BBC: The Blue Book of Nebo: serialised narrative reworking

Spoiler alert. Contains plot references!

These are a few personal notes and, of course, not prescriptively how to do it, but things that could be worthwhile thinking about when approaching a text like The Blue Book of Nebo.

I think that because the work is slim, their attention is the key thing. Actually, with Y8, developing better focus and attention is a key thing. This slim text offers them the chance to do so. Contemplation. Reflection. Wonder. Creativity are the soft skills that are developed alongside critical textual analysis.

The themes of this book are things such as love, loss, reflections on community, growing older, growing apart. I’d really impress upon them that this novel is a tool for developing empathy, and that empathy and understanding the human condition is the most important thing about why we read books.

I’ve been insisting with my Y8s that they tune in better. This is because this book is a work of literature, and, as such it focuses on the human condition. If you aren’t paying attention, you won’t get it. The book can be considered like a slim volume of poetry.

Listening to Mannon Steffan Ros’ own folk music, as well as enjoying listening to songs about Wales and Welsh culture can be very enjoyable. And just get them to listen to one song really closely. The language might be Welsh/(Gaelic) but that shouldn’t matter too much. What’s the emotional resonance of the piece etc.?

Because this book is slim, you can use it as a catalyst for creative, artistic, meditative reflections. You might want to think that there are 26 or so “chapters”, but some of these are just a page or two long. Many are about 3 or 4 pages. Mona, Dylan’s sister dies. And that is really sad! If they aren’t listening this will be totally lost.

The lessons on Welsh culture are very good. Rees is a Welsh name, so I, of course, lean into this. And Swansea, where my great great grandparents are from is quite close to where Nebo, Anglesey and other geographical places named in the first chapters take place. They should find these on a map and take a walk in the landscape.

Welsh mythology: this is central to the Welsh identity (DRAGON on flag!!) More of this when you meet Dave. But the Welsh have been oppressed by the English through the ages so are fiercely independent, warrior spirited, (see the 6 Nations, although choose your Youtube clips wisely as they just got pumped by the French!)

A whole lesson can be done deconstructing the book jacket and blurbs. You can find some art materials and get them to make their own front covers, as per the guidance in the opening lessons. But if they are to do this really well, it could take the whole lesson. There are some amazing artists in that year group. Think pencil crayons, as well as water colours. See if you can get in the art room but there are English sets of materials around.

With a novel this size, I wouldn’t worry about doing it in a hurry, nor doing it to death. The Y8s really enjoy being read to. Only later in the novel, once you’ve established how to read character’s voices, intonation etc, should they have a go.

I’ll share a few resources I have used to prime them for listening closely. Some of these you will insist they write down, others will come out in conversation, others you want to be aware of and not share with them to try not to kill the text. It’s a case of reading the room and seeing what they might be up for, and insisting some things are done well, but giving opportunities where you can take your foot off the gas.

Music is a very good way of setting the mood. The book is a diary. They could keep a diary. 10 minutes at the start of each class to set the mood. They have all got memories of the Covid pandemic.

Here are a few activities that I have done to prime the idea of looking and listening really closely…

BRYNEGLWYS | Manon Steffan Ros

The author’s own folk song. Language does not matter. The film is its own language. It’s a given that the Welsh film producers speak Welsh, or communicated with the author of the meaning. But without, you could draw their attention to: hills, nature, journey, loneliness, sadness, tenderness, lost communities, mining, weather, (presumably she is walking along the Brecon Beacons), Welsh slate, rugged, rough, windswept. Musical cues: rhythm, tone, tempo, emotional range, pace, feeling.

Manon Steffan Ros – Empathy Walk 2022 (English)

Empathy Walk: this is a very easy to adapt creative writing resource. In this 5 minute walk around town, we can see a Welsh town that would look very much like the fictional (I am guessing) Nebo. We can get a sense of who the author is, and after hearing her lovely song, they might care more about what she has to say. She looks about the same age as Rowenna and that could be important. I wonder if she is a mother?

We can notice the author is very attentive. She zooms-in on key details like a broken seagull egg and reflects on the loss of life. She reflects on her own thoughts and feelings, and displays compassion for others. A walk to the temple to try and model this would be very useful and bring calm on a busy teaching day (each of their days are busy and they love a fresh walk..)

One thing to be aware of is that the Y8s all feel very strongly about their mothers. When they stop being a bit annoying and chatty, they are like babies to some degree, still! I would not make this explicit or talk about it. But where there are moments of conflict between the mother and son, when you are reading the text, and you can see they are engaged with the reading, sometimes just a pause is enough to let them think about that moment that they called their mum a name and regret it. When they read about the characters, they are reading about themselves, to some degree. They have been in similar situations, relationship arguments etc.

It would be worth checking with Nelly just in case any of your class have lost a sibling or close relative yet, as this book will cut raw for them.

The comprehension activities are all well worth it. Write in full sentences. Show your best handwriting. They can write about what they learned from the last lesson while a song is playing. You can model this. You will write more than they can, for the most part. For those with attention issues, they should then copy what you wrote on the board so they have something. You can play another song and go again. There is a lot revealed within the first couple of chapters and these first couple of chapters are where the most attention should be placed.

If this is the only novel they will read in Year 8, and I think given how often many of mine constantly circle back to just The Diary of a Wimpy kid, then, this novel is really important. The Blue Book of Nebo is what Dylan calls this book, and he is setting against other of the great Welsh mythological texts, so, you can try to impress upon them that this is a “sacred” text. You could think that for each lesson you might focus on just one thing, and maybe that is the life lesson that you want to teach them. It won’t be in a teaching guide- it will be what you think is important about life itself! Being kind to others, being at peace with yourself etc. etc.

They can produce art of any creative writing while songs are playing. There’s a great bank of Welsh folk songs out there to explore, but any music that is soft, “folksy” works.

Here are some songs that we have played and they have enjoyed.

SPINE-TINGLING! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Dafydd Iwan belts out Yma o Hyd before Wales vs Austria!

From the last World Cup. This guy absolutely belts it out! Doesn’t matter what the words are- but they can be looked up. Look at the joy. The singer is in tears at the end of it. Why is the old man crying when singing you might ask? Tears of joy, belonging to a community. Honour and pride. This is perhaps the greatest moment of his life. Fathers and sons are hugging and singing together.

Welsh National Anthem just before Wales beat England 30 – 3.Saturday 16th march 2013

Again, really powerful, stirring stuff. At least one of the Welsh players is in tears. This is what they/we all missed during Covid. Have they ever been to a live concert? A live match? The atmosphere here is electric. Youtube can’t really do it justice. Point this out to them, just how important human connections are in the smartphone age. But quiet private moments can be just as intense too, and meaningful. The novel is full of the latter.

SENSATIONAL Welsh Male Choir Has Judges In TEARS In Britain’s Got Talent Audition 2023

Modern, contemporary. The Y8s chose this as they like X Factor etc. One of the judges says she knew she would cry as soon as she heard Welsh choir. Why is that? How do they react to the performance? Why is it so powerful?

Male Voice Choir Flashmob – Wales vs England RBS 6 Nations 2015

Fleet Foxes – White Winter Hymnal (OFFICIAL VIDEO)

Think the Fleet Foxes are American, but anyway, folksy, soft, nature, harmony…

Is Full album

Chapter One: Dylan

I think that you can lean into their relationship with their mothers a bit. Just be aware of it, at least. When your Y8 reads, “Because (mum) can’t be bothered to teach me”, I wonder how many of them think about their mums. Those that did and what that meant. Those that didn’t and let the helper, or school, do it. There will probably be many like that. And I would keep all that to myself. But that’s a good way to start to think about how to read the book to them.

They often have younger brothers and sisters, or are one. You could talk about attention. They could write about their sibling or friend relationships later on.

“Sometimes I think it’s impossible for someone to be as beautiful and as ugly as my mother.”

They react to this line. They have all probably said something mean to their mum, or are ashamed to recognise that they have thought something like this. Just catch their eye. If they drop your gaze, you know the meaning has landed and they are listening to the story. They want to know more about how people like them feel about their mums…

Make sure they pick up on all the cues about the dystopian world. No biros? Hmmm. No people. Find where they are on a map. Draw the map out. The lost names. Their primary school.

Sunnydale: important later. Look through the windows. Why don’t they take stuff from their neighbours?

How Dylan is adaptive, resilient. Kills rabbit. This is important later.

Chapter Two: Rowenna

Details of “The End”. What happened? Rowenna’s struggle to write.

Here, I wonder if they ever empathise with the fact that their mother is/was before them an actual person? I think some of them will feel quite acutely the sense of loss or indifference, or not enough time, or really their relationship might not be that good.

I would avoid dwelling on their own relationship with their mothers. You don’t know what demons lurk there and it could be very dangerous to bring to the surface very painful and personal feelings. But the quiet chance for some of them to reflect about these ideas is kind of what this novel/novels are all about. When they are writing as Dylan about his mother, they are, kind of, writing about their own feelings about their own parental relationships…

Gaynor: a quiet character but I find her hugely affecting. There is the human decency or her protection of Rowenna, kindliness to Dylan, the role she plays as a central figure within the community.

P. 17: “You can come and live with us if you like.” What does that mean? It means that Rowenna, and Gaynor, who has let her leave early, realise that the world that they are living in is collapsing. It also reveals that Gaynor, herself, doesn’t have anyone. Gaynor realises the importance of the gesture and can’t reply as she would cry. She carries on cleaning and says nothing. They will miss this. There’s a bit later on when Rowenna talks about the ladies that visit her and it’s a place of ritual and community. She is essentially a counsellor within the community. There’s something that Mannon Steffan Ros has to say here about the quiet people, who are pillars of the community, that are working class, maybe not so empowered, but actually are pivotal to society. And those relationships and close-knit communities are becoming lost in the modern world.

The Black Book of Carmarthen, The Red Book of Hergest- Welsh tales and legends. The Legend of Brave Gelert is a really good short story about a brave dog!

https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofWales/The-legend-of-brave-Gelert/

Dylan Thomas has a beautiful Welsh voice. They could do worse than write out his poem in their books.

Interstellar – Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night Scene 1080p HD

Great modern interpretation. In a similar kind of way, Interstellar is also about love and loss, a breakdown of human connection.

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Lesson Plan: Dylan Kills the Mutant Hare. Around p. 22.

Paying attention through drawing, listening and an empathy walk

Neil Young – Heart of Gold (Live)

Activity One: Come in and listen to Heart of Gold by Neil Young.

Reflection: what is it about a performance where a singer performs live with just an instrument and a spotlight that can be so powerful?

Activity Two: Read chapter. Dylan Kills the Mutant Hare. Around p. 22. Chapter is just a couple of pages. Read to the class and tell them that they will be drawing what Dylan kills.

Activity Three: 5-8 minute drawing activity. They depict the two-faced hare, and other mutant creatures in their books. There’s an appropriately unsettling soundtrack to accompany this:

Steve Roden – Airria (hanging garden) second version

Activity Four: Go for a walk to the Temple. They can chat a bit on the way down, but do point out the flowers coming into bloom. Silent walk when by water to the Temple (impossible, but a good target!)

Activity Five: Look at the mangy cats. Admire view.

Activity Six: Read another couple of chapters from Dylan’s perspective. Return to class, leaving 10 minutes at least to get back.

The Blue Book of Nebo: a Teaching Primer