Activity

1. Draw a simple smiley face on the board. Ask the students what it is. They will most likely all say, “a face.” Point out that it is in fact two dots and a line. Our imaginations create the face by making connections.

2. Ask for a word, any word – it can be on a particular theme i.e climate or you can relate the face on the board to a character from a book you are reading. Choose one of the words and write it next to the face.

3. Draw a line from the word to the face, creating a speech or thought bubble. Ask why this person is thinking or saying this word.

4. Continue to ask the students more questions about the person, building a story of who this person is and adding details to the board as you learn more about the character.

5. Draw a second face on the board but with a different expression. You could ask students for suggestions of how this person could be feeling.

6. Begin to build a conversation between the characters. What question might this person ask? How would the first person respond? Encourage students to ask open ended questions.

Reflection

• Can you imagine what both characters might say next?

• What would happen if we added in a third character?

• Have you learnt anything new about either character?

• What would happen if we changed the starting word or question?

Go Further

If you have more time, children could improvise the conversation started on the board to develop it further. Children could do this exercise individually or in pairs to examine characters from books they are reading or to generate ideas for stories.

Imaginative: Playing with. possibilities

Students can pose different ideas, working imaginatively and making connections between words and drawings.