Connecting to prior knowledge
Pearl Verses the World is a moving illustrated verse novel written by Sally Murphy and illustrated by Heather Potter. Using a narrative format, and incorporating both rhyme and free verse, this story is told through the eyes of a young girl who is struggling to find her place in the world. Pearl’s grandmother has dementia and Pearl doesn’t connect with the children at school. On top of this, she is struggling to find meaning in an assignment she has been given. This story explores elements of grief, exploration of self, and the importance of finding your own place in an ever-changing world. It also carries a message that teachers need to ensure school activities connect to children’s worlds.
To connect students’ prior knowledge and understanding, it would be useful to begin by focusing on the word ‘verse’. Write this word on the board and ask small groups of students to discuss what they think the word ‘verse’ means. Share these definitions as a whole class by writing them on the board.
Depending on the depth of the students’ definitions you may like to ask the following questions:
- Can versing only take place during sporting events? If not, share other examples.
- Can you verse yourself? Prompt for examples.
- What is a written verse? Ask for examples.
- How many meanings do you think the word ‘verse’ has?
- What do you call words that sound alike and have multiple meanings (homophones)?
Show the students the front cover of Pearl Verses the World. Read the title and ask students in what context they think the word ‘verse’ is used on the cover of this book.
Exploring the text in context of our community, school and ‘me’
Read the first two pages aloud (pp. 7–8). Ask students what the character means when she says ‘I am a group of one’.
- Is there such thing as a group of one? Discuss.
- What other groups does Pearl say her class is made up of?
Explain to students that they are going to find out what kinds of groups they have in their own class. Form pairs and encourage students to brainstorm the different groups their peers might belong to. These might be ‘official’ groups such as the soccer team or ‘unofficial’ groups based on shared characteristics (for example). Encourage them to be creative in their groupings.
On the board, draw up a table with two columns. Ask each pair to come up and write one of the groups they brainstormed in the first column, such as choir, the group that loves vegetables, the group with brown eyes, etc.
Explain that data now needs to be collected. Discuss how they might find out how many class members fit into each category. Once data is collected, ask the students to write the total number of group members in the second column. Discuss:
- How many groups do we have?
- Could we have more than this?
- Can you be in more than one group? How?
- Are there any groups with only one member? Expand on the term ‘group of one’.
- Does this mean that this person is lonely? Why or why not?
- What is another word we can use to describe a person in a group of one? Prompt for words such as ‘unique’ or ‘individual’.
Encourage students to see being in a ‘group of one’ as a strength rather than a disadvantage, and that it can teach us resilience and provide opportunities to problem solve.
Rich assessment task
Recap that Pearl Verses the World is a story about a young girl called Pearl who is going through a difficult time at both home and school. She feels as if the world is against her. However, it is during this time that Pearl finds inner strength and talents in an area she never expects.
Give students the following scenario:
Imagine a little boy who is very good at making paper airplanes. He is struggling to make friends at school. How might he be able to use this skill to help himself?
Discuss as a class.
Ask students to fold an A4 piece of paper in half horizontally. On one side they should draw a picture and write a sentence to explain a skill, interest, talent or fact about themselves that could possibly place them in a group of one. On the other side, ask them to write an explanation of how this skill or talent might help them in the future.
On completion of this activity, sit the whole class in a circle to share their talents, skills or hobbies and how they may help in the future. Encourage classmates to give praise and positive feedback. Display this work in the classroom.
Responding to the text
Read pp. 7–13 of Pearl Verses the World. As a class, discuss who makes up Pearl’s family (Mum, Granny and Pearl).
Use the parts, purpose, complexities thinking routine to help students build a 3D image of the term ‘family’ by identifying different layers.
| Parts | Sit in a circle and ask the following questions to promote discussion. Use an object to help guide conversation (i.e. only the person holding the object can talk), and encourage and guide children to agree and disagree respectfully.
Also talk about step-siblings, half-siblings, and adoption; cultures with more expansive family dynamics (e.g. siblings, cousins, aunts and uncles in some Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families); and people who are such close friends that they consider each other to be ‘like family’. |
| Purpose | What is the purpose of a family? Discuss. Again, encourage the students to agree and disagree respectfully. This time they should give examples to back up their statements. |
| Complexities | How can families be different? Encourage students to list or create a mind map of some families they know.
Can families change? How? Possible prompts for discussion include the birth of a new child, death of a grandparent, or separation and marriage (be aware of your class context and approach these topics sensitively). If possible, share the picture book Family Forest* written by Kim Kane and illustrated by Lucia Masciullo (readings are also available to StoryBox Hub and ClickView subscribers). Take time during the reading of this book to discuss the vocabulary and meaning of each page. Provide the opportunity for students to respond to the text orally, making meaningful links to their own lives. * Reading Australia title |
Ask students to find a partner and complete the ‘I used to think, now I think’ routine in relation to the question:
What is a family?
This will help students to reflect on their thinking about the topic of families and explore how and why their thinking may have changed.
Exploring plot, character, setting and theme
NOTE: Consider the appropriateness of these questions and activities for your particular class. Students should have the option NOT to participate in the discussion, in part or whole. If you are concerned about any students in your group, you could use a structure such as circle time to allow them to pass on a question while still participating in the lesson. You can also consider inviting a student support officer, youth worker, or similar support person to sit in on relevant lessons.
Continue reading pp. 14–29 of Pearl Verses the World.
Discuss:
- Pearl is having a difficult time. The world that she knew is starting to change. Ask: ‘What is Pearl struggling with?’
- Have you ever experienced a difficult time in your life? Share this with a partner.
- How did you get through it? Can you use one word to describe what you did? For example, did you use humour to help you see the lighter side of life?
During this part of the book, characters rely on different strengths to help them through:
- Read p. 14 again. What is Pearl’s mum doing on this page to help herself? Prompt for ‘reading a book’. Focus on the sentence ‘shut in the world of her novel’. What does this mean?
- Now read pp. 16–17. What is Pearl doing on these pages? Prompt for ‘using her imagination’.
- Finally, read p. 27 again. What is Pearl using to help her get through this difficult scenario? Prompt for ‘humour’, as she falls down laughing.
Explain that everybody is different and that we all handle situations differently. We do this by using our character traits. Explain that there are many different traits. We see some of these in the characters in Pearl Verses the World. Each person has different traits and some of these appear more often in our personalities than others. This is what makes us unique.
Write the following words up on the board:
| Creativity | Curiosity | Bravery | Grit |
| Honesty | Zest | Kindness | Gratitude |
Read through each of the words and explain that you would like to see what the class already knows about these traits. You might create some word webs or use Visuwords to explore the concepts. If using Visuwords, explore each word prior to this lesson as some terms could require explanation.
Place students into groups of four and ask them to come up with their own definitions for each trait. Write these onto large pieces of paper and display them around the room. Allow time to look at and discuss each definition. An alternative activity be to ask the students to research the definitions online or using a dictionary.
As a class, agree on a definition for each trait and display them on the board. Guidance may be required here. You can use these definitions as a reference:
| Creativity | Thinking of new and interesting ways to think about and do things, including but not limited to artistic achievements. |
| Curiosity | Taking an interest, exploring, discovering, and finding topics fascinating for their own sake. |
| Bravery | Not backing down from a challenge, threat or pain; doing the right thing even when it’s unpopular to do so. |
| Grit | Continuing on a course of action despite setbacks and obstacles. |
| Honesty | Acting in a way that is genuine and sincere and taking responsibility for your actions. |
| Zest | Living life as an adventure and approaching life with energy and excitement |
| Kindness | Helping and caring for others. |
| Gratitude | Being thankful for the good things in life and saying ‘thanks’. |
Break the class into eight groups and assign one trait to each group. Students will be creating a poster using only visual images to represent the trait they have been given. This thinking routine is called CSI (colour, symbol, image). The students should distill the essence of the trait by choosing a colour to represent it, a symbol that encapsulates its meaning, and an image that may provide an example of when or how you would use it.
Model this using the trait of forgiveness:
| Colour | Symbol | Image |
| Light blue (because it is soothing) | A dove (representing peace) | Two people hugging in an act of forgiveness |
Allow time for students to create a poster based on the trait they were assigned.
After displaying and discussing the finished posters, finish reading Pearl Verses the World. Discuss as a class the character strengths they think Pearl may have used to help her through her difficult time. Prompt students to give examples from the text.
Rich assessment task
Character strengths can be used to help not only ourselves through difficult situations, but also others. You can use your strengths to be an everyday superhero!
Begin by watching a pep talk from Kid President. Then provide each child with a superhero template (or create your own).
Ask students to choose the three character traits that they feel best represent who they are. They will write these onto or near their superhero’s cape. Underneath the picture, they will write a paragraph explaining how they would use their traits to make the world a better place.
Allow time for students to colour and decorate their creations before sharing and displaying in the classroom under the title ‘EVERYDAY SUPERHEROES’!
Examining text structure and organisation
In Pearl Verses the World, Miss Bruff wants Pearl to write poems that rhyme.
Ask the class what it means for words to rhyme. A rhyme is when two words sound the same when spoken. Demonstrate by playing this video from Sesame Street.
Read the passage from p. 39 of Pearl Verses the World and write it on the whiteboard:
A cat
A rat
A bat
All rhyme –
Why fancy that!
But life is not
All hats and cats
And sometimes rhyme
Just leaves me flat.
Ask students to identify which words rhyme in this passage. Reinforce what it means for words to rhyme.
Provide some magazines. Students will work in pairs to identify and cut out pictures of items that rhyme and place them in their books. Share this work as a class and verbally discuss any other rhyming words that may go with each picture.
Structure of a limerick
On p. 11 of Pearl Verses the World, Pearl experiments with rhyme through the use of a limerick.
Provide time for students to explore limericks. A limerick is a humorous five-line poem with a specific rhyme scheme and rhythm. Write the limerick from p. 11 on the board:
There was a young lady called Pearl
Who was not a rhyming type of girl.
She said, ‘I’ve no time
For poems that rhyme’
Which made her poor teacher go hurl.
Ask students to read the limerick out loud. Ask them if they can hear the pattern.
This is also an opportunity to talk about phonemes and graphemes and how, in the English language, different graphemes can make the same phoneme (e.g. ‘ee’, ‘ea’, ‘ie’) and yet the same graphemes don’t necessarily make the same phonemes (e.g. ‘c’ = /k/ and /s/). You could spend a whole lesson on this concept if time allows.
Limericks often start with ‘There once was a(n)’ OR ‘There was a(n)’. Explain the AABBA rhyme scheme using Pearl’s poem, labeling each line. Point out that the first, second and fifth lines rhyme with each other and have the same number of syllables (typically eight or nine). The third and fourth lines also rhyme with each other and have the same number of syllables (typically five or six).
Display or print out some age-appropriate limericks for students to view. Invite them to read each limerick aloud and discuss the pattern as a class.
Then ask students to pair up and create a limerick about each other. Share these limericks as a class.
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Examining grammar and vocabulary
Throughout the text, the author Sally Murphy uses many literary tools to make her writing interesting. These can also be used to enhance poetry.
Onomatopoeia
Read p. 11 from Pearl Verses the World. How does the author explain what the sound of the bell is like? Prompt for the words ‘brrringing’ and ‘rrringing’. Ask if anyone knows what these sounds are called.
Explain the term onomatopoeia. This is when a word mimics a sound, such as ‘moo’ for a cow or ‘sizzle’ for something cooking.
Provide students with a blank piece of paper and ask them to write as many onomatopoetic words as they can in one minute. Share and compare. Then display a list of onomatopoeia and ask pairs of students to discuss what each sound may be mimicking.
Alliteration
Share p. 22 from Pearl Verses the World. Ask students if they recognise any words beginning with the same letter. Prompt for ‘trucks’/’trains’/’transport’, ‘horses’/’hyenas’/’house’, and ‘black books’/’bad boys’/’brave boys’/’brawny boys’. Ask students if they know what this technique is called.
Explain alliteration, which is when a group of words start with the same sound. Tongue twisters often use alliteration. For example: ‘Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers’.
Challenge students to write a tongue twister using the first letter of their name. Share with peers.
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Rich assessment task
Today, says Miss Bruff
You must write
About someone you know.
Remember those rhymes!
(p. 37)
This task requires students to write a rhyming poem about someone they know, using the structure of a limerick and one or both explicitly taught literary tools (alliteration or onomatopoeia).
Place students into groups of four. Give each group a blank piece of paper. Tell them they are going to have a quiz to revise the work they have been doing on rhyme and literary tools.
| Question | Answer |
| 1. What does it mean when two words rhyme? | They sound the same when spoken. |
| 2. Give an example of two rhyming words. | [Individual answers, e.g. mum/plum] |
| 3. Explain the structure of a limerick. |
|
| 4. What is onomatopoeia? | When a word mimics a sound. |
| 5. What onomatopoeia could you use to describe the sound of a bath filling up? | [Individual answers, e.g. sploosh] |
| 6. What is alliteration? | When a group of words start with the same sound. |
| 7. Give your group a name using alliteration. | [Individual answers, e.g. Quiz Queens] |
| 8. Listen carefully to this poem:
There once was a young man named Jim a) Count the syllables in each line. Do they follow the rhythm of a limerick? You can clap the syllables to help you count. b) Do you recognise any literary tools? |
a) Yes – 8/8/5/5/9.
b) Yes – onomatopoeia (‘munch’, ‘crunch’) and alliteration (‘great grin’) |
Now direct students to the individual assessment task. Explain that they are to use the limerick structure and one or two literary tools to write a poem about someone they know who is an everyday hero. It might be the school crossing supervisor, the school librarian, a parent who volunteers at the canteen, etc.
Purpose and audience
On p. 70 of Pearl Verses the World, Pearl finally finds the courage to write a poem:
My granny
Was someone
Who loved
And laughed
And sang
And cared
And cried
And sighed
And shared.
She loved life
She loved Mum
And she loved me.
She wasn’t here
For long enough
But I am glad
That she
Was here
At all.
Every poem has an audience and a purpose. Ask:
- Who is Pearl’s audience?
- What is the purpose of her poem?
- Do you think Pearl wrote a good poem? Why or why not? Discuss.
Read p. 77 of Pearl Verses the World, where Miss Bruff states that:
Sometimes a poem
Needs no rhyme
To be just right.
Sometimes a poem
Just is.
What do students think Miss Bruff means by this?
Explain that this type of poetry is called free verse. Free verse can be difficult to write as there are very few rules. This means that the writer must work hard to create a meaningful poem by choosing the right words for the right time. Alliteration and onomatopoeia can help with this.
Share some examples of free verse poems with the class (‘Thrill Ride’ is a good option).
Questions:
- Who is the audience for this poem?
- What is the purpose of this poem?
More examples are available from LoveToKnow.
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Poetry with a partner
Place students in pairs. Explain that they are going to present an impromptu free verse poem about their breakfast that morning. They should try to follow these rules:
- The purpose of this poem is to make your partner hungry.
- The audience is your fellow student.
- Use short sentences, single words, alliteration and onomatopoeia to paint a picture in your partner’s mind.
- Aim for approximately 10 lines of poetry.
- Don’t worry about being perfect!
Display these rules so that everyone can see them clearly. Give students no more than five minutes to write their poem, then have them stand back to back with their partner. They will take turns reciting and listening to each other’s work. Afterwards, ask if anyone would like to share their poem with the whole class. Discuss:
- What was difficult about this task?
- What did you enjoy?
Complete this exercise again with one change: the audience is now a toddler. Allow no more than two minutes to edit the original poem before reciting it. Afterwards, discuss how the change in audience affected the vocabulary used.
Complete the exercise one more time. This time use the original audience (a fellow student) but change the purpose: to put the listener off their food! Afterwards, discuss how the change in purpose affected their poetry.
Prompts from a hat
Present students with three hats or buckets labelled:
- Purpose
- Audience
- Theme
In each of these buckets place some prompt cards. For example:
| Purpose | Make them scared, make them laugh, make them scared, make them hungry, make them happy |
| Audience | Baby, adult, elderly person, teenager |
| Setting | Beach, theme park, bedroom, shopping centre |
Ask students to take a card from each hat and record the purpose, audience and setting in their writing books. Explain that they are going to have a go at writing a free verse poem using the prompt cards they pulled out.
Allow time for students to draft and edit their work. Share and discuss.
Repeat this activity as many times as needed for students to feel comfortable with free verse poetry.
Rich assessment task
Provide each student with a lined workbook.
Remind students that Pearl used free verse poetry to express her feelings about her Granny passing away. Poetry is a good way to express how we are feeling in any given situation. You can be happy, sad, excited, nervous, or something else entirely.
Explain to students that, over the next week, you would like them to write FIVE free verse poems. These can relate to any topics that feel relevant to them throughout the week. For example, they may have a great soccer training session, and so write a free verse poem about their coach. It is important that they write the intended audience and purpose underneath each poem.
Encourage students to respond to a range of emotions and audiences during this writing period. Remind them also of the importance of using literary tools such as alliteration and onomatopoeia.
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