A Writing Root for Stella and the Seagull

Outcomes:

Lists, thought bubbles, speech bubbles, posters, guide, instructions

Main Outcome:

Own version narrative about helping the environment

Length:

3 weeks, 15 sessions

Overview and Outcomes:

This is a three-week Writing Root for Stella and the Seagull by Georgina Stevens. The sequence of learning begins with children arriving in the classroom to find that they have been left a set of small nature objects by a mysterious creature. They make inferences from the clues that they can see and write lists of the objects, identifying that some are natural and others are plastic. They begin to journey through the book, which mirrors the children’s experiences as the main character Stella also has a visiting creature (a bird) leave her gifts.  Through reading the story, children follow the friendship between Stella and her seagull, exploring the determined actions of Stella and her grandmother to make a difference in their community.  The Writing Root uses opportunities in the text for children to learn about the actions they can take to protect and help nature. They will write about these in the form of posters, instructions and a short guide. At the same time, children connect with the characters and events in the story by discussing emotions and by acting and writing in role. The Writing Root culminates in an opportunity for children to write their own narrative based on the key events in the book.

Synopsis of Text:

Spurred into action when her seagull friend gets poorly from eating plastic, young Stella is soon on a campaign for change. A beach clean up and plastic straw ban sparks her whole community into action and soon Stella is making a big impact. And it's not long before the little seagull and all its animal friends can live in a better environment.

Text rationale:

Stella and the Seagull carries a powerful message that no-one is too small to make a difference. Stella might be a young child, but her actions have a significant impact on the local community and environment. A brilliant text for introducing children to thinking about how to look after our planet with a particular focus on single-use plastic, it is also an important book for representation of different family types as it features a main character who very happily lives with her grandma by the sea.

Links and themes:

Nature, the environment, community, activism, wildlife

Date written: October 2024