Superheroes: Words Are Our Power
Impact Learning Celebration Event ft KEYNOTE SPEECH by award-winning writer, Patrice Lawrence MBE
An exciting event ft a KEYNOTE SPEECH by award-winning writer, Patrice Lawrence MBE took place at the Bluecoat in Liverpool on Thursday 23rd February 2023. The event concluded and celebrated Superheroes: Words are our Power, a pioneering programme delivered in 8 primary schools across four years. Using a range of creative writing strategies, poets, authors, comic book writers, spoken word artists and playwrights all worked alongside teachers, supporting them to put creativity back into the curriculum.
The project was funded with a £239,000 grant awarded to Writing on the Wall by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation’s ‘More and Better’ strand.
During the event we shared the final independent evaluation report from Curious Minds, celebrating the work created and discussed some of the ways we can continue working with local schools in the future.
Patrice Lawrence MBE, winner of the Bookseller YA Prize, Waterstones Prize for Older Children’s Fiction and the inaugural Jhalak Prize for Children and Young Adults delivered a keynote speech on the importance of creativity in education. There was also be performances from artists who have worked on the project, including Ashley Nugent, Amina Atiq and Blue Saint.
The Superheroes project gave children the chance to meet and work with a range of writers with different backgrounds, interests, approaches, specialisms, cultures and heritage. The difference this made for children was noticed across the curriculum as they became more resilient, more confident, more engaged and more motivated. Children were inspired by writers and became more comfortable writing about their own experiences and interests. Moreover, amongst this diversity of authors, children were able to find relatable role models, and this shifted their aspirations. In the gradual return to normality after the Coronavirus Lockdowns teachers began to notice that the pandemic had impacted on the mental health of children. Superheroes pivoted towards using writing to promote wellbeing.
Overview
The summary below showed what the Super Heroes project achieved in numbers.
You can read the Super Heroes Imapct report here.
If you would like to get in contact about the Super Heroes project to find out more, or for any opportunities associated with the project, please contact our Project Co-Ordinator for Children and Young People, Helen Jeffery , by emailing helen@writingonthewall.org.uk
Take a look at Superheroes Round-Up video below to see what we got up to over the last four years!
We had the pleasure of being joined by Author Darren Chetty on a Continuing Professional Development (CPD) seminar about increasing diversity and representation in children’s literature and classrooms, helping to allow children to see themselves in the books they read. Check out Alice Bunker-Whitney’s blog on the session including the importance of representation in the classrooms.
Superheroes stand up for what is right and change the world for the better, with this, WoW’s literacy in schools project is doing just that!
AS SEEN ON ITV NEWS, LIVERPOOL ECHO AND LIVERPOOL TV!
Superheroes: Words are our Power, provided a Professional Writer in Residence to all schools, working with the whole of key stage 2 across the school term.
The children and teachers had the opportunity to explore different forms of creative writing, through the writer’s expertise and passion!
We were lucky to work with poets, authors, comic book writers, spoken word artists and playwrights.
Over four years we worked with eight schools in Merseyside;
Visit each website to find out more information:
St Michael’s & All Angels Primary School
Holy Cross Catholic Primary School
Springwood Health Primary School
We were excited to be working with Curious Minds as a partner, critical friend and evaluator.
Resources
Download your own PDF copy of the Superhero exercises using each link below:
Download the 6 box story here (PDF)
Download Design Your Own Superhero (PDF)
Download 3 Minute Writing Bursts (PDF)
View a printable version of Create a List Poem
View a printable version of The Four Word Game
View a printable version of Write a Letter to the World
View a printable version of the Super Hero Rainbow
View a printable version of Superhero Family Dress Up
View a printable version of Dominic Berry’s Challenge
View a printable version of Make A New Ending
View a printable version of Jon Mayhew’s Challenge
View a printable version of Create A Powerful Chant
View a printable version of Marie Basting’s Challenge
View a printable version of Write The World’s Fastest Story
View a printable version of Alan Gibbon’s Challenge
View a printable version of the 5 Senses Poetry Challenge
View a printable version of Ashleigh Nugent’s Challenge
View a printable version of Postcard of Positivity
Louise – Rhyme Accents
Download the Write a Limerick resource here
Yvonne – Word Choice
Download the Make Up Words resource
Dom – Blank Page
Download the Go From Blank to Brilliance resource
Ash – Differences
Download the Let’s Talk Differences resource
Yvonne – Character Motivations
Download the Let’s Talk Motivation resource
Ash – Nerves
Download the Let’s Talk Nerves resource
Louise – Writing Quickly
Download the Writing Quickly resource
Dommy B – Rhyming
Download the Write with Rhyme resource
Yvonne Battle-Felton – Read Out Loud
