{"id":6940,"date":"2020-03-23T19:09:58","date_gmt":"2020-03-23T19:09:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/teachersandwritersmagazine.org\/?p=6940"},"modified":"2023-02-22T15:40:59","modified_gmt":"2023-02-22T19:40:59","slug":"what-a-wonderful-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/teachersandwritersmagazine.org\/what-a-wonderful-world\/","title":{"rendered":"What a Wonderful World"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This lesson is part of\u00a0<\/em>\u00a0Writing Our Way Through<\/a>:\u00a0clear, fun, and engaging \u201clessons\u201d for writing at home with young people.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Author\/Teaching Artist:<\/strong><\/b> by Matthew Burgess <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Age Range:<\/strong><\/b> Kindergarten through 4th Grade (Can be adapted for older children by adding greater freedom or complexity\u2014see below.)<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Materials:<\/strong><\/b> Paper, pencils\/pens, Louis Armstrong\u2019s <\/span>\u201cWhat a Wonderful World\u201d<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Overview<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This straightforward lesson is a good follow-up to \u201cDelight Songs\u201d since it gives participants an opportunity to further explore descriptive language ( \u201cdelicious details\u201d) that we introduced in <\/span>\u201cDelight Songs.\u201d<\/span><\/a> One way to enhance detail in our writing is to engage the senses, and this exercise helps to reinforce these ideas in a playful way. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Steps<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

1. Find \u201cWhat a Wonderful World\u201d on your music streaming site of choice (or use the YouTube link above, which includes lyrics). You might briefly share a photo or image of Louis Armstrong and explain that he was one of the greatest jazz  musicians of all time. He was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, and his nicknames were \u201cSatchmo,\u201d \u201cSatch,\u201d and \u201cPops.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Once everyone is assembled and settled, play the song. Participants can silently read the lyrics as they listen, or they can sing along.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. When the song is over, ask participants if they noticed how Armstrong uses his senses to describe the world around him. <\/span>What does he see? What does he hear? <\/span><\/i>The lyrics are rather spare in terms of description, but you can point out that even small details make a difference. For example, in the first stanza, you might highlight the use of colors (\u201ctrees <\/span>of green<\/span><\/i>\u201d), a specific type of flower \u201cred <\/span>roses<\/span><\/i>\u201d), and also the verb \u201cbloom.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. With younger writers, I like to brainstorm the five senses on the board or sheet of paper. If someone offers \u201cseeing,\u201d you can write it down as \u201cI see\u2026\u201d and skip a line, so that you end up with something like:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I see\u2026 <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I hear\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I touch\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I taste\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I smell… <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Now you might float some questions: <\/span>What kinds of details would <\/span><\/i>your<\/i><\/b> wonderful world include? If you can imagine a world, a setting, or \u201cscene\u201d that includes things that you really enjoy, what would it look, sound, and feel like? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. Now it\u2019s time for a little meditation. The leader of this activity invites participants to close their eyes (or just relax, if the invitation to close eyes meets resistance), and then you lead them in a brief visualization. (Don\u2019t be shy about this; it\u2019s easier than you might think.) After a couple collective deep breaths, gently ask some version of the following questions in an unrushed way, with pauses in between. Feel free to abbreviate it or make it your own so that it feels natural to you. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Begin to imagine a world, or a place, where you feel calm, happy, or peaceful. With your eyes closed, take a moment to envision this environment. What do you <\/span><\/i>see<\/i><\/b> in your mind\u2019s eye when you look around? Who or what might be there with you? What can you <\/span><\/i>hear<\/i><\/b> in this place? Is there music playing, or the voice of someone you love, or the sound of the breeze or the ocean? What can you <\/span><\/i>feel <\/i><\/b>or <\/span><\/i>touch<\/i><\/b> in this place? Maybe it\u2019s the sun on your skin, or the soft fur of a favorite pet? Take a moment and just notice. Is there something nice that you can <\/span><\/i>smell<\/i><\/b> in this place, whether it\u2019s food being cooked or baked, or the perfume of someone you love? Finally, what might you <\/span><\/i>taste<\/i><\/b> in this place? What kinds of food or drink would you enjoy here? Can you taste something tart, or sweet, or spicy?<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n

7. Conclude the meditation by inviting everyone to open their eyes. Now, without talking about it too much (you don\u2019t want those details to drift away in conversation, the way a dream can begin to vanish upon waking ), ask all the participants to describe their \u201cwonderful worlds\u201d using the five senses. With very young ones, you might make simple worksheets beforehand by writing the prompts and leaving spaces for them to fill in. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

8. Now everyone writes quietly together for approximately 5-7 minutes. The temporary title is \u201cIn my wonderful world,\u201d and the participants should try to write at least one descriptive detail for each sense. For an additional challenge at the end, you might complete the sentence, \u201cAnd I think to myself\u2026\u2026\u201d by adding your own twist. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you are writing with children for whom this template feels limiting, you can open it up and give more freedom. Instead of describing your \u201cworlds\u201d in a sense-by-sense list, you can write a spontaneous paragraph in prose (or as a \u201cprose poem\u201d) that describes this place in vivid detail. <\/span><\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Along these lines, if participants want to take this is a more playful or absurdist direction, set them free. Just because Armstrong\u2019s song is lovely and lyrical doesn\u2019t mean the poems written in response need to be, and we don\u2019t want to give young people the impression that poetry should be \u201cflowers and butterflies\u201d all the time. The student model poems below demonstrate that students can take this in very different directions, and that dance of originality should be encouraged. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

9. Invite participants to share all or part of their poems aloud.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

10. These poems are especially well suited to a drawing activity. Once the writing is over, you might have some art supplies on hand for participants to draw or paint a scene from their poems. During this drawing component, you can play Armstrong\u2019s song again. If you have Spotify, you can try this playlist<\/a> of similarly meditative, uplifting songs. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n