Stories of Ourselves – Ekphrastic Writing
This page contains a Key Stage 3 scheme of work, ‘Stories of Ourselves – Ekphrastic Writing’, which presents a complete resource pack including 8 lesson plans and pupil worksheets focusing on reading, writing, and spoken language. The unit asks pupils to explore the relationship between visual art and language by responding creatively and critically to a range of visual prompts, developing an understanding of how images can inspire narrative, poetry, reflection, and performance.
‘Stories of Ourselves – Ekphrastic Writing at Key Stage 3’ draws directly from our research into Mass Observation and the tole of everyday creative practice in shaping cultural understanding as explored in our article, ‘Mass Observation, Counterculture and the “Art of Living”. The unit is influenced by two connected strands of public engagement and research: our 12th May Diary Day, and the ‘Stories of Ourselves’ ekphrastic poetry workshop run as part of the Being Human Festival, November 2024.
The Diary Day Project invited members of the public to submit reflective personal writing in the style of the original Mass Observers, reaffirming the value of ordinary voices and non-elite forms of cultural expression. Building on this, the Being Human workshop explored how visual archives, specifically the Worktown photographs, can prompt poetic and narrative responses, reconnecting participants with place, memory, and shared experience through ekphrastic writing.
This classroom unit adapts that approach for KS3 learners, using images as a springboard for creative exploration. Just as early Mass Observation blurred the lines between observation, imagination, and social commentary, these lessons encourage pupils to move from seeing, to feeling, to writing. Pupils are guided to engage deeply with mood, voice, and perspective, using art and photography not just as descriptive prompts, but as opportunities for empathetic, identity-driven expression.
In line with our research, the scheme reflects a belief in creative response as a democratic act: a way of claiming space within cultural discourse, challenging passive consumption of media, and fostering emotional literacy. It also nurtures interdisciplinary thinking, drawing on literary analysis, visual interpretation, memory work, and oral storytelling.
This scheme supports a pedagogical vision where writing is more than skill. It becomes a form of cultural participation and reflection, an approach that mirror the ‘art of living’ ethos at the heart of Mass Observation.
Produced in response to our latest research at the University of Greater Manchester, School of the Arts, English and Creative Writing, the scheme is underpinned by a triangulated foundation connecting literary craft, contemporary practice, and cultural traditions. This foundation established its status as research-informed and provides a framework within which further scholarly and pedagogical insights can be integrated.