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World War II English project

Day 1: Word Catchers - find out about the end of WWII and collect new vocabulary that we will use over the week

Day 2: Diary Research - find out what life was like for children at the end of the WWII

Day 3: Write a Diary - Imagine you are a child in London at the end of WWII and write a diary detailing your version of events

Day 4: Create Leaflet - create your leaflet and add text, diagrams and drawings

Day 4: Write a Newspaper Recount of VE DayWrite your final draft of a newspaper recount from VE Day 1945

This week in Home Learning for English we will be looking at VE Day which marked the end of the Second World War in Europe. Here is an outline of the tasks you will complete this week:

EVERYONE (YEARS 3, 4, 5 & 6)

YEAR 3 & YEAR 4 YEAR 5 & YEAR 6

Friday is VE Day and we have a Bank Holiday! Enjoy the break and the stay at home celebrations.

OLOG Home Learning Day 1World War II English project

5What does VE Day stand for?

How long had the war been going on?

How did the people of the UK react to the news ?

What do you think is happening in thisphotograph?


https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/class-clips-video/history-ks2-ve-day/z7xtmfr

the Allies sacrifice surrender circulated

surrounded victorious devastation

officials reigning balcony

chants bonfires rationing conflict

Activity 1:Watch this video from BBC which explains what VE Day was.

There are some words in this video that you may or may not have heard before. Some are listed in the box below. Have a think if you can figure out what these words might mean. If you already know a word, can you write a definition for it?



OLOG Home Learning Day 1World War II English project How did you do with the word meanings?

WORD MEANING

The Allies The countries (including the UK) who were fighting against Nazi Germany

sacrifice the act of giving up something of great value to show loyalty

surrender to give up

circulated to move around from person to person or from place to place

surrounded to close off all sides or to form a circle around something

victorious having won a victory / being successful in a fight

devastation the destruction or ruin caused by war

officials a person who holds an office in the government

reigning to hold the power of ruling the country

conflict a fight, battle or war

chants words spoken in rhythm over and over by a crowd

rationing a fixed share or portion because food and other items were limited

Balcony: a platform with a low wall or railing that extends from the outside of a building.

Bonfire: a large fire built outside for celebration

Remember, you can go back and rewatch the video at any point!


the Allies sacrifice surrender circulated

surrounded victorious devastation

officials reigning balcony

chants bonfires rationing conflict

Activity 2:Write your own sentences about VE Day using the above words

MILD = 8 sentences Spicy = 11 sentences Hot = 14 sentences

Here are my first 3 sentences. I have thought carefully about what each word means. I have checked that my sentences definitely make sense. I have remembered to use correct punctuation.

Did you notice that I used two of the words in my third sentence? Now to think of 8 more sentences to reach the spicy challenge!


People organised street parties and lit bonfires to mark VE Day. Why do you

think they did these things?

The King and Queen appeared on the balcony of Buckingham Palace 8 times on VE Day. Why do you think they did this?

The majority of celebrations took place in London. Why do you

think this was?

Nazi German officials decided to surrender. Why do you think they made this decision?

Activity 3:Think about the answers to these questions and discuss your thoughts with an adult.

Challenge: Can you write a paragraph explaining your answer to one of the above questions using the Point, Evidence and Explain structure (PEE).

1 . VE Day stands for:

A. Victory in EnglandB. Victory in EuropeC. Violence in Europe

2. Who was the King at the time?

A. King George IVB. King George VC. King George VI

3. Who was the Prime Minister at the time?A. Neville ChamberlainB. Winston ChurchillC. Boris Johnson

4. Which of the following did people not do to celebrate VE Day:A. Light bonfiresB. Hold street partiesC. Go to the beach

QUIZ TIMEActivity 4:

You Have completed Day 1


Activity 1: Look carefully at this picture and answer the questions

★ Why are the people celebrating?★ Why is the bunting red, white and blue?★ Why is there an American flag beside the UK flag? ★ How do you think the people dressed in uniform

are feeling? Why?★ What can you see on the table?★ How are the people dressed?★ Why do you think there is a piano outside?

Today you will research what it was like to be there on VE Day.

Is there anyone you know who would know about VE Day? A relative or neighbour? Maybe you could phone or email them and find out what they know about this interesting subject. I’m sure they would love to help!


The adults set fireworks alight and hung electric lamps out of windows, and everyone danced in the streets. In the days that followed, we enjoyed street parties and Victory Parades. The boys from the forces came home to much rejoicing.

Memories from children on VE Day 1945

By the time darkness had descended everyone in the city had joined in the partying and street dancing. Blackout blinds were taken down and every electric bulb in rows of houses was switched on. After six years of blackout it was a strange sight indeed, to witness the streets ablaze with light for the first time since 1939.

The town band were playing up and down the streets and endless lines of those doing the ‘Conga’ danced in and out of every house in the street. No one wanted the night to end and if Annie and I had had our way, it never would have.

Activity 2: Watch this video from CBBC and read these extracts and try to imagine what it would have been like to experience VE Day.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/watch/horrible-histories-songs-ve-day-song


Look carefully at these photographs from VE Day (zoom in on your screen).Then read the diary entries on the next pages (Diary 1 and Diary 2).

Decide which photos match Diary 1 and which match Diary 2.

Activity 3:

Diary 1 - Buckingham Palace Crowds Dear Diary, 8th May 1945

War is over! I cannot believe it! Last night London surged into life.

My mother said to me: "Joan, let's go to the West End and join in the

celebrations." So we jumped on a train to Victoria and were

astounded to see such huge, swirling crowds. We tried desperately to

make our way to Buckingham Palace and staggered shoulder to

shoulder with the crowds. What an incredible sight. Emotions would

never be as high again. London was aflame with human exhilaration.

Bonfires blazed continuously over London and the sky was alight with

the glow of victory.

Mum and I finally reached Buckingham Palace with much effort and

laughter and joined in the hundreds of people all waving flags were

crowding in front of the Palace. They sang their hearts out with many

of the war songs. Fireworks streaked through the sky instead of

searchlights and bombers.

The royal family together with Sir Winston Churchill came out onto

the balcony of Buckingham Palace many times, joining in all the

jubilation and joy looking utterly exhilarated and thoroughly

overwhelmed as we all were in that incredible atmosphere.

London was submerged in jubilation and screams of relief from

humanity. People climbed on anything they could: statues, buildings,

cars, and every lamp-post was scaled. Noisy dustbin lids were

banged and the hysterical crowds were totally beyond any order.

Nothing mattered, only freedom.


astounded - surprised stagger - walk in an unsteady wayaflame with human exhilaration - full of human glee and happiness

jubilation - a feeling of great joy and pride

hysterical - wild behavior such as laughing or crying

Dear Diary, 9th May 1945

Yesterday was such a bittersweet day.

Preparations were being made in our street for a great street party and when

yesterday finally came, May 8th, we were ready. Pieces of old sheeting were cut into

zigzags and the resulting triangles were sewn in red, white and blue order, onto long

tapes to be draped across the street. My Mum and her sewing machine, worked away

busily and I, and my sister Janet, were allowed to help too. Flags came out from

nowhere and were proudly hung from every available point. Peace was really here!

In Frances Street just in front of the brick air raid shelter, a platform was erected, duly

decorated in bunting. On this loudspeakers were mounted and happy music filled the

air. More sheets were transformed into table cloths, draped on tables borrowed from

the school hall, and jellies, blancmanges, fairy cakes and sandwiches were proudly

brought from every house. The ‘Street Party’ was on and we children were having the

time of our lives.

We dressed up. My sister was wrapped in a white sheet, as Britannia, with a

papier-mâché helmet. I was Russia. I had on my Auntie’s bright yellow blouse and a

skirt made out of a Russian flag. We danced, we sang, we watched the huge bonfire

burning away, and we were ecstatically happy that the war was over — at least in

Europe it was.

But somehow, there was something that was spoiling the happiness for me. Other

people’s sons, brothers, husbands and fathers would soon be coming home, but my

Dad would not.My Dad had been in the Royal Navy. His fight for freedom had been

fought under the sea, and he and his shipmates had paid the extreme sacrifice. Though

I kept hoping and dreaming that he would come home, I knew I would never see him

again.

OLOG Home Learning Day 2World War II English project Diary 2 - Neighbourhood Street Party

Blancmange - a custard dessert Britannia

Bunting


Choose one of these two scenes to write about (You will use these in your diary entry tomorrow)Write 10 sentences to create the atmosphere of that picture.

You should describe:● What you can hear● What you can see● What you smell● How you feel● How other people are acting● How people are dressed

Remember to use plenty of adjectives, similes and powerful verbs.

Activity 4:

I have taken some ideas from the diaries we read earlier.

Always remember to

use neat joined up handwriting

and correct punctuation.

You Have completed Day 2

OLOG Home Learning Day 3World War II English project Today you will write your diary based on the research we have done yesterday. Remember, you can go back and look at those resources at any time.

Activity 1:

Imagine you are a child on VE Day in London. You will write your diary recounting the events of VE Day. Choose to write about:

1. A Street Party OR 2. Being in the crowds at Buckingham Palace

Paragraph 1: (3 -4 sentences of an introduction - look at my example on the next page.)

Paragraph 2:When did you hear the news that the war was over?How did you feel? Where were you?

Paragraph 3:What did you do first? Where did you go?Who was with you? What did you see / hear?

Paragraph 4:What did you do next? What did you see / hear? How did you feel?

Paragraph 5:How did the night end? What time did you go to bed?How did you feel at the end of that day?

In your diary you should include descriptions and the answers to these questions

Tip: Each paragraph should be 6 - 10 sentences which are all about the same part of the day.

OLOG Home Learning Day 3World War II English project Before you begin, have a look at my example diary entry. What features of a diary can you see?

Paragraph 1Short

introduction

Paragraph 2Morning of

8th May

Dear Diary Date

I have used the past tense

Can you count how

many times I have used

the word I ?This is

because I am writing in the first

person.

I have described my thoughts and feelings


bunting celebration bonfires chants

jubilant street parties crowds

Winston Churchill King George VI

victorious delight long-awaited

merrily national holiday neighbours

Word Bank

And finally, here is a recap of the features of a diary and a word bank to help.

Now it’s time to write your Diary!

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Year 5 & Year 6 Day 4World War II English project

Today you will plan and write a newspaper recount of VE Day

from 1945. Time to get your journalist hat on and your pen

ready!

Here is an example of how your finished newspaper recount might look.

How many features of a newspaper recount can you think of? Which features are the same as a diary and which are different?

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Activity 1: Watch this helpful video from the BBC to recap on the features of a newspaper and what will make your work successful. Write a list of features in your notebook.

Activity 2:

Collect your informationBefore writing your newspaper article, it’s a good idea to look at a range of sources to make sure your work is factual (true). Have a look at these news articles from The Week Junior which recount VE Day. You can find them on your class page in the PDF English News Sources VE Day or by clicking on the link.

You will need to read through these different news sources and quotes to help find out exactly what happened on VE Day. You can also use what you have already learned in the first part of this project and what you know from your Topic work too.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/z2yycdm/articles/z2gk9qt

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1qEQVzE1n4474OfSZqOO4DYPMV2Jnb5CVCrNfaVTW3cA

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Year 5 & Year 6 Day 4World War II English project Activity 3: The 5 W’s (WHEN, WHAT, WHO, WHere, WHY?)My favourite paragraph in a newspaper report is the first one. It's clever because it tells you the whole story without you having to read it all. It uses the 5 W’s above to do this.

Look at this example. Can you find the 5 W’s in this?

When did the event take place?Who took part?Where did it happen?What was happening?Why was it happening?

Have a go at crafting your own 5 W sentence. Read over it to make sure it makes sense and it is not confusing - there is a lot of information to tell!

Activity 4: Plan out what you are going to write about in each paragraph. As you will remember from school, our plan is not full sentences just key points. It might look like this:Paragraph 1 5 Ws (Who, What, Where, When , Why?)

Paragraph 2 More detail about how the war came to an end

Paragraph 3 Churchill’s speech (include direct quotes)

Paragraph 4 The Royal Family on Balcony and King’s speech (quote)

Paragraph 5 Lights are turned back on and quote from an eye-witness

Paragraph 6 Street parties and bonfires across the rest of the country

Paragraph 7 Conclusion - What is the situation right now?

PLAN

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Speech Toolkit 1. Open speech with inverted commas: “

2. Write what the person is saying

3. Signal the end of the speech with

punctuation: usually it’s a comma but

could be ? or ! (depending on what’s

been said).

4. Close speech with inverted commas: ”

5. Say who said it. e.g. told, reported,

exclaimed, informed, stated, said.

6. End with a full stop.

Activity 5: There are usually quotes from witnesses in newspaper reports too. This is when you write down what people say about an event. Watch this video from the BBC to recap how to use inverted commas for speech.

1. Winston Churchill

2. King George VI

3. A member of the crowd at Buckingham Palace or someone at a street party

(You can use some of the descriptions from your diary to help you make up the third quote.)

Remember to use the correct punctuation for writing speech.

Activity 6: Write out 3 different quotes using correct speech punctuation that you will use in your article. You will need to find out what they said on VE Day from the sources.

QUOTES

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/z7s6t39

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Activity 7: A headline is a short, punchy sentence that sums up the newspaper story. Sometimes it uses rhyme (Stranger Danger) or alliteration (where words start with the same sound e.g. Bear Bites Baddie). Have a go at brainstorming some possible headlines for your newspaper article.

Well done for all your hard work today! So far you have:● Researched the information you will write about● Written your first paragraph (5 Ws)● Made a plan of what information will be in each

paragraph● Written your quotes using correct speech punctuation● Thought of your headline

Now you are ready to write your newspaper!

It is time to write your newspaper article where you will recount the events of VE Day as if you were a journalist reporting from the time!

1. Set out your newspaper on your lined paper

● Leave 4 lines for your headline and 2 lines for your subheading at the top of your page

● Find the middle of the page and rule a line down the middle so you have two columns

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2. Neatly write in your headline in capital letters (I used a ruler to help keep it neat) and your sub heading beneath this. Your subheading should be a longer sentence with key information for the reader.

Headline

Subheading

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Paragraph 15 W’s

Paragraph 2InformationOn VE Day

Paragraph 3Prime Ministerquote

Paragraph 4King George VI quote

On the next two pages are examples of my newspaper article. I have included 8 paragraphs, you only need to include 5 paragraphs. Check that I have used the past tense and the third person.

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Paragraph 5Royal family

Paragraph 6London lit up in lights

Paragraph 7Street parties

Paragraph 8Conclusion

Now it’s your Turn! Complete your Newspaper Recount of VE Day 1945.

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