New beginnings: A fresh start
To consider that when life gives us new starts, we have the opportunity to change aspects of ourselves for the better (SEAL theme 1: New beginnings).
by Jenny Tuxford
Suitable for Key Stage 2
Aims
To consider that when life gives us new starts, we have the opportunity to change aspects of ourselves for the better (SEAL theme 1: New beginnings).
Preparation and materials
- Children can be rehearsed to speak the poems (see sections 2 and 3).
- Rehearse other children to mime or form tableaux/still pictures to illustrate the poems.
Assembly
- Introduction
Discuss with the children the goals they would set for themselves, both long and short, in this new term. - Ode to writing in class
Has it happened to you?
3. Resolutions!
The moment when,
Asked to write, you discover
You’ve lost your pen?
You start biting your nails
And pulling your hair,
But then you remember
You carry a spare!
You ransack your drawer
To find where it’s hid,
The tools of the trade,
’Er, pen, minus lid.
You know what to write,
She’ll like this, you think,
But then you discover
You’ve run out of ink.
But, what’s this? A cartridge!
Relief makes you weak,
You bung it in quickly,
But the pen springs a leak!
Now you’re the first to admit,
Will Shakespeare you’re not,
But your wonderful words
Come out with a blot.
You change your nib
From narrow to wide-r,
But your writing’s like that
Of a dyslexic spider.
A few scratchings later,
Hand the masterpiece in,
Knowing full well
It’ll end in the bin.
You prayed for ideas
But they never quite came,
When your pen dried up
Then so did your brain.
Well, you give it in anyway,
But don’t put your name.
(Anonymous poets
All did the same!)
She asks whose it is
As if she hasn’t a clue,
But she knows all right
’Cos she looks straight at you.
‘Come now, children,
Just the smallest of hints,
Or shall I just dust it
For fingerprints?’
All that heartache,
The worry and pain.
‘It’s no good,’ she says.
‘You must do it again!’
I really don’t know,
I think I’ll give in,
Life’s like a lottery,
You just can’t win!
Small things, like always having your equipment – pens, cartridges, pencils, rulers, etc. – can make life much easier, as can writing your name on your work and having a tidy drawer!
I’ll get up in the mornings straight away.
I’ll brush my teeth at least twice a day.
I’ll eat my breakfast up without a fuss
And walk to school, not go by car or bus.
I’ll wear a tie and keep my shirt tucked in,
Remember pumps and shorts when we have gym.
In class I’ll try not to be distracted,
Not add my sums when they should be subtracted.
My homework will be done before I play
And I’ll learn my spellings every single day.
If anyone needs help, I’ll be first in line
And if I keep my resolutions, and I will this time,
Then, this year, everything should turn out fine.
Time for reflection
What goals can you set yourself this term, to make your life easier and more likely to succeed?
Prayer
Dear Father,
give me strength of mind
and a caring heart
and the willpower it takes
to make a brand new start.
Amen.
Song/music
‘One more step’ (Come and Praise, 47)
