To library sevices participating in THE SIX BOOK CHALLENGE 2008
RE: Pip The Poet AKA Philip Burton
I am a writer who visits schools, libraries, writers' circles, and adult learning groups, to provide performances and workshops. Last year I was one of the participating authors in Lancashire County Council's Shout About Books scheme.
RE: PIP THE POET'S PROPOSALS FOR THE SIX BOOK CHALLENGE 2008
- I propose to develop a series of riddles, and jokes, which will both give the reader things to solve/answer as they reach ends of chapters.
These riddles would also test the comprehension of the reader, and act as a record/proof of reading achievement. The jokes will be word-play-based and will be helpful in reinforcing spelling and comprehension of the text, as well as being entertaining and motivating to the reader.
The library could distribute a riddle sheet with each book? - A riddle workshop with Pip The Poet would relate to the chosen books, and would help the participants in the Six Books Challenge 2008 to write their own jokes and riddles based on the stories, and their own interpretation of the characters and plots.
I would be very happy to discuss my proposals further with you. Please feel free to contact me.
A TYPICAL "SEA THEME" POETRY DAY
FEE - FULL DAY - £185
School may like to timetable the day to include:
- A half hour poetry show in the hall.
- "How Keith lost his shoes." (The Pirate Show.)
- An informal visit to Reception.
- Workshops for Y1 and Y2 in classrooms.
- a.m. after break
- Workshops for Y3 and Y4 in classrooms.
- p.m. - Y5 and Y6 - Half hour poetry show in the Hall.
- "The Poetry Anchor" - A history of the Eddystone Lighthouse through poems.
- Workshops for Y5 and Y6 in classrooms.
THE INTERACTIVE POETRY SHOWS
KS1 - "THE SEASIDE ADVENTURE, OR, HOW KEITH LOST HIS SHOES"
THE SHOW INCLUDES PUPPETS, COSTUMES, SONGS, SCENERY, DRAMA, AND LOTS OF POEMS!
THE STORY
Keith's sandal goes missing while he is paddling in the sea. The Starfish (Marco, Maisie, and Baby) take shoes from the seashore to make into little ships by putting a candle for a mast and an old sock for a sail. Keith sets off to find the naughty pair of "candle-ship-makers".
The children in the audience convince Keith to be mercifully kind to the Starfish family. The children decide to save their old shoes to give to the starfish, to keep them out of trouble, and Marco is so happy that he lets us play his quiz game called "A Question of Port" The children choose a question from one of the windows: HOME, AWAY, or SILLY and win a prize.
EXAMPLE OF TEACHER FUNSHEET FOR Y2
On the old sailing ships, the sailors had hard jobs to do. Pulling up the anchor on its heavy chain was one of these jobs.
The sailors found it helpful to sing work songs.
Here is one:
Way haul away, we'll haul away together
Way haul away, we'll haul away, Joe.
(Pip the Poet will sing this for you)
We can make up our own work songs for jobs we have to do. You do the actions for these:
Scrub the cup and dry the cup and put it in the cupboard.
Scrub the dish and dry the dish and put it in the cupboard.
Scrub the spoon and dry the spoon and put it in the drawer!
Scrub the ...
Write some more lines together?
Or how about:
Wash the bike and oil the bike and stand it by the kitchen.
And:
Put the pencil in.
Turn the handle round.
Watch as wispy shavings
almost touch the ground.
KS2 - "THE POETRY ANCHOR"
THE STORY IS TOLD THROUGH POEMS e.g.
The Eddystone Light
PHILIP BURTON
1696 - 1703
Winstanley Tower, Winstanley Tower
had only a dozen candlepower.
Winstanley had almost made repairs
when the sea took him unawares.
The greatest storm there'll ever be
swept poor Henry Winstanley -
and the world's first lighthouse in the sea -
clean away in Seventeen Three.
1709 - 1755
Rudyerd's Tower, Rudyerds Tower
had too much candlepower.
Forty-seven years it stood
and then it burned like bonfire wood.
Old Henry Hall held watch, the night
the lantern burned too bright.
He fought the flames, aged ninety-four.
His name will live forever more.
1759 - 1882
Smeaton's Tower, Smeaton's Tower,
Twenty-four candlepower -
Sturdy as an old oak
but made of stone which never broke.
When cracks appeared in rocks below,
they built it fresh on Plymouth Ho.
Striped with red and striped with white
it makes a most amazing sight.
1882 -
The Eddystone Light, the modern tower
has half a million candlepower
and a helicopter comes to check
the automatic and high tech.
No keeper now needs be on watch
at risk of life or limb or such.
But let's remember those who saved
so many from a watery grave.
Philip will sing an old music hall song called "The Eddystone Light"
The funsheets will involve TREASURE. The children may like to think why a lighthouse may have been used to hide pirate treasure.
Y5
| my treasure box | |
| in my treasure box I would put | |
| the smile of | of a peach |
| the help of | of fresh butter |
| the goal | my teacher |
| a song | my friend |
| the bark | off my CD |
| the smell | of a puppy |
| the smoothness | I scored |
| What would you put in your own treasure box? | |
Make a poem.
Y6
Do you have a special treasure?
A baby treasures a bottle
A baker treasures a bun
A biker treasures a throttle
A golfer a hole in one
A wart-hog treasures a wart
A king treasures a crown
A sailor treasures a port
A townie treasures a town
A horn-player treasures a hoot
A singer treasures a song
A flautist treasures a flute
In Thailand they treasure a gong!
A bone is a dog's treasure
And whatever item we add
Will be a source of great pleasure
That someone or other has had
I would be very happy to discuss any of my projects with you. Please feel free to contact me.
A SAMPLE "SPACE THEME" POETRY DAY
FEE - FULL DAY - £185
School may wish to timetable the workshops.
- Morning sessions KS1
- Half hour poetry show in the Hall followed by workshops.
- Afternoon sessions KS2
- Half hour poetry show in the Hall followed by workshops.
Here are some "tasters" of the activities of the day -
FOR KS1 - TENPY IN SPACE
Tenpy the puppet has built a flying saucer out of bits and bobs from the kitchen: a colander, a basin, a funnel, and a lampshade from his bedroom.
Tenpy intends to fly up to the nearest star to see if it really is a cream egg. He has written a poem about this -
STARS
Tenpy the Poet
Stars
Perhaps
Are
Cream
Eggs
Pip tells Tenpy that he needs a few things first.
What would you wear?
What would you eat?
(Tenpy says there are lots of cream eggs so he won't go hungry!)
What would you breathe?
The children make some suggestions.
Pip reads his poem about what to take on a space trip.
Pip asks Tenpy if he has ever tried to count the stars. Pip has tried to count the stars. And Pip lost count! Pip reads his poem about this.
Pip wonders if it might be better to wait for a star to fall down from the sky and then see if it is really a cream egg. Pip reads his poem "Catch a falling Star".
Pip tells the story about Kylie, who breaks off half the moon, and threads the stars like beads. She gets told off very sternly by the wise young owl. Tenpy promises to be good, and not to break anything in the sky. Pip says, "But how are you going to get there, Tenpy?"
Tenpy unveils his flying saucer. (He has an answer for everything!)
The children count down 10,9,8,7,6...
Tenpy takes off in his flying saucer, and returns from the sky with a cream egg. He is happy as a sand puppet!
Pip is looking forward to having fun with Y1 with these poems, doing some actions, and making up some verses of our own:
hey diddle diddle
the cat and the fiddle
the cow jumped over the moon
the little dog laughed
to see such fun
and the dish ran away with the spoon
HEY BUSY BUSCUIT
pip the poet
hey busy biscuit
Tenpy has fixed it
we saw him fly over the moon
to bring back a star
like a chocolate bar
and we wish he would give us some soon!
LET US PLAY ON THE MOON
pip the poet
Diddle diddle hey
come out to play -
let's pretend we are on the moon.
What will we wear?
Will we sit on a chair?
When we jump
will we land again soon?
Please, pretty please,
come and let's play on the moon.
We could play skipping
with no fear of slipping
though dust might get in our shoe
Please, pretty please,
come and let's play on the moon.
We could throw a Frisbee -
how good would this be!
I hope that it comes back down!
Let's write some more verses together.
IF THE MOON WERE A BALOON
pip the poet
If the moon
were a balloon
and I dropped it
on the floor
and popped it
I would not wait -
I would inflate
a lot of other balloons
folk would look out at night
to see the sight
Look at the moon!
and the moon!
and the moon!
and the moon!
and the moon!
Y3/4/5/6
SPACE FANTASY - THE STORY
Pip tells about Cynthia Sprocket, the lollypop lady, who flies, in a lollypop rocket, to and from her home on the moon.
Pip also tells the story about Kylie, who breaks off half the moon, and threads the stars like beads. She gets told off very sternly by the wise young owl.
Pip tells how Cynthia, Kylie, and the wise young owl, fly to the moon on the lollypop. There they meet Nottinda Leest, a moon beast with ears like jugs of gravy. Nottinda gets a lift to Earth (Her name for our planet is translated as Green-blue-and-white).
Nottinda falls in love with Kylie's Uncle Ravi, and there is a wedding feast on the moon. Kylie gets to wear her star necklace.
Tenpy listens to all this, and, with Pip's help actually takes off in his flying saucer, and returns from the sky with a cream egg. He is happy as a sand puppet!
A SAMPLE WORKSHOP ACTIVITY
Y3/4 "SPACE CREATURE maker"
| six | orange | heads |
| seven | yellow | arms |
| eight | purple | fingers |
| nine | pink | toes |
| ten | pale blue | legs |
| twenty | gold | ears |
| a hundred | tiny | eyes |
| countless | huge | noses |
| invisible | ||
| spiky | ||
| hairy | ||
| scaly | ||
| slimy | ||
Pip will help the Y3/4 children to use these lists to write a poem of their own!