The purpose of Talk4Writing:

• Improving communication, confidence & attainment in writing.

• Working together to build a community of practice.

• Working together to embed excellence in writing.

What it includes:

Why build a bank of stories?

• You can't create/imagine out of nothing.

• Imagination is the manipulation of what you already know.

Therefore, we need to find ways to help children internalise a language bank and build a store of stories, rhymes and poems to draw upon.

IMITATIONFamiliarisation of the text.

• Retelling a story until it can be told fluently off by heart

• Multi-sensory approach, made memorable

• Whole class participation

• Communal learning

• Independent retelling

INNOVATIONAdapting a well-known text.

• Substitution, addition, alteration, change of viewpoint and re-using the basic story pattern;

• Adding in new information, extending and developing ideas with extra information, views or comments.

INVENTIONCreating a text of your own.

• Building up a new story, drawing upon a wide range of stimuli and experiences.

• Making links to non-fiction, drawing upon the personal experience, discussion and immersion within the topic.

Types of story

• Wishing tale

• Warning tale

• Finding tale

• Losing tale

• Journey tale

• Rags to riches tale

• Tale of fear

• Meeting tale

• Character flaw

• Conquering the

monster tale

Possible focus for stories

Setting

Suspense

Character

Dialogue

Action

Openings & Endings

Cold Task‘Bookending’

Short Focussed Writing Tasks

KIDNAPPED! by Pie Corbett

Somebody was coming up the stairs! Ducking down behind an oldcrate, we waited. I could feel my heart thumping like a bassdrum and my throat felt tight and dry with dust…and the crushof fear. What if we were caught? The strange girl glanced atme through the semi-gloom and grinned. I thought that she wastrying to be reassuring.

Gradually, the door opened and we could hear someonetiptoeing in. There was a pause and then a torch flickered on.Its beam stabbed the darkness, seeking us out, nosing into allthe hidden corners. Holding my breath, I tried to make myselfas small as possible. After a few moments, the light switchedoff. Whoever it was stood quite still, listening. We could heareach rasping breath. Then the door shut and the footstepsclicked back down the stairs. Relieved, I let out a sigh. As weclambered out of the window and slithered down the wet roof,I was trying to remember how I had got into such a mess.

Suspense OpeningsHardly daring to breathe ...Silently, ...Without warning, ...Petrified, ...Shaking with fear, ...Through the dim light, ...At that moment, ...Turning, ...

Short Focussed Writing Tasks

Imitation• Choose text, story type and story focus e.g.

• Text: Varjak Paw by SF Said

• Type: Journey / Tale of fear

• Focus: Creating suspense

Experience

What words come into your head? What can you hear? How do you feel?

Then tell the story…

Begin the unit with a hook to engage the children

Story Map & Actions

• Visual

• Aural

• Read/Write

• Kinaesthetic

Reading as a readerAll night, thunder growled overhead. Zelda crouched in the darkness, staring. Wind lashed the glistening tarmac and the street lights flickered; Zelda shivered. Where could she escape from the rain?

How is Zelda feeling? How do we know?

Could she be feeling any other emotions?

What does the word 'staring' infer?

How does the author use language to build a picture of the scene?

Reading as a Writer

LI: To identify the tools needed to write an effective suspense story.

Zelda Claw and the Rain Cat.

All night, thunder growled overhead. Zelda crouched in the

darkness, staring. Wind lashed the glistening tarmac and the

street lights flickered; Zelda shivered. Where could she

escape from the rain? SUSPENSE

TOOLSTask: How many examples of personification can you use to describe a thunderstorm?

Tools for suspense stories

• Lull the reader into a false sense of security.• Put MC in a dangerous place.• Suggest something horrible is about to happen.• Use ‘empty’ words (e.g. it, something, someone)• Delay revealing the monster / evil element of story.• Use shadow or glimpse.• Use ominous sounds (scratching, rustling, thudding, etc.)• Use a question to make the reader wonder.• Use a simile to build a frightening picture.• Show the character’s reactions through what is said or done.• Use a But sentence for impact.

Action:• Use short sentences.• Use a sentence with three events to make an impact.• Use powerful verbs.

Boxing up the text

Boxing up the textZelda Claw Main theme My plan

All night, thunder growled overhead. Zelda crouched

in the darkness, staring. Wind lashed the glistening

tarmac and the street lights flickered; Zelda shivered.

Where could she escape from the rain?

Introduce MC and

put them in a

dangerous place.

At that moment, Zelda heard something crawling

along the pavement, hidden by shadows. Silently, a

vague shape slipped into a doorway. A green eye

flickered. Zelda’s fur prickled as she watched. What

was it?

Danger/threat

approaches.

Without thinking, Zelda leaped across the road,

dashed under a lorry and crouched as still as stone.

Silently, the shadow of an enormous cat paced

through the darkness, slinking along the rain washed

pavements. Zelda shivered.

MC reacts to

danger.

Slowly, the great rain-cat drew closer and closer. Zelda

could hear its claws scratching on the tarmac and see

its green eyes glittering. Had it seen her?

Danger/threat gets

closer and

intensifies.

At that moment, Zelda could bear it no longer.

Leaping out from under the lorry, she shot back

across the rain-swept road and leapt over the wall.

She was alone. The rain cat had not followed her.

Zelda was safe – for now.

MC escapes (or do

they?)

InnovationZelda Claw and the Rain Cat.

LI: To use figurative techniques to set the scene.

All night, thunder growled overhead. Zelda crouched in the darkness, staring. Wind lashed the glistening tarmac and the street lights flickered; Zelda shivered. Where could she escape from the rain?

Using this as our framework, we are going to begin to look at ways we can innovate and adapt this story.Here is our setting...

The Senses Generator

Today, we are going to need to be able to draw on our senses in order to create suspense.

How many ideas can you come up with in 5 minutes?

Fill in your grid and magpie ideas from others.

Innovation - Day 2

LI: To use senses to build description.

At that moment, Zelda heard something crawling along the

pavement, hidden by shadows. Silently, a vague shape slipped

into a doorway. A green eye flickered. Zelda’s fur prickled as

she watched.What was it?

SPaG Starters

Making Sentences of 3

The power of 3 is a well-known device used by writers, as seen in the next paragraph of Zelda Claw.

Try writing sentences of 3 for action:e.g. She ran down the lane, turned the corner and screamed.

Remember - use POWERFUL VERBS.

SPaG Starters

Alphabet Action Races

Can you come up with an A-Z of alternative wordsfor...

WALKED

A – AmbledB – BouncedC -

Which would suit a suspense story?

Innovation

Heavy Breathingby Ali Elsayed (Y6)

based on Zelda Claw & the Raincat

Invention

Invention

• https://www.literacyshed.com/the-lighthouse.html

Proof ReadingLI: To proofread for spelling, grammar and punctuation errors.

Please read the information below. How many errors can you find?

Today, we is gonna look at our use of spelling, punctuation and grammer.

Firstly I would like you to reread your work to chek it's makes sense.

Next I would like you to make shoor you done the right punctuation.

After that, I would like you to use a dictionary to look up any spellings you are unsure off.

Finally, I would like you to think if you was succesfull in achieving your targets. If not, can you adds them in!

Invention

The Lighthouseby Matthew Massey (Y6)

based on Zelda Claw & the Raincat