Year 5 - Fiction - Story Structure (Japanese Sci-Fi)

L.O. To include (a) a location description and (b) a description of a character in a short story

The homework comes in two parts:

1. 'Assessment Week' is 19th-22nd May, and as part of the English test you are going to need to write a description. I've included loads of revision notes and games here.

Homework: Plan and write a story based on this fantastic picture (it comes from a book of Japanese Science-Fiction from the 1930s.)

Make sure that you open your story with exciting direct speech and then set the scene. Revise story structure by clicking here; you can revise all our work on planning this half-term by clicking here.

Feeling clever? Use a gel pen every time you include a bracketing comma.

See more fantastic images from Japan by clicking here.

Year 4 Fiction - Keeping a Dilemma Diary

L.O. To record dilemmas and moral questions that arise in day-to-day life and in reading

Stories need problems; they need conflict. Click here to learn more.

In class we have been studying dilemmas. We come across all sorts of dilemmas in everyday life; the books we read are full of dilemmas.

Your homework is to collect the dilemmas you come across in your day-to-day life, and in your reading, and present them in a 'dilemma diary'.

Here are some examples:

* In H.I.V.E (a book I'm reading), the main character has to decide whether to run away or stay and help his new friend.

* Yesterday, a nasty little voice in my head told me to eat the last chunk of chocolate when nobody was looking.

* On Friday, I couldn't decide whether to go and see a friend, or pretend that I was too busy to go out.

* A vegetarian friend smelt a bacon sandwich and was really tempted to have one herself...

Listen to that 'nasty little voice' that pops up in your head, and jot down what 'he's' telling you to do. You can present your dilemmas work in the best way you can think of - as a diary, a poster, a model (a question mark covered in dilemmas), like this:



Be creative! We'll be writing a story about one of your dilemmas in our next session!

Note: Please don't include any names in your work, or someone may get upset, e.g. 'A nasty little voice told me not to play with Sally, because she'd borrowed my rubber and not given it back' can be written 'A nasty little voice told me not to play with a friend, because they hadn't looked after my things.'

Due: Next Tuesday (6th May)

Year 5 Fiction - Planning from a Picture

L.O. To revise planning from a picture
To revise exciting opening lines
To revise the importance of setting the scene at the beginning of a short story

Before you begin, read this, and revise this and this.

For each of the three pictures you need to:
1. Brainstorm
2. Plan
3. Write the first eight lines of the story, i.e. write an exciting opening line and set the scene using our descriptive techniques.

Feeling clever? Make sure you include some bracketing commas as you set the scene.

Due: Monday

Year 5 Fiction - Snake...with Suspense and Action

L.O. To ensure that suspense and action are included in a short story.

Task: You are going to redraft your 'Snake!' story on the 'spy' wiki page, making sure you have responded to my comments on your first draft.

Feeling clever? Try to include the bracketing comma for names and interjections.

This is the last section of our suspense and action work, so you need to ensure this is your very best work, as I'll be adding an 'assessment comment' to the page before we lock it. You'll only get a good comment if you've made sure you've included suspense and action techniques!

You should also take this opportunity to read through the Easter holdiay homework so you can ask any questions on Monday. Click here for the homework page.

Year 5 Homework - Revising Planing Techniques

L.O. To revise brainstorming and developing an idea into a full plan

On Friday we're going to look again at 'Snake', focussing on how we need to plan for the inclusion of suspense and action.

Task:
Please read the sections at baldworm.co.uk on brainstorming ideas in an exam and 'from an idea to a plan'. You need to know this info like the back of your hand, so memorise as much as possible of the advice. We'll discuss what you've remembered on Friday.

Year 5 Homework Special - Friday, 29th Feb.- Wednesday, 5th March

Unfortunately, I will be out of school from Monday-Wednesday next week. Whilst I am away, you need to complete the following homework tasks:

L.O. To redraft a story focussing on developing use of description.

You are going to write a second draft of your ‘gadget’ story, improving it based on the comments I’ve made either on your wiki page or in your book.

I want you to focus on improving the ‘setting the scene’ passages at the beginning of your story. Revise these key skills by clicking here. (Note: there is lots of information in the 'story structure' section at baldworm.co.uk)

- Please don't adapt the first draft. Copy it, paste further down the page, and improve it as much as possible.
- Girls who have no typed up their first draft should add it to the wiki.

Need to revise suspense and action? Click here and here.

Feeling clever? Prose style makes a huge difference to your readers. Try to include all three of the following commas, and annotate the different uses using a gel pen before you hand in your book:

1. The listing comma
2. The joining comma
3. The bracketing comma

Monday: Complete the Wycombe comprehension paper. Don't forget to visit my comprehension site, here, if you don't understand what the questions are asking you to do.

L.O. To ensure you make 4 seperate points for 4 mark questions

Tuesday: Please complete the punctuation worksheets.

Wednesday: (Science homework night)

We'll come back to our comprehension podcast and the 'spy gadget story' redrafts at the end of next week.

If you have any problems send an email to baldworm@baldworm.co.uk, and I'll do my best to get back to you. Have fun!

Year Five Spy Project - Including Suspense and Action in a Short Story

L.O. To write a short story including suspense and action

There is a famous James Bond story entitled 'The Man With the Golden Gun'. You are going to write 'The Man with the ----' - and '----' means the spy gadget you designed over half-term, e.g. 'The Man with the Phone Hidden Inside a Copy of an Enid Blyton Book'

Your challenge is to use the suspense and action skills we've been studying within your story. Click here to revise these key skills.

For homework, finish the first draft (write 1 1/2 sides of A4), and type it up on your wiki page - and don't forget to know your poem 'by heart' for Monday!

Feeling clever? Use the bracketing comma when you include names in your dialogue, e.g. "What is the problem, Bond?"

Year 4 Fiction - A Blazing World - Describing Your Submarine!

L.O. To include a range of prepositions in a passage of description.

In class, we used kinasthetic learning techniques to study prepositions, and we learnt how we can use prepositions to make our descriptions 'flow'. For homework, I would like you to finish describing your submarine, using our descriptive tools, and plenty of prepositions. Aim to write about half-a-side of A4. Click here to revise our descriptive techniques

Feeling clever? Remember to include some figuarative language (similes)

Next week, we will be scanning our pictures into our page on the school pupil wiki, and recording our descriptions using a microphone on a Voicethread!

Year 5 - Redrafting our Secret HQ descriptions

In class you began to type up your description of the secret hq on your page in our pupil wiki. Your homework is to complete writing it up.

Remember that this is a great opportunity to improve your writing as you go - and do try to use all of Bald Worm's descriptive techniques!

Feeling clever? Don't forget to try to throw in some impact sentences to 'balance' your prose!

Year 4 Fiction - A Blazing World!

Our elder world, with all their skill and arts
Could but divide the world into three parts.
Columbus then for navigation famed
Found a new world, America 'tis named.
Now this new world was found, it was not made,
Only discovered lying in time's shade.
Then what are you, having no chaos found
To make a world, or any such least ground?
But your creating fancy thought it fit
To make your world of nothing but pure wit.
Your blazing world beyond the stars mounts higher,
Enlightens all with a celestial fire.
--William Newcastle

Year 4 are going to be writing stories set in imaginary worlds! This term, they'll have the chance to create a podcast, and we'll begin to explore digital stories!

L.O. To understand that authors use sketches and drawings to inspire imaginary worlds

We are going to explore a strange planet known as 'The Blazing World'. We'll write stories set in this world, play around with digital photographs to create locations, and record a podcast of our adventures! But to do so we'll going to need a ship!

The Blazing World is made up of a series of extremely odd islands! You need to design the submarine used to explore these islands!

Homework: Create a 'finished' draft of your own 'cut away' on a sheet of blank A4. Label it carefully with a ruler and pencil. We'll be writing a story based on this ship next week! (P.S. You can make the ship 'girly', if you like: why shouldn't the crew have soft furnishings, a pony trek room and a make-up salon!)

We'll scan the finished designs, and display them on the blog using bubbleshare!

P.S. Don't forget your parents to e-mail and sign-up for the Falcons School for Girls book club!