Inspired by: Flotsam - Week 6

In a thought-provoking lesson, children are tasked with refining their grammatical skills, particularly focusing on the use of consistent pronouns. The activity centres around an intriguing photograph sequence where a girl holds a photo of a boy, who in turn holds a photo of another child, and so on. The protagonist, Jack, examines these nested images with increasing magnification, revealing more details at each level. The students discuss what Jack observes and practice using appropriate vocabulary and pronouns to describe the images. For example, at 40x magnification, they might refer to the 'young girl' as a 'toddler' or 'infant', using pronouns like 'she' and 'her'. At 70x, the 'Victorian boy' could be called a 'lad', 'schoolboy', or 'youth', with pronouns such as 'he', 'his', and 'him' to maintain clarity and coherence.

Another aspect of the lesson involves predicting outcomes based on implicit and explicit details. After the beach empties, Jack, struck by inspiration, decides to become part of the photo chain by taking a picture of himself holding the photograph of the girl. Students are encouraged to speculate on Jack's idea and how he solves the problem of taking the photo without anyone to assist him. They then write an explanation of how Jack managed to capture the image, demonstrating their understanding of the narrative. Additionally, the lesson explores noun phrases through the camera's journey as it is thrown into the ocean. Students compare phrases that describe the camera's transition from the moonlit surface to the dark depths of the sea. They create phrases to match illustrations of the camera's voyage, which includes a tropical island discovery and a visual reference to Hokusai's 'Under the Wave, off Kanagawa'. The lesson concludes with students writing descriptions of the three contrasting landscapes depicted in the journey, enhancing their descriptive writing skills.