It’s perhaps a bit early in the year for our next #poemoftheweek, “Autumn Gilt” (from the collection Let Me Touch the Sky), but we hope you enjoy listening anyway! There’ll be some activities for schools using this poem in an upcoming Scheme of Work freebie, so keep an eye out for that!
Ashlyn performs “Pet Shop”!
We loved this video of 11-year-old Ashlyn Tombs from Zimbabwe performing “Pet Shop” with great style and energy for her National Eisteddfod! “Pet Shop” is one of the poems included in Jaws and Claws and Things with Wings and we’re delighted that Ashlyn chose to recite it for her entry. Well done, Ashlyn and good luck! Reproduced with permission.
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Classroom activity – Don’ Go Ova Dere
We promised you resources, and the first of them is hot off the press. A free lesson activity to go with Valerie’s poem Don’ Go Ova Dere, which can be found in the collection Let Me Touch the Sky. We’ve also included a copy of the poem for those who haven’t got the book. This activity is part of a wider Scheme of Work created by a practising teacher and has been successfully used with year 7 classes. It can, however, be adapted to other age groups or tweaked for any needs. If you do play around with it, let us know what you come up with!
We’re also looking to start sharing a poem of the week with you over the next few weeks; some of these may even be recorded by Valerie herself. Feel free to vote for a favourite and we’ll see if we can include it in the shortlist – and maybe give you a mention!
Hope you find these useful!
Introducing Tamara
Hi! My name’s Tamara; if you’ve been in touch to book a school visit over the last couple of years our paths may have crossed. You may have noticed things have been quiet around here lately; I’ll be working behind the scenes getting exciting new content up for you soon, including activities and ideas for use during the current coronavirus pandemic. You may have ideas for ways we can support at this time also; if so, please do get in touch.
Looking forward to working with you; speak soon!
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New Release of Fruits
Delighted to announce that this popular title is available in a new release from Pan Macmillan. With beautiful illustrations by David Axtell and telling the story of one girl’s quest to eat as many fruits as possible, this counting-poem picture book is a great gift for little ones!
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Three performances at the British Library
With everything that’s been going on in the news over recent months, it’s great to see a number of events and initiatives coming up to celebrate the windrush generation.
I had the pleasure of taking part in Windrush Women: Past and Present, an evening of poetry and readings inspired by the lives of female writers from the Windrush era, at the British Library last month. Read the rest of this entry »
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Green-fingered words
Just a little update on what I’m working on at the moment. Although it seems a bit cold to be talking about planting seeds or vegetable patches, my current project is poems about gardening. I started a post a while back about trying to make my hobbies pay. Not because everything should be about money, Read the rest of this entry »
Book Week bookings!
Just a reminder to get in touch sooner rather than later if you’d like me to visit your school this March. Every year I have to disappoint people wanting a session to celebrate Book Week, since the week, and March in general, always fill up very quickly. I already have several visits lined up, so please don’t leave it too late!
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My own Caribbean adventure…
I’ve just spent a couple of idyllic weeks in Cuba and have had a lot to think about since then. I was touched by the friendliness and the courteousness of everyone and by the unspoilt, uncommercialised honesty of the place. At the same time I was amazed at how little people had to survive on and how resourceful that made them. I saw ropes being fabricated on an ingenious machine, home-made from old video tapes; the irrigation system on a farm I visited consisted of old tyres split to form drains, and used the water left over from washing. Just to give you an idea. Read the rest of this entry »
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Rhymes and Rhythms in Bonny Scotland
On 27 November I had the privilege of working with Roger McGough on a BBC Scotland live recording, Rhymes and Rhythms. We had a brilliant time sharing our poetry with an enthusiastic audience of 5-7 year-old pupils, and the organisers, the Scottish Book Trust have created a set of learning resources for teachers. These are available on their website free of charge; and I’ve linked to a couple below.
Wishing everyone a peaceful run-up to the end-of-year break!
Clips from the event (via the BBC Scotland Learning website)
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Valerie Bloom 