THE WEIGHT OF

WATER
novel
Structure of novel
◦ The novel is made up of poems of differing length
◦ Reading these poems gives voice to Kasienka’s personal experience of
emigrating from Poland to England.
◦ The reader sees everything from Kasienka’s point of view.
◦ This gives the impression that the novel is almost like a personal memoir.
Sarah Crossan interviews
◦ https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/sarah-crossan-i-really-think-poetry-and-arts-can-transform-life
-1.3491843

◦ https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=4&v=q6arrPJsRIU
Questions (First Day)
◦ In ‘First Day’ Kasienka describes her first day at school. Does she have a
positive experience? What is Ms. Warren’s attitude like? Why did Mama
stop Kasienka from contradicting Ms. Warren?
◦ Paired Discussion:
◦ Think back on your first day of secondary school. How did you feel. How
do you think Kasienka is feeling after her first day?

◦ Begin a character profile for Kasienka.

Kasienka’s diary
Page 22: Reread pages 15-22.
Imagine you are Kasienka.
Write a diary entry describing how she feels about moving to England and
beginning a new school. Include her thoughts about how Mama is coping
with the change and her search for Tata.
Swimming
Why does Kasienka love to swim? How does
it make her feel? Support your answer with reference to the text. (PQE)
Can you think of something you do that makes you feel completely
yourself?

(At least one half of an A4 page)

Page 39. Road Atlas
Select one poem from what we have read so far. Explore your poem and describe
1. Any techniques you can find
2. Emotions in the poem.

Write two paragraphs about your chosen poem, describing the techniques used
and the meaning of the poem. (PQE)
Page 54 Meal times
Create a character profile for Mama and Kanoro.
Do you think Kasienka has changed since the opening of the
novel. Add to her character profile

Setting
Describe/sketch the apartments that Mama, Kasienka and
Kanoro live in.
Diary Entry Kasienka ‘In the Dark’ p.
79
Write a diary entry for Kasienka.
Detailed diary entry (1 A4 page) - 3 good paragraphs. Must have date and
opening ‘Dear Diary’
Can Include -
Kasienka’s thoughts about Tata and Mama,
William and Clair
Settling in to England
Her struggles with her new life.
Themes
List some themes that are emerging from your reading of the novel.
 William and Clair
1. William is the one person Kasienka feels connected to. What is it about William and the way
he treats Kasienka that she likes? Is William a sympathetic character? Do you likehim?

2. Clair is a popular student. Why? Would she be popular in your school? Why does Clair
eventually shun Kasienka after initially befriending her? Can what Clair is doing to Kasienka
be described as bullying? Does bullying have to be physical? Describe a time when you
bullied someone else: Why did you do this? Alternatively, describe a time you were bullied:
How did this make you feel?
Speech task
1. Imagine you have been asked to deliver a speech to the teachers and parents on Open Night. Your
speech is entitled ‘How to deal with bullying’. Write the speech focusing on
(i) Audience - you must greet and address the audience throughout the speech
(ii) Use persuasive language to convince parents and teachers that it is very important to deal with
bullying.
(iii) Outline the problem of bullying and include how you think bullying should be dealt with.

Must have:
Formal language
awareness of audience,
persuasive language,
have some solutions for bullying.
Social media post for
Kasienka:
Email
You are Kasienka’s friend Magdalena from Poland. You were good friends and went to school
together.
You have been wondering how Kasienka is getting on in England.
Kasienka writes an email to you in Poland. SHe says that a text is too short for what she wants
to tell you. She tells you about Mama and the fact that she has found Tata but has not told her
mother yet.
Write her an email advising her about what she should do.

Must have:
Structure of an Email,
Friendly informal language
‘Motherless’ p. 165-167 - Close reading
Title of the poem highlights the theme of being parentless. Kasienka’s father was missing and
now it is as if she has lost her mother as well for a time.
Tone of this poem is bleak and sad - the reader can feel Kasienka’s discomfort.
Kasienka and her mother live in a small apartment so it is hard for them to avoid one another.
Mama communicates her feelings by deliberately turning away from Kasienka, burning food
and banging the pots, so that Kasienka can see and even hear and smell her mother’s anger.
Kasienka seems desperate for her mother’s attention, ‘She won’t look at me when I sit/opposite
her at dinner/Trying not to spill anything/Even eating the onions.’
If she touches her mother accidentally Mama will brush her away in anger. This image reminds
one of shaking off a horrible spider or something poisonous. Kasienka seems to feel as if she is
like a ‘poison’ her mother wants to shake off.
 ‘Guilty’ and ‘Split’
1. Read ‘Guilty on page 163,164. Why does Kasienka feel guilty about her
relationship with Melanie and Briony?
2. Is Mama justified in being so angry with Kasienka?
3. Reread the poem ‘Split’. Why is it difficult for Kasienka to find herself?
4. Kasienka says there are ‘many Kasienkas now’. Can you identify with her? In
what ways are you different people with or for different people? Is this a
natural way in which we communicate and relate to different people in our
lives?
Class work (pairs)
Complete a close reading of the poems
‘Family’ (189,190)
‘Allegiance’ (193, 194)
‘Cracked’ (196,197)
‘Home’ (213, 214)
 Discuss the effective use of language in the poem
‘Cracked’ (Third Year - Revision)
I think the poem ‘Cracked’ is a very powerful poem. I think that it uses some very effective language
techniques. Firstly the poem uses rhyme and repetition. An example of this is in the final stanza of the poem.
In this stanza the word ‘Without is repeated three times and the end of three sentences rhyme with the words,
‘goodnight’, ‘light and right’. I think this shows that Kasienka is going without love and affection from
Mama and the repetition and rhyme emphasises this reality.
Another way that language is used effectively is in the imagery of stanza one. Kasineka says that Mama is
broken into pieces. This reminds me of a broken mirror that has jagged edges and so it can cut anyone who
touches it. Mama is ignoring Kasienka and is treating her in a cruel manner. Mama is hurt and she is lashing
out at Kasienka.
Finally there are many pauses in the poem. Sometimes words are separated out over a few lines, such as
‘pieces/of/her’. In another line there is a large gap before the words ‘Half a bottle’. This slows down the
poem and emphasises how hard it is for Kasienka to speak about her home life. These three points
demonstrate that language is used effectively in the poem.
Update Character Profiles
Kasienka, Mama and Clair
Describe:
◦ Relationships of the characters
◦ Do they change over the course of the novel
◦ What motivates the characters to act in the way they do.
Out of all the characters in the novel, which is your favourite and
least favourite character?
Key Moments in the novel
Crisis/Climax

Falling Action

Rising Action/tension

Exposition Resolution
Book Review
You have been asked by Cork City Library to write a review of the novel ‘The Weight of Water’. Write a
book review of the novel, detailing your thoughts on the story and consider if you would recommend it to
other young readers.
Must have
*Some details of the story without giving it away
* Your opinion of the novel, and whether you enjoyed it or not
* Your recommendation: Highly recommend or just recommend? Is there a particular age group you would
recommend it to? Does this book appeal to a particular genre-lover?
*Stars out of 5
Themes - Love
◦ Mama’s love for Tata – mixed with anger and hurt.
◦ Mama cannot understand why Tata would leave her and Kasienka.
◦ She follows him to England where she begins a new life, while trying to find Tata.
◦ Mama’s love for her husband means that she works through different challenges:
▪ Language
▪ Different culture
▪ Different work.
◦ As the novel progresses we see that Mama’s search for Tata starts to wear her down and affect her
relationship with Kasienka.
◦ She finds friendship with Kanoro who brings laughter to their home again.
Theme of Love
◦ Kasienka falls in love with William.
◦ When she is with William, these are described as some of the happiest times she experiences.
◦ Kasienka’s experience of young love is contrasted to the complications of her parents’ relationship.
◦ Kasienka feels loved and accepted as she is by William.
◦ She describes the awkwardness of first love in the poem ‘First Kiss’
◦ An example of the happiness that Kasienka feels when she is with William can be seen in the poem
‘Confidence’
Theme of bullying
◦ The theme of bullying occurs throughout the novel.
◦ Kasienka describes the bullying of others in ‘Happy slapping’.
◦ Kasienka experiences bullying at the hands of her former friend, Clair and
Clair’s friends.
◦ Kasienka feels confused because she doesn’t know why Clair turned against
her (‘In the Dark’)
◦ Clair ignores Kasienka, makes sure she has no other friends, spreads rumours,
and cuts off her hair
◦ Kasienka describes what happens to her(‘Assembly’ and ‘Rumours’).
◦ She also describes the reactions of others (‘The Pity Club’, ‘Teachers’). Kasienka feels that
even though others know they do not help her. Neither the other students, the teachers, or even
Mama intervene.
◦ As the novel progresses Kasienka realizes that she must act to end the bullying herself.
◦ She begins to gain confidence
⮚ from her excellent performance on the swim team
⮚Her relationship with William:

‘ He knows
I can save
Myself’ (Confidence)
Theme of change
◦ Many changes take place throughout the novel.
◦ Kasienka has to:
◦ 1. Change to become used to her new school in Coventry.
◦ 2. She notices changes in her body (‘Thursday’ and ‘Grating’)
◦ 3. Make decisions: for example
❖ decide to confront Tata,
❖continue visiting Melanie and Briony,
❖go to the swimming competition,
❖forgive Tata and Mama,
❖to decide to stay with Mama
Kasienka’s metamorphosis
◦ Kasienka seems very shy at the beginning of the novel.
◦ While being bullied by Clair and others she feels helpless and unable to
change her situation.
◦ Kasienka describes how she feels strong and confident while swimming,
(‘Betrayal’, ‘Home’).
◦ ‘I have to trust myself,
◦ Trust the territory and My own body,
◦ The power of each limb’. (Home)
Butterfly
◦ Gradually Kasienka gains the confidence to stand up to Clair
(‘Metamorphosis’)
◦ Life changes for both Mama and Kasienka at the end of the novel.
◦ Kasienka notices that in her friendship with Dalilah they both are equal.
◦ This is different to Clair and her friends where Clair is in charge.
◦ Epilogue: Kasienka is learning the butterfly stroke. Like a butterfly she too has
undergone a transformation since the beginning of the novel.