weekly english · here are some to get you started that you might have synonyms for: scared excited...

Weekly English

Summer 2

Week 2

8/6/20

Kidbrooke Park Primary School – Home Learning

If you haven’t already, you first need to create a showbie account. https://my.showbie.com/signup


To learn to use sentence structure to build tension and suspense.

You will need to do the day’s reading first, in order to do the English work

Write down as many adjectives that describe your feelings you had as you read. Here are some to get you started that you might have synonyms for:

ScaredExcited

AnnoyedWorriedPuzzled



Did the author tell us to feel this way? How did he achieve making us feel similar things? It is not just what you are told that creates suspense, it is the things that you wonder, the unanswered questions, the small clues and the tempo or pace of the writing.

Today we are going to look at how sentence structure helps to build suspense.

Re-read chapter 1.What is the impact of the speed and how has the author has manipulated the sentences to ensure this happens?:short sentences make you speak with urgency and panic; the three word sentences in the extract make you speed up and speak in a tense way; the longer, multi clause sentences slow you down and give you time to think, relax and reflect.

Extend: look for places where inconsequential description (that does not drive the plot forward) has been added to frustrate the reader during tense moments. How does this make you feel? Is this a good method of increasing suspense? Why are these sentences often long with lots of detail? (In the passage there are numerous examples, such as theparenthesis and expanded noun phrases used in the very long sentence about the gate.)



When I got to the house it was very dark and the rain was getting heavier. All of the windows were black and it looked like there was no one at home. It looked almost as though the house had been abandoned and nobody lived there anymore. The tree next to the house had no leaves and it’s branches looked like hands. Bats flew around the pointed turrets that stuck at odd angles from the roof. The house made me feel very anxious and afraid.

This is not a very good example of creating tension. Can you pick out which parts need improving? How would you change the sentence structure? What punctuation could you use? Which vocabulary would you change?



Write a paragraph describing arriving the eerie house in the picture.Can you manipulate sentence structure for effect?• Short snappy sentences to build urgency.• Long, descriptive sentences to give the reader chance to relax.• Inconsequential information to frustrate.There is a model to help you on the next page...



Exhausted from the long, tiresome journey, I hauled myself out of my seat and yanked my bag from the overhead shelf. It was then that I spotted it. We weren’t staying here, surely? The coach must have taken a wrong turn! Perched on a dark, grassy hill, at the end of a winding cobbled path loomed a vast mansion, its gothic turrets illuminated by the eerie moonlight. I glanced up the narrow coach walkway at Mr Trevena, who was sweating as he attempted to drag the cumbersome bag stuffed with PE equipment from under his seat whilst simultaneously demanding Phillip got rid of the large wad of pink bubble gum he was chomping. He didn’t seem concerned. What was going on? I turned again to the ominous building and scrutinised it further; every window was as black as night; bats swooped threateningly overhead and stone gargoyles grimaced at me carved into the stone roof. It didn’t look welcoming at all. A feeling of dread slithered down my spine. Something was not right.

Useful vocabulary:CreepingLeeringFearfulShiveringShudderedFrozeEmergedVanishedPositionedSecreted (hidden)Peeping

Useful openers:AsWhileDuringBeforeAlthoughFrighteningly,Hopefully,Reluctantly,Fighting my fear,Irritated,Worn out,

Summer 2

Week 2

9/6/20


To learn to suggest mood and atmosphere through vocabulary.

Compare this to the gate described in chapter one of Room 13. Look at the synonyms for cold. What is the precise meaning of each word? Check the definition in a dictionary. Which synonym would you choose if you wanted the reader to feel relaxed and happy? Say why you have selected this synonym.Which synonym would you select if they wanted the reader to feel anxious?Why would you choose this synonym?

Use a thesaurus to complete the table.You need words that would give the reader a relaxed feel moving to anxious .

odd



Watch the first 2 minutes of this clip: https://www.literacyshed.com/pere-lachaise.html

Compare and contrast this to the dream in chapter 1 of Room Thirteen.

This is how the video could be narrated:This is what Anna dreamed about the night before she went. The nightbefore it all began. She trotted along down a curvy path on the hills high above Paris. It was a peaceful dusk. She was travelling solo. She was unaware of the beautiful, glowing orbs that danced behind her. Horns from cars negotiating the busy city streets, sounded in the distance: emphasising the tranquillity of the memorial park. Ahead of her, in the heart of the park, a bell chimed from a quiet tower that acted as a guardian caring for the lost loved ones.

What atmosphere and mood hasbeen created? Does this work for a nightmare?

https://www.literacyshed.com/pere-lachaise.html



What is the atmosphere and mood of this writing? What has been changed? What has stayed the same? Which were the most successful vocabulary choices?

What if it were narrated this way?This is what Anna dreamed about the night before she went. The nightbefore it all began. She was fleeing with breathlessly along a snaking track on the hills high above Paris. It was dark. She was alone. She was oblivious to the eerie, glowing orbs that stalked her path. Horns from cars negotiating the busy city streets, sounded in thedistance: emphasising the deathly silence of the graveyard. Ahead of her, further in, a bell tolled from the lonely tower that acted as a sentinel watching over the corpses of the forgotten.



Rewrite the sentences to ensure they fit the atmosphere and mood of a tense, chilling nightmare.

She sauntered down the twisty path.The round moon shone brightly in the sky.Her breathing was rhythmic.The graves were tilted at a jaunty angle.Dancing behind her, little twinkly lights shone merrily.Beating quickly, her heart leaped and raced with excitement.

Check!Does the vocabulary you have chosen match:• The purpose of the writing?• The tone and atmosphere?• The context of the sentence?Does the vocabulary you have chosen create:• A detailed picture?• Specific ideas about the setting?• An emotional response in the reader?

Summer 2

Week 2

10/6/20



Write your own recount of a nightmare using the pictures to sequence it.

Vocabulary:The tombstones were illuminated by the cold light of the full moonAbandonedOminouslyTerrifyingHeart hammering in my chestLegs like leadSwiftlyFelt like I was running through a swampFrozen with fearDeafening silenceCemeterySurrounded by deathThe dead called out to meRacedDashed Fled



Vocabulary:Never-ending stone staircaseEchoing footstepsShiver of fearTingling down my back Looming above meTowering over meWhisperedThreateninglyHeart hammering in my chest



Vocabulary:Twinkled in the distanceOut of reachGraduallyEerie melodyHaunting tuneDark figureSilhouetted by candlelightSwallowed up the air around meFilled my earsEach note a screamBony Hunched overLong coat tailsDrawn to the unnatural soundSpine-chilling songSorrow oozed from his scrawny frameCautiously



Vocabulary:Hollow eye socketsHair as black as deathSkeletal faceLong, crooked fingersSorrowfulWhenBefore I could...LeaptClaw-like handsScreechingEyes, wide and staringEdged closerGnarled handsReachingGrabbingGraspingWithout warningCold sweat

Summer 2

Week 2

11/6/20


What are the clues in the picture that something isn’t quite right? Where is the girl? What time of day is it and how do you know? Where do you think the girl is?Where do you think the girl is going and how is she feeling?

To learn to identify the thoughts and feelings of characters (hearts and minds) and use adverbials.


Write a list of adverbials of time, place and manner to fill in the table. This is to help you with the next task.

Use a thesaurus and yesterday’s vocabulary to help you.


Write a paragraph describing the picture.Consider sentence structure carefully to ensure adverbials and short simple sentences are used for effect.

To learn to identify the thoughts and feelings of characters (hearts and minds) and use adverbials.

Summer 2

Week 2

12/6/20


Retell Fliss’ nightmare, in the first person, focusing on including inner thoughts and feelings and the five senses to create suspense.

To identify the thoughts and feelings of characters (hearts and minds) and use the five senses for description.


Retell Fliss’ nightmare, in the first person, focusing on including inner thoughts and feelings and the five senses to create suspense.

To identify the thoughts and feelings of characters (hearts and minds) and use the five senses for description.

Model (DO NOT COPY!):It was dark. So dark that I couldn’t see the ground beneath my feet, yet I knew I had to keep walking. Beneath me, somewhere out of sight, I could hear the waves crashing far below; I could feel the icy fingers of the wind grasping at my hair; I could smell the saltiness of the sea and something else...something evil. Fighting back a scream, I began to run towards a dark, looming shadow up above on a hill. The tall turrets were illuminated by the moonlight and I realised it was a house. Everything in me was screaming “Turn back! Turn back!” but my muscles defied me and I approached the house, shivering uncontrollably now. Was it fear or cold? I couldn’t tell. As I neared the menacing structure my pace slowed. The blood pounding in my ears. The house appeared to smile, but it wasn’t really a smile...it was a grin, like a wolf spotting its prey for the first time.A rusty black gate stood at the entrance to the winding path that led directly to the front door. Edging closer to inspect it, I gasped as it creaked open, inviting me in. A voice, hardly noticeable, whispered “The fate of the gate”.My legs were like jelly and fear crept up my spine but I still drove onwards, the stones

crunching noisily beneath my feet, the sound of the ocean diminishing behind me. Cautiously, I neared the door.

weekly english · here are some to get you started that you might have synonyms for: scared excited...

Documents