English WB 22.06.20

We’re going to read two poems this week: ‘The Door’ by Miroslav Holub and ‘The Magic Box’ by Kit Wright.

After making sure that we understand them, you’re going to combine the ideas to create imaginative

poems of your own.

Session 1

Starter

Main

Surely, a door is just something that is opened and closed so that people can get in and out of a room, a vehicle or a

space. However, in the hands of a creative thinker, a door represents a world of possibility, a place full of expectation

and excitement, a world where things may happen, be hidden away, a place that may be cordoned off or locked.

During Lockdown, we have been shut behind doors for our own safety and wellbeing. Each of our experiences will be

different, but the fact is that we, in a sense, have been locked away. Many people long for the day when the doors

are open once again and life returns to normality. But how do you feel? Before we start, have a think about your own

personal experience of the situation you have found yourself in. How are you feeling and what is running through

your mind? You may decide just to sit and think or you may want to jot down a few thoughts.

Now listen to and then read ‘The Door’ by Miroslav Holub: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p011kx3r

The poem is on the next page. When you’ve read it, answer the questions that follow.

The Door by

Miroslav Holub

Go and open the door.

Maybe outside there’s

a tree, or a wood,

a garden,

or a magic city.

Go and open the door,

Maybe a dog’s rummaging.

Maybe you’ll see a face,

or an eye,

or a picture

of a picture.

Go and open the door.

If there’s a fog

it will clear.

Go and open the door.

Even if there’s only

The darkness ticking,

Even if there’s only

the hollow wind,

even if

nothing

is there,

go and open the door.

At least

there’ll be

a draught.

The Door

by Miroslav Holub

Read ‘The Door’ by Miroslav Holub and answer the following questions in as

much detail as you can.

1. List five different things that you might see if you open the door,

according to the author.

2. What else might be outside the door if you open it? Use your

imagination - list three more things!

3. What will happen if you open the door to find a fog outside?

4. What message is the poet trying to get across in this poem? What might

the door represent?

5. What do you think is the worst thing you might find if you open the

door? Compare your own answer with the poet's ideas on this.

6. What do you like or dislike about this poem? Explain your answer as

fully as you can, using examples.

7. Think about the poem. Do you think you should open the door or not?

Give reasons for your answer.

What would be beyond your door? How do you feel about opening it?

Excited? Anxious? Hopeful?

Session 2

Starter:

Main:

Read ‘The Magic Box’ by Kit Wright on the following page. Here’s a link to an audio version if you’d like to

listen as well as read. https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/clips/zkpmhyc It’s read by the poet himself.

The Magic Box

by

Kit Wright

I will put into the box

the swish of a silk sari on a summer night,

fire from the nostrils of a Chinese dragon,

the tip of a tongue touching a tooth.

I will put into the box

a snowman with a rumbling belly

a sip of the bluest water from Lake Lucerne,

a leaping spark from an electric fish.

I will put into the box

three violet wishes spoken in Gujarati,

the last joke of an ancient uncle,

and the first smile of a baby.

I will put into the box

a fifth season and a black sun,

a cowboy on a broomstick

and a witch on a white horse.

My box is fashioned from ice and gold and steel,

With stars on the lid and secrets in the corners.

Its hinges are the toe joints of dinosaurs.

I shall surf in my box

on the great high-rolling breakers of the wild Atlantic

then wash ashore on a yellow beach

the colour of the sun.

Now answer the following questions about the poem in as much detail as you

can.

1. Which line is repeated in the poem?

2. What literary device does the author use when he writes 'the swish of a silk

sari'? Can you find another example of it in the poem?

3. The author wants to put a fifth season and a black sun into the box. How

would you describe these items?

4. Why do you think the author includes the last joke of an ancient uncle and

the first smile of a baby?

5. The author includes three ‘violet wishes’. What strikes you about this

combination of words?

6. What 'first' and 'last' items would you include in your own box?

7. Which sounds to you like the best item to put into the box, and why?

8. How do you think the author was feeling when he wrote this poem? Give

reasons for your answer.

9. List three items that you would like to put in your own magic box.

10. What is Gujarati? Use the poem to help you work out the answer if you

don't know.

11. Write down another word that means the same as 'fashioned' in this

poem.

Session 3

Starter:

Main:

Today you’re going to prepare some ideas that will help you to write a poem of your own.

The world seems to have been in Lockdown for ages. Neither you nor your parents have ever experienced anything like this before. Covid-19 has closed schools, closed shops and temporarily closed some of the things we take for granted, like playing in the park with our friends. As we slowly and tentatively emerge from Lockdown, doors are opening. Make a list of all the things that you have missed doing during Lockdown. You may like to think about some of the following categories:

- seeing family - playing sports - seeing friends - exploring your more active interests/hobbies - day-to-day things - places you love to visit

So now we’re going to combine the idea of something magical beyond the Lockdown door (rather than in

Kit Wright’s box).

Let’s brainstorm a list of ideas for what might be behind the door. Let your imagination run wild as there is

no wrong answer. Remember that we’re talking about a magical door. The repeating line in your poem will

be “I opened the magical door”. Remember that you’re not writing the poem in this session; you’re listing

some ideas, letting your creative, imaginative ideas flow.

Here are some examples to start you off:

➢ I opened the magical door and saw shadows dancing.

➢ I opened the magical door and saw a rainbow leading to another world.

➢ I opened the magical door and saw people crying.

➢ I opened the magical door and saw a magical fairground flooded in lights.

I bet you can think of even more imaginative and magical ideas.

You’re going to use your list in the next session as a starting point for your own poem.

Session 4

Starter:

Main:

First of all, re-read the two poems just to get yourself into the groove! Now use the pdf called ‘I opened the Magical Door’, which will guide you through today’s session. The following scaffold may help you to write your poem: Have fun adding to your ideas and let your imagination run wild.

I opened the magical door

I opened the magical door and

....................................................................................,

....................................................................................,

.....................................................................................

I opened the magical door and

....................................................................................,

....................................................................................,

.....................................................................................

I opened the magical door and

....................................................................................,

....................................................................................,

.....................................................................................

I opened the magical door and

....................................................................................,

....................................................................................,

.....................................................................................

I opened the magical door and

....................................................................................,

...................................................................................., .....................................................................................

Can’t wait to read your poems!

A doorway would be a great setting for your poem.

The Door - Answers

by Miroslav Holub

Read ‘The Door’ by Miroslav Holub and answer the following questions in as

much detail as you can.

1. List five different things that you might see if you open the door,

according to the author.

a tree, a wood, a garden, a magic city, a dog’s rummaging, a face, an

eye, the picture of a picture, fog.

Answers

2. What else might be outside the door if you open it? Use your

imagination - list three more things!

Individual choice

3. What will happen if you open the door to find a fog outside?

The fog may clear.

4. What message is the poet trying to get across in this poem? What might

the door represent?

There are a variety of possible responses to this question along these

lines: courage, strength, taking a risk, making an effort, imagination,

hope, spirit of adventure.

5. What do you think is the worst thing you might find if you open the

door? Compare your own answer with the poet's ideas on this.

There are a variety of possible responses to this question.

6. What do you like or dislike about this poem? Explain your answer as

fully as you can, using examples.

Individual choice. Make sure that you have explained your reasoning

with reference to the text, e.g. I think …………………. because in the poem

it says…………………………………….

7. Think about the poem. Do you think you should open the door or not?

Give reasons for your answer.

Individual choice. Make sure that you have explained your reasoning

with reference to the text, e.g. I think …………………. because in the poem

it says…………………………………….

The Magic Box - Answers

by Kit Wright

Read ‘The Magic Box’ by Kit Wright and answer the following questions in as

much detail as you can.

12. Which line is repeated in the poem?

‘I will put into the box’

13. What literary device does the author use when he writes 'the swish of a silk

sari'? Can you find another example of it in the poem?

Alliteration

‘tip of a tongue touching a tooth’

‘witch on a white horse’

14. The author wants to put a fifth season and a black sun into the box. How

would you describe these items?

They’re both impossible, fantastical. ‘outside the box’ ideas.

15. Why do you think the author includes the last joke of an ancient uncle and

the first smile of a baby?

They’re poignant ideas and emphasise the importance of the love and

affection that human beings have for each other.

16. The author includes three ‘violet wishes’. What strikes you about this

combination of words?

We normally associate violet with either a sight or a smell. Wishes can’t be

seen nor smelt. It’s a very adventurous use of words to create an idea in

the reader’s mind.

17. What 'first' and 'last' items would you include in your own box?

Individual choice.

18. Which sounds to you like the best item to put into the box, and why?

Individual choice.

19. How do you think the author was feeling when he wrote this poem? Give

reasons for your answer.

Possible responses: imaginative, creative, hopeful, optimistic

20. List three items that you would like to put in your own magic box.

Individual choice.

21. What is Gujarati? Use the poem to help you work out the answer if you

don't know.

A language native to the Indian state of Gujarat and spoken predominantly

by the Gujarati people.

22. Write down another word that means the same as 'fashioned' in this

poem.

made from, shaped, formed, created from