A River

Product Information

The River: An Epic Journey to the Sea by Patricia Hegarty and Hanako Clulow, Caterpillar Books 2018 Lush, vibrant palettes smattered with a mix of illustrative styles and sumptuous textures won't fail to please any reader.

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And it doesn't really matter because Marc Martin puts that character and us on boat on that river and as we float along we get to view dramatic changes of scenery. We leave the city and find farmland, for example, but not before we see the less desirable aspects of the city. This stunningly illustrated book, rendered in deep blues and greens, charts a river’s meandering course through cities, farms and jungles.” — Entertainment Weekly Talk about both illustrations – what details do you notice? What colours have been used? How do these pictures make you feel?

This is a 3-week unit of work which focuses upon writing a story poem about salmon on their run up stream where they need to avoid bears and eagles. I always teach this during my Raging Rivers unit as it fits so well in this topic. The text driver is a beautifully drawn book called ‘A River’ by Marc Martin. This unit focuses upon the key features of descriptive poetry such as; metaphors, personification, expanded noun phrases powerful adjectives and vivid language. It also exposes the pupils to a variety of different poets looking at their style and how they have used these key features.Look at the front cover. What kind of place is this, do you think? Does it look like anywhere you recognize? Who could be in the boat and where could they they going? What other questions does this cover raise? A River from Marc Martin is a beautifully rendered, imaginative picture book that takes its readers on a wonderful journey. layering watercolour washes onto paper, then cutting shapes to create boulders, patchwork fields or rolling hills How would a group of water droplets spout and gush and flood? Set your movements to music and give your best performance. How does it feel to act together as one big wave? Write descriptively about water on the move (and your part in it…)

The end written piece is an opportunity to generate a great piece of writing as there is a well-structured plan to support your less able pupils. My class love this unit as they are engaged by the story of how brave the salmon are though some of the class always choose to write a poem where their salmon does not make it! I have included all the resources including worksheets, WAGOLL and displays so you can start using this straight away. The learning objectives for this unit are; Before reading, ask your children what they know about rivers and what experiences they can share. Is there a river near you? Where does it come from and where does it go? How do you cross a river or travel along it?A River' is true testament to that as we pored over each spread. In this, his most recent picture book, 'A River' follows a young girl who imagines herself floating along a river, as she gazes out of her window.... From Martin's stunning representation of the patchwork fields to the hubbub of the bustling city, each unfurling spread is dramatically different from its predecessor. When your boat’s ready, prepare to sail down river. Where are you heading and what happens along the way? Mime your actions and show your reactions to events as they unfold. Use your experiences to fuel creative writing – from descriptions of the boats to stories about your adventures. Factories long ago used to create lots of pollution, but now they create less. How and why did things change? What still needs to be changed to make the world cleaner? In this book, do you think Martin wanted to teach you facts, tell you a story or do something else?