Phoning the butterflies

For a one-off Christmas lesson with my Year 9 students I decided to try and get across something new and interesting about poetry. I wanted these young people to see poetry as something more than static lines on a page and lilting rhythm and rhyme. I wanted to encourage them to explore pushing poetry in different directions, and understand its ubiquity. Based on my previous word-a-flies installation in the summer, I bought each student a white wind-up butterfly. I chose white for their resemblance to snowflakes and taught a lesson on writing a 'snow' haiku. The students were then asked to choose their 4 favourite words from their haiku and write them on the wings of the butterflies. We then let the butterflies go on the count of three in order to create moving poetry. The title Phoning the Butterflies comes from what my friend, colleague and mentor said as she was trying to film it on my phone camera!

Our words made a beautiful collage on wordle which I then typed into a word randomiser to come up with a selection of poems that our collective words could have made.

Here are some of our moving poems...


wow beautiful glistening white wonderland white cold snowball crunchy sparkle glistening now food snow happy white children fun slippery snow white cold snow freezing glistening yaaaaay sparkling glistening cold yellow snow is weird play yellow snow ate drifting school’s off snowflakes white icy crystally numb ice cold winterwonderland crunchy winter yellow pretty cold pretty yum milk chickens fluffy white fragile snow white pretty graceful glistening white icy glistening wonderland shivering crystal winter snowflake white glowing glistening snowman spectacularly glistening brilliant uniqueness snow how twirling ghostly tremulous dancing view
white icy glistening dancing wonderland white ghostly snowball twirling sparkle how snow food brilliant glistening spectacularly winter shivering icy glistening graceful cold white freezing glistening fragile white fluffy cold cold yellow winter weird play cold ice numb drifting school’s off crystally view glistening snowflakes ate white winterwonderland crunchy tremulous is pretty white now snow uniqueness happy white children glowing white yaaaaay fun snow crystal slippery wonderland glistening white snowflake pretty snow snow wow glistening snowman sparkling yellow chickens snow glistening pretty cold yellow milk beautiful crunchy snow yum view icy crunchy beautiful wonderland white milk yellow cold pretty
how snow food snow glistening spectacularly winter shivering chickens glistening graceful cold white sparkling pretty snowflake white crystal snow cold fun winter weird play cold yaaaaay white glowing white off crystally tremulous glistening snowflakes ate white crunchy winterwonderland is glistening icy now snow uniqueness happy brilliant children yum yellow glistening snowman fragile fluffy slippery wonderland white glistening snow wow cold glistening snow yellow sparkle numb freezing ice drifting school’s glistening twirling snowball ghostly dancing white snow white pretty slippery icy white beautiful wonderland white milk yellow snow pretty
how snow white snow glistening spectacularly dancing shivering chickens ghostly graceful glistening white sparkling drifting ice yellow snow snow cold glistening wow white fragile glistening yellow white brilliant glistening winterwonderland crystally white glistening tremulous food crunchy ate is pretty icy winter snowball uniqueness school’s white children snowflake glowing yaaaaay snowman numb fluffy view sparkle crystal glistening fun weird winter wonderland freezing snow cold white play cold yum pretty twirling snow happy cold glistening off now cold crunchy snowflakes
snowflakes cold white now off white glistening happy twirling cold cold snow freezing winter fun spectacularly glistening crystal chickens ghostly view fluffy white numb drifting snowflake yellow snow children cold glistening uniqueness white fragile glistening snowball white brilliant pretty ate crunchy white tremulous how crunchy beautiful is winterwonderland icy milk glistening snow pretty white yum snow white white shivering glistening sparkling snow graceful icy food winter wonderland wonderland yellow snow yellow yaaaaay play slippery cold wow sparkle school’s pretty snowman glowing glistening dancing snow ice crystally weird glistening
crystally chickens weird now off white glistening snowflakes snow cold cold snow freezing dancing fun glistening glistening crystal glistening ghostly snowman pretty school’s slippery yellow snow yellow yellow wonderland food icy uniqueness white fragile graceful snowball snow brilliant pretty ate glistening shivering yum snow crunchy beautiful is icy ice glistening winterwonderland pretty white cold white white white spectacularly fluffy white wow white drifting glistening play snowflake cold snow cold yaaaaay numb children wonderland glistening sparkle winter crunchy sparkling view white winter glowing twirling milk tremulous happy snow how
beautiful chickens weird glistening off white tremulous milk snow cold cold snow twirling dancing glowing glistening how crystal glistening ghostly snowman pretty school’s slippery yellow snow crunchy yellow winter sparkle yaaaaay snow cold fragile graceful snowball snow brilliant glistening ate drifting white fluffy snow white crystally cold white ice glistening winterwonderland pretty now icy white white spectacularly crunchy yum wow white shivering glistening play snowflake pretty glistening snow uniqueness happy children freezing glistening icy food fun winter view white sparkling yellow wonderland wonderland cold snowflakes is numb white
icy numb snowflakes glistening cold white tremulous milk snow wonderland cold yellow white dancing glowing view how crystal fun icy snowman glistening freezing slippery yellow snow children yellow uniqueness glistening yaaaaay snowflake play fragile graceful snowball white brilliant spectacularly ate white white fluffy snow beautiful crystally cold white ice glistening now chickens winterwonderland weird wonderland sparkling glistening yum glistening glistening shivering glistening winter cold ghostly snow snow sparkle happy food crunchy school’s pretty winter pretty snow wow crunchy twirling drifting snow off cold is white pretty white white

pretty pretty snowflakes glistening is cold snow milk snow wonderland cold drifting crunchy wow glowing snow icy winter pretty school’s crunchy glistening freezing food yellow snow happy yellow uniqueness glistening snow cold glistening fragile graceful white white brilliant yum glistening weird now fluffy snow white cold view ice numb beautiful shivering white white tremulous off twirling dancing glistening crystally spectacularly how winter crystal fun icy snowflake snowman yaaaaay children slippery white snow sparkle play snowball yellow glistening ghostly sparkling white wonderland white ate cold chickens glistening white winterwonderland
snowball view ate white is ghostly snow play snow sparkle snow white crunchy slippery glowing snow icy children pretty snowman crystal winter crystally twirling tremulous white happy yellow uniqueness shivering beautiful cold glistening ice graceful cold white brilliant yum snow weird now pretty glistening white winterwonderland snowflakes glistening wonderland white milk white yellow drifting yellow dancing winter icy spectacularly how glistening fun freezing snowflake fluffy numb school’s food wow glistening cold chickens cold off glistening snow fragile cold snow sparkling pretty glistening glistening wonderland white yaaaaay white crunchy
crystally yaaaaay glistening white is pretty snow play sparkling cold snow snow crunchy glistening cold chickens icy children cold snowman crystal winter snowball snowflake tremulous white freezing yellow uniqueness fun beautiful how glistening dancing yellow cold white white wonderland snow white now glistening pretty drifting snowflakes glistening ghostly sparkle milk brilliant snow white white snow winter icy spectacularly twirling glistening wow shivering food school’s graceful fluffy winterwonderland weird white yum glowing yellow off slippery fragile crunchy numb white snow wonderland ice glistening pretty cold ate view glistening happy
glistening yaaaaay view glistening white slippery off yellow glowing cold yum fluffy graceful school’s food shivering icy children glistening snowman twirling happy white snowflake snow brilliant freezing sparkle glistening fun beautiful now snow wonderland yellow cold white wow dancing white glistening how glistening cold pretty numb ghostly uniqueness milk yellow crunchy snow white snow weird winterwonderland snowball crunchy crystal chickens pretty cold pretty spectacularly winter ate winter ice wonderland white play white fragile crystally snow sparkling snow snow is tremulous white snowflakes glistening cold icy drifting white glistening

Once I have permission from the parents of all children involved I hope to put the video of our words flying around the classroom up for all to see...