Story by John Burningham
English: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URZrecDN0Ec
Available in French as "Au pays des nuages"
Lesson by Christine Jackson
Resource included with permission from The Toronto District School Board.
Cloudland tells the story of a young boy named Albert who accidentally falls from a mountain and is rescued by the children of the clouds. Albert has wonderful adventures up in the clouds, but over time begins to miss his home. Through role playing, the students explore Albert’s dilemma and find ways to help him. This lesson is intended for primary students.
Try to provide as much space as possible for this activity.
Invite the students to find a self-space in the room. Imagine you are moving through:
Read the story up until the magic words. Ask the students to repeat the magic words, then elicit magic words from a few students, “or was it……” // "ou bien ......". Using the magic words suggested by your students create a chant. Practice the chant together, experimenting with different ways of saying the words: e.g. loudly, whispering, soft to loud, loud to soft, quickly, slowly, etc. Have half the children chant, while the other half pretend to be Albert safely rising up to the clouds.
“Feel yourself falling in slow motion until you hear the magic words. Then you will feel yourself being lifted magically through the clouds. Close your eyes, and remember to move very, very slowly. You are light as a feather. Ready?”
" Sens-toi tomber au ralenti jusqu'à ce que tu entendes les mots magiques. Ensuite, tu te sentiras soulevé comme par magie à travers les nuages. Ferme les yeux, et souviens-toi de bouger très, très lentement. Tu es aussi léger qu'une plume. Prêt ?"
Continue reading the story, up until a description of the games the cloud children play. Divide the student into groups of 3. Ask them to create a game that they like to play in the clouds. Does anyone want to share their new game?
Continue the story up to “but the plane had left a perfect path for Albert, and he was able to walk to the other children." // "mais l'avion avait laissé un chemin parfait pour Albert, et il a pu marcher jusqu'aux autres enfants."
Review with the students all the activities that Albert has been enjoying in Cloudland. “What do you think Albert likes best about Cloudland? What does he like to do with his new cloud friends?” // "A ton avis, qu'est-ce qu'Albert préfère dans le pays des nuages ? Qu'est-ce qu'il aime faire avec ses nouveaux amis des nuages ?"
Invite the children to find a self-space in the room. Explain that you will count-down from 3 to 0 and then on a signal (FREEZE, DRUM BEAT OR TRIANGLE) they are to make a statue which shows Albert doing his favourite activity. After they have a chance to practice and try a few statues, have half the class present their statues/tableaux at a time so that they can see one another’s work and share what they see in the statues.
Variation – if your students are ready for group work, they can make group tableaux showing Albert playing with his cloud friends.
Read the next page of the book, but add the following:
“The Queen felt sorry for Albert, and she thought for a long time, and then she said, ‘Albert, no one ever leaves Cloudland. I am sorry but that is the law.’”
"La reine a eu pitié d'Albert, elle a réfléchi longtemps, puis elle a dit : 'Albert, personne ne quitte jamais Cloudland. Je suis désolée, mais c'est la loi.'"
Have a brief discussion with the students about the Queen’s law.
Explain to the students that you are going to go into role as Albert and you need them to go into role as Albert’s cloud friends. It can be useful to establish a clear signal to differentiate when you are in role as Albert and when you are out of role. (e.g. wear baseball cap when you are Albert, remove it when you are out of role.)
My dear Cloud friends. I am having a wonderful time here in the clouds with your. I love jumping from cloud to cloud and having races, now that I’m better at it. But I want to go home. I miss the sand in my shoes, the grass and the trees, making mud castles and well, I guess I miss my Mom and Dad. I spoke to the Queen about it. She seemed a bit cross. She said no one ever leaves. It’s the law. I don’t want to break any laws, but I sure want to go home. What should I do? Can you help me?
Mes chers amis des nuages. Je passe un merveilleux moment ici dans les nuages avec vous. J'adore sauter de nuage en nuage et faire des courses, maintenant que je suis plus doué. Mais je veux rentrer à la maison. Le sable dans mes chaussures, l'herbe et les arbres, faire des châteaux de boue me manquent et enfin, je crois que ma maman et mon papa me manquent. J'en ai parlé à la Reine. Elle semblait un peu fâchée. Elle a dit que personne ne part jamais. C'est la loi. Je ne veux pas enfreindre de loi, mais je veux vraiment rentrer chez moi. Que dois-je faire ? Pouvez-vous m'aider ?
The cloud children will have many suggestions. In role as Albert you can accept and reject ideas based on their appropriateness as solutions to the problem. You might, for instance, ask questions about the Queen to get a better understanding of her and her laws.
Out of role, recap what has happened so far in the drama. Draw an outline of a figure representing the Queen on chart paper. Brainstorm with the students what we now know about the Queen. Record these words/phrases on the inside of the figure. Around the outside of the figure, record questions the students have about the Queen.
Ask the students to consider who might know the Queen really well, (e.g. her guards, her husband, her children etc.)
Invite students to volunteer to take on one of these roles and be interviewed. You may need to demonstrate by taking on a role and being interviewed by the students. The students could work in pairs to prepare questions.
Add new information about the Queen to the role on the Wall.
Considering all that is known about the Queen, how can the cloud children help Albert? They may suggest writing a letter or meeting with the Queen. Work with their suggestions.
Explain that you will go into role as the Queen and they, in role as the cloud children will have an opportunity to convince you. Make sure that your role reflects the qualities outlined in the role on the Wall. Listen carefully to the arguments raised by the students in role as the cloud children. You may choose to make a final decision regarding Albert during the role-playing or you may end the role-playing with a promise to consider the issues and respond in a letter to Albert.
If the decision is that Albert must stay, the drama can end with plans to help Albert adjust. They may suggest ways for Albert to communicate with his family and friends back home.
If the decision is to let Albert go home, a plan for his safe return must be drawn up. Perhaps the Queen designates a few people to come up with the plan and report back to everyone. The drama then concludes with an enactment of the good-bye and the journey home. The teacher can be in role as Albert. Be sure to exchange addresses so that letters can be written back and forth later.