This half term, we are sharing the BSL story ‘Journey’ by Aaron Becker. Journey is a wordless picture book, which means the story is told entirely through pictures.
As there are no written words, our RP children are encouraged to look closely, think about what is happening, and tell the story in their own way using BSL and written English. They use facial expression, body movement, and signs/words to explain what they see and how the characters might be feeling.
Through this story, children are:
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Learning how to retell a story in order
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Making predictions about what might happen next
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Describing settings
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Talking about feelings such as loneliness, bravery, and safety
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Building confidence using BSL to share ideas and tell stories
This work also helps prepare the children for our visit in March to the National Science and Media Museum in Bradford to see the animated film Flow (2024). Like Journey, Flow is also a wordless story, so children can enjoy and understand it through visuals, movement, and emotion rather than spoken language.
By exploring Journey first, children become more confident at following and discussing visual stories, helping them get the most out of the cinema visit.