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Four Ducks on a Pond
The poem Four Ducks on a Pond makes a good starting point for looking at a particular view, starting close up and moving gradually into the distance. Writing or drawing or both may follow. Here the groups discussed the poem then let their eyes travel slowly, noting details at each stage of the visual journey. The examples given were written collaboratively and scribed by Lydia. Collaborative writing activities like this are particularly useful to help create group interaction and confidence when several different groups are working together. Individual writers can then apply the same approach to their own poems. It's worth noting that the last three lines of Four Ducks are an example of the poet 'telling' us what to think or feel. This can make an interesting discussion point for some groups. What are the feelings and thoughts that the landscape evokes for them? Do they need to describe these in their poems or do they think that the lines they have written about the landscape show the feelings they have without spelling them out? This approach can also be used to record changes in the same landscape at different seasons. The writing will record the journey of the eye. Guidelines:
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