Writing - 2 Activities
Intro
This week, we'd like students to complete two pieces of quality writing: a set of instructions and a diary entry from the perspective of a superhero in quarantine. These might take more than one day to complete and that's ok.
Set of Instructions
For this activity, we are asking children to write a set of instructions for something. In the reading for the week, there was a set of instructions for how to carve a pumpkin. Additionally, I've attached a model for baking banana bread. Children can write the instructions about anything, but we ask that they be descriptive - use the two models given as examples for expectation.
If you're stuck for ideas, take notes while cooking with a parent and then write up a recipe for the meal you helped make your family.
Superheroes in Quarantine
It is important that we realise that life isn't normal right now, but that doesn't mean that we can't have fun with it. We will be using the writing prompt from http://www.pobble365.com/the-vacation/ and adjusting it a little to make it more relevant to what everyone is dealing with currently.
Activity 1: Set of Instructions
Below is my set of instructions for baking banana bread with annotations explaining some of my thinking while I was writing.
In my writing I can:
- Use fronted adverbials with a comma to link ideas.
- Use sub-headings to organise my work.
- Use brackets to add extra information.
- Use chatty, informal language to speak to your audience.
Activity 3: Superheroes in Quarantine
This activity has six different sections.
- Look at the pictures and think about other superheroes.
- Question Time! Read the questions and answer each one. This will get your brain thinking about the story you're going to write.
- Sick Sentences! These sentences need a little help. Rewrite them with your own improvements.
- Sentence Challenge! Write some sentences that follow the challenge.
- Write Your Story! Write a diary entry as if you were your chosen superhero. You can do more than one super hero or more than one diary entry from a super hero if you wish. You can include your sentences from the Sick Sentence and Sentence Challenge section.
- Perfect Picture! Finally you get to do some art related to your writing.
1. Story Starter
Well everyone is in quarantine right now and superheroes are no different.
(The only superheroes allowed out are our nurses, doctors, grocery store workers, etc! Link for comics about that: https://www.boredpanda.com/coronavirus-pandemic-superheroes-comics-dustin-rogers/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=organic)
Can you write a diary in the 1st person from the perspective of a superhero? You could describe where you are right now and what activities you are doing.
2. Question Time
- If you could choose to be on lockdown somewhere else, where would it be?
- Who would you take with you?
- Which superhero would you most like to be stuck with?
- What everyday activities or sports do you think different superheroes would be good at?
- Which superhero would you most like to be? Why?
3. Sick Sentences
These sentences are 'sick' as in they need a lot of help to be better. Can you help. Could you add an adverb?
Hulk had big arms and a big chest. He wore trousers.
4. Sentence Challenge
Insert the inverted commas into the sentence below.
Did we have to bring him along? Spiderman muttered under his breath. He always breaks things.
Use speech in your writing today? Remember to use inverted commas.
5. Write your Diary!
Using all of the information and work from sections 1 to 4, write a diary entry as a superhero stuck somewhere during this lockdown.
You can also write diary entries from the perspective of other superheroes or write multiple entries from the perspective of one.
Set your targets: choose three things to include in the story you write and make sure you do them.
Some examples of targets you could set yourself are: relative clauses, fronted adverbials, speech, using ? and !, using a variety of modal verbs, using brackets, using similes, using metaphors, using onomatopoeia, etc.
6. Perfect Picture!
Can you draw a superheroes doing an activity that you like doing? Or, can you make a funny comic about a superhero like the Marvel ones from the start of this activity?