A Shock for Johnny

 Source: Harper Collins- Michael Morpuro- Kaspar Prince of Cats

 

Last week in Kaspar Prince of Cats, we were all shocked to read that the Countess had died in an accident. Of course the main character of our story, Johnny, was much more shocked. We imagined that we were Johnny and thought about how he felt in the moment when Freddie told him about the accident. What does he feel? Where in his body? How could we describe the feeling in his tummy? What did his hands feel like?

We worked together to write a poem. The children offered ideas for lines for the poem and we wrote them on strips of paper. Then we made a ladder with the strips of paper and moved them around until we felt that it was in the correct order and our poem was finished.

Here is the finished poem:

Shock

Oh no! Sadly a lady died,

I have goosebumps like a cold bubble bath,

I'm gasping for breath like the end of a marathon,

I can hear nothing but the thoughts in my head,

My heart beats hard like galloping horses' hooves,

I am shaking like a volcano about to erupt,

I feel hot like the burning rising sun,

The Countess is dead.

I fall to the floor like a popped balloon.

By St. George's Class

The children then worked with a partner to draw what they thought was happening in Johnny's mind when he heard of the Countess' death. Click on the pictures to make them bigger!

 

 By Sonny and Ella F.

By Cassea and Agatha

By Luke and Marielle

Each child then wrote their own poem to show how Johnny felt when he heard that the Countess had died. Here are some of the best of a fantastic collection!

 

 By Jack

By Eliska

 By Rosa

 By Rhiannon

 By Cordelia

 By Marielle

 By Nathan

 By Amelie

 By Ella W.

 By Calum