Varmints

Product Information

In Year 6, we wrote a setting description of the enchanted forest, or the magnificent castle, and then wove this into our narrative that started with a prequel of how the crayons came into existence. Varmints tells an analogy, or parable, that mirrors our history in a condensed form. There are those who love the hum of bees, the whisper of the wind, the wilderness - and then others arrive, with their tall buildings that "scratched the sky where birds once sang. Those gentle sounds faded and were gone." Every day, more newcomers arrived, the noise grew and grew until they couldn't think ... "So they stopped thinking." Learning all about Varmints was an excellent way to begin this academic year! Our children grasped the concept of what humans are doing to nature, whilst also seeing the positive side... having a bit of hope and perseverance can really make a difference! A varmint is an animal that is considered to be a pest. Can you think of animals that this definition might include? Could you write a report about them?

Varmints - Teaching Ideas

Spelling Seeds have been designed to complement Writing Roots by providing weekly, contextualised sequences of sessions for the teaching of spelling that include open-ended investigations and opportunities to practise and apply within meaningful and purposeful contexts, linked (where relevant) to other areas of the curriculum and a suggestion of how to extend the investigation into home learning. Children told us that the Indian dance workshop was “amazing” and “like nothing they had ever done before’. It was fantastic to see so many of our pupils engaging with new experiences and activities. Shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Award 2009. The most overlooked threat in the world today is the loss of peace and tranquility. Can someone find the time and space to stop, think and plant the seeds of change before it’s too late. Sparing, wistful words are brought to life by involving and epic images to make the imagination and the heart soar. The result is a sight to behold. Varmints is a beautifully illustrated and thought-provoking picture book. The illustrations are dark and surreal, but they perfectly capture the sense of loneliness and isolation that the varmint feels. The story is simple but effective, and it teaches children important lessons about courage, friendship, and environmental protection.Armistice Day: A Collection of Remembrance - Spark Interest and Educate Children about Historical Moments

Varmints by Helen Ward | Waterstones

This story has been turned into a short film. Watch it and compare it with the book. Which do you prefer? Why? Even those who cannot access the text can understand the story from the pictures. The use of colour telling the reader everything.Pupils throughout Middlemarch School thoroughly enjoyed this term’s Take One Book: Cinnamon by Neil Gaiman. In art, we created our perfect setting - something we would love to see on the other side of our magical door! We used chalk pastels and various mark making techniques to produce a fabulous piece of art! Very nicely animated short film that works completely without language and only works properly with the music of Johann Johannsson. A call for help from nature turned into a short film. A breathtaking and magical piece of work, that is wholly original and allows your imagination space to work. Craste makes outstanding use of light to haunting and often poignant effect.' This is a three-week Writing Root using the film (which can be found online) and text of Varmints by Helen Ward and Marc Craste. The sequence of learning starts with children entering the classroom to find seeds and flowers mysteriously left with an urgent letter of appeal from the main protagonist in the text, urging children to look after them and learn all they can about these gifts. Children will go on to plant the seeds and write instructions about the process, collecting subject-specific vocabulary as they go. Children will also dissect the flowers left behind, identifying and labelling the various parts and explaining their various roles in reproduction and pollination. Children will be given opportunities to describe flowers, write letters and make speeches to a secret society of gardeners who plan to change the world through the power of nature. This series of lessons culminates in children writing an explanation text about the life cycle of a plant with a clear structure. Synopsis of Text:

Varmints by Helen Ward | Goodreads

In Year 5, we focused on making predictions and used lots of book talk to support our predictions. For Art, we looked at the illustrators drawing of a varmint, then used different styles to draw our own. We even used an anime style! In Year 3, we created shape poems with a focus on adjectives to describe a varmint. In Art, we ventured outside to collect leaves and plants and made a collage and also practised our photography skills. I was terribly disappointed for the first 5-10 minutes, but later I was very moved by these small creatures and their newly urbanised country idyll.In the story, ‘SOMEONE nurtured a little piece of wilderness’. Can you write some instructions to teach others how to look after a plant? But someone is nurturing a little piece of wilderness, and at the right time takes it to the right place... and that little bit of wilderness grows. In class, we wrote in response to the text. Year 3 created poetry based on the highly detailed images and vocabulary in the text, Year 4 imagined what it would be like to stand in the rainforest and described their imagined experiences, Year 5 researched Bengal tigers and wrote their own non-chronological reports while Year 6 reimagined the story and developed their own stories set in another culture having researched their own choice of country.