The Magic Box by Kit Wright

The author Kit Wright performs his poem 'The Magic Box' to a group of children. The box is filled with magical moments, experiences and fantastic events.

Watch here @ https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/clips/zkpmhyc

The Magic Box

I will put in the box

the swish of a silk sari on a summer night,
fire from the nostrils of a Chinese dragon,
the tip of a tongue touching a tooth.

I will put in the box

a snowman with a rumbling belly
a sip of the bluest water from Lake Lucerene,
a leaping spark from an electric fish.

I will put into the box

three violet wishes spoken in Gujarati,
the last joke of an ancient uncle,
and the first smile of a baby.

I will put into the box

a fifth season and a black sun,
a cowboy on a broomstick
and a witch on a white horse.

My box is fashioned from ice and gold and steel,
with stars on the lid and secrets in the corners.
Its hinges are the toe joints of dinosaurs.

I shall surf in my box
on the great high-rolling breakers of the wild Atlantic,
then wash ashore on a yellow beach
the colour of the sun.

Monday

Read through the poem with your child. Get them to circle or write down any words they are unsure of. Discuss these with your child. If they are not sure of what any of the items are, can you research them on the internet? E.g. 'a silk sari'. 

Questions to ask: Why do you think Kit Wright chose those items for his magic box? What do you particularly like about this poem? Are there any words or phrases that stand out to you?

Discuss the features of the poem:

• Can you find any adjectives? (describing words)
• Adverbs? (describes a verb, an adjective or another adverb)
• Similes? (a figure of speech that compares one thing with another thing of a different kind using 'as' or 'like' e.g. as brave as a lion)
• Alliteration? (where words that are next to each other start with the same letter or sound).

Tuesday

What kind of things would you put in your own magic box? In mine, I might put 'The crunch of hot, buttered toast.' or 'Golden sunlight from the summer sun.'

What are some of your favourite places? Tastes? Smells? Sounds? You could put in some of your favourite memories, beautiful or important things or objects, secrets or even feelings! Discuss with someone in your house and write down some of your ideas. Remember to include the key features you found yesterday - adjectives, adverbs, similes, alliteration.

What is your box made of? You could use the planning sheet below to plan out some of your ideas!

Wednesday

Today, I would like you to use your ideas from yesterday to help you write your very own 'Magic Box' poem! You can use the ideas bank and sentence starters below to help you write in the same style as the poem or you could just have a go at writing your very own! I have placed some other examples of children's work for you to have a look at for some inspiration!

Ideas Bank:

I will put into my box

The swish of _________________________________

Fire from ___________________________________

I will put into my box

________________________________________________

________________________________________________

________________________________________________

I will put into my box

________________________________________________

________________________________________________

________________________________________________

My box is fashioned from _____________________________

With ___________________ on the lid and ______________ in the corners.

Its hinges are _____________________________________

Thursday

Can you write our your poem in your very best handwriting? You could even try some of the joins that we have practised so far! Once you have finished, you can draw pictures of the items you have included inside of your magic box around the outside of your poem and colour them in.

Rehearse your poem by reading it aloud using prosody (the patterns of rhythm and sound used in poetry).

You could also use the page border below to write your poem out in neat if you would like to!