Inspired by: Where The Forest Meets The Sea - Week 5

In an imaginative exploration of poetry and personification, students delve into the concept of 'Voices From Within'. They are transported into a narrative where a young boy, nestled within the trunk of a tree, hears the tree's whispers as if it were a sentient being. The poetry activity invites students to recognise the tree's voice, trembling with fear and weighed down by tears, as it speaks of imminent threats and its own potential demise. The boy's dream-like encounter raises the question of whether the tree truly spoke to him, prompting students to identify personifying language within the poem that suggests life within the tree. As the boy prepares to depart, the activity encourages students to imagine the tree's parting words, giving them the opportunity to engage with the concept of nature speaking directly to humanity.

The 'Forest Fears and Hopes' activity further immerses students in the dual perspectives of despair and optimism conveyed by the tree's voice. Through role-play, students embody the tree's woeful fears and its hopeful expectations, crafting the final messages the tree imparts. This exercise not only enhances their understanding of emotional expression in writing but also inspires them to consider the impact of their actions on the environment. Meanwhile, 'My Special Place' shifts the focus to grammatical learning, specifically the use of possessive apostrophes with singular and plural nouns. Students listen to the collective gratitude of the forest and compare sentences to discern the difference between singular and plural possessives. They are encouraged to find more examples and derive a general rule for indicating possession with plural nouns that end in 's', enriching their grammatical toolkit with the simple addition of an apostrophe.