Year Six: Memorise Our Story Structure!

Please learn 'by heart' as much of the information on the 'Story Structure' sheet as you can. Walk around the house, mutter to yourself, cover up the sheet and try to copy it out by hand...do whatever you need to do to help you remember all the different techniques you can include in a short story.

I'll give your first 'test' on this tomorrow - but don't worry if you haven't quite learnt it all by Friday. Just make a start tonight!

Want another copy of the sheet. Download 'Memorise Bald Worm's story structure' from my area at box.net

Year 5 - First 15 lines

Please read the information on the structure of the first 15 lines of a short story at Baldworm.co.uk.

Read the following:
1. http://www.baldworm.co.uk/Story_structure/opening.html

2. http://www.baldworm.co.uk/Story_structure/scene.html

3. http://www.baldworm.co.uk/Story_structure/talking.html

If you have speakers, please listen to the 2007-8 Year Six Story Structure podcast

P.S. Don't forget the spelling test tomorrow!

Year 4 Creative Writing - Story Structure Poster

L.O. To revise the structure of the first 15 lines of a short story

Create a poster on A4 paper to explain story structure to Year 3 pupils.

Include all of the 'first three sections of a short story' information at http://www.baldworm.co.uk on the poster. Remember to include all of our descriptive techniques.

Due: Friday

Year 4 Creative Writing - Kinesthetic learning

L.O. To revise the structure of the first 1/2 page of a short story

We have been studying the structure of the first 15 lines of a short story. To help you remember this key information, we are going to create 'clapping and movement rhymes'. This is a kinesthetic learning tasks - learning by carrying out a physical activity, rather than listening to a lecture or watching a demonstration.

Kinesthetic learning is a key learning style. Learn more about learning styles here.

In class, we enjoyed videos of the year Six 'parts of speech' clapping and movement rhymes. You're going to create the same thing, but this time it is for story structure.

Homework: In pairs, create a memorable 'clapping and movement' rhyme to help your friends remember the structure of the first fifteen lines of a short story. Make sure you include references to exciting first lines, all of the descriptive techniques (five senses, colour, simile, etc), shown feelings and describing a character.

You can learn more about these key skills through the links below:

What is story structure?
Exciting first line
Setting the scene using our descriptive techniques
More speech and describing one of the characters

We'll video all of your work next week, and vote for the 'best' - Which is the most memorable rhyme? Which rhyme packed in the most information about story structure?

Here is an example of the parts of speech rhyme from a school in the North of England. Your rhyme will need to be longer than this to pack in all the information -and you might want to include some dance elements, too!

Find time to meet with your partner - at break, lunch or after-school - to write and rehearse your story structure clapping rhyme!

Year 4 Creative Writing - First 15 lines - Character Descriptions

L.O. To revise the structure of the first 15 lines of a short story


You are going to write the first 15 lines of a short story whilst following Bald Worm's story structure advice.

Click here to read full details, and access useful links, on the Year 4 pupil wiki page.

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 Creative Writing - The First 15 lines of a Short Story

L.O. To understand that the first 1/2 page of a short story needs an exciting opening, a description of the location, dialogue and a description of one of the characters.

We have been learning about how to organise - structure - our ideas. A short story isn't a book - you've only got one-and-a-half sides of A4, so we are learning the most effective way to organise our ideas (we'll mess with this structure once we know it like the back of our hands). You can learn lots more about story structure by clicking here.

Try not to wait for me to tell you what to learn next - use baldworm.co.uk to learn all about 'skills' and 'story structure'

Homework: Write the first 15 lines of an 'Escape' story. Make sure you follow our story structure.

Feeling clever? Remember to show, not tell! (Learn all about this by clicking here.)