Voices in the Park

Voices in the Park

Pencil and paper
Overview
Using this Resource
Connecting to the Curriculum
Marking Student Responses
Working with Students
Further Resources
This task is about making inferences.
First, read Voices in the Park by Anthony Browne (2001). Then complete the following tasks.
 
Part 1: Read pages 1, 2, and 3 of the 'FIRST VOICE'.
I think the mother sees herself as being:     The clues the written text and pictures give me are:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Part 2: Read pages 4 and 5 of the 'FIRST VOICE'.
I think the mother is feeling:   The clues the written text and pictures give me are:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Part 3: Read pages 6 and 7 of the 'FIRST  VOICE'.
Now I think the mother is feeling:       because:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Task two
 
Part 1: Read pages 1 and 2 of the 'THIRD  VOICE'.
I think that the boy wants to:     The clues the written text and pictures give me are:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Part 2: Read pages 3, 4, 5 and 6 of the 'THIRD  VOICE'.
I think the boy is feeling:    The clues the written text and pictures give me are:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Part 3: Read pages 7 and 8 of the 'THIRD  VOICE'.
At the end, I think the boy is feeling:   because:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Task three
 
a) Look back at each part in Task one. What do you think is the main word that describes how the mother is feeling? Write that word for each part in the boxes below.
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3
 
 
 
 
    
 
b) What do you think is the main word that describes how the son is feeling? Write that word for each part in the boxes below.
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3
 
 
 
 
    
 
c)  Compare the mother's and the son's feelings for Part 1.
 
When the mother is feeling _________________, the son is feeling _________________. I think this is because
 
 
 
d)  Compare the mother's and the son's feelings for Part 2.
 
When the mother is feeling _________________, the son is feeling _________________. I think this is because
 
 
 
e)  Compare the mother's and the son's feelings for Part 3.
 
When the mother is feeling _________________, the son is feeling _________________. I think this is because
 
 
 
f)  What could the author be telling us about the relationship between the mother and the son?
 
 
 
 
 
Task administration: 

The tasks in this resource can be completed with pencil and paper.

This resource, involving three tasks, require access to copy of Anthony Browne's book 'Voices in the Park' (published by Random House, 2001). This text, which details the perspective of four different characters walking through the same park, cna be used in a shared reading context. You might read the book as a whole class, and then provide copies of the book for groups of 2-3 students. The three tasks in this resource should be completed in sequence. Note that this sequence may take more than one session to complete. Allow plenty of time for reflection and sharing. 

For tasks one and two, the text is explored in three parts, as indicated on the student sheets. The parts are as follows:

Task one, the FIRST VOICE:
  • Part 1: From the beginning to the page where the mother and son are sitting on the park bench.
  • Part 2: Next two pages (up to where the mother stands up and calls out).
  • Part 3: Last two pages of FIRST VOICE.
Task two, the THIRD VOICE:
  • Part 1: The first two pages (boy at home and then looking into park).
  • Part 2: The next four pages (boy looking at girl, on slide, the dogs, and swinging on the climbing frame).
  • Part 3: Last two pages of THIRD VOICE.
For task three, students synthesis their ideas from tasks one and two to explore both voices.
Copyright: 
'Voices in the Park', Anthony Browne. Published by Random House, 2001.
Level:
4
Curriculum info: 
English, Making meaning, Reading
Key Competencies: 
Using language, symbols, and texts
Keywords: 
comprehension, inference, character, analysis, synthesis, progressive disclosure, vocabulary, visual cues, fiction, evaluating
Description of task: 
This comprehension task assesses student ability to use evidence in text to make inferences about characters' points of view, and to analyse and synthesise understandings of these characters.
Curriculum Links: 
Links to the Literacy Learning Progressions for Reading:
This resource helps to identify students’ ability to:
  • reflect critically about character
  • infer ideas and information that are not directly stated in the text

as described in the Literacy Learning Progressions for Reading at: http://www.literacyprogressions.tki.org.nz/The-Structure-of-the-Progressions.

Learning Progression Frameworks
This resource can provide evidence of learning associated with
Making sense of text: reading critically, set 4
Reading for literary experience, set 5
within the Reading Learning Progressions Frameworks.
Read more about the Learning Progressions Frameworks.
Answers/responses: 

Task one

Task one:
First Voice

Part 1

 Student suggests the mother sees herself as being better than other people, posh, or proper. Evidence given for this could include:

  • Mother's nose is in the air.
  • She stays separate from others. Her eyes are closed. She sits at the far end of the  bench, away from the other person and faces away.
  • Her home is big and is set up on a hill, looking down on the world.
  • She goes to the park in high heels and hat. Both she and Charles are dressed up.
  • She didn't want her dog mixing with 'some scruffy mongrel', her dog is a 'pedigree'.
  • The names of her dog and son (Victoria and Charles).

or Student suggests the mother sees herself as in control or in charge. Evidence given for this could include:

  • The way she says 'our' (dog and son), as if she owns them.
  • Her home and her son are neat and tidy, no frills, contained. Her son sits at the park, buttoned up, arms folded, instead of running around as children normally would.
  • 'I ordered it to go away, but it took no notice of me whatsoever.' She gives orders. She ordered her son to sit (like you would to a dog).
  • 'It was time...', i.e., she decides when things happen.
Part 2 Student suggests the mother feels scared, threatened, or worried. Evidence given for this could include:

  • The mother's eyes are wide open. Her hands/fingers are spread out. The trees have holes in them, like the mother's open mouth.
  • Her shadow is of a dog which could be barking at the man on the bench or howling like a wolf.
  • She is standing, looking anxiously at the world and at the man (frowning, mouth open, hands clutched as if she is wringing them together). She is stiff.
  • Her world now has the other person fully in it, as if she has to admit there are other people in the world. However, the mother and the man are separated by the pole and the mother is in the larger area, which could symbolise the social distance she feels from him, or her world is threatened.
  • The mother refers to the 'frightful types'.
  • She says 'Oh dear!'

or Student suggests the mother feels no longer in control. Evidence given for this could include:

  • The trees have lost their neat shapes, like their "hair is standing on end". This makes them look on edge. The trees are losing their leaves.
  • She says she 'called his name for what seemed like an age'. In combination with the picture, this suggests she's starting to panic.
Part 3 Student suggests the mother feels angry or disappointed in Charles. Evidence given for this could include:

  • One tree is on fire, the gate paling glows red hot.
  • Charles is hidden by his mother as they leave the park.
  • The mother said 'please' to the dog, not to Charles. She ordered him to come, 'at once!'
  • A trail of dead leaves follow her, symbolising her discontent.
  • The mother is frowning. Her eyes are closed.

or Student suggests the mother feels back in control. Evidence given for this could include:

  • The trees are back in a regular shape.
  • The dog looks obedient, its paw is raised, its eyes down.
  • 'We walked home in silence', i.e., "tight-lipped", implying she is back in control.
  • The mother is rigid again.

 

Task two

Task two:
Third Voice

Part 1

 Student suggests the boy wants to go out and play, have fun, be free like the dog, or have someone to play with. Evidence given for this could include:

  • The boy has a wistful, hopeful expression on his face.
  • The boy comments on his life, 'It's so boring', as he looks out at the world.
  • He looks bored, his hands are in his pockets, he is passive, and his shoulders are hunched.
  • His home is stark, with bare walls and doorways closing him in.
  • He says, 'I was at home on my own again'.
  • At the park, it is winter, everything looks quite stark, representing the starkness, lack of warmth or life in his life.
  • At the park, his mother's hats hang everywhere and her shadow is over him, showing that he is not free, his mother controls his life.
  • The boy comments on the 'very friendly dog'. 'Victoria was having a great time. I wished I was'.
Part 2 Student suggests that the boy is feeling shy, inhibited, or a bit scared. Evidence given for this could include:

  • The boy keeps his coat buttoned up to begin with, then copies the girl and takes off his coat. The girl looks carefree, swings freely in comparison to the boy.
  • The boy looks rigid. His facial expressions make him look scared.
  • The reflection on the slide of the boy looks like someone who is scared, it comes from the painting "The Scream" by Edvard Munch.
  • The pole is separating the boy and the girl, showing how different their worlds are.
  • On the boy's side of the picture two cyclists are on the same bike but going in opposite directions, symbolising his inner conflict of wanting to join in and play (as the dogs are doing), but not knowing how to make that transition  (symbolised by the dogs merging into each other from one side of the pole to the other).
  • When he says it was unfortunate to be asked by a girl to play, but he 'went anyway', implies a shy reluctance, and that he doesn't know quite what to do.
  • The boy says, 'so I did the same', i.e., he copied the girl, he's not confident enough to take the initiative himself.

or Student suggests that the boy is feeling amazed. Evidence given for this could include:

  • One side of the picture is brighter than the other, symbolising how he sees her life as being more colourful than his own.
  • The statues look relaxed, humorous. All the trees burst into flower. These suggest how suddenly everything looks different to him.
  • The dogs swap tails and run around 'like old friends', i.e., he is amazed because they are immediately at ease with each other, whereas he does not feel the same.
  • The girl was 'brilliant on the slide, she went really fast. I was amazed'.
Part 3 Student suggests that the boy is feeling happy or hopeful. Evidence given for this could include:

  • The trees are in flower.
  • We see the boy smiling (for the first time).
  • He is looking back into the park, showing that he's reflecting on his experience with Smudge. This is reinforced by what he says.
  • He says, 'Maybe Smudge will be there next time?', i.e., hopeful that there will be a 'next time'.
  • His mother's hat images have disappeared, i.e., for him, she is not as dominant in his life as she was before.
  • There is a trail of flower petals behind him, symbols of life and hope. The petals contrast with the dead leaves that follow his mother in the 'First Voice' section.
  • The statue with wings is aiming an arrow (of love, and therefore hope) at Charles.

or Student suggests that the boy is feeling disappointed or sad. Evidence given for this could include:

  • His mother is steering him out of the park, suggesting that he does not want to go.
  • The trees are drooping. They have lost their flowers.
  • The colours are more sombre than in the previous illustrations.
  • The boy says 'Mummy caught us' and so 'I had to go home', suggesting disappointment.
  • The scene becomes more stark.

Task three

Task three: Both voices
a)  Student suggests the mother could be feeling: Part 1: proper or in control; Part 2: worried or scared or not in control; Part 3: angry or back in control.
b)  Student suggests the boy could be feeling: Part 1: lonely or bored; Part 2: shy or inhibited or amazed; Part 3: hopeful or disappointed.
c)  Student suggests reasons for why the mother and son feel differently in each part. Reasons could be: Part 1: The mother won't risk letting her son do things, so his life is empty. The son is not allowed to do anything without her saying he can. The son is lonely because hismother won't let him have friends.
d)  Part 2: The son is feeling freer, seeing other worlds, having fun, relating to others, and the mother feels threatened by this. When he finds a friend, and sees other possibilities, she feels like she has lost him.
e)  Part 3: Neither of them got what they wanted. They have different needs. The mother is angry because Charles has made a friend, and Charles is sad because he doesn't know if he will see his new friend again. The mother wants control and the son wishes she had less control.
f)  Student suggests what the author's message about the relationship between the mother and the son could be:

  • They each want different things.
  • They are tied to, dependent on each other in negative ways.
  • The mother is overprotective, and her son is trapped by her need to protect him (from any possible harm).

This resource was trialled with 70 Year 7 and 8 students from a range of schools.

Teaching and learning: 
  • The same process could be followed to make inferences about the character and points of view of the father and the daughter, as well as the nature of their relationship. This could then be contrasted with that of the mother and son.
  • It would be interesting to ask students to identify, with a code, where the clues informing their inferences came from, e.g., W for written text or V for visual text. This could then be used to highlight how the visual and written texts work together and are related to what the reader brings to a text.
Diagnostic and formative information: 

Inferences about the characters and their points of view

Task one: FIRST VOICE 

In Part 1, most trial students inferred that the mother sees herself as being better than other people. The evidence most commonly identified was from the written text, e.g., how the mother described the other dog as 'some scruffy mongrel', how she ordered it to 'go away' and was affronted that 'it took no notice of me whatsoever', and how she ordered her son, Charles, to sit. By contrast, the strong visual clues in Part 2, were the most commonly identified evidence for the majority of students inferring that the mother was worried at this point in her story. This feeling changed to anger for the majority of students in Part 3, where again, the written text was identified as evidence of this, e.g., a 'very rough-looking child'.

Task two: THIRD VOICE 

In Part 1, the majority of trial students inferred that the boy wanted a friend, or to have some fun, and most commonly identified evidence straight from the written text where he says 'It was boring' and he wished that he was having fun like Victoria. Because of this initial interpretation, most students inferred that the boy was feeling happier in Parts 2 and 3 when he had found a friend and was having some fun and wondered if 'Smudge [was going to] be there next time'.Students tended not to draw from both the visual and written texts simultaneously, and describe how they worked together.

Ability to justify responses with a range of evidence 

In their initial analysis of character during tasks one and two, some trial students made inferences that came straight from the written text, i.e., using words like 'boring' and 'amazed' as clues. Other student responses during these tasks reflected clues given in the texts, but in quite simplistic terms, e.g., the boy was feeling sad, the mother was feeling happy, and identified that they just looked like that. However, the majority of trial students substantiated their analysis of character by identifying a range of evidence that went between and beyond the lines.The following are examples of this depth of analysis by trial students.

I think the mother sees herself as being: The clues the written text and the pictures give me are:
very sophisticated and posh. In the pictures it shows that she has a very big house, and I suspect her dog is a pure breed, so she is probably rich
She also thinks she is in charge and everyone has to listen to her because she is right. She sits with her head high and dresses very well for going to the park. She speaks to her son in a very commanding and bitter way. I think she doesn't like her son either because she sits with her back to him and far away [from him]. You cansee in the picture that it was Victoria who really chased the other dog. She said that it was the other dog to try and make out that her dog was better.

 

I think that the boy wants to: The clues the written text and the pictures give me are:
go and have fun for once, despite his mother's clutch on his life. His mother's hats are everywhere. This indicates that he is covered up by her from the rest of the world that he wants to be part of, but is not allowed to. Also he is standing there alone and everyone else has someone.
He feels his mother doesn't understand him, but he feels weak when it comes to standing up for himself. The boy's words are written in a very soft font which shows that he is weak.

Those trial students who analysed the characters deeply in tasks one and two, as in the examples given above, were better prepared for task three. This was because they had done the thinking and had a range of evidence to call on to be able to identify the main word that described the characters' feelings for each of the parts. This set them up for synthesising.

Synthesising their ideas 

In their synthesis, some trial students did not bring the two characters together to say how the feelings of each influenced the other. An example of this by a trial student follows.

c) Compare the mother's and the son's feelings for Part 1: 

When the mother is feeling proper, the son is feeling bored. I think this is because he is sitting there bored.

Examples of synthesis by trial students who were able to say how the feelings of one character influenced the other and put themselves in others' shoes follow.

f) What could the author be telling us about the relationship between the mother and the son?

The mother is a control freak and the boy is trapped. Sometimes you need to let go and be free, and money doesn't bring you happiness and love. The mother was in charge and she had him under lock and key. He was living a life she owned. When he found a friend, she was scared, because the girl was the key to his happiness.

They are two different people caught up in a world of right and wrong, dark and light, clean and dirty, posh and poor, and they need to communicate with each other.

Range of vocabulary describing feelings 

There was a range of responses at task three where students had to decide on a main word to describe the characters' feelings. Some students were only able to use simplistic terms, such as happy and sad to describe the characters' feelings. This may be related to their vocabulary or prior experiences. Examples of responses at task three from students who were able to use a range of vocabulary follow.

a) Look back at each part in Task one. What do you think is the main word that describes how the mother is feeling? Write that word for each part in the boxes below.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3
in control / powerful / protective / proper / important / proud / distinguished / annoyed / irritated / agitated / stressed / normal worried / stressed / scared / upset / emotional  angry / enraged / disappointed / disapproving / ashamed / dirty / tainted 

b) Do the same for Task two, how you think the son is feeling.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3
bored / lonely / isolated / controlled / trapped / unimportant / unfulfilled happy / amazed / surprised / excited / happier / revitalised / awkward / free hopeful / sad / disappointed / unhappy / upset / unsure / alone / in love / satisfied
Francis, T. (2001). Hidden in Plain View – An analysis of images in Anthony Browne's Voices in the Park. Talespinner, 11, May, 2001.