This book demands attention. From the curious creature staring out at the reader on the cover, to its large physical nature and wild typography and breath-taking art, Ward and Marc Craste's creation needs a patient orator and audience. A variety of themes could be interpreted - loss of natural habitat through urbanisation, loss of identity, societal collapse, Communism(?!), enduringly persistent hope and the joy of love - but therein lies the crux of reader response and exploratory talk. Varmints reminds me of Helen Ward's The Tin Forest also. In year 3, we looked at the imagery from Journey and completed some wonderful descriptions; we used similes and expanded noun phrases to describe the girl’s journey. 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 :) Pupils throughout Middlemarch School thoroughly enjoyed this term’s Take One Book: Cinnamon by Neil Gaiman. Once, the only sounds to be heard were the buzzing of bees in the grass, the murmuring of moles in the earth, and the song of birds in the sky. These warmed the hearts of those who cared to listen - until the others came to fill the sky with a cacophony of noise. With dramatically lit artwork and a spare, intriguing text, Varmints tells of a pastoral world in need of protection and of the souls who love it enough to ensure its regeneration. Text Rationale:

Varmints - Teaching Ideas

But someone is nurturing a little piece of wilderness, and at the right time takes it to the right place... and that little bit of wilderness grows. Very nicely animated short film that works completely without language and only works properly with the music of Johann Johannsson. A call for help from nature turned into a short film. Children told us that the Indian dance workshop was “amazing” and “like nothing they had ever done before’. It was fantastic to see so many of our pupils engaging with new experiences and activities. 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? There is a Spelling Seed session for every week of the associated Writing Root. Coverage: Word List Words

Recognition

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! Armistice Day: A Collection of Remembrance - Spark Interest and Educate Children about Historical Moments

Wansbeck Home Learning Pack - Wansbeck Primary

Vermin, outsiders, them, the others... Problematic, highly charged language, considering the history of the demonisation of migrants and ‘foreigners’. 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.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! In the story, ‘SOMEONE nurtured a little piece of wilderness’. Can you write some instructions to teach others how to look after a plant? In Year 6, we wrote Varmints part 2, by starting off where the story ended... at the beginning! We thought about other animals that were under threat of extinction and wrote from their perspective, e.g. an orangutan in the rainforest.