What happens when you mix quality picture books, the roar of a construction site, and a splash of mixed media art? You get a high-energy, integrated learning experience that brings together a number of different learning areas while making sure we are ticking all the boxes expected in terms of our mandated 5 hours a week of reading and writing.
Our recent panel project took inspiration from Sally Sutton’s much loved construction series (Roadworks, Demolition, and Construction). By weaving together Reading, Writing, and Visual Art, we didn't just learn about trucks—we built a foundation for literacy while dialling up our Creativity at the same time. We have also had the added experience of creating a competitive painted panel for the Naylor Love Project !
If you came to hear about our programme this week at the Parent Information Evening you would have seen the examples of writing and poetry that the students created. For only 5 days into the school year we have certainly taken off with a hiss and a roar.
Using Sally Sutton’s books, we focused on encouraging our students to "understand" how language features create effects. Through exploring these books in reading, we learnt about:
Onomatopoeia: The "Thonk! Clonk! Clap!" of the building site.
Rhythm and Rhyme: How the rhythm of the text mimics the steady work of machinery.
Vocabulary: Building a "toolbox" of technical verbs like hoist, swing, and lower.
Applying our phonics learning: We looked at the spelling pattern ‘ing’ and how this changes a word. Zoom to zooming.
How to create a picture in our readers mind by using noise words and adjectives.
Our students transitioned from Reading to Writing by using Sutton’s structures and stories as a model.
To bring our poems to life, we utilised the Visual Arts space. Construction isn't just about sound; it’s about texture, layers, and bold shapes too.
We used a mixed media approach—layering paint and shapes. We have used vibrant and sometimes contrasting colours that pop and help tell our story. We have included parts of our poetry in our panel too.
Students explored how different materials and techniques communicate ideas. By connecting their art back to their poems, they practiced communicating their ideas. They really have been able to show how visual and written language work together to tell a story. The hardest part has been drawing our great pictures a second time on the panel !!
Our NZ Curriculum emphasizes structure and richer connections across learning areas. By linking these tasks, students aren't just doing "art" or "reading" in isolation, we are seeing how the "knowledge and practice" parts of the curriculum come together.
They understand that stories can be told through storytelling, the arts, and reading. They have been able to use the specific language of construction and poetry, and have had a chance to practise the work of a writer and an artist at the same time. Through these tasks and practise opportunities we have met individual children’s needs by tailoring their goals and feedback, making sure we are ‘teaching the basics brilliantly !’ Finger spaces, full stops and capital letters - You have to have them in the right place to construct a great sentence !!!!
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