Resources and Links

The printed version of this poem can be found at childrens.poetryarchive.org/poem/granny-is (Suitable for KS2/3)

A recorded 45 minute workshop giving a general introduction to Mother Tongue Other Tongue, a history of Jamaican Patois and a performance of four of Valerie’s poems is available on request. See Writer-Led Poetry Workshops below for details.

In this general introduction to Mother Tongue Other Tongue, Usma speaks about the impact her multi-lingualism has had on her approach to writing and on her writing style.  Usma invites young people to write their own poetry in their own language or in a language they are learning.

Usma shares a poem by Allama Iqbal, an Urdu poet and talks about why she likes this poem and wanted to share it.  In the second part of the video, Usma sets a small classroom challenge by reading an extract from Michael Rosen’s ‘Bear Hunt’, asking the children to identify the story from her Urdu reading. (Suitable for KS2/3/4 and older.)

A recorded 60 minute poetry workshop, in which Usma models her writing and editing process and is suitable for (KS3.4,5)is also available on request. See Writer-Led Poetry Workshops below for details.

Bohdan discusses how he writes in his two main languages and how the poetry he writes sometimes dictates the language he uses.  Bohdan also shares a poem ‘Pebble’ by another Polish poet, Zbigniew Herbert.  He reads the poem in Polish and also English translation and explains why he finds that particular poem interesting and wanted to share it. 

A recorded 60 minute poetry workshop, suitable for KS3/4/5, in which Bohdan models his writing process and which includes feedback and examples of writing produced in his workshop by teachers and students is available on request. It is general introduction to Mother Tongue Other Tongue, suitable for KS2/3/4 and older. A recorded workshop, led by Bohdan Piasecki is also available on request. See Writer-Led Poetry Workshops below for details.

26 minutes recorded footage, 45 minutes workshop duration

Starting with an introduction to Jamaican Patois, Valerie talks about the history of the Jamaican language, explaining how it developed, before going through an interesting and entertaining glossary of a number of Patois terms.  This is followed by a typically engaging Valerie Bloom performance of 4 poems that give a flavour of, and insight into, Jamaican culture and language. 

• ‘Poem’ by Thelma Baker
• ‘Sandwich’ by Valerie Bloom
• ‘Outdooring’ by Valerie Bloom
• ‘Pinda Cake’ by Valerie Bloom

Each of the poems is chosen for a different aspect of performance or language use and Valerie closes by inviting pupils to respond to her final poem, ‘Pinda Cake’.  Pupils are asked to think about a person who is selling things, someone who has a kind of job that would involve singing, or chanting, or street cries and invites them to write a refrain for their seller, using the refrain from ‘Pinder Cake’ and a verse.  This is the point where pupils might explore writing in a language that they are learning. 

This workshop will work particularly well with KS2 and KS3 pupils, though it is also accessible and suitable for younger pupils (particularly the performance elements).  Older students interested in the Jamaican language and its history may also find it of interest. 

The notes accompanying this workshop make a number of suggestions about ways in which this workshop might lead to pupils exploring their creativity in a language that they are learning; an Other Tongue or to share aspects of their culture by sharing or writing poem in their Mother Tongue.  The notes also contain links to other resources that might be of use in your classroom.

Please email k.tew@mmu.ac.uk to request access.

Duration one-hour, 25 mins recorded length

Dr Usma Malik explains the Mother Tongue Other Tongue brief before leading a workshop that begins with a non-fiction text.  Usma scaffolds pupils through the process of initial ideas, creating a poem and through to editing, modelling her own creative process throughout. 

This very practical and hands-on workshop, recorded online as a live workshop with students from Cedar Mount Academy, will result in pupils creating their own poetry, in either their Mother Tongue, writing in a language they already know or an Other Tongue, either writing in a language they are learning, or writing a poem in English and translating it into a language they are learning.

This workshop is intended for KS3/4  pupils, though the techniques demonstrated may also be used with older students and advanced Y6 pupils. A copy of all of the documents and handouts featured in this workshop will also be provided.

Please email k.tew@mmu.ac.uk to request access

Duration one-hour, 28 mins recorded length

Poet Bohdan Piasecki writes in Polish and English.  In this workshop, Bohdan leads pupils through the process of zooming into the creative process, thinking about language and languages and poetry.  Pupils are invited ‘Zoom In’ to the specifics of their own personal interpretation of everyday things to create their own unique poetry in any language they choose.  Bohdan shares his own experience of switching languages between Polish and English, modelling his own writing process and giving practical ideas for editing work that will be applicable not only to Mother Tongue Other Tongue, but more generally to any writing.  This workshop was recorded at Levenshulme High School and staff and pupils kindly allowed us to include their responses to the workshop at the end, showing how staff and pupils wrote poetry in Urdu, Arabic and German classes.  

This workshop is intended for KS3/4  pupils, though the techniques demonstrated may also be used with older students and advanced Y6 pupils. 

Please email k.tew@mmu.ac.uk to request access.