Literacy in the Landscape

1. Literacy in the Landscape • The following pages outline some of the different ways that the natural world can inspire literacy. It also includes examples of work by visiting school groups and teachers on training days at Chelsea Physic Garden. • “Literacy” refers to the ability to read and write, to understand and use language proficiently. • The “Landscape” can be defined as one’s environment; human-built, perfectly natural and whatever lies between. • The first page shows an overview of this subject, the others aim to expand upon it. Michael Holland - Chelsea Physic Garden, U.K.

2. Literacy in the Landscape links Historical and (ethno)botanical stories Story* Nature diary* Legend Non-fiction Fiction Myth Reportage style * Structured Poetry* Uses of different word types* Free Here are some of the different strands of literacy. Many of them have links to other curriculum areas such as History, Geography, Art, Music, Design and Technology, Science and Numeracy. Those marked * are elaborated upon in the following pages. Picture a word* Other

3. Nature diaries Developing observational skills Developing an appreciation of the natural world and its diversity Using different styles of language Use of local green spaces Awareness of seasons andother processes Provides data for further studies Different presentation styles History link Links to numeracy Art & ICT Science Geography Citizenship Nature diaries can be a simple written record of events; or perhaps more complex with illustrations, audio and even video entries to document natural phenomena. Important information includes: location, date, time, weather, the event itself and any other comments. Examples of diary ideas: Bird table observation, Metamorphosis, seed germination and subsequent growth, seasonal changes, astronomical and meteorological events.

4. Poetry inspired by nature Haiku - A 3 line Japanese poem; Numbers of syllables in each line are 5,7,5 = a total of 17 syllables. Acrostic-where either the first letters or last letters of each line spell out a word. Literacy is:- Expressing “it” into words, In some sort of way. Tall plants, Reaching to the sky, Ever changing, Each one different - Shading us below. Spreading up and out, Casting shade onto the ground - Leaves rustling in wind. Freeform -these are poems without any particular constraints. Rhymes - examples are not needed if your garden is well weeded. Before he went to school he could read the bark of trees, leaf veins, sea shell convolutions, footprints, and the touch of fingers; now he goes to school, and he can only read words. Jennifer Farley Here are some types of poems which can be useful when expressing aspects of the natural world. More examples can be found elsewhere in this display.

5. Different word types Nouns: Different regional names for the same plant; meanings of Latin names; parts of a plant, place names and their origins; habitat names; names of colours. Verbs: growing, flowering, gardening, photosynthesising, germinating, adapting, climbing, evolving, raining, sprouting. Alliteration - the complex creeper carefully climbs across crevices and cracks; small Saussurea seedlings slowly sprout sideways, seeking solstice sunshine. Similes: As tall as a tree; As rough as bark; as light as a feather, as fragile as a seedling. Adjectives: A long, green, spiny, shiny, thick, weathered, fragrant, medicinal, mottled, asymmetrical, narrow, old leaf. Synonyms: Wet-damp-dank-sodden-soggy-waterlogged-humid- soaking… Spiky-barbed-bristly-thorny-spiny-brambly… Of course, theseare just some examples.

6. THE DAILY SUNSHINE Issue 1, Tuesday 1st October 2002 FLY SLIPS TO STICKY DEATH IN NASTY NECTAR MIX UP “ One minute she was there, the next she had gone”, explained a distraught Ben Blowfly -friend of the deceased - yesterday at the scene of the sad event on a London kitchen windowsill. “These pitcher plants are a menace to us all; we hope to stamp out these pernicious pests”, exclaimed Officer Grub of Ants Hill Accident Prevention Station. Experts believe that these insectivorous plants are By Sarracenia Spider responsible for as many as 400,000,000 missing invertebrates worldwide annually. It is thought that the plants (of which there are many types, mostly growing in damp places) lure our fellow insects by offering stupefying, narcotic nectar, causing them to lose their footing on the already slippery sides of these specially adapted leaves. Turn to page 2, col. 3 Picture of the Pitcher of doom

7. Stories Based upon historical events, e.g plant hunters, voyages Based upon objects collected around the garden Written about special places and journeys in the garden Differentiate between story, legend and myth Incorporate as many words from your nature word bank into your stories as possible Reading from books Adapt existing stories Stories are a wonderful way of bringing any subject to life. They tap into our imaginations and entwine the different strands of Literacy, whether we are readers or the writers

8. Ways of presenting Literacy work Paper cones Books Trails Pictures Word line/word bank Audio Computer/ web pages Film Verbally Other

9. Picture a word O D F O B W E This is a useful visual way of writing words and terms associated with nature.