Y6 English week beginning 08.02.21
Date: 3rd Feb 2021 @ 12:16pm
Mystery Story Writing
Over the next couple of weeks, we will be creating writing involving mysteries. Our writing will be for an audience of children about your age and will be full of tension, suspense and things to make you jump!
Monday 8th February
L/O To understand how to build tension in writing
Look in the Powerpoint to explore what tension and suspense means.
Now, read the real extract in the Powerpoint from ‘The Curse of Cogston House’.
Even at the end of the extract, the reader still doesn’t know who is coming down the stairs. Why not?
The rest of this session is reading and rereading the text to become familiar with the style and explore the techniques used. There will be lots of highlighting so you may wish to print the text extract a few times to spot the different features. The features are picked out in the Powerpoint so you can always compare what you think with what we think.
- Even though not much is happening to Alice, there is a lot of descriptive detail about the surroundings. All of this writing means that the reader can clearly picture what Alice is experiencing and they have to wait a long time before they find out what happens to her. Highlight the descriptive detail that is given to help the reader clearly picture what Alice is experiencing. Check with what they suggest in the Powerpoint to see how your ideas compare.
- The text uses some short, sharp sentences to shock the reader. In these short sentences, giving the reader no details at all is scary a bit like being in the dark. Try to spot the short, sharp sentence- then check your answers.
- Adding extra information (subordinate and relative clauses) to sentences can also make the reader wait even longer. Try and spot the two clauses then check your answers.
- Instead of writing ‘Alice was scared’, the author has shown us what Alice’s body is doing (Show not tell). How do you know that she is scared? Try and find 4 examples, then check your answers.
- To build tension and suspense, descriptions should appeal to the reader’s senses. Can you find sights, sounds and feelings in the text? There’s lots of examples, then check your answers.
- Instead of writing ‘walked’, exciting synonyms are used to show the reader exactly how the man was moving. Can you find the description? Why is it scary? There are two examples.
- The describing words in this extract are interesting and imaginative. Why do you think it is important to describe events in detail? How many can you find?
- The author also uses imagery. Imagery means any description which works to conjure up an image in the reader’s mind. Can you find a simile and a metaphor?
- Onomatopoeia also helps to immerse the reader in your story. Try saying these words and make them sound like the noise they describe. There are three examples to find.
For a challenge: how many of the features can you remember? Try writing them down to test yourself without looking – there are nine!
Tuesday 9th February
L/O To identify tension building techniques in writing
We looked at a lot of techniques yesterday that helped to create tension in writing. They are outlined below (this will become our Success Criteria when we produce our own writing).
|
descriptive detail about the surroundings |
short, sharp sentences to shock the reader |
extra information (subordinate and relative clauses) |
|
descriptions should appeal to the reader’s senses |
exciting synonyms |
describing words in this extract are interesting and imaginative |
|
show not tell |
similes and metaphors |
onomatopoeia |
We are looking at three short pieces of writing today that are written to create suspense and be full of tension. Revisit the definitions of the tension techniques from yesterday to make sure you understand what they mean.
Stick each text in the middle of a page and highlight and label as many of the features as you can spot that make it a great piece of mystery writing.
For a challenge: try to identify exactly what the author was trying to make the reader feel at that exact point in the story.
Wednesday 10th February (shorter lesson because it’s assembly!)
L/O To identify tension building techniques in a complete story
We have another story to read today – you may need to re-read it to really gain a sense of what the author is trying to achieve.
Today you need to pick out as many of the tension techniques that have been used. Which are most effective? Why? Stick the text in the middle of a double page and highlight/label as many as you can find.
For a challenge: How has the author created cohesion in the text to make it stick together? Any repetition? Any conjunctions? Any pronouns?
|
descriptive detail about the surroundings |
short, sharp sentences to shock the reader |
extra information (subordinate and relative clauses) |
|
descriptions should appeal to the reader’s senses |
exciting synonyms |
describing words in this extract are interesting and imaginative |
|
show not tell |
similes and metaphors |
onomatopoeia |
Thursday 11th February
L/O To identify tension building techniques in writing
|
descriptive detail about the surroundings |
short, sharp sentences to shock the reader |
extra information (subordinate and relative clauses) |
|
descriptions should appeal to the reader’s senses |
exciting synonyms |
describing words in this extract are interesting and imaginative |
|
show not tell |
similes and metaphors |
onomatopoeia |
Today we are unpicking the text we read yesterday and working backwards to the planning stage. This will help use see how a reader has built up a simple plan into an excellent piece of writing.
Fill in the bare bones of the story on the planning sheet to see how simple the story is.
Now, build up the detail of the text by rereading the story and adding the ideas to your plan to see how the author built up the story with tension techniques and details.
Finally, hide the original story and retell it from your plan. The aim is not to remember it word for word, but to practise retelling it to help yourself become more familiar with the structure of a mystery, tension filled story!
For a challenge: What slang words are used in the text? Can you spot where the tome changes due to the use of speech?
Friday 12th February
L/O To identify tension building techniques in writing
|
descriptive detail about the surroundings |
short, sharp sentences to shock the reader |
extra information (subordinate and relative clauses) |
|
descriptions should appeal to the reader’s senses |
exciting synonyms |
describing words in this extract are interesting and imaginative |
|
show not tell |
similes and metaphors |
onomatopoeia |
Today we are going to practise using some of the tension building techniques that we have identified in our writing. We are going to read some starters and continue the writing with another few paragraphs.
For each of the texts:
- Consider how the story will continue (remember – plots move slowly in tense stories – you may actually tell the reader very little new plot)
- Pick at least three techniques for each piece of writing
- Create at least three paragraphs to continue the story and practice the techniques
For a challenge: embed some speech for the character to say. Include slang words and choose words that show exactly how the character is feeling.