The Life of a Marble

An amazing machine | Suitable for 9-14 year olds

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The life of a marble

Watch and listen to this incredible machine. How does it work?

Imagine how was it made.

Think about what materials were used?

Who might have created it?

How does it make music? Is it magic or science, genius or common sense, real or fantasy? 

Video by Wintergaten – embedded & hosted by Youtube.
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Thinking ideas

Machines and objects are great devices for stories.

Think about The Alethiometer from Northern Lights, the Box of Delights from Masefield’s classic, The Room of Requirement from Harry Potter, the Airships in Brightstorm, the TARDIS in Doctor Who, the holodeck in Star Trek and the ring in Lord of the Rings.

What will this machine do in your story? Will it have special powers?

Discussion ideas

Invent a character for a story who might make such a complicated machine.

  • Will your character be an inventor looking to improve all of our lives?
  • Would your character be an artistic superstar creating incredible music with new instruments?
  • Might your character be a superhero or someone with magic powers.
  • Or will your character be an arch villain, evil genius or mad scientist trying to take over the world?

Writing ideas

Write a story about an incredible machine and the person who invented it.

Be sure to describe the machine in intricate detail to draw the reader in and describe the unforgettable inventor who made it to help set up the story.

Perhaps create a problem with the machine that needs to be solved before your story ends.

Teaching ideas

Model how to describe the machine to fuel the reader’s senses.

  • How does the machine sound, look, feel and smell?
  • What emotions does it create in those to dare to go near it?
  • Does it elicit fear, trepidation, excitement, wonder, amazement or something else?

Model using interior monologue to illustrate what the inventor is thinking and indirectly reveal their character.

Resources

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The Life of a Marble

Waterpark

Seeing things differently

Photo by Sid Verma on Unsplash

Imagine that you have created a spectacular water slide to take you directly from your home to your best friend’s house. To a bird high above you look like a tiny marble hurtling through a machine. Write a narrative to tell the reader how you created it, how you built it, and what it was like to take the first ride.

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