Year 4 Explore a Robot World

Year 4 are reading the wonderful text, ‘Wild Robot’ by Peter Brown in their English lessons this half term. In the story, the main character – a robot called Roz – opens her eyes and finds herself alone on a remote, wild island. Roz must face many challenges to work out how to survive in her hostile environment; the other inhabitants of the island are not welcoming, how is she to survive and succeed?

The themes that the children are exploring in the book link amazingly well with the themes of Matt Dixon’s ‘Sense of Wonder’ exhibition at Pitshanger Manor which all the Year 4 classes visited yesterday. The children really enjoyed exploring the gallery and discussing the emotions and ideas expressed in the art work. In the 2D and 3D art work Matt Dixon’s robots encounter and engage with real world problems. The artist draws the viewers into the robot’s world, helping us to see things through the robot’s eyes and to experience the emotions of loneliness, sadness, wonder, curiosity and awe.

The exhibition was a very immersive experience and by the end of the visit all the Year 4 pupils felt a real connection with the robot; although of course you can’t have an emotional connection with a robot can you? Robots don’t feel emotions – do they?