The Story of the Blue Planet

The Story of the Blue Planet
By Andri Snær Magnason (trans. Julian Meldon D’Arcy)
Illustrated By Áslaug Jónsdóttir
With Year 5-Year 8 (P5-S1 pupils)
Contents
1.Introduction
2.
A message from Andri Snær Magnason
3.
Talking points
4.Activities
i. Wishes and Dreams
The Wish Sculpture Garden
Wishes to Action
The Wishing Tree
ii. What Communities Mean
iii. Inside the Story
Drama tableau creation
Problem-solving (improvisation)
Inside the characters (character walking, hot-seating)
iv. Exploring Power
Power walking
The Power of Us (see worksheet)
Making change happen.
Plus:
Power Questions worksheet
Character sheet
Best friends Brimir and Hulda live on a blue planet where only children
live. The children never grow old and enjoy a perfectly wild and free life,
but one day Mr Gleesome Goodday lands on their planet and persuades
them that he can help them make their lives even better. They want
the sun to shine forever, so Mr Goodday puts a nail into the sun, and
everything changes.
This story helps children explore ideas and make connections about issues
such as:
• The difference between what we need and what we want.
• The consequences of personal decisions on our community and the rest
of the planet.
• Humans’ responsibility for looking after the planet and a range of opinions on the best way to do this.
The Story of the Blue Planet is ideal for:
• Use as a class reader with Years 5-7 (P5-P7)
• A basis for a project on community and the environment and the ability of young people to take responsibility for the world they live in.
• A transition project for Year 6-7
• Exploring with a reading group in a school or public library.
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talks about
The Story of the Blue Planet
Andri Snær Magnason’s book was published in 1999 in Iceland and he also
wrote a version for the stage. He says:
I have always loved the books that inspired me most as a child. Some
of them really stick in my memory and when I re-read them as an adult
I continue to discover many different and new layers. I also love icelandic
folklore, mythology and, as an adult, imaginative writers like Kurt
Vonnegut and George Orwell.
Much of the inspiration for The Story of the Blue Planet comes from my
grandparents. When they were growing up they became wild children
every summer like the children of the blue planet. They ate everything
that could walk, swim or fly. They owned a farm that stands on the
Arctic Circle where the sun shines all day in June and July and I would
often wish life could always be like that: never-ending sun.
I decided to set this play on a planet full of wild children where
everything was perfect until a vacuum cleaner salesman comes saying
he will fulfill the children’s wishes and bring happiness. He puts a nail
in the sun so it can shine forever. When I came up with this particular
idea – the idea of the nail in the sun, which leads to the other side of
the planet starting to die – I realised that I had stumbled upon a very
powerful metaphor. I was confronted by themes I never imagined I could
put in a children’s book: themes like democracy, equality, sharing, giving,
entertainment vs. awareness, environmental issues and war. Everything
became interwoven as a consequence of one action – putting the nail into
the sun.
A planet is complicated to live on; everyone has a very short horizon. It
is interesting to think that traditional mythologies were created before
humans knew we were living on one of many planets. That is one of
our greatest challenges. We can make our wishes come true but are not
aware that our happiness might be harming somebody on the other side
of the planet. So I wanted the reader to understand how even the biggest
problems can have solutions if we really want to solve them.
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When I had almost finished the novel there was a new play competition at
the Icelandic National Theatre so I decided write the story as a play. I had
always dreamed of having a play on a grand stage. I wanted to be a part of
the wonder of theatre with a rotating stage, flying actors, singing, dancing,
drama and the magic of lights.
The most exciting thing about turning your story into a play (and
sometimes the greatest anxiety) is all the things that are not in your hands
any more. To see the music, lights and the acting all come together, to
imagine that 50 people are working on some crazy thing that was just in
your head a few years earlier, to meet characters that were just on paper
and to speak to them, and then to see the audience respond is always fun
because you see that all the magical connections have been made.
I hope the book and the play inspires thinking, ideas and creates
discussions. We might even hope to see children taking action to better
the planet.
In the old days when we thought the Earth was flat we did not have to
worry about the other side of the planet. Now life is more complicated and
things that do not seem connected are in fact interconnected.
I hope that readers and audiences will wonder if there is a nail in the sun
and will find a way to take it out.
4
These are the key questions explored in the activities below.
When Mr Goodday arrives on the Blue Planet, he brings wonderful
and amazing technology that allows the children to achieve some of
their wildest dreams, but in order to do this the children have to make
certain choices.
• What are some of the choices that the characters made in The Story of
the Blue Planet?
• Why did they make these choices?
• What happened as a result of their decisions?
• What’s the relationship between cause and effect?
• What does it mean to take responsibility for your actions?
• What does stewardship (the way we look after the place where we live)
mean to you? Can you give examples of stewardship in The Story of the
Blue Planet?
• Do you think that children have the power to affect change?
• What types of changes do you think you could make happen in
your school, community, or even in the world?
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Wishes and Dreams:
The Wish Sculpture Garden
This activity uses drama to explore questions such as:
• What is the difference between a wish and a dream?
• What is the difference between a need and a want? What is a
consequence?
• If there were only children living in the world, how would your life be
different?
• If there were only children in the world, how would you decide what
was fair?
• How do you define community? What is needed to make a community?
Imagine there was no one to order you around. No teachers and no schools,
no parents and no rules. You are free and you never grow old.
Children close their eyes and:
1. Imagine that the classroom is a planet where only children live. There
are no teachers, no schools, no parents and no rules. The children are free
and they never grow old.
2. Think about something they might wish for while living on this type
of planet.
3. Think of a problem or obstacle that could get in the way of obtaining
their wish. Think what a possible solution to this problem would be.
After a few minutes’ individual thoughts, children get into pairs and:
1. Discuss their wishes, problems and solutions.
2. Each come up with three individual poses, which they will express by
freezing like a sculpture to show their wish, problem and solution.
Divide the class in half.
1. The first group spreads out across the room freezing in their wish
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poses (creating the Sculpture Garden), while the other half of the class
are spectators who walk around looking at all the sculptures. When the
spectators have had time to see all the sculptures, the first group transition
to their second (‘problem’) pose, and finally, their third (‘solution’) pose.
2. The second half of the class then demonstrate their poses in the same
way.
Debriefing Questions:
1. Which sculptures were most effective or compelling?
2. Were there any common features in the ‘wish’ sculptures?
3. What were some of the ways people chose to solve their ‘problems’?
Wishes and Dreams:
Wishes to action
Stage 1
1. Ask the whole class to remember some of the wishes that were
displayed in the Sculpture Garden.
2. Give groups of 4-6 children a big piece of paper. Each group chooses
one wish and writes it in the centre of the paper.
3. The children brainstorm on what they might “give up” or sacrifice in
order to achieve their wish. For example, in The Story of the Blue Planet
the children give up their own youth to Mr Goodday so they can keep
flying.
4. Each group presents their ideas to the class.
Debriefing Questions:
1. What kinds of things were people most willing to go without?
2. Did any of the sacrifices people were willing to make surprise you?
Why?
3. Is it always necessary to give something up in order to get something
that we want?
Stage 2
1. Choose one wish that you would like to try to achieve as a class.
2. Outline possible problems, solutions and sacrifices you would be
willing to make in order to achieve this collective wish.
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Wishes and Dreams:
The Wishing Tree
Use recycled materials to create a large picture, mural or 3-D model of a
tree and the environment around it, with each student creating a portion.
1. Prepare cue cards or pieces of paper with the following words on them:
Sun, Soil, Roots, Branches, Trunk, Moon, Clouds, Birds, Minibeasts.
2. Divide children into nine groups and give each group a card.
3. Each group then works on preparing their part of the image. This can
be done over several sessions, perhaps as a lunchtime art club activity.
4. Assemble the whole image.
5. Discuss the wishes and dreams gathered in previous exercises.
6. Prepare cards shaped like leaves and ask children to write their wishes
on leaves, one for each leaf.
7. Collect the cards together and ask children to draw one wish at a time
and read their wish aloud to the class before hanging or sticking it to the
tree.
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1. Lead children on a 10-minute silent walk around the school, playground
or street.
• Before you set off, ask them to closely observe what they hear, see and
feel on this journey.
• You could also ask them to think about questions such as: What are
the resources available in this community? What is your favourite place
within it? Did it feel safe? What would you like to change about it?
• Come back into the classroom in silence and ask children to write down
their observations right away.
2. Ask children to think about a place or community in another part of
the world that they have learned about or visited. You could use anywhere
that the school or your town or neighbourhood is linked or twinned with
or any other country that the children have been studying. Or ask them to
think about and choose from:
•
The community where their parents grew up
•
The community where their grandparents grew up
• The community where they were born (e.g., if they were born in
another country, region or city)
•
A community on another continent
• A community with a governmental system that is different from
the UK
• Anywhere in the world that they think would be an exciting place to
live.
3. Ask children to think about their chosen community and explore the
following questions:
• What are the resources available in this community?
• Who lives there? What is a popular thing to do?
• Is it a safe place to live?
• For whom?
• What are the particular needs of that community?
4. Create a display or presentation of your findings in small groups.
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5. Discuss:
• Is the community that you researched different from the one that you
currently live in?
• How are they the same?
• What are the major causes of the differences (i.e. resources, location,
climate, government)?
• If you were to visit this other community/city, what is the first thing
you would like to do?
• Who would you like to meet?
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This section uses drama techniques to explore aspects of The Story of the
Blue Planet.
Inside the Story:
Drama tableau creation
Try this after reading the book. Children use a drama exercise to create
important moments and scenes from the novel.
1. Invite children to move through the space in a variety of ways inspired
by the story: flying like butterflies, rocket ships, fireflies, hopping,
skipping, moving in slow motion, backwards, changing levels, changing
speed, etc.
2. While children are travelling, call out the word ‘atom’ plus a number
(i.e.: atom 2 or atom 6) Students must then quickly form a group with
those closest to them composed of that number of ‘particles’ (children).
3. Repeat the atom exercise using numbers, as well as a title (from the
following list) to go along with the numbers.
• Wild children
• A Stranger arrives
• Flying for the first time
Children form their groups as before and quickly (in 10 seconds) create a
frozen tableau to represent the given title.
Inside the Story:
Problem-solving
Children will consider the points of view of Hulda, Brimir and the
other children on the blue planet and will explore the concepts of
creative problem-solving and compromise, working together through
improvisation.
1. Divide the students into groups of 4-5. Ask each group to decide who is
A, B, C, D and E.
2. Assign the roles of Hulda to A, Brimir to B, and Arnar, Elva and Magni
(who stay behind with Mr Goodday when Brimir and Hulda are blown to
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the dark side of the planet) to C, D and E.
3. Explain to Arnar, Elva and Magni that they have never been happier
since Mr Goodday arrived and taught them to fly. No matter what, they
never want to stop flying. The children in the roles of Hulda and Brimir
are the only ones who can help the children in the darkness. They must
convince their friends to release the sun. Tell them to invent any ways they
can to persuade Arnar, Elva and Magni.
4. After the improvisation, ask Hulda and Brimir:
• What strategies did you use to try to convince Arnar, Elva and Magni to
let the sun go?
• How did their reaction make you feel?
• How does it feel to not be listened to or taken seriously?
• Ask Arnar, Elva and Magni: How did it feel to hear you had to give up
what you love most to help someone you had never met?
Inside the Story:
Inside the characters
Ask pairs, groups or individuals to choose and think about a character
from The Story of the Blue Planet. The character sheet might help to
remind them.
1. Character walk
Children walk around the space, experimenting with physically depicting
characters through different ways of walking and moving. Ask the
students to start thinking about their chosen character. How might they
use their body to express something about this character?
2. How might their character speak (fast? slow? high pitch? low pitch?)
Ask them to experiment with voices for their character by saying “hello” to
their peers as they walk by them.
3. Discuss:
• What did you learn about the characters through this exercise?
• What skills did you have to use in order to create your chosen
character?
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Inside the Story:
Hot seating
Divide the students into groups of 5 or 6.
They take turns to adopt the role of the character they have been
exploring, and be questioned by the group about their background,
behaviour and choices in the story. The person in the hot seat replies as
the character. Characters may be hot-seated individually, in pairs or small
groups (for example Arnar, Elva and Magni could be together).
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Exploring Power 1:
Power walking
This drama exercise asks students to reflect on what it means to be
powerful or powerless.
1. Ask the children to walk around the space as if they were the most
powerful person in the room, in the city, in the world.
2. Now ask the children to walk as if they are powerless, and then even
more powerless.
3. Think about the characters in The Story of the Blue Planet, choose the
most powerful person in the story and walk like them. Then choose the
most powerless character in the story and walk like them.
4. Discuss with the class:
• How did it feel to be powerful?
• How did it feel to be powerless?
• What was different in how you moved and held your body?
• How did the characters’ power change throughout The Story of the
Blue Planet?
• Did one character become more powerful or less powerful?
• What happened to cause this change?
• Do you think that young people have power? (Introduction to
Exploring Power 2)
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Exploring Power 2:
The power of us
1. Children complete the questions in the Power Questions worksheet
without putting their names on the paper or consulting others.
2. Children stand in a circle and swap papers several times to read a range
of answers.
3. After several exchanges, children choose a favourite line from the sheet
that they are holding.
4. One by one children read out the line they have chosen.
5. Talk about:
• What themes were prominent among the responses?
• What did the questions share in common?
• Were there any differences in the answers?
Exploring Power 3:
Making change happen
• Children write letters (or emails) individually or as a class on an issue in
their community that they are concerned about and would like to change.
1. Research to whom the letter should be addressed (for example the head
teacher, local councillors, MP, the Prime Minister, the president of another
country) and how long they might expect to wait for a reply.
2. Write the letters outlining why the issue is important to them, how it
affects the community and the steps that they will take in getting their
issue heard.
3. Present their letters to the class.
4. If they send the letters, display them with any replies and outcome.
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Some people think young people are...
Young people are really...
I feel powerful when...
I feel powerless when...
Being young means...
The hardest thing about being young is...
The greatest thing about being young is...
Young people are powerful because...
The first thing I would like to change about the world is . . .
I can start to make this change by . . .
Some people think young people are...
Young people are really...
I feel powerful when...
I feel powerless when...
Being young means...
The hardest thing about being young is...
The greatest thing about being young is...
Young people are powerful because...
The first thing I would like to change about the world is . . .
I can start to make this change by . . .