Shoreham College Junior pupils had a shock last week when they arrived to school for the library had been turned into an Arctic scene. The scene was of an Arctic explorer’s camp site but all was not well; something had happened and the camp had been ransacked. Footprints could be seen leaving the scene and there were definitely some animal tracks going into the tracks. Tins of food, camping gear and an upturned sledge were also amongst items scattered around the camp site.
The mystery continued when pupils were shown a news report explaining that an explorer, a former pupil of the college, had gone missing including footage of a polar bear in the camp. The report went on to ask pupils for their help in finding out what had happened. The normal timetable was suspended and the pupils from Little Lions to Year 6 spent the day researching conditions in the Arctic, writing about what could have happened and thinking about how to rescue the explorer.
Head of The Junior School, Mrs Stokes, said that the junior school had decided to focus on improving writing this term; “The teachers wanted to do something that would excite and motivate even the most reluctant writers and allow them to be creative with their writing. A big write theme day seemed to be the best idea”
And it worked. Pupils from Little Lions to Year 6 were busy visiting the ‘crime scene’, reading and writing journal entries and researching polar conditions. Mrs. Barness, a Year 6 teacher, said , “The pupils were all so involved, they were even unhappy when we had to stop for lunch break!”
The day was rounded off with an assembly where a surprise visitor arrived, dressed in his cold weather gear, ‘the mystery explorer’ had come by to thank the children for all their effort in working out what happened to him and to say he was now safe and sound and pleased to be back in the warmer weather.
“I’m so excited,” Esmè, a year 4 pupil said, “I’ve managed to write a whole story and I saw a polar bear!” Due to its success, The school is planning to hold further Big Write days during the year.
