Mother Tongue Other Tongue

MTOT at St Rose of Lima PS, Glasgow

Last week I had the absolute pleasure of working with EAL teachers Claire Stevenson and Kirsten Barrett and observing the lasts of their poetry sessions. Children used talk for writing to create word/phrase banks for Halloween senses poems in English and in their Mother Tongue languages.
From the smell of 'rotting zombie flesh' in Polish to the sound of 'skeleton bones rattling' in Malayalam the children had fantastic ideas, many of them working in pairs to support literacy and translation skills in their home languages.
I cannot wait to read and hear their work!

 

 

 

Also, below is an extract from an excellent free resource by www.teachitprimary.co.uk which I received via an email. It has some short, simple ideas for creating poetry in an interdisciplinary way - why not give it a go in Mother Tongue or Other Tongue?

	Historical riddle The kenning is an Anglo-Saxon form of riddle poetry, but this fun activity would be fantastic with any History topic!  Give each child a historical artefact, and challenge them to describe it with a list of evocative two-word phrases.  For example, a battle-axe becomes a ‘skull-splitter’ and a ‘widow-maker’.  For an interactive display, put the finished kennings in the middle of the board with pictures of the artefacts around them. Can the children solve the riddles and match the poem to the artefact?
	Rhymes tables We know that rhymes aid memory, and certainly all kids love the silly mnemonic ‘I ate and I ate till I was sick on the floor. 8 times 8 is 64’.  Challenge children to make up and memorise their own rhyming couplets for the times tables they are learning.  You could finish up with a poetry slam, where the children perform their mathematical poems to another class!
	Paint with words Children sketch or trace the outline of a famous artwork, and then fill the shapes with words and phrases inspired by the painting.  Encourage them to experiment with figurative language, explaining that writers use metaphors and similes to help create vivid images in the reader’s mind – just like artists create images out of paint! For a striking effect, have the children write the words using coloured pens to match the original artwork.
	Summing-up science   At the end of a science topic, choose five key words and challenge children to write a poem including all of them.  For example, a poem about the Earth, Moon and Sun might have to include the words ‘gravity’, ‘orbit’, ‘sphere’, ‘axis’ and ‘solar’.  Give bonus points for the use of additional scientific vocabulary!
	Pop poetry  Play the class a pop song by one of their favourite artists.  Ask them to work in small groups to rewrite the lyrics about something they enjoy – whether that’s reading or rugby, go-karting or guinea pigs. The rhythm and rhyme must fit the original tune. Once they have finished writing, each group sings their new Pop Poem to the class!