Ava Goes Green, by Dr Rona D. Linklater, is a cross-curricular activity book aimed at lower Key Stage 2. The main character, Ava, explores the effects of plastic pollution on climate change and the environment.
Beautifully illustrated by Stu McLellan, the book contains activities devised to ‘support and develop learning, communication, confidence and wellbeing’. These include songs, musicianship activities, composing and performing, dancing, poetry, drama, art and geography. Teachers are encouraged to document the work created, as it may provide evidence towards the Discover and Explore Arts Awards.
The story, which has a mix of fiction and non-fiction elements, starts with a local river, then moves to Orkney and the effects of plastic pollution on the islands' birds, the oceans and other parts of the world. These sections have appealing pictures to help children to see the local, national and global damage that plastic waste causes. The book's characters represent a broad spectrum of society, including people with disabilities.
The songs are based on sections of the story just heard. The first song starts with a memorable, catchy melody, but later parts tends towards being overly complex. The B section of this song is not as memorable melodically, and the words change each time it comes around. It doesn't help that children cannot hear this modelled in the instrumental recordings. Because the book is written with general class teaching in mind, recorded vocal examples for all the songs would have made pieces such as this more accessible. The second song is a great vocal example, though it may be too complex for lower Key Stage 2, who most likely will have only one adult in the room to lead each vocal entry. Song four, presented as a rap, comes with a demo and uses children's voices as a great way to help children identify with the music.
A password-protected website provides access to these songs' backing-tracks, featuring a mix of keyboard sounds, children singing and live instruments. The site is accessed through a link in the book or QR code.
Music-based tasks explain key musical elements such as beat, rhythm and notation. These sections contain questions to ask the class, using the information supplied, which I would present in as many practical ways as possible (e.g. using rhythm cards, clapping, and movement to understand tempo changes).
Multiple instrumental activities can be explored by classroom and orchestral instruments alike. There are also written-out clapping and stamping patterns which can be added. The song recordings are performed by the author's friends, teachers and students within Lancashire. These provide children with useful examples of orchestral instruments such as the bassoon and viola.
Ava Goes Green could be used as a project at the end of term, as an arts-week activity with an environmental theme, or weekly over the course of one term. Arts-based after-school clubs and community groups could use this too, and older children could support younger children with the songs.
To use this resource in the school environment, you will need to purchase the eBook, so that the PDF can be displayed on the whiteboard, or scan pages of the book for display. Photocopying (under licence) may be necessary for sharing the questions asked for the cross-curricular activities, and the music activities. The book is competitively priced, and if your school has a strong music culture alongside confident singers, you will have a lot of fun using it.
- Ava Goes Green: MASC to the Eco-Beat 1 (Music, Art, Stories, Create) is published by Troubadour. A sequel to the book, Ava Gets Active, is also available.
