Our Living Book Project during the School Year '00-'01

5th Class, NDNSP, are delighted to continue the excellent work of last year's 6th class on this project. Here are some photos of the children in 5th who are working hard on the project. In Gilnahirk Primary P7 are working on the project too. Look at some photos of them at work. This project is called 'Dissolving Boundaries' which links schools in Northern Ireland and Ireland. Read more about the project on the Dissolving Boundaries Website.

This year we began by dramatising and discussing Marita Conlon McKenna's first book 'Under the Hawthorn Tree' and in this way the children will get to know more about their common cultural heritage and also get to know more about each other. 'Under the Hawthorn Tree' is a book about a family living through the Irish Famine during the 19th Century. Read our reviews to know more about the book.

In January '01 we finished work on 'Under the Hawthorn Tree' with a Quiz. This certainly proved how much the children had learnt from their close study of this book. Now we are beginning 'The Wildflower Girl' which is the next book in the series. Read our introduction to this book and our chapter reviews.

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Videoconferences during the Year 2000-2001

25th and 28th September '00 - a brief introductory session as we had some technical difficulties - look at a photo
5th October '00 - sharing poems that were inspired by 'Under the Hawthorn Tree' - read the poems and see our photos
16th October '00 - dressing up and interviewing each other in character - look at some photos of this conference
25th October - poetry and our hobbies and interests
27th November - nursery rhymes with a difference and finding out about Gilnahirk Primary
7th December - Gilnahirk Primary find out about the NDNSP and we talk about Christmas
10th January - A music videoconference to begin the year on the right note
17th January - Our Quiz - based on Under the Hawthorn Tree
7th February - the challenge was to find out by asking 'closed questions' what object was hidden under the three wrappers.
2nd March - we discovered just how many questions you can ask someone to find out more about their lives and what they like and don't like doing.
7th March - we had a brilliant game of 'charades'.
14th March - a storytelling conference.
29th March - a game of guessing who the famous person is.
3 May - a debate that led to expressions of 'difference'
27 June - a 'catching up' chat to talk about our school tours and other end of year happenings

Look at some other work we have done:

Read our chapter reviews of 'Under the Hawthorn Tree'.

Read the poems we wrote for our Video Conference.

Look at our Book Covers.

Here are some questions. We'd love to hear from anyone at all who has read the book and we'll publish your answers on our web pages.

What do you think the houses looked like in those days? David in P7 thinks the houses looked like this:

Here is Caoimhe's idea of what one was like. Caoimhe is in 5th class.

This is how Fiona (P7) things the houses looked:

"She's gone. My own little darling is gone." Even though the baby looked like she was only sleeping, she was dead. This is how Jenny (5th Class) imagines the funeral looked. Maybe you have another idea about how the funeral looked. If so could you please send it to us. You could write or draw a picture or do both.

Norah drew a picture of the family at Bridget's funeral. She would like to know what people do at funerals where you live?

Simon (P7) imagines the funeral was like this:

Jennifer (P7) drew this picture showing how the baby had to be buried under the Hawthorn Tree.

In Chapter 1 we read ' It is two weeks since your father went to work on the roads, and still no word from him,' began Mother. Eily knew her mother was worried, between Bridget's illness and the sack of old yellow meal in the corner getting smaller and smaller by the day. Maria (5th Class) thinks that Eily didn't sleep very well that night and was thinking about her mother. What do you think?

'Mother was crooning quietly to the baby. Bridget's eyes were closed and her soft face looked paler than ever as she lay wrapped in Mother's shawl, her little first clinging to a piece of the long chestnut-coloured hair.' Susan (5th Class)thinks that mother was feeling really sad - do you agree?

"Pat and I were up on the bog - we went a bit further than usual and we found a part that isn't all cut away yet." Cian thinks this is what the bog looked like - some of it is cut away and some of it isn't. What is your idea of how the bog would like? Please send us a picture or a description.

Michael! Michael! .... It was the O'Connell twins, Seamus and Peadar.....They were moving towards them but luckily they hadn't seen them..... Quick as lightning they got down low and managed to drag themselves into a clump of bracken. They lay still, not daring even to breathe. Now they understood the fear of a petrified rabbit or hare cornered in the bushes ..... Susan drew a picture of what she thought this would look like. They were really scared to go back to the workhouse. What do you think it was like in the workhouse?


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