The Piano
I have an old suitcase filled with the old mans memories - small shoes, war medals, a silk handkerchief, gold ring, b/w wedding photograph etc.
I play this video with the IWB turned off so the children can only hear the music.
I sit the children in a circle whilst the music plays and I hand out memories from the box for the children to handle and discuss. We discuss any links between the objects and between the objects and the music. The children often guess that the story is sad - maybe someone looking back at their life.
Next we watch the video - the children fill in a what we know, what we want to know and what we have guessed sheet. e.g. guess his wife is the woman in film and she has died, guess that he is poor as he has no furniture.
I have used this for a range of writing - the most poignant was writing home from the battlefield to a loved one, with children describing the man dying.
I have also done an activity where the children create a 'photo diary' of memories - they can use stills from the animation or draw their own photos. They then write captions in character to go with each picture.
It is an ideal film for inspiring a story using flashbacks and flash-forwards. Can the children describe the setting and action and then change the place and time using text signposts?
I play this video with the IWB turned off so the children can only hear the music.
I sit the children in a circle whilst the music plays and I hand out memories from the box for the children to handle and discuss. We discuss any links between the objects and between the objects and the music. The children often guess that the story is sad - maybe someone looking back at their life.
Next we watch the video - the children fill in a what we know, what we want to know and what we have guessed sheet. e.g. guess his wife is the woman in film and she has died, guess that he is poor as he has no furniture.
I have used this for a range of writing - the most poignant was writing home from the battlefield to a loved one, with children describing the man dying.
I have also done an activity where the children create a 'photo diary' of memories - they can use stills from the animation or draw their own photos. They then write captions in character to go with each picture.
It is an ideal film for inspiring a story using flashbacks and flash-forwards. Can the children describe the setting and action and then change the place and time using text signposts?