My Two Blanketsteachers Notes for Years 5-6

My Two BlanketsTeachers’ Notes for Years 5-6

Introduction to text

My Two Blankets (2014) is a contemporary picture book composed by Irena Kobald, illustrated by Freya Blackwood and published by Little Hare. It was the Children’s Book Council winner of Children’s Book of the Year 2015 and this accolade is one of many reasons that make this text worth sharing with students.

This story sensitively tackles issues of fitting in, culture and migration as experienced between two young girls, one new to the culture and the other girl already established. Each girl comes to an appreciation of their own differences and this text develops empathy in readers of all ages.

Some students may have experiences similar to the main characters in the book and sensitivities surrounding this may need to be considered.

Learning Opportunities

Language Strand

Text Structure and Organisation: Waterfall of Strange Words Emanata

In My Two Blankets, some characters have symbols for the words coming out of their mouths (such as car, plane and fork). These are often shown in ‘cut-out’ collage form. Because Cartwheel doesn’t know the language, she doesn’t understand what the other characters are saying, and so the illustrator, Freya Blackwood, draws her with symbols and lines spouting from her head like a waterfall. These lines are called emanata lines (from the word ‘emanate’) and show some of the confusion happening in Cartwheel’s head.

Students may have seen emanate elsewhere, particularly in comics (including light-globes to show a character has an idea, or ‘zzz’ to represent snoring). Students discuss what Cartwheel might be hearing, experiencing and feeling to understand that cohesive links can be made in texts by omitting or replacing words. Students draw known emanata and design new emanata on post-it notes and stick these appropriately near characters in the book to represent their thoughts, feelings or actions.

Students write several paragraphs about what Cartwheel might be experiencing in a single moment in the story. Students write from Cartwheel’s point of view.

Literature Strand

Creating Literature: Blackout or Zentangle Poems

Words are important in My Two Blankets. Students create literary texts in the form of blackout or zentangle poetry. Each student is given a page from an old book (sourced from a market, secondhand book sale or photocopied). Students select individual words or short phrases (that already exist on the page from the old book) that relate to My Two Blankets. For example, maybe words relate to the setting, characters, experiences or how being a reader of the book makes them feel or think. Using a black felt pen, a pen line is drawn around these words. Students then blackout the excess words on the page with repetitive lines and shapes to make a zentangle. The process is further explained in Australian poet, Kathryn Apel’s blog.

Examining Literature: Visual Literacy and Style in Freya Blackwood’s Books

Students identify, describe and discuss similarities and differences between My Two Blankets and illustrator Freya Blackwood’s other books for this age-group such as The Treasure Box written by Margaret Wild and Look, A Book! written by Libby Gleeson. Blackwood’s other books could also be analysed. Students discover characteristics that define Blackwood’s individual, often sophisticated visual style.

Analyse:

·  Covers – Blackwood often features key characters and space on her covers.

·  Medium – includes watercolour and oil paints on watercolour paper and cut-out collage. Here collage is used for the pictorial symbols of words. Find where collage is used in the other books.

·  White space – where the viewers’ own imaginations, experiences and interpretations can fill the gaps. We see a lot of empty white space on the page where Cartwheel stands at the boat in the park.

·  Style – such as visible pencil sketch lines are included to give depth, dimension and show movement.

·  Colours – muted, subdued, soft colours are often used but note where bright colours are used strategically such as in the warm-coloured clothing worn by Cartwheel and her Auntie. When and why are bright colours used throughout the book? Pay attention to the use of colour on the last page where Cartwheel proclaims I’ll always be me.

·  Patterns – such as Blackwood’s signature spots and stripes in clothing and umbrellas that also appear in Maudie and Bear and The Terrible Suitcase can be found here. Why?

·  Recurring symbols – for example the bird in this book. What could the birds represent?

·  Lines and shapes – the lines of the symbols of the first new words are sharp, and then soften to include rounded shapes like the bowl. Consider the graduation of lines and shapes throughout the book.

·  Abstract, sometimes surreal shapes – for example the trees. Why may they be abstract and the setting sometimes generic?

Each student thinks of a time they’ve entered a new context/environment where they might have felt uncomfortable. Using the elements of Blackwood’s artistic style, sketch the scene in pencil, leaving movement lines visible. Use vibrant colours to represent the comfortable/known elements and subdued colours to represent the strange/new elements. Add symbolism to connect with elements in Blackwood’s work. Students can also add cut-out collage sparingly to show how communication occurred in this context/environment.

Literacy Strand

Interacting with others: Interaction and Role Play

The written and visual texts of My Two Blankets portray the interaction between two little girls in a park. When interacting in a new context/situation, participants must bring particular interactive skills, include paraphrasing, questioning and interpreting non-verbal cues in body language, inflexion/inflection, eye contact, posture and actions to transmit meaning and act appropriately. These skills are particularly important when in a new situation or learning a new language. Work through the text with students to identify these verbal and non-verbal cues in the scenes from the book where Cartwheel and the girl are together and interacting.

Students engage in role-play using these cues from My Two Blankets. In pairs, one student takes the role of Cartwheel and one plays the role of the other little girl. Pairs explore the communication in this relationship. They should endeavour to use non-verbal as well as the verbal strategies of appropriate vocabulary, pace, fluency and tone. De-brief afterwards.

Creating Texts: Symbolic Blankets ‘of my own words and sounds’

Cartwheel finds comfort by wrapping herself in her old brightly coloured blanket of my own words and sounds. Students in Years 5 and 6 will recognise that this is also a metaphorical, symbolical blanket. As Cartwheel learns the words and language of her new country, she weaves new experiences into her blanket. Students complete a Y Chart (see additional resources) using words to show how each blanket ‘looks, feels and sounds’. Use red/orange ink for the old blanket and a dominance of blue/green ink for the new blanket. Note how the new blanket is not completely blue/green. Past experiences still exist in the new blanket.

Then students plan, draft and publish an imaginative multimodal text about their own developing life (or blanket that grows). This multimodal text about their life incorporates some of their experiences, expectations and desires. Use digital storytelling, which combines oral storytelling and digital technology (such as PhotoStory 3, iMovie or Voicethread). Film students briefly narrating parts of their own stories and featuring created or existing symbols as still or moving images. The symbols could be as simple as those in My Two Blankets, or more complex. These symbolic images could be shown as a combination of photos, artwork and fragments of print. Sound effects or music could be used to enhance the symbolic storytelling. Each digital story should be between one and three minutes.

Themes

·  Belonging

·  Loneliness

·  Communication

·  Intercultural understanding

·  Friendship

·  Refugees

·  Migration

Outcomes

·  Understand that cohesive links can be made in texts by omitting or replacing words (ACELA1520)

·  Understand the use of vocabulary to express greater precision of meaning, and know that words can have different meanings in different contexts (ALELA1512)

·  Create literary texts using realistic and fantasy settings and characters that draw on the worlds represented in texts students have experienced (ACELT1612)

·  Identify, describe, and discuss similarities and differences between texts, including those by the same author or illustrator, and evaluate characteristics that define an author’s individual style (ACELT1616)

·  Use interaction skills, for example paraphrasing, questioning and interpreting non-verbal cues and choose vocabulary and vocal effects appropriate for different audiences and purposes (ACELY1796)

·  Plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative and persuasive print and multimodal texts, choosing text structures, language features, images and sound appropriate to purpose and audience (ACELY1704)

·  Plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative and persuasive texts, choosing and experimenting with text structures, language features, images and digital resources appropriate to purpose and audience (ACELY1714)

These resources are aligned to the Australian Curriculum v 8.2.

Additional resources and links to other texts

Other books by Freya Blackwood for Years 5-6

·  The Treasure Box written by Margaret Wild and illustrated by Freya Blackwood. Teachers’ notes are available.

·  Look, A BOOK! written by Margaret Wild and illustrated by Freya Blackwood.

Other relevant picture books

·  Voices in the Park by Anthony Browne

·  Teacup by Rebecca Young and Matt Ottley (also features a tree in boat)

·  Once There was a Boy by Dub Leffler

·  The Arrival by Shaun Tan

·  Azzi in Between by Sarah Garland (refugee graphic novel)

Additional information

·  Illustrator Freya Blackwood Blogspot

·  Information on Zentangles

·  Using a Y Chart

Cross Curriculum Enrichment

Visual Arts: Two Blankets

Students make two quilted blankets. Sew (or glue) warm-coloured cut out symbols from Cartwheel’s home, such as a bird, fish or spoon, onto orange fabric. Use rounded lines and shapes. Use Western symbols in mainly cool whites, blues and greens for the second blanket. These could be formed with straighter lines. Incorporate one symbol in the style of the first blanket (such as the bright shoes shown in My Two Blankets) into the second blanket. Display the blankets. Students write an artist’s statement for each blanket.

Writer

Joy Lawn is a NSW-based freelance writer and reviewer for The Weekend Australian (where she writes the YA literature column) and Magpies magazine. Her work also appears in Books+Publishing, Sydney Morning Herald, the Age and Australian Book Review. Joy judges several literary awards. She blogs about children’s and young adult literature and literary fiction at Boomerang Books and teaches a children’s literature course at the University of Southern Queensland (external). She is fascinated by ideas and images and how authors and illustrators express these with truth and originality.

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