Varmints

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This is athree-session spelling seed for the book Varmints by Helen Ward. Below is the coverage from Appendix 1 of the National Curriculum 2014. Sehr schön animierter Kurzfilm, der komplett ohne Sprache auskommt und erst durch die Musik von Johann Johannsson richtig funktioniert. Ein Film gewordener Hilferuf der Natur. In the story, ‘SOMEONE nurtured a little piece of wilderness’. Can you write some instructions to teach others how to look after a plant? Spelling Seeds have been designed to complement Writing Roots by providing weekly, contextualised sequences of sessions for the teaching of spelling that include open-ended investigations and opportunities to practise and apply within meaningful and purposeful contexts, linked (where relevant) to other areas of the curriculum and a suggestion of how to extend the investigation into home learning. In Year 3, we created shape poems with a focus on adjectives to describe a varmint. In Art, we ventured outside to collect leaves and plants and made a collage and also practised our photography skills.

Varmints: Part One - Helen Ward - picture book, environment Varmints: Part One - Helen Ward - picture book, environment

There is a Spelling Seed session for every week of the associated Writing Root. Coverage: Word List Words 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.Look at the use of light and darkness in the illustrations. Could you use a similar style in your own drawings? Shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Award 2009. The most overlooked threat in the world today is the loss of peace and tranquility. Can someone find the time and space to stop, think and plant the seeds of change before it’s too late. Sparing, wistful words are brought to life by involving and epic images to make the imagination and the heart soar. The result is a sight to behold.

Varmints By Helen Ward - Denham Green E-ACT Primary Academy Varmints By Helen Ward - Denham Green E-ACT Primary Academy

Journey is an incredible wordless picture book, following a girl on a journey with a magical crayon. There are many themes to be explored through this book, including bravery, courage, friendship and loneliness. A varmint is an animal that is considered to be a pest. Can you think of animals that this definition might include? Could you write a report about them?In art, we thought about what we would like to see behind a magical door. We then created our 3D art pieces with our ideas. We also made magical lanterns in the colour that we would like our magical crayon to be. What are we to make of this book? Who does it suggest is to blame for despoiling of idyll there once was? While the text is self-consciously elliptical, one thing is clear: the blame lies with ‘Others’ who ‘came one day’ from outside, the ‘varmints’ (a variant, we are told, of the word vermin), with THEM. One of the creatures grows plants in his home. What do plants need to grow? Can you grow some of your own? Vermin, outsiders, them, the others... Problematic, highly charged language, considering the history of the demonisation of migrants and ‘foreigners’.

Varmints (2008) directed by Marc Craste - Letterboxd ‎Varmints (2008) directed by Marc Craste - Letterboxd

Having expected them to be sepia and more delicate, the design of the little Varmints was a surprise, Droopy-like with monk-hood markings and heavy kangaroo tails. Then their frequently moving ears, like rabbits but with more flexibility, started to endear them to me. Whilst their rural home was very beautiful, the sudden building of a fully-formed city in such a short sequence never felt believable and thus I didn't feel the pining as I should. (I really have a thing about time and gradualness in films at the moment.) The book begins with the sentence, “There was once only the sound of bees and the wind in the wiry grass, the low murmuring of moles in the cool dark earth and the song of birds in the high blue sky.” Could you use this sentence as the starting point for your own story? In Year 5, we have written newspaper articles about the bizarre disappearance of the girl through the magical doorway which suddenly appears in her room. How does the use of colour change as the story progresses? Could you use this technique in a storyboard for your own story? In art, we created our perfect setting - something we would love to see on the other side of our magical door! We used chalk pastels and various mark making techniques to produce a fabulous piece of art!The book has a cliff-hanger ending. Can you think of other stories that use this technique? Can you think of a cliff-hanger ending for a story of your own?

Varmints by Helen Ward | Goodreads

In Year 5, we focused on making predictions and used lots of book talk to support our predictions. For Art, we looked at the illustrators drawing of a varmint, then used different styles to draw our own. We even used an anime style! I haven't even had a chacne to read this yet but the art for this is so beguilingly gorgeous that i can't help but give it 5 stars already. Even those who cannot access the text can understand the story from the pictures. The use of colour telling the reader everything.

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Learning all about Varmints was an excellent way to begin this academic year! Our children grasped the concept of what humans are doing to nature, whilst also seeing the positive side... having a bit of hope and perseverance can really make a difference! Would like to say before I start that I haven't read the book Varmints by Helen Ward and Marc Craste, so I can't compare the film to it in any way. These thoughts are just from my viewing of the animation :)