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Summary for Lesson 1
In our first lesson together, we focused on descriptive writing as our first question type, thinking about the key to effective and lyrical writing. The powerpoint with all of the resources is attached below, which should be used to help write the homework exam questions. It also contains our work on the most important features of descriptive writing, a summary of the three most important points to bear in mind, an example of Roald Dahl’s descriptive language and the two mock questions we have been studying and which the class should choose between for homework. Everyone worked really well today, taking on board a lot of really important elements of writing particularly those focused on the planning process and how to make the most of it, which the students did fantastically. Well done guys, keep up the fab work! 🙂
Homework
Here is a great video to watch that sums up the best way to view the poetic, sensory and figurative side of descriptive writing. I would highly recommend watching it!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSoRzTtwgP4&t=5s
Here is the video from the lesson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4ENH-zQgWU&t=7s
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Question one:
“WHAT THE HELL IN THE FLIPPIN’ WORLD ARE YOU DOING?” Boomed a petrifying voice from behind me. Not willing to face my fate, I slowly turned around to face the beast of a teacher. This time, he spat at my desk, and oh, what detestable breath! Then, he lifted his fist and took a blow at my face with inhuman strength, and I was pretty sure a tooth or so flew out of my mouth. When I looked back, his face was fully red like a tomato his teeth were clenched, his forehead wrinkled like the sea in a tornado. His extremely bulky arms lead his clenched fists straight into the weak wooden table, making a crater at the immeasurable force of the impact.
“W…w…what did I…I do w…wrong?” I managed a quiet struggle
“WHAT DID YOU DO WRONG?” HE RAGED “WHAT YOU DID WRONG WAS TO BE BORN!”
And trust me, he looked detonative at the time and I really didn’t want to make him any angrier than he was now…
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“What are you doing!” Screamed Mrs Sales while panting for a breath after kicking a basketball into the Sun, along with a student that had dropped a pinch of sand on the gravel “What is going on here?” she snarled as her lips curled up. She was going to savour this.
The shouting happened about 12:30 just before lunch and I was excruciatingly hungry at school.
I had been chewing gum in class. Detention was inevitable. Fear, bedlam, sadness I knew what I was getting. And I was right ten days of detention doing home work while having a teacher shouting at you because you wanted nutrients in class. Its unreasonable! I’m even missing my lunch just because my teacher Mrs Sales looks like a dog, has eyes like a hawk, and smells like a toad. She gives Everyone a detention. But I on the other hand am a smart smooth haired boy with Italian silk clothes. And that’s how I have a mean teacher that puts my work in a cream filled beaker! And its not just the students that she’s mean to it’s the parents as well!
You see Mrs Sales never had a good childhood she was left alone by her rich parents and forgotten about in the gutter.
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Miss Granbull, the headmaster had aggressive greedy eyes which turned an ominous blood red when angered. She towered over everyone my miles and her lurking shadow was everyone’s worst fear. Everyone would stammer when they talked to her even the bravest of students because we all knew what was coming if we made a mistake. When you stared into her cold dark eyes and her evil smile it was like looking into your worst nightmare. Her face was mean and evil-looking with a pointy chin, hooked nose (and some might say there were warts on them) and her piercing stare.
She had dark, greasy mucky-coloured hair which was always put in a tight bun in the back of her head with a crimson red hair tie and she wore black flowing robes with bloody red patterns on them and black framed glasses from which she would star into your eyes smiling malevolently at you it was like she was looking into all your secrets and how much you hate her, maybe she was because one day…
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Summary for Lesson 2
In our second lesson together, we focused on a question type which gives students a line to focus their story around, often either at the beginning or end. The powerpoint with all of the resources is attached below, which should be used to help with revision. It also contains our work on deciphering whether each student was best at free-writing exercises, using the momentum of free-writing to help them complete an exam style question, or at planning. We workshopped both styles with two mock papers, discussing the advantages and draw backs of each, and thinking about the importance of a hook. The class were fantastic today, they were all super focused and produced some really excellent work. Their self-evaluation skills were on point today too- well done everyone! See you soon 🙂
Video on introductions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0_u-lourd0
Homework
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“You there!”
Mr. Chyldhater’s sharp, piercing grey eyes fixed on me. I almost dropped the comic book I was hiding behind my science textbook. The eyes of seventeen children were on me. Involuntarily, I shivered. As usual, Mr. Chyldhater was wearing a drab, dark grey two-piece suit and grey shoes polished until they gleamed in the afternoon light. He had a little mustache on his upper lip. Everything about him seemed grey. Even his pale skin has a greyish tinge to it, like a vampire suffering from blood loss. His eyes, hidden behind wire-rimmed square spectacles, darted around the room. Like a spotlight, a beam of sunshine landed directly over my desk, blinding me a little bit. A cloak of silence covered the classroom.
“Come here!” he barked.
The imposing man seldom spoke more than three words per sentence. Spoke was the wrong word. He only shouted, or snarled, or even snapped, at the best of times. This was the worst of times.
As I approached the front of the classroom, where Mr. Chyldhater was standing, I heard a small giggle protrude the heavy atmosphere. At the corner of my eye, I spotted one of my least favourite people, Emilie, hastily covering her mouth with her hand.
Mr. Chyldhater whipped round, his eyes bulging out of their sockets, which they did when he was enraged. He swept his murderous gaze across the room at the cowering children.
“Silence!” he hissed.
And turning to Emilie, he told her: “I will deal with you later.”
As all eyes turned to a frightened Emilie, I slowly sauntered to the front of the room, where a beam of sunlight cast its shadow across the whiteboard. Ominously, Mr. Chyldhater loomed up in front of me. Far away he looked menacing, but close up, he looked even more ferocious. His piggish little eyes squinted at me. He looked as if he was about to explode.
“You, spell pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis.”
It was a word out of nowhere. I had never heard it before, let alone practised its spelling. Mr. Chyldhater loved to randomly pull children out from their seats and ask, no, force them to explain something they had never learned, to do something they had never done. He relished in the humiliation the student received and handing out punishments like candy.
“P E U…” I began spelling out the word, my heart beating as fast as a racehorse, fearing the words as I continued.
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<p style=”text-align: center;”></p>
“You there!”Mr. Chyldhater’s sharp, piercing grey eyes fixed on me. I almost dropped the comic book I was hiding behind my science textbook. The eyes of seventeen children were on me. Involuntarily, I shivered. As usual, Mr. Chyldhater was wearing a drab, dark grey two-piece suit and grey shoes polished until they gleamed in the afternoon light. He had a little mustache on his upper lip. Everything about him seemed grey. Even his pale skin has a greyish tinge to it, like a vampire suffering from blood loss. His eyes, hidden behind wire-rimmed square spectacles, darted around the room. Like a spotlight, a beam of sunshine landed directly over my desk, blinding me a little bit. A cloak of silence covered the classroom.
“Come here!” he barked.
The imposing man seldom spoke more than three words per sentence. Spoke was the wrong word. He only shouted, or snarled, or even snapped, at the best of times. This was the worst of times.
As I approached the front of the classroom, where Mr. Chyldhater was standing, I heard a small giggle protrude the heavy atmosphere. At the corner of my eye, I spotted one of my least favourite people, Emilie, hastily covering her mouth with her hand.
Mr. Chyldhater whipped round, his eyes bulging out of their sockets, which they did when he was enraged. He swept his murderous gaze across the room at the cowering children.
“Silence!” he hissed.
And turning to Emilie, he told her: “I will deal with you later.”
As all eyes turned to a frightened Emilie, I slowly sauntered to the front of the room, where a beam of sunlight cast its shadow across the whiteboard. Ominously, Mr. Chyldhater loomed up in front of me. Far away he looked menacing, but close up, he looked even more ferocious. His piggish little eyes squinted at me. He looked as if he was about to explode.
“You, spell pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis.”
It was a word out of nowhere. I had never heard it before, let alone practised its spelling. Mr. Chyldhater loved to randomly pull children out from their seats and ask, no, force them to explain something they had never learned, to do something they had never done. He relished in the humiliation the student received and handing out punishments like candy.
“P N E…” I began spelling out the word, my heart beating as fast as a racehorse, fearing the words as I continued.
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Hello, Beth. Here is my homework:
Question One:
Looking at the colossal bulk of what everyone called a teacher, I finally understood why Mr. Bomb was so much of a bigot. So this was why everyone shied away from him. He was a bull of a man, wearing a red and white tie with a shirt and grey trousers. He stomped about, kicking anyone to have the misfortune to be in his way and raging at every single pupil in the entire school. Whenever he would be sighted, everyone ran away as fast as they could. He was despicable and everyone, even teachers and parents, found that they always had an impending sense of doom as he stomped his way towards them. With glaring red eyes and a bristling moustache, Mr. Bomb’s body sould swell and contort so much until he looked like he was just about to explode and the room was about to be demolished, mostly in a storm. He was benevolent to absolutely nobody, not even his family, giving him a short, fiery temper and he was particularly passionate about the subject that required the most gruelling, arduous work — quadratic equations – algebra. This, though thought of as the worst subject possible, was actually the only good thing about him, as this was what people needed to get a PhD degree in maths. If you could get past his outward façade, which only his son could do, he was actually a conscientious, diligent, assiduous worker who was both a mathematical and technological genius meaning that he could create millions of contraptions in his spare time!
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Summary for Lesson 3
In our third lesson together, we focused on the very common question type of letter writing, looking at a variety of different tones, purposes, audiences and styles that letters can be framed in. The powerpoint with all of the resources is attached below, which should be used to help with the homework. It also contains our work on workshopping a letter exam question, the prompts for the students to create their own 11+ exam style questions, their thoughts on letter writing characterisation and an example of a formal letter. Everyone worked beautifully today, they were all super creative and enthusiastic. Really impressive work everyone, keep it up! 🙂
Letter writing GCSE video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7TM6qmRqus
Mock paper with Martian question on it: https://spgs.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Sample-English-Paper-2.pdf
Homework
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To Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA for short)
I have made a few significant discoveries; earthlings survive on other inferior beings larger than infusoria. Earthlings are very flammable because as soon as the HeatRay was brought to bear, the humans burst into flames. Those raucous fools were making such a din as the fires reduced them to ashes. I have noticed many species, and I have classified the so-called ‘homo sapiens.’ A list is attached to the fragment of bronze I am writing this on (see the second page). Also, we have been following the Greek alphabet, and PI is what we see it as – a figure of infinite repetition – 3.1415926535897932384626433832795028841971693993… I need not go on. Gestures are used for expressing things if the person cannot speak.
Humans do not have tentacles and survive on a substance called ‘water’ instead of lava, which is detrimental to their health like a fire is. I have started building adequate weapons with the given resources. So far, the Tripods and Gas squirters have been entirely made, and the handling gadgets will soon be. I have spawned humans with muted voices, and so far, the Gas squirters have been of use, though not applied like the HeatRay has been duplicated and spread. The Steam Sprayers clean up the gas so that we may generally live after the war, just like humans. This information has been tested with the same humans on a street model. If our calculations are correct, then in three weeks, there will be no survivors on Earth.
Finally, I would like to say that you, Deoxyribonucleic Acid, are the Greatest Martian that ever lived because YOU made the correct calculations, YOU created the gadgets and developed the gas using the stagnant, arid water found in the black weed in the stead of glucose while we were cohabiting. You are the centre of Martian inspiration and an avid reader.
Best regards,
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Summary for Lesson 4
In our fourth lesson together, we focused on writing from a title, looking at how free-writing, planning and particualrly genre could be used to structure a response to what is often quite an abstract question style. The powerpoint with all of the resources is attached below, which should be used to help revise. It also contains our work on switching up appropriate genres, the seven elements of writing that the class should consider and the video on genre awareness, the link for which I’ll post below. Amazing, creative and enthusiastic work from everyone today guys, I’m really impressed with you all! Keep it up and good luck revising for our mock exam- remember only three of the four question types (writing from a title, descriptive, letter writing and start a story with the line…) are going to come up, so get revising the most important things for each and every one! See you next week 🙂
Genre video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Daut5e0kWBo
The vocab is attached below
Homework
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Simon Lesson 1:
“WHAT do you think that you’re doing?”
I heard a voice bellowing at me. I slowly lifted my head. A blood – curling, spine tingling monster that would give you the worst nightmares, a formidable alligator, an indestructible war tank that could bite and hurt and sent adults and children alike running away, screaming was bending down right over me, casting her shadow over me. Smoke came out of her ears, and she was slowly turning into the colour of a London Bus, which happened whenever Mrs Formidulosus. “How DARE you ignore me you filthy, insolent child!” my teacher barked. Mrs Formidulosus was a woman that you wouldn’t like to meet. She was a daunting figure, with a cruel and narrow face, eyes that always frowned, a mouth that never smiled, thick and sharp eyebrows and small ears which looked funny on her big shape.
and a grim shadow that always followed her. Her arms were as thick as tree trunks and were the kind which could lift entire buildings at ease.
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Simon Lesson 3 homework
A walk in the dark
Dear Jerry and Sophie,
How are you? I write to inform you two of the strange happenings that happened to me last night. I went to Mrs Collesbury’s house just after nine to fetch my mother’s reading glasses, which she had left when we went to have tea with her earlier. It was very dark, and the streets seemed to conceal all sorts of secrets. When I reached Wizzle’s Convenience Store, I heard a crack. I looked under my feet, expecting to see a twig. But I could see under the faint light of the streetlights that there was nothing under there. I looked around now, scared, expecting to see someone. But I saw no one. My heart started pounding, and my mouth turned dry. There was another crack. I looked around again, butterflies in my stomach, but saw nothing but darkness. I felt very small – I was all alone in a dark, empty street with wierd noises. I couldn’t bear it anymore. I ran home.
Your Friend,
Frederick
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28 Appleton way
Reading
Berkshire
United Kingdom
23/07/2021
The palace in the snow
Svalbard
The north
The Artic
Dear Iorek Byrnison,
So yesterday, I had to go out ad midnight and…well, get the garbage out because my dad forgot to do it, so definitely nothing wrong going on, nothing to worry about, and that was when it happened… I would like to ask you for advice, as you are much wiser and older than me.
So as normal, I was walking through the never-ending darkness as normal to reach the garbage place, and when I was walking back, I seemed to stumble and trip on nothing, and abruptly I found myself falling and falling, like the world had somehow come to an end. My torch was flashing like crazy, and then it went dark, heart-splintering darkness crashing into me, and I found my heart skipping at least thirteen beats…
The eerie whistle of wind, the dim glowing undetectable sources of light, the harsh whispers of haunted bodies unable sleep in peace… Sudden consciousness then snapped into my head, that it made me dizzy, and… I was sure something, or someone I should say, was calling my name is a flash of whispers and silent calls: Will, Will, come here! I know you want to, just come! But the voices were untraceable, it was coming from everywhere, up, down, left, right. Then the dim, glowing silhouettes of hooded figures, with a light material tracing behind them, they were gliding gracefully, but a aura of horror surrounded them, still. Come here! Play with us, come on, Will! The voice sang. They were ghosts. But… how did they know my name? They danced a dance of horror around me, they were reaching out, and then, small ghost shoved a heavy envelope into my hands, and with a harsh scream, they disappeared, as if being sucked away by a vacuum cleaner.
At last, when I was still unable to move and frozen by horror, BOOM! And I found myself in front of my front door. It all felt like a dream, but I still had the envelope in my hands, so it couldn’t be. When I opened it, it read:
Dear William Silvertounge,
I would Like you to go to Bolvanger Crescent at midnight, knock on the door and say: no strawberries today, then you will see a long table in the hall, sit down. This is an dinner invitation because of the events that have happened this week…
Oh, Iorek, what should I do?
Look forward to reading your replies
Best wishes,
WILL
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Dear Beth,
this is my homework for Week 2.
Study Team
ULCC Headquarters
Scarlet Shore
Mars
Solar System
Milky way galaxy
Lieutenant L.S
London
England
Earth
Solar System
Milky Way
To ULCC (Universe Life Control Centre),
It looks like our reconnaissance team has discovered intelligent, or not so intelligent life on a
Planet in a galaxy named the Milky way, in our own Solar System, on a planet known as ‘Earth’.
When we first landed, ‘humans’ (which is what they call themselves) flocked to see the spaceship. When the first of out Martian team exited the ship, they all fled in terror. I do not see what frightened them. Maybe they were just crazy.
An Earth Man (that is what they call their adult males) fell into our crater exactly 4.57738 minutes after we landed. He has been taken to the backup shuttle. He is in an Earth condition known as a ‘coma’. He does not seem dangerous. We will send him to HQ for studying.
Earth is very different, yet still similar, to Mars. I think we may have landed in a city, by the looks of what we assumed were houses, although they were very different from our own. Technology is primitive, and there are ‘horse-drawn carriages’ that only work on roads instead of our A-pods that can go almost anywhere.
Humans are by far the strangest species I have ever seen. They have bits of string stuck to their round heads; different people have different colours, and they have bits of cloth wrapped around their bodies which they call ‘clothes’. They come in different sizes: ‘adult’ and ‘child’, in which the ‘child’ is smaller. I think we will take a couple more for studying.
However, the question is: Should we be aggressive. So far, I see no need. I will send clothes, food samples and photos of humans at their daily lives to HQ as well. I will be looking forward to an answer soon.
L.S
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Summary for Lesson 5
In today’s lesson we completed our first mock writing exam, spending the first few minutes of the lesson to quickly revise the core components of the four question types we have studied in our classes so far. We also looked at some top tips for creative writing from Margaret Atwood, the professional writer, and discussed tips and timings for the exam. The class then spent twenty-five minutes completing their writing, using an additional five minutes to plan. They all worked fantastically today, everyone was very focused on the task at hand and all seemed to have revised thoroughly and thoughtfully beforehand, offering up some great ideas about the key elements for each type of 11+ question. Brilliant work everyone and I look forward to reading through all of your exams. See you soon! 🙂
Video we watched with Margaret Atwood: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_d0tIugpSA
Homework
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Hi Beth,
I’m so sorry for sending my writing again! I forgot the second page in the last email. Thanks!
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Summary for Lesson 6
In our sixth lesson together, we focused on article writing, looking at the two key types of this genre: feature writing and news writing. The powerpoint with all of the resources is attached below, which should be used to help with the articles assigned for homework. It also contains our work on article structure (i.e. the upside-down pyramid), interviews and their importance in a news story, different leads writers can use for articles, and some general tips and tricks for effective, accurate and eye-catching article composition. Everyone did fantastically today, they all engaged especially well in the role-playing interview technique exercise where they had to create a news story and find ways to extract testimony from witnesses. The class were full of ideas and energy today and it was a really fun and energetic lesson- amazing work everyone, keep it up and I’ll see you soon! 🙂
P.S. Remember to use slides 12, 13 & 14 to help you and to watch the video below if you have a spare few minutes.
Video to watch on article writing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60NkImwWrvc&t=3s
Video we watched on news article writing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMZ0LBV9gVg
Homework
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NEWSWORTHY NEWS
CALICO CAT CORNERED BY CANINES
Last night, a young calico cat was cornered by a dog gang and was bitten fatally after a bloody battle.
Last night, at 9:30 am, a young cat named Lucky Calico was murdered in Paw alley, Nikoville. A pedestrian reported that Lucky was ‘strolling casually’ into the dark alley. The witness also heard screams, growling, sharp meowing and other disturbing noises. In the morning, his body has been found at the end of the alley, a deep bite mark on his left leg. He did not have a heartbeat.
Based on numerous pieces of evidence, like claw marks and a black-and-white prison collar with the name ‘Spike’ on it, the police have reason to believe that the murder was committed by The Bones, a dog gang which had escaped prison last week, its leader being Spike Bone.
Based on the blood and claw marks on the floor and walls of the alley, there seemed to have been a fight.
Exactly the reason why Lucky was out at that time is unknown.
“It was such a sad day,” stated Kitty Calico-Fisher, Lucky’s mother. “Lucky was the most brilliant cat and a great member, and I find it hard to believe that he is gone.” His older sister, father, and several friends are also mourning his tragic demise.
Lucky Calico’s funeral is to be held a week later, on August 8th. The police are on the prowl for The Bones, and the evidence has been sent to the Salmon Institute of Science to process. Many say that Lucky was a much-loved member of the community and that he is missed.
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Summary for Lesson 7
In today’s lesson, we studied the genre of literary non-fiction, focusing specifically on autobiographical writing and the way it crops up in 11+ exams. We considered the central conventions of the genre, considering how to play around with conventions from within the framework, and thinking about emotive writing. We looked at the concept of pacing and how important it is for telling a story that stretches over a large period of time, and the students completed an exercise experimenting with pacing beautifully, working with their own autobiographical accounts. Everyone worked beautifully today, there was a huge amount of content to cover and everyone did it exceptionally well. I loved hearing their takes on the 11+ mock question and thought their use of vocab and figurative language was outstanding. Amazing work guys, I’ll see you all soon! 🙂
P.S. The extract from Roald Dahl’s autobiography is on Slide 6 of the PPT
Here is the video on effective pacing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krpMNLRhM_4&feature=emb_log
Homework
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Summary for Lesson 8
In our eighth lesson together, we focused on writing from a picture prompt, thinking about the ways in which we could apply the techniques we applied to other question types (i.e. writing from a title) to this one. The powerpoint with all of the resources is attached below, which should be used to help with the homework. It also contains our work on initial approaches to how to plan writing around a picture, our work and thoughts on literary techniques and how they can help to alleviate writer’s block, and, on Slide 8, a demonstration of the process for creating unusual metaphors by combining two unlikely objects through looking at their semantic fields. Everyone worked beautifully today, the class were really engaged and energetic and we had loads of fun thinking of unique and original responses to the pictures from the exams. The students came up with some hilarious and fantastically original ideas. I am super impressed with you all- keep it up and I’ll see you next week 🙂
Video from the lesson on creative writing exam tips: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=137&v=Jxo0BJXoFM8&feature=emb_logo
Homework
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Dear Beth,
This is my homework and I am writing about the two creepy children.
I sprinted through the halls of Thornton Manor, puffing and panting as the flames pursued me endlessly.
“Get everyone to safety!” I thought about the one thing on my mind.
The oak door loomed in front of me, the snake doorknocker baring its fangs. Yet I ignored everything.
Painfully slowly, the door swung open with a screech of protest. I took in the scene. Golden fire laced the room, surrounding everything like an aura. It licked the beds and the armchairs. Grey smock drifted gently through the space without a care in the world. And tight in the middle of the room, were two children.
They couldn’t be called children, exactly. Their skin was deathly pale, even more so than a vampire. There was an unnatural aloofness in their piercing, grey-blue eyes, and they seemed to be taking in the fire with cold interest as it sluggishly chewed through a purple tapestry. Thomas and Marianne Howl, the so-called demon children
“GO!” I screamed, “there’s a fire!”
“We know.”Thomas’s voice was quiet, yet it frightened me profusely. There seemed to be a ghostly lilt to his voice, something that suggested he didn’t belong here, in this world.
“You have to come with me!” I pleaded desperately. “Get out of here, now!”
The flames got stronger as they scorched the bed. I could feel the heat coursing through my veins. I wanted to scream. Yet, Thomas and Marianne seemed unharmed.
“No.”
The single word chilled me to the bone. The two had spoken in complete unison. There was one voice, not two.
“We are unloved, abandoned.” Thomas spoke again. “There is no meaning to our lives.” “People fear us; we are subject to hate and disgust.”
‘We do not belong in this world, and the humans know it.”
“There is no point to our being alive.”
“We shall perish in the flames, and return to our domain once again.”
I was frozen to the spot. How could they refer to people as humans? And what was their domain?
Suddenly, I saw their forms flicker and ripple. They were still pale, but their skin was now blueish. They were wearing golden crowns and clothes I didn’t recognise. Marianne held a golden hourglass-was that a LIFE glass!
“Go.”
“We do not wish for your life to be cut short by eight decades.”
Eight decades?
“Leave.” “We are fine here.”
Without a second thought, I left, leaving the children to perish in the flames.
I sprinted through the halls of Thorntorn Manor, puffing and panting as the flames pursued me endlessly.
“Get everyone to safety!” I thought about the one thing on my mind.
The oak door loomed in front of me, the snake doorknocker baring its fangs. Yet I ignored everything.
Painfully slowly, the door swung open with a screech of protest. I took in the scene. Golden fire laced the room, surrounding everything like an aura. It licked the beds and the armchairs. Grey smock drifted gently through the space without a care in the world. And tight in the middle of the room, were two children.
They couldn’t be called children, exactly. Their skin was deathly pale, even more so than a vampire. There was an unnatural aloofness in their piercing, grey-blue eyes, and they seemed to be taking in the fire with cold interest as it sluggishly chewed through a purple tapestry. Thomas and Marianne Howl, the so-called demon children
“GO!” I screamed, “there’s a fire!”
“We know.”Thomas’s voice was quiet, yet it frightened me profusely. There seemed to be a ghostly lilt to his voice, something that suggested he didn’t belong here, in this world.
“You have to come with me!” I pleaded desperately. “Get out of here, now!”
The flames got stronger as they scorched the bed. I could feel the heat coursing through my veins. I wanted to scream. Yet, Thomas and Marianne seemed unharmed.
“No.”
The single word chilled me to the bone. The two had spoken in complete there was one voice, not two.
“We are unloved, abandoned.” Thomas spoke again. “There is no meaning to our lives.” “People fear us; we are subject to hate and disgust.”
‘We do not belong in this world, and the humans know it.”
“There is no point to our being alive.”
“We shall perish in the flames, and return to our domain once again.”
I was frozen to the spot. How could they refer to people as humans? And what was there domain.
Suddenly, I saw their forms flicker, and ripple. They were still pale, but there skin was now blueish. They were wearing golden crowns and clothes I didn’t recognise. Marianne held a golden hourglass-was that a LIFE glass!
“Go.”
“We do not wish for your life to be cut short by eight decades.”
Eight decades?
“Leave.” “We are fine here.”
Without a second thought, I left, leaving the children to perish in the flames.
I sprinted through the halls of Thorin Manor, puffing and panting as the flames pursued me endlessly.
“Get everyone to safety!” I thought about the one thing on my mind.
The oak door loomed in front of me, the snake doorknocker baring its fangs. Yet I ignored everything.
Painfully slowly, the door swung open with a screech of protest. I took in the scene. Golden fire laced the room, surrounding everything like an aura. It licked the beds and the armchairs. Grey smock drifted gently through the space without a care in the world. And tight in the middle of the room, were two children.
They couldn’t be called children, exactly. Their skin was deathly pale, even more so than a vampire. There was an unnatural aloofness in their piercing, grey-blue eyes, and they seemed to be taking in the fire with cold interest as it sluggishly chewed through a purple tapestry. Thomas and Marianne Howl, the so-called demon children
“GO!” I screamed, “there’s a fire!”
“We know.”Thomas’s voice was quiet, yet it frightened me profusely. There seemed to be a ghostly lilt to his voice, something that suggested he didn’t belong here, in this world.
“You have to come with me!” I pleaded desperately. “Get out of here, now!”
The flames got stronger as they scorched the bed. I could feel the heat coursing through my veins. I wanted to scream. Yet, Thomas and Marianne seemed unharmed.
“No.”
The single word chilled me to the bone. The two had spoken in complete unison. There was one voice, not two.
“We are unloved, abandoned.” Thomas spoke again. “There is no meaning to our lives.” “People fear us; we are subject to hate and disgust.”
‘We do not belong in this world, and the humans know it.”
“There is no point to our being alive.”
“We shall perish in the flames, and return to our domain once again.”
I was frozen to the spot. How could they refer to people as humans? And what was their domain?
Suddenly, I saw their forms flicker and ripple. They were still pale, but their skin was now blueish. They were wearing golden crowns and clothes I didn’t recognise. Marianne held a golden hourglass-was that a LIFE glass!
“Go.”
“We do not wish for your life to be cut short by eight decades.”
Eight decades?
“Leave.” “We are fine here.”
Without a second thought, I left, leaving the children to perish in the flames.
EXTRA: (Spoils the mysterious effect of the story please don’t read) the children are alien royalty from Saturn who have been sent to Earth to see if they can blend in with humans. They couldn’t. Aliens’ plan to go to Earth terminated.
EXTRA: (Spoils the mysterious effect of the story please don’t read) the children are alien royalty from Planet Stellar who have been sent to Earth to see if they can blend in with humans. They couldn’t. Aliens’ plan to go to Earth terminated.
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Summary for Lesson 9
In our penultimate lesson together, we focused on persuasive writing, thinking about how to see persuasion from a different perspective and inject creativity back into essay writing subjects. The powerpoint with all of the resources is attached below, which should be used to help with revision for our mock exam next lesson. It also contains our work on thinking about persuasion in terms of how to change someone’s mind (trusted sources, beliefs and values, logical reasoning), our work on ‘just a minute’ and how it fosters the skill of making concise arguments, our thoughts on structure, ideas for persuasive techniques (DAFORESTI), the most important points from the lesson summarised on Slide 11 and finally the information on Wednesday’s mock (Slide 12). Everyone worked beautifully today, I was super impressed by all your energy and by the way you were able to engage in and practice many different forms and styles of persuasive reasoning. Good luck with your revision for your mock, remember to also revise the vocab from our lessons together (there are four vocab lists to look over). Fab work everyone- keep it up and I’ll see you in a few days! 🙂
Persuasive techniques video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRVOLqvXNmg
How to change people’s mind video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58jHhNzUHm4
Homework
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Summary for Lesson 10
In today’s lesson we completed our second mock writing exam, spending the first few minutes of the lesson to quickly revise the core components of the four question types we have studied in our classes most recently and completing a vocab test, which the class did fantastically well. The class then spent twenty-five minutes completing their writing, using an additional five minutes to plan. They all worked beautifully today, everyone focused really well and asked some really great and insightful questions about the writing process. I was really impressed with their vocab work, and thought that they were able to summarise the key componants of different question types excellently. Well done everyone, it’s been amazing working with you all over the past five weeks. You are all going to do fantastically in any writing exams you take- remember to be original and unique in your answers and keep being as creative as you already are now. Keep it up and I hope to see you all again soon! 🙂
Homework
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