry by Longfellow (who you may remember from your own school days – he wrote the Hiawatha poem). The children have been inspired to write monologues, diary entries, prayers, invitations, menus, letters and – of course – their own stories. It has been a great pleasure to see the children take to heart the message that there “are no rights or wrongs in imagining”; their confidence as creative writers has soared.
Mrs Oshungbure
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