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Year 5 Story Telling and Workshop - January 2012

Year 5 were treated to an amazing morning with actor, director and author Chris Connaughton. Chris held the children's attention by telling three war stories in a compelling and dramatic fashion. We listened intently to “Good Night Mr Tom,” an extract from “A soldiers return” by Melvin Bragg, and finally an interesting piece by Roald Dahl titled “Genesis and Catastrophe”. The children reflected on what they had just heard and asked some probing and intelligent questions.

In our second session with Chris, the children thought about what life was like for an evacuee and made up a list of essentials and luxuries they would take if they were ever to be put in that situation. You will be glad to hear that a picture of mum and dad ranked higher than their teddy bears, jewellery, and footballs! Finally the children completed diary entries for “A soldiers return” from either the soldier or waiting wife's perspective. Here is an extract for you to enjoy.

“I am very nervous about my lovely husband returning home. All my emotions are building up inside me and I just want to scream! My tummy feels liked it's tied in knots, my heart feels like it's about to burst and my head feels like its spinning like a Ferris wheel. What if he has changed? What if he is not the man I first met? What if he doesn't recognise our lovely son and hold him tenderly in his strong arms?”