A Cautionary Tale 

At the beginning of the 1990s, the U.K. Literacy Strategy was imposed - I nearly said 'launched', but let's be precise. Things do appear to have improved - a little - since then.

    One day, however, I was talking to a Reception Teacher in Hull about the Literacy Hour (the 'Electricity' Hour as a child called it in a friend's Y2 class). She said she couldn't now get through a story without interruptions as the children proudly displayed their new-found knowledge:

     "Miss, that says 'ch' .... 'ee' ...."

     "There's a python, Miss." (hyphen)

     "Look, there's an eclipse." (ellipsis)

How useful was it, she wondered, for children to have to learn/know so much of the terminology of 'language & literature' at such an early developmental stage? Good question!

      Accordingly:

Knowing More, Knowing Less

With acknowledgments to ABBA and Alan Partridge

          Once upon a time,

          There was a child,

          Well-schooled in Literacy.

          The child had been taught:

          Author

          Illustrator

          Cover

          Spine

          Blurb

          Contents

          Index

          Chapter

          Paragraph

          Beginning

          Middle

          Ending

          Character

          Setting

          But not

          Plot -

          Because the plot had been lost……

          And the story with it!

                    THE END!

Of course, democracy demands that all ages 'know about language': e.g. how turn-taking in conversation works; how your choice of words is critical for helping listeners understand what you mean; asking good questions; respect for the opinions of others; power language....... But that's different to the above!

When I visit schools in communities which originally grew out of local industry, most notably in my experience, mining, steel and textiles, and, where I was born, fishing, I am variously delighted and saddened by the degree to which schools may or may not research these 'industries' in relationship to the children's communities.

      For example, when I visited an infant school in South Yorkshire, recently, I went for a walk at lunch-time and came across this colliery winding wheel, a not unusual feature of former mining communities.

    It seemed appropriate to write and perform this poem for them (right).

Apathy

I thought of writing a poem.

It was about not getting things done.

I made a start.

I didn't finish it, though.

I called it 'A Path' ...

But I couldn't be bothered to add 'y'.

Colliery Winding Wheel

Winding Wheel,

          In the ground,

          Sits.......

          Still.......

          No sound.

Winding Wheel,

          In the ground,

          Once turned,

          Round

          And round,

          And round……

Winding Wheel,

          Up on high,

          Turning

          Black

          Against the sky.

Winding Wheel,

          Remember when

          You lowered cages

          Filled with men?

          And then,

          Remember when

          You pulled those cages

          Up again?

Winding Wheel,

          In the ground,

          Once turned

          Round

          And round

          And round……

Winding Wheel

          In the ground,

          Sits…....

          Still.......

          No sound.

Mike's smallest audience, so far, is four! But, 'wherever two, three - or a hundred and three - are gathered together...'

Primary school teachers on one of Mike's in-service professional development courses present a series of 'moments' from the opening of Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'.

'Telling Your Story'

Near right: Mike tells the story he has 'collected' on his 'thinking' sheet ..... Far right: Mike models the role of 'good self-questioning' in the collection of thought.

A Taste Of Shakespeare

A Song!

Performing poetry in schools with groups of all sizes.

Mike Smith

Pump up the language!

For audiences of all ages

'Rhythm & Rhyme - With Time for a Song'

Formerly www.ordinarilyspeaking.co.uk