English is Literally a Matter of Taste!

May 2016

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Year 8 students sampled exotic fruits such as sharon fruit and psyris as part of their English lesson.

Year 8 students have recently enjoyed the ultimate multi-sensory literature experience, designed to enhance their enjoyment of 'Kensuke's Kingdom' by Michael Morpurgo.

The novel tells the story of Michael, a young boy struggling to survive when he finds himself washed up on an island in the Pacific following a storm. Without food, Michael survives thanks to the plates of island fruit that are left by an elderly Japanese man, Kensuke, the only other resident.

Our students will tell you that a good book and a little imagination can take you on an exciting journey to faraway places and absorb you in a world of new experiences, but this was never more true than in their lesson with Miss Reynolds. To help students relate to Michael's experience of tasting topical fruits for the first time, she brought samples of those mentioned in the book and invited students to imagine themselves in the position of the main character.

Many of the fruits, such as sharon fruit, psyris, mango and fresh coconut are not common items in the average family fruit bowl, so many of the class found themselves enjoying new taste sensations for the first time, just like Michael. Students commented that they had enjoyed the experience enormously and that the lesson had really helped them to relate to the character.

Our English Teachers work hard to find innovative ways to bring literature to life. Recently, Mrs Robson, supported by Barbara Gentles from Crook Primary School, arranged for our students to work with the Royal Shakespeare Company and pupils from a number of our local Primary schools in a performance of A Midsummer Nights Dream. This gave students a much greater understanding of Shakespeare's work and his wonderful characters.