[This unit was originally published in TalentEd, No. 11, February 1986.]

Rationale

The unit was designed for whole class participation in a Year 1 class. It was further developed to extend the creative writing skills of a 6 year old whose first attempt at process writing produced a great story, with structure, i.e., beginning, middle and end. She exhibited many characteristics of the creative and talented child: understanding jokes before her peers, trying to talk her way out of any situation, talking freely and with confidence, completing tasks with single-mindedness (although careless at times), grasping concepts quickly, and showing a wide range of interests.

 

Objectives

• To provide the opportunity for much creativity, whatever its form.

• To increase the children's knowledge of the world around them.

• To expose the children to a wide variety of resource material.

• To develop, in particular, the skills of creative writing.

• To develop the children's self-image and appreciation of others.

 

A. General Interest Activities

• Listen to Jack and the Beanstalk. Make children's own version with their own words.

• Paint large pictures that tell the story. Display in story sequence on large board at back of room.

• Use large cardboard box to make a house for Jack. Children decide the appearance of the house. Go for a walk around the neighbourhood to observe houses. Would Jack be able to plant his beans beside all houses seen?

• Children perform play at assembly, making their own props. Children make large posters advertising play.

• List the things Jack is likely to see on his way up the beanstalk. Draw pictures of these.

• Jack was frightened by the giant. List the likely friends of a giant. Have a giant party, with his friends. Children dress up as the friends of the giant. Make giant party food and drink. Do magic tricks. Write a story about the giant party.

• Start a class beanstalk. Every time a child reads a book they can stick a leaf onto the vine (a growing vine).

 

B. Enrichment and Skill Building

• Discuss whether Jack was really silly to take the beans for the cow. List outcomes if the beans had not been magic.

• Jack saw the moon, stars, planets, rain, etc. on his way up the beanstalk. How did they get there?

a) Listen to folktales, fables.

b) Read books, watch videos for simple explanations.

c) Make up own stories to tell Jack.

d) Make book with stories.

• Jack saw a cow jumping over the moon. Did Jack make up 'Hey-diddle-diddle'? Why do you think the cow jumped over the moon? Write a story to tell what really happened.

• Imagine that Jack is the same Jack from 'Jack and Jill'. Who is Jill? Did this happen before or after Jack climbed the beanstalk? Compose a short play that combines both stories.

• What are clouds? How do they get there? What do you think they feel like? Record daily cloud formations. Do clouds change? Lie on grass and watch for cloud shapes. Write what Jack felt like when going up through the clouds.

• Jack climbed the beanstalk and came to a pink cloud. It was made of fairy floss .... Finish this story to tell what happened. How did Jack get off the sticky cloud? If we touch Jack do we stick to him?

• List possible ways Jack got back to his house. Paint pictures of some of these.

• A week after the beanstalk was chopped down it started to grow and grow. Jack decided to climb it and he found himself in a strange country. Name the imaginary country and describe what it looks like. Something happened to Jack. What was it? Write a story about this new country. Make it into a book. Read the story of Gulliver's Travels.

• Draw a wanted poster for the giant. Draw another for Jack, as if done by the giant.

• Was Jack right to do what he did in the story? Did he break the law? Act a a scene of the giant complaining about Jack at his local police station.

• Pretend the class lives on the same cloud as the giant. How would we stay out of the giant's way? Make up rules to keep the class safe. How could we change the giant into a nice person? Make a large giant, with a basket and have class members put suggestions into the basket on how the giant can help others (eg, rescuing cats stranded up tall trees).

• Make up new endings for Jack and the Beanstalk. Perform these in class and choose the best to perform to another class or the whole school.

• Write newspaper reports about what happened when Jack climbed the beanstalk. Hold a press conference with Jack (played by an older child from another class) and with the giant (played by an adult). Compile some of these reports into a two-page class newspaper (including drawings as 'photos').

• Record a radio news broadcast of the events in the story, including interviews with the main characters and other 'witnesses'.

 

C. Final Outcomes

• Read at assemblies stories written by children.

• Display all products in classroom and invite in parents and members of other classes.

• Perform at assembly the new version of Jack and the Beanstalk.

• Share the newspaper and the news broadcast with adults and other children.

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This page updated: 23 January 2006 Webmaker: Howard Smith. hsmith4@une.edu.au