Morton Schools Project – Literacy (ages 8–11)

We suggest that these activities would be most suitable for pupils aged 8–11, but please feel free to explore all the articles in this series.

A sepia photograph of a path running through a woodland glen beside a burn. There are a lot of ground-cover plants on the bank sides.

A grainy black and white photograph of a collie dog standing in a field, looking as if it is howling at the sky. Croft houses can be seen in the background.

A black and white photograph of a group of five people having a picnic in a rather bleak-looking field. They huddle around a rug with an open hamper on it. They all hold sandwiches and tea cups. It looks cold and damp as all wear coats and hats or headscarves.

The times suggested beside each activity are intended to be a guideline; you’re welcome to spend as much time on each activity as you like.

Activity 1

(5–15 minutes)

Choose one of the photographs from the top of this page. Look carefully at the photograph for at least one minute, and then write a short description based on what you can see. Imagine that this description will be used to tell somebody who cannot see the photograph what it looks like.

Activity 2

(15–20 minutes)

Using the same photograph, or choosing a different one, imagine you’ve been transported into the photograph. Write down the answers to the following questions:

What can you hear?
What can you smell, or taste?
What can you feel?

Activity 3

(15–20 minutes)

Using the same photograph, imagine yourself in the photograph once more. This time, write down answers to these questions:

What happened the moment before the photographer took the photograph? Can we see evidence of it in the photograph, or did it happen outside the frame?
What happened the moment after the photographer took the photograph?

Activity 4

(30–60+ minutes)

Using the same photograph, and the creative notes you made in the previous two exercises, write a piece of creative writing based on the image. This can be a poem, a short story or a scene from a play.

If you’d like to explore this a little bit more, you could try recording yourself presenting your piece of writing once you’re done.

We’d love to see what you come up with! Feel free to send them to us at @NTSCollections on Twitter or @nationaltrustforscotland on Instagram.