The Tin Forest

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This is a three-week Writing Root that uses The Tin Forestby Helen Ward.The sequence of learning begins with children arriving to class to find that rubbish has been emptied out all over the floor!They look at ways that the rubbish could be sifted and sorted, and even recycled into something new.Children will explore the main character and the journey he goes through in clearing up the rubbish around his little house and transforming it into a beautiful forest of tin.Through the Writing Root, children write in role as the old man, producing diary entries and wishes and also write a postcard to him to pass on some advice.The sequence of learning finishes with children writing a persuasive piece to encourage others to protect an area in the local environment.This book would work well alongside learning on conservation, climate change and the plant life cycle. Synopsis of Text: Possible Support: Those experiencing difficulty with this problem may find it easier if they use the support sheet along with counters to represent the fruit.

Six clear, well punctuated sentences with accurate spelling of common exception words (see list in resource folder if unsure). If your child has difficulty following the tutorial and answering the questions independently, please use lego, counters or something similar to support them with making the groups of 4.Possible Extension: Try making up any similar problems using food or other items you have at home. Top Tip: make sure your whole number is one that can be shared into halves and quarters, e.g. 12, 16, 20, 14. I will be using a windowsill for plant A, an airing cupboard for plant B and the fridge for plant C, it would be great if you could place yours in a similar place to mine so we can make it a fair test. Make sure you label your pots A,B, C. Keep each pot in its chosen place and make sure you water each pot daily- make sure the soil is always moist. If you are unable to plant seeds you can use my photographs I will upload each week to make observations of. Children could draw their own picture of a forest, ‘… near nowhere and close to forgotten filled with all the things no one wanted’ Make a model or collage tin forest Learning Objective: I can identify the different members of my family, understand my relationship with each of them and know why it is important to share and cooperate. Using our book, The Tin Forest as inspiration, draw a picture of your idea of a forest created with recycling which contains a live animal or bird of your choice. Using any medium you have at home (paint, coloured pencils, crayons or collage materials etc) colour the picture using brighter colours to show the difference between the living and the recycling.

This beautiful book by significant author Helen Ward has strong links with the topics of the environment, recycling and protection of the rainforest which are expressed through imagery presented in the illustrations. The narrative tells of the ultimate triumph of nature over the devastating impact of man and will open discussions around protection of the environment and holding on to hopes and dreams. Links and themes: For the next three tasks we are going to be thinking about the old man at the beginning of the story, before the bird arrives. Persuasive posters, information leaflets, postcards, diary entries, wishes, setting descriptions Main Outcome: One paragraph of clear, coherent writing using co-ordination (e.g. or / and / but) and some subordination (e.g. when / if / that / because) to join clauses. We’re trying something a little different with our maths this week. Lessons 1 and 2 will use instructions from a video tutorial. Before commencing the video ensure that your child has everything they need, including:If you can, get a member of your household to interview you as the old man. They could ask: How are you feeling? Do you like where you live? How would you like to change where you live? Record at least five of the old man’s thoughts and wishes in thought bubbles. If you want to really challenge yourself try to echo the text in his thoughts i.e. “I wish I didn’t live in this wide, windswept place, near nowhere and close to forgotten”. Skills: Continue to practise throwing and catching a ball, try to use different size balls such as tennis balls and football to discover which you find easier to catch. Can you throw and catch 10 times without dropping the ball? Challenge yourself by seeing how many throws and catches you can complete without dropping the ball. The tutorial will ask your child to pause the video at certain points. Please ensure that they know how to do this if you are not able to sit with them. The Tin Forest will provide a starting point for a wealth of writing. Children can devise stories set in wild places (see plan link below); contrast settings of the wasteland and the forest; empathise with the character and write in role; and write persuasively about caring for the environment or explain how plant lifecycles work. Helen Ward trained as an illustrator at Brighton School of Art, under the direction of well-known children's illustrators such as Raymond Briggs, Justin Todd, Chris McEwan and John Vernon Lord. In 1985, her final year at Brighton, Helen was awarded the first Walker Prize for Children's Illustration.

How closely have you been paying attention to our key text? Have a go at the Tin Forest comprehension challenge found in the resource folder. The questions could be answered verbally with an adult or in writing. This is truly a book which gets children talking. It can be viewed as a story about the importance of looking after the Earth, a story about the power of resilience and perseverance or the idea that hope can spring in the darkest of places. Hello everyone! We hope you are all keeping well and still enjoying the lovely weather! This week we are going to delve a bit further into our topic ‘Into the Wild’.Task 3– Learning objective: Write clear sentences that form simple, coherent narratives about personal experiences (real or fictional). Slides 1-8: Show children the PowerPoint (available in the resource folder) and/or follow this link to a book by Patricia Hegarty called ‘We are Family’ both about all different types of families. Ask the children which pictures they think show a family. Draw out that families are diverse so that children can understand that the stereotypical family or Mum, Dad and children isn’t always the case. Explain that all the pictures are families and that families come in all different shapes and sizes. Draw out that it is perfectly normal to have a family that is different from other people. There was once a wide, windswept place, near nowhere and close to forgotten that was filled with all the things that no one wanted." So begins Helen Ward's tale of the Tin Forest where an old man lives who tidies the rubbish and dreams of a better place. With faith, ingenuity and hard work, he transforms a junkyard into a wonderland in this poetic modern fable. Text Rationale: Read the example diary entry in the resource folder. Can you see where the writer has echoed the text? Have a go at writing your own diary entry in the character of the old man. Choose your level of challenge: This year we have been working closely with The English hub at St Peter’s Primary in Portishead. They have produced some fantastic lessons to help Year 2 children refresh their understanding of some key grammar concepts. This week the lesson is about questions. You can access it here.

Written by Helen Ward and illustrated by Wayne Anderson, The Tin Forest is a beautifully crafted modern fable. It tells the story of an old man who dreams of living in a wild forest bursting with life, but lives in a grey and barren scrap-metal wasteland. From a moment of inspiration and under the care of the old man, a forest made of tin emerges, and from this springs life and beauty. The colourful and detailed illustrations by Wayne Anderson compliment the text and convey a powerful message to both children and adults: no matter what your circumstances and no matter where you live - there is always hope. Such vibrant pictures are a great way to encourage imagination and creativity. You could use our supporting resources in a number of ways: Extension: If your child would like an extra challenge try the word problems in the Resources Folder. Listen to the story up to the part where it says ‘but it was a forest just the same’. Pause at the image of the tin forest. Create the same scene as a frozen tableau. Some of your toys could take on the role of the animals that the old man has created and you could take on the role of the old man. If you can get someone to take a photo of your tableau to share with us, we would love to see it! Although we are focusing on English, it would be remiss not to mention the artistic potential of The Tin Forest. The book could be used as a trigger for some fantastic artwork, exploring contrasts in tone and texture, exploring mixed media or responding emotionally to the story. Maybe your class will be inspired to create a forest of their own!Two paragraphs drawing on your reading to inform the vocabulary in your writing , echoing the text. Key Questions: What fraction of fruit in the bowl is apples? What fraction of fruit in the bowl is not apples? English Year 2: Understand both the books that they can already read accurately and fluently and those that they listen to by answering and asking questions; making inferences on the basis of what is being said and done; and predicting what might happen on the basis of what has been read so far. Daily Fluency: Tasks 1 and 2 include a fluency element. Three additional fluency tasks are available in the shared drive. This week, these will focus on the 2, 5 and 10 times tables and related division facts (e.g. if 3 x 5 = 15 the 15 ÷ 3 = 5). Role play together: children could imagine they are a reporter (a cardboard tube microphone would help them get in role) and you could pretend to be the old man answering questions, for example about why he made a tin forest. Older children may like to write a newspaper report about the interview with a caption, headline and picture. Make a poster