Inspired by: Harry and the Jaggedy Daggers - Week 4

Inspired by the tale of Harry and the Jaggedy Daggers, students embark on a journey through the rhythmic world of sea shanties, a traditional form of maritime song. The learning objective is to recognise different forms of poetry, including free verse and narrative poetry. The students delve into the story of Harry whose boat was wrecked by the wind, leading him to sing 'Blow The Man Down', a classic sea shanty that was sung by sailors to synchronize their work. The song's chorus, "With a way, hey, blow the man down", echoes the unity of sailors as they faced the relentless sea. The activity encourages students to explore the meaning behind the lyrics, understanding that 'to blow a man down' referred to knocking someone over, and to discover the melody and history of sea shanties through various resources.

Continuing with the theme, students are tasked with reading their own writing aloud, paying attention to intonation, tone, and volume to ensure clarity. They are prompted to write a sea shanty for Harry, who, undeterred by the loss of his boat, uses an old teacup to fulfill his obligations. The shanty should detail Harry's adventures as he delivers cargo, ferries passengers, and takes children to school. The creative exercise challenges students to invent a refrain that captures Harry's resilience, perhaps something like "With a way, hey, on Harry rowed". Additionally, the lesson plan includes an activity titled 'Storm In A Tea Cup', where students learn about the formation of nouns with prefixes such as 'super', meaning 'above'. They explore the significance of words like 'supermarket' and 'superhero', and are encouraged to create and define their own 'super' words, celebrating Harry's heroic deeds in his tiny teacup vessel.