tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-364494062011-04-21T13:16:53.738-07:00As part of Arts Across the Curriculum, I am writing a story with Primary 5-7 pupils at Glenzier Primary School in Dumfries and Galloway. A group of children have crash-landed on a tropical island. What will they do now and how will they organise themselves? Over the next 6 weeks, we will decide how the story should take shape together. Tell us what you think.Linda Cracknellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15297389660800808299noreply@blogger.comBlogger151100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36449406.post-50807125234074558472007-04-13T02:24:00.000-07:002007-04-13T02:38:06.986-07:00

In late March, I joined Glenzier Primary pupils in all their island raggedness and Head Teacher David MacIsaac to present the Island Glenzier project to a large audience at Eastriggs Primary School. A number of creative school projects were being showcased by Dumfries and Galloway's CREATE team for a visit from Culture Minister Patricia Ferguson who was announcing increased funding for cultural

Linda Cracknellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15297389660800808299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36449406.post-5751433575679979222007-02-09T03:12:00.000-08:002008-12-10T12:56:48.016-08:00

Children at the International School of Tanganyika were the first readers of Our Island Community when I visited them for some creative writing workshops in Dar es Salaam this week. And so the story came home to its East African setting. The verdict? 'The story made me feel like I was in it,' said one pupil. 'I felt frightened when there was a fire on the island,' said another. And they left us

Linda Cracknellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15297389660800808299noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36449406.post-75832327445304812842006-12-09T13:08:00.000-08:002008-12-10T12:56:48.152-08:00

The island was shrinking behind them as they chugged away from it. Jessie felt bewildered to find herself on the deck of the boat. She had a can of juice in one hand and a bar of chocolate in the other. The tastes were strange after several days of fruit, coconut and water. This all seemed a bit sudden. They had expected to have to stay so much longer.Jessie and the older children had been the

Linda Cracknellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15297389660800808299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36449406.post-76302568303421172022006-12-09T12:39:00.000-08:002008-12-10T12:56:48.158-08:00

We concluded the project this Thursday with a celebratory premiere of the final chapter to the whole school, parents, etc. We had a proof copy of the whole story in our hands and each of us came (suitably bloodied and ragged) as a favourite character from the story. Despite creating the impression of a school disaster, it was good to see the degree of pride and familiarity that each pupil felt

Linda Cracknellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15297389660800808299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36449406.post-1164559752618166372006-11-26T08:45:00.000-08:002006-11-26T09:34:36.870-08:00

What to do about the teachers?When the Glenzier pupils drew maps of the island earlier in the project, one of them clearly showed a small rocky island, labelled 'teachers'. (The same pupil had the idea that the whole situation might have been set up by the teachers, now waiting and watching in a nearby tree, to see how the children got on!) This stranding of the teachers was a brilliant story

Linda Cracknellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15297389660800808299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36449406.post-1164558888370283652006-11-26T08:33:00.000-08:002006-11-26T08:34:48.383-08:00

Chapter 6 ‘Do we have to rescue them?’ said Kieran. ‘It’s been fun without any grown-ups.’‘You’re so mean,’ said Kia. ‘They might die if we don’t get them some water.’‘Well can’t we take them some water and a few coconuts, and then come back?’‘Without them?’ May stared at him.‘Well,’ Kieran looked at his feet. ‘OK. I guess we have to rescue them. But they have to follow our rules, right?’By the

Linda Cracknellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15297389660800808299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36449406.post-1163878403493464932006-11-18T11:24:00.000-08:002006-11-18T11:46:16.763-08:00

'Hang her upside down from a tree and beat her with bamboo'That was one of the ideas proposed by a pupil during a discussion about how Scarlet should be treated following the fire on the island which she may have helped instigate. The children were rather awed by the turn of events in Chapter 4, and keen that no-one should die, especially the characters they had been responsible for creating.We

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Chapter 5 Owning UpThe morning started as usual with the red glow of the sunrise and the blue glow of the sea. But Jessie and everyone else knew that today would be Judgement Day.As soon as she woke up, the smell of charred wood filled Jessie’s nostrils. It was as if she was waking up in the middle of a dying bonfire after Guy Fawkes Night. She’d seen a hedgehog do that once – uncurl and scurry

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Vote Scarlet!This week the Glenzier children each chose a character to back as leader on the island. Several candidates emerged - Callum Knight with his 'Knights of the Island' group intent on maintaining control and thus saving all their lives; Dennis J Joans - the best runner; Jessie, who will listen to everyone; Kieran Coolster who will rule with his water pistol; and of course the

Linda Cracknellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15297389660800808299noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36449406.post-1163324341562916722006-11-12T01:37:00.000-08:002006-11-18T11:23:39.810-08:00

Chapter 4 Life or Death?It was Jessie who heard the noise first. Great thuds, not far into the jungle. They fell quickly, one after the other, then more slowly. Then there was a silence before the noise started again. Jessie imagined a huge creature with monstrous feet.‘Ssssh,’ she said to everyone. They all listened, moving into a closer huddle, still miserable with hunger and their

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Rules or No Rules?We've had a lot of discussion about rules this week. Do rules spoil any chance of fun, or will having some ensure that things are shared equally onthe island, and everyone has a chance to survive? Does it matter if a few boys eat all the Tunnocks Tea-Cakes? The Glenzier children decided on the need for the island children to have some 'not-so-strict' rules. They also decided the

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Chapter 3‘So what did everyone find?’ asked Callum Knight. The sun was getting low on the horizon now, and they had gathered back on the beach with all the things they had found. It was turning into a beautiful sunset and the sea was rich blue. Jessie kept turning to look at it.Some of the hunters had been more successful than others. The fish spear had come back empty. The boy said there were

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Chapter 2 Rules or No Rules?Callum Knight’s question hung around the group of children as they stood on the beach, kicked sand over their feet, and rubbed at bruises. Jessie noticed that Kia had already gathered the youngest children together and was giving them hugs and telling them that everything was going to be OK. She’d had a lot of practice at babysitting.‘I’m hot!’ shrieked Scarlet. ‘I’m

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The children decide...The Glenzier class have taken my Chapter 1 and are running with it. They created a cast of characters for me to work with, from red-haired Scarlet who likes nothing more than causing chaos, to the fair-skinned twins whose skills at cooking may come in handy once the children have speared a few fish.The class are looking at how the characters in the story make decisions, but

Linda Cracknellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15297389660800808299noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36449406.post-1161543024969418392006-10-22T11:45:00.000-07:002006-10-22T13:10:20.966-07:00

Chapter 1When Jessie first opened her eyes, all she saw was a blur of white. She felt very hot and there was something rough and grainy against her cheek. Her ears seemed to be full of squawks and squeals. She assumed they must be coming from her school-mates.As her eyes began to focus, she saw many tiny pieces of shell, making up paper-white sand. There was a smell of salt, and a rhythmic

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