Encouraging curious minds

Resources to stimulate conversations and questions

Welcome to the third set of resources created to inspire your creativity.

Introducing Amerah Saleh, a spoken word artist and poet from Birmingham. Amerah wrote a poem called ‘My Language’ in response to the theme of this project, which is oracy. The poem is about languages, learning to communicate and families.

The poem has been written out below by a calligraphist called Seekerofhope, and underneath this you will find a video of Amerah performing the poem herself at home.

Take a look and see what you think…

Seekerofhope-My-Language-by-Amerah-Saleh

Now you’ve read the poem and watched the performance, here’s some questions to answer:

  • What languages do your parents speak? How did they learn their first or second language? Was it at home, school, in the community?
  • If you could learn new languages, what would they be and why?
  • What is the hardest thing about language, and communicating with others?

Can you write in the style of the calligraphist? There are some more ideas below.

  • Does it feel like writing or more like art?
  • Can you make up calligraphy of your own using quotes from My Language or a favourite poem?
  • Can you weave together some words of your own to create a poem about language? You can explore ‘language’ in any way of your choosing.
Seekerofhope Calligraphy My Language by Amerah Saleh

Schools involved:

Abbeywood First School

Arrow Vale RSA Academy

Holyhead School

Project details:

Date Started September 2019
Date Finished October 2021
Project Funder Foyle Foundation, Saintbury Trust and Elmley Foundation

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