Ode to a chair

How do you encourage children to become independent creative writers? One great way is to bring an everyday object in to the classroom and make it the focus of the literacy lesson. A chair is great fun because it is something that the children can all identify and engage with on a physical level – by sitting on it, touching it, and so on. It will promote lively and valuable discussion from the children, as you explore their thoughts, ideas and experiences and it will provide a stimulating context for imaginative, descriptive and personal writing.

Plastic percher

Choose one of the chairs found in your school (secretary’s chair, headteacher’s chair, staffroom chair, dining chair, and so on) and bring it into the classroom so the children can touch it, sit on it and talk about it in detail. Ask: What’s it made of? What shape is it? Who does it belong to? How old is it? How is it used? Discuss different ideas and descriptive words. Challenge the children to write a poem about the chair, such as a creative kennings: