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Ideas for Literacy/English activities
From the Go Bananas! online resource
Age group: 5 - 11
What to do:
You will need the Caribbean poem: Fruits.
Ideas for using the poem:
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Use the poem as a starting point for a collection of poems
on a theme. This could support topic work on food, or could
support work on the Caribbean.
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Make an illustrated class dictionary with the names of fruits
featured in the poem. Encourage the children to think about
ways of getting more information. Are there local markets which
sell Caribbean produce? Are any of these fruit available in
local supermarkets?
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As a shared writing activity, compose a poem about food inspired
by 'Fruits'. Let children choose foods they enjoy -- puddings,
ice-cream flavours, cakes, sweets, etc. . . Start by 'brainstorming'
a list of names. Work with pupils to explore the patterns of
language in the poem, and create a class poem which uses a similar
structure.
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Do a survey to find out which of these fruits are available
in the UK. Where can you buy them? How much do they cost? Why
do you think some are easier to find on sale than others? Do
you think that fruits like bananas and mangoes have always been
available in the UK? How could you find out?
About the author:
Opal Palmer Adisa grew up in the Caribbean. Her family lived
mainly on sugar estates where her father was a chemist working in
the sugar refineries, and her mother managed the estate offices.
Opal published her first poem at the age of thirteen, and writing
has always been part of her life.
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