- This topic has 126 replies, 9 voices, and was last updated April 6, 2023 by
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Summary for Lesson 1
In today’s class we kicked off our ten week course with an introduction to theme in writing and how harnessing theme can help the students become even more confident and creative writers. We began with a discussion around what theme means, thinking about the way the students use theme in their own writing and unpicking the themes of an old folk story. We then spoke about what themes the students feel inspired by in their writing and why, uncovering how they felt about these ideas and their philosophical grounding in their work. We spoke about what the idea of a universal theme refers to, the class identified and discussed themes in their favourite books, and finally we read a passage which the class then used to inspire their own theme based writing on, pulling out ideas from the text such as freedom, bravery, the passage of time and standing up for yourself and using these themes to inspire their own excellent writing ideas. Really great work today everyone- I was super impressed by your mature and interesting discussion of the way theme works and the way it weaves through your own writing. You were all very tuned in and hardworking throughout- keep up the amazing work and I can’t wait to read your creative writing! See you next week 🙂
Understanding theme video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAu3e5GZo4k
Homework
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Dear Beth
This is homework for Daniel. Thank you for the lesson.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1r9uP_fGXRK9fy5Lf0aj4mHJyP1dbm6p4_vDxnu8qR_4/edit
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Dear Beth,
thanks for last Tuesday’s wonderful lesson which Jasmine really immersed in. She indeed said how she wishes being in your class many years ago.
Please find Jasmine’s homework. She said to me that she doesn’t want her story to be discussed in next lesson. I believe she has not come out from her failure and scared of being looked down by other pupils because of her failure, although she admitted (during doing this homework) that failure is a part of our life.
Many thanks and best regards ,
Jasmine’s mum
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Hi Beth, this is my homework
Genre – horror
It was a dark night. Malevolent clouds encrusted the sky and blinding lightning crashed down from the sky. Water drenched the earth and the wind blew fiercely through the trees. A chill seemed to seep deep into the bones of anyone who dared to enter the hands of the storm.Billy, a young boy around 11 years old was staring out the window of the dungeon. He had scruffy ginger hair and light orange freckles. His stuck out front teeth made him look like a bullied beaver and his matted brunette hair was so messy he couldn’t even stick a comb in it. He was wearing a torn, tatty shirt and baggy, bottle green shorts. Billy was a prisoner feeder which meant that his job was to feed all the prisoners and eat prison food.
He was having a bad day. It was Friday the 13th of May. The worst day of the year. First of all, it was a really unfortunate day, Second of all, it was Billy’s birthday but they ran out of steak (the only thing they did for Billy’s birthday) AND it was the day when The Terror attacked.
The Terror is a creature which comes from The Land of the Terror it’s the place where all of your worst nightmares are created. The creatures are the worst though. The Rascal for example was a giant beast that had deadly claws and fangs sharper than knives. It was a blood-curling beast and would poison you with just one look of its eyes. However, unlike the Terror, it has only been seen once but The Terror gets seen annually.
This year, it was Billy’s turn to fight the beast. Every year, a different child would fight the beast. People believed that children were the best people to fight monsters because they are very fast and can hide from danger easily. Billy packed all of his heavy armour and made his way to The Land of Terror.
When he arrived to the eerie island, he felt a shiver down his spine. What he didn’t spot coming was The terror lurking behind him with an evil grin he raised his claws ready to strike…
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Summary for Lesson 2
In today’s class we tackled our first theme: justice & prejudice. We began by discussing what both of these concepts meant- touching on inequality, fairness and notions of right and wrong- and thinking about how they relate to each other, considering how prejudice stops justice from being served. We spoke about stories the class had read that related to these themes, thinking about Jane Austen and J. K. Rowling, and questioned why these themes are important to write about. We learnt about the plot of To Kill a Mockingbird, discussing how the theme of racism in that novel demonstrates the way that injustices come about, and the class identified what we can do about the injustice in the world and how we can change them by doing good and educating ourselves on big issues. Finally the class used famous quotes on justice and prejudice to help inspire their own story ideas, which they did beautifully, ultimately discussing the real-world impact authors and fiction can have on changing the world. Gorgeous work today everyone- you all thought deeply and maturely on these ideas and came up with some outstanding thoughts on these themes and their importance. Well done and see you soon 🙂
Video we watched: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5uKJVDFHFw&embeds_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fhubblecontent.osi.office.net%2F&feature=emb_logo
Homework
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Dear Beth,
Thank you so much for the class. and I loved creating my own stories for the homeworks’!
Have a lovely New Year,
Yichen
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Summary for Lesson 3
In today’s class we continued our work on literary themes, this week focusing on the environment. We spoke about the idea of ‘cli-fi’ and how climate fiction can come in many different genres: mystery, sci-fi, fantasy, realism, crime, fantasy. We looked at a quotation by Magaret Atwood about how writers are linked to nature and read some of a speech she gave about how important the connection between storytelling and the environment is. The class shared some stories they had read on this theme, and we looked at summaries of four famous examples of cli-fi, before the class wrote their own fantastic story ideas on the theme of the environment which were creative, intriguing and varied. Finally we spoke about the place of hope and joy in climate fiction considering how to communicate the moral of the story. Wonderful work today everyone, really excellent ideas and conversations throughout the lesson! I can’t wait to read your stories & will see you next week 🙂
P.S. The article will be posted below !
Homework
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Hi Beth,
Thank you for the class and I love your homework. I cannot wait for every Tuesday!!!
Best wishes,
Yichen
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Summary for Lesson 4
In today’s lesson we continued our work on theme, thinking today about the key literary concept of power. We began by discussing what power was and how we measure it, looking at some definitions from political science to understand ways of thinking about the concept, discussing Lukes and Dahl’s definitions. The class identified different types and forms of power and watched a video that touched on these notions before discussing books they had read that utilised this theme. We researched Macbeth and Animal Farm, using these as examples of books on the theme of power, and finally spoke on the idea of ‘does power always corrupt?’. The class used this to help think about power in multiple different forms, ruminating beautifully on what an author can tell us about the nature and application of power. Outstanding work today class- I was so impressed by your thoughtfulness, intelligence and enthusiasm today, dealing with big ideas in such a sophisticated and interesting way. Can’t wait to read your stories- well done 🙂
Power video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_Eutci7ack
Homework
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Hi Beth
Sorry that I couldn’t do the homework last week.
Here is the link.
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Summary for Lesson 5
In today’s class we focused on the theme of the individual vs. society, thinking about how that term could encompass lots of different types of stories and different versions of society within it. We began by defining what we meant by society, considering collectivism vs. individualism, whilst also thinking about people who have been excluded from historical societies such as the suffragettes and how they fought back against oppression. We thought then about examples from literature, learning about both 1984 by Orwell and Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare. We looked about how this theme provided dramatic conflict for the plot to run along and how it could motivate the events of the story. Finally the class designed their own societies and thought of characters who would be pitted again these invented societal structures- they came up with some really beautiful and varied ideas of how to translate this theme into action which was really exciting to hear. Really amazing work today everyone- I was super impressed by your energy and enthuasiam today and loved hearing your thoughts 🙂
Society video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5K34Vr8Xsk&t=87s
Individualism video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZVRl0D2DPU
Homework
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Summary for Lesson 6
In today’s class we focused on the theme of coming of age, thinking today about the nature of memory and how writers reflect on the experience of childhood. We began with a discussion on what it means to grow up and thinking about the nature of nostalgia. We looked at the genre of bildungsroman and thought about how it shapes the plot of a novel. The class thought about books they had read that revolved around this theme and spoke about some famous examples. The class then wrote their own inciting incidents for a coming of age story of their own which they did fantastically. Finally we touched on the kinds of experiences that these stories cover i.e., learning independence, starting a new school, going on a pyschological or physical journey. Wonderful and creative work today from the class- so many great ideas! Well done everyone- keep up the fantastic work and see you next week 🙂
Homework
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Here is the inciting incident video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKBsZS846o8
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Dear Beth,
Loved the homework!! Can’t wait for Tuesday! My homework is attached. Thank you.
Best Wishes,
Yichen
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<p style=”text-align: center;”>Hi Beth,</p>
<p style=”text-align: center;”>I loved lasts weeks PowerPoint. You have inspired me to write more stories and especially bildungsromans! My homework is attached. Thank you. :-)</p>
<p style=”text-align: center;”>Best wishes</p>
<p style=”text-align: center;”>Jasmine.</p>
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<p style=”text-align: center;”>Hi Beth,</p>
<p style=”text-align: center;”>I loved lasts weeks PowerPoint. You have inspired me to write more stories and especially bildungsromans! My homework is attached. Thank you. 🙂 Sorry about above. It did it automatically.</p>
<p style=”text-align: center;”>Best wishes</p>
<p style=”text-align: center;”>Jasmine.</p>
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Dear Beth
Sorry that I’m slightly late. I’m not totally sure if this is a bildungsroman because I wanted to see if it was 🙂
https://docs.google.com/document/d/19IUx4qT2tGV5FzFqRQomH7nLeS7s1AJouCMHcsHUNjU/edit#
Thank you and see you on Tuesday.
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Summary for Lesson 7
In today’s class we worked on our next theme: friendship. We began with the class reflecting on how they currently write about friendships in their own work, before reading an interview with the author Zadie Smith reflecting on how she sees friendship and how she speaks about its power in her own novels. We looked at a quote by her on the special qualities of friendship, before looking at famous friendships in literature from novels by John Steinbeck, R. J. Palacio, and J. K. Rowling. We touched on the idea of how friendship intersects with themes such as community and difference before the class created their own unlikely friendships, using everything we had discussed in the lesson to help. We discovered a seven-step formula for creating deep and compelling friendships in writing and the class then shared their wonderful ideas of unusual friendships that they had created. Really fab work today from everyone in the class- they were all engaged and passionate throughout and came up with loads of great ideas. Lovely writing today class, see you next week 🙂
Link for the website we looked at: https://kingdompen.org/deep-friendships/
Homework
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Dear Beth
Sorry that I’m a little late again. The link is below
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mAcdE9LCL0LhrFyGW6eBfvX1AjosvxOVCTvFE2YHTWM/edit#
Thank you
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Summary for Lesson 8
In today’s class we looked at the themes of free will and fate, delving into the philosophical debate and relating it to literature. We began with researching what these terms meant before thinking about how this might apply to creative writing and discussing how writers ‘play God’ with the worlds/ people/ events they create in their stories. We looked at Dr. Faustus and Harry Potter as two examples of books that touch on these themes and the class interpreted the way they use them beautifully. Finally, the class created their own characters with fates that they either could or could not avoid, thinking about how this creates conflict and tension in a story. Really enthusiastic work today everyone- well done for all your wonderful ideas and writing throughout. Amazing philosophical discussions & a fab understanding of the deeper ideas. Well done 🙂
Homework
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Dear Beth,
Sorry for the overdue homework on the theme of friendship. It is attached below.
Best Wishes,
Yichen
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Dear Beth
Can you write a sum-up of a book (including what was fate or free will) that you’ve read instead of a story?
Thank you
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Summary for Lesson 9
In today’s class we studied our final theme before the mock exam next week: redemption. We began by thinking about what the word meant, connecting this to the idea of what a redemption arc is in literature. We spoke about the hope in humanity redemption arcs can bring and how fiction can redeem us ourselves. We then looked at two examples of redemption arcs in famous novels (A Christmas Carol & Crime and Punishment) before learning a three-step plan for how to write a compelling arc. We spoke about subverting the reader’s expectations, what happens when a character is not redeemed, how redemption shapes a story’s plot and finally whether it applies to villains, protagonists, or both. The class then completed some excellent group work where they created characters with redemption arcs in groups of four- which they did amazingly, coming up with super creative and exciting ideas. Incredible work today class- you were all focused and creative throughout and came up with so many great thoughts on redemption arcs. See you next week 🙂
Video we watched: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctaPAm14L10
Homework
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Dear Beth,
Please find my homework attached. I wrote on my notebook this time. Hope you can still read it. Thanks.
Best,
Yichen
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Hi Beth,
This is this week’s homework, all the wrong grammar in Vin’s speeches are all intended
Also a late piece of homework on unusual friendship..
Best wishes.
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Summary for Lesson 10
In today’s lesson, we finished our winter writing course with our mini mock exam. We began with a recap of the themes we’ve studied before watching a video on how to create and interpret deeper meanings in literature. The class then wrote their mock exams, choosing from prompts based on the themes we studied. The class worked really well today and were inquisitive and passionate throughout our revision session before our exam and hard-working during- I can’t wait to read the stories they wrote! Amazing work everyone for today and for the past nine weeks. You have all been an absolute pleasure to teach and I’ve really enjoyed seeing each and every one of you shine creatively. Keep up the incredible work and I hope to see you all soon in the next writing course we do! Well done everyone, you should be proud of yourselves 🙂
Deeper meanings video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eREopphW5Bw
Homework
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Here is my homework.
January 1st. 2024
I really hope my dad knows he’s getting me into. I’m not the kind of person who wants to be a factory worker. Especially when they don’t really pay you and they only give you scraps of bacon for food. To top it up, I’m going to be the only human worker there. All of the other workers have been kicked out and been replaced with AI (artificial intelligence). Good luck with that future. The pros about this is I get to watch people cut trees and look at the thunderstorm clouds billowing out of the chimney and sending down heavy rain and ear-piercing thunder like the mighty roar of an lion.
Jan 13th 2024
I’ve gotten used to our schedule now. 3am, wake up get ready. 3:30, get on the bus. 4:00, start loading trees. 5:00, try to find other things to do. 22:00 go home. It’s not much but It’ll save my family from starvation. Today it’s not that much hard work. It is still pretty back-kicking though. There are only one hundred thousand logs coming in.
Jan 20th 2028
Hey, diary! Sorry I haven’t written to you in a while. I wanted to ask you. Is it just me who is finding it hard to breathe? Like, literally the world is running out of air!Jan 16th 2040
I’ve done research over my 3 hour holiday. I’ve realised something now. There are only unlimited trees in the world if people plant them. If they don’t, no trees. No trees, no oxygen. No oxygen, no humans. No humans, a barren planet like an ugly christmas jumper my granny knitted for me abandoned at the back of my closet. No trees are being planted so, that means that the number of trees are decreasing and since no trees are being planted, trees might be extinct. Every day, (on a normal day) there would be around eight hundred thousand trees coming in every day. That means that human life is slowly becoming extinct. I have to stop this!
March 27th 2041
Diary, I’ve done it! I’ve saved the world! I contacted the government about my ‘scientific theory’ and guess what? He said he would send some MPs and legally stop this factory from manufacturing paper and record how many trees were cut down. When they arrived, they practically jumped out of their skin by the amount of trees being cut down. According to Mr Rishi Sunak himself, there were only around three thousand, four hundred and sixty four trees left (to be precise). Without my warning, the world would have ended and everything would of been extinct and the leaded gas (the ‘thunderstorm clouds’) would of finished humans off! I SAVED THE WORLD!!!
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Thank you so much for the lovely lessons, i definitely will join the next course! For sure 😁. See you soon Beth!
Kiki
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Dear Beth,
Sorry I couldn’t send the mock earlier.
I really enjoyed your classes and I hope I’m in your next classes.
Here is the link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1LByZeRgXtzLTIEsLBo1wLnUew2EORvDM10t9h-CNr18/edit
Thank you
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