Inspired by: Castles - Week 2

Exploring the realms of music and literature, students embark on a creative journey to The Music Castle, perched high in the Patagonian Mountains, where a musical family resides. Their lesson involves delving into Edvard Grieg's "In the Hall of The Mountain King," a piece celebrated by the castle's inhabitants. As students watch and listen to a performance, they are encouraged to reflect on the atmosphere crafted by the composer, particularly noting how the escalating tempo affects their emotions and the overall impact on the listener. This experience is then linked to literature, where they compare the musical effects to the impact of varying sentence structures in writing, discussing how long, descriptive sentences and short, sharp ones can alter the narrative's pace and tension.

Another activity transports students to the Mysterious Mushroom Castle, a stark contrast to the previous setting, where they analyse the writing strategies employed by Colin Thompson to evoke a sense of mystery. They focus on the choice of vocabulary, the complexity of sentence structures, and the thematic development throughout the text. Students are then tasked with crafting their own 'sometimes' sentences to replicate the mysterious ambiance. Additionally, they engage in a group activity to create an eerie atmosphere for the Mushroom Castle, drawing inspiration from film extracts that utilise sound, movement, and lighting effects to enhance the sense of mystery and suspense. These exercises not only foster a deeper understanding of language and structure but also encourage creativity in expressing thematic ideas.