Where My Wellies Take Me – Cross-curricular planning for KS1/2

What's included?

PDF of cross-curricular ideas

Key Stage

KS1, KS2

Age

Years 1-6

Subjects

Where My Wellies Take Me uses 40 evocative poems to celebrate the wonder of childhood. If you’re lucky, it will germinate a love of verse that will stay with pupils for many years to come...

Try these cross-curricular classroom ideas for KS1/2, all based around the book:

Explore the spark of an idea in starting the writing process
Map out your poetry project in your local area
Create an inspiration scrapbook

What is Where My Wellies Take Me about?

Where My Wellies Take Me by Clare and Michael Morpurgo is a truly memorable treasure that every single child should have the privilege to experience as part of their primary literacy education. Yes, it really is that special.

Where My Wellies Take Me is so much more than a collection of poems. Written as a celebration of childhood, the countryside and the part poetry plays in exploring both, the book takes the form of a child’s scrapbook created by Pippa – a young girl whose wellie-clad adventures create the narrative frame for the poems contained within.

We journey with Pippa throughout a whole day’s walk in the countryside. Following her illustrated map, we are introduced to her favourite poems at every turn, bringing her discoveries, thoughts and reflections to life.

Illustrated and designed by Olivia Lomenech Gill, the scrapbook is a lavish and stunning work of art in itself. Maps, sketch work, pull-out pages and tracing papers enhance and punctuate the story, taking us and our wellies into Pippa’s world.

When she sees a golden bumblebee, stiff from cold, crawl onto the boot of her wellie, so do we. As an inspiration and model for pupils’ own scrapbooks and journals, it’s unsurpassed.

Judy Clark is primary adviser at the National Literacy Trust. She is also an English ITE lecturer, and Talk4writing Adviser, together with Pie Corbett. Find more great ideas for teaching Michael Morpurgo books.