Y8 Short Story Writing Pack English Remote Learning, Study notes of English Literature

Download Y8 Short Story Writing Pack English Remote Learning and more Study notes English Literature in PDF only on Docsity! Y8 Short Story Writing Pack English Remote Learning This booklet contains a number of different tasks to help you explore short stories and narrative writing. If possible, you should aim to complete at least 3 hours of English a week. “It's like everyone tells a story about themselves inside their own head. Always. All the time. That story makes you what you are. We build ourselves out of that story.” ― Patrick Rothfuss “After nourishment, shelter and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world.” ― Philip Pullman “Most of the basic material a writer works with is acquired before the age of fifteen.” ― Willa Cather “Artists use lies to tell the truth. Yes, I created a lie. But because you believed it, you found something true about yourself.” ― Alan Moore Lesson 1 What Makes an Interesting Story? Take another look at the quotations on the front page of the booklet. What do they tell us about telling tales? Why do you think stories are important? Task One: What are the different elements needed to create an interesting short story? Complete the mind map below with your ideas: Task Two: Now read the three short stories on the following pages. Underline/highlight features that you think make an effective short story. If you find something you haven’t yet considered, add it to your mind map. What makes an interesting short story? Umbrella It was a cloudy night; the darkness covered the city like a thick blanket. The wind blew gusts of air smelling of car fumes through the streets; it sneaked under the cracks of doors and whispered down sooty chimneys. Mr Bell hurried down a dark street, holding onto his bowler hat so that the harsh breeze couldn't steal it. The wind blew harder, almost blowing the short, stout man off-course. Eyes narrowed, Mr Bell tried again to walk into the path of the determined gale. A hazy drizzle of misty rain drifted down in sheets, making him shiver and cough. Cursing the cold, he drew his coat tighter around his large figure. As he made to clamp his hat to his head again, he spotted something black and flapping on the pavement. An umbrella! His heart leapt; the umbrella would be perfect! Feeling pleased with himself, Mr Bell ran towards it and snatched it up. The handle was smooth and glossy, and the waterproof dome was black and very large. As Mr Bell raised it above his head, something remarkable happened. He began to feel lighter as he ran over the cobbled street, holding tight. Lighter and lighter. With a gasp, he realised that his leather shoes were no longer making contact with the pavement. He was flying! The wind lifted him up like hundreds of hands, all pushing upwards. With a delighted and shocked shout, Mr Bell gazed down at the sprawling city below him. The street lamps looked like beautiful, luminous flowers reaching up to him. Cars reminded him of jewel-coloured beetles crawling through the concrete maze. The wind led him towards the park; it was the only splash of green in a grey ocean of buildings and roads. Clutching the umbrella tightly, he drifted towards two bronze statues of lions guarding the park entrance. Mr Bell outstretched his free hand and reached towards one. As he passed, he patted it on its cold head. The lion roared deeply and shook its impressive mane, whilst watching the small man float past. Wide-eyed, Mr Bell swung himself away. The umbrella swayed dangerously and as he grasped the handle harder, he waited dizzily for the world to stop spinning. Still the wind carried him on. He glanced back at the now still statues. The trees swayed in time with the umbrella as he drifted higher again. A white barn owl flew past Mr Bell like a winged ghost. As he rose, he scanned the sprawling city for his house. There. He gently coaxed the umbrella down towards his street. The wind rushed down and with a bump, Mr Bell landed outside his house. He looked around to check that nobody had noticed him disembarking, before making his way up the garden path. The promise of light and warmth beckoned him inside. As he stood on the front porch, he folded the umbrella up and smiled as he thought about what an exciting bedtime story his daughters would have that night. Now you have read the 3 short stories pick your favourite. Explain what is good about it and how you would change it if it was your own story. WWW- EBI- Lesson 2- Story Openings Below are the very first sentences from various children’s novels. Look at each example of an opening sentence and discuss whether or not it would interest you as a reader. Then think about what the author has done to ‘hook’ you into his/her book. What makes the openings inviting to a reader? Why would a reader want to continue reading after reading these openings? Which interests you the most? ‘Yes,’ said Tom bluntly, on opening the front door. ‘What d’you want?’ Not for the first time, an argument had broken out over breakfast at number four, Privet Drive. Once, there were four children whose names were Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy. It was a dark, blustery afternoon in spring, and the city of London was chasing a small mining town across the dried-out bed of the North Sea. Once I was living in an orphanage in the mountains and I almost caused a riot. It was 7 minutes after midnight. Sentence Openings One of the most common ways to start a sentence is to begin with the thing being described as subject (first word). So we start with ‘the...’, or ‘she/he/it...’, followed by the verb (action). For example: The lanky, unkempt fellow slinked down the canal path... This can become boring. Instead try the following to vary your sentence openings: ✓ Use an ‘-ly’ (adverb) opening word: Unsteadily, the lanky, unkempt fellow slinked down the alleyway... ✓ Open using a word ending in ‘-ed’: Terrified, the girl darted out of the path of her pursuer... ✓ Start the sentence using a word ending in ‘-ing’: Ambling along the canal tow path, the intoxicated thief spied his victim... Good Beginnings Talk to the reader – use first person narrative Shock your reader Create a tense atmosphere Create a very clear picture Start with something odd Use direct speech Start in the middle of something Make your reader laugh Structure of a Short Story First Sentence: direct speech, exclamation, question … Beginning (Exposition): What do you need to tell your reader about the characters, setting and plot to keep them engaged? Middle (Problem): What do you need to add to keep your reader interested? How can you build suspense/tension? Climax: What is the event that occurs before the problem is solved and the readers’ questions are answered? Ending (Resolution): How will you end so that the problem is resolved and satisfy the reader? Will you create an unexpected ending? Characterisation One way of making your writing more interesting is to SHOW rather than TELL. For example: Telling: She was frightened. Showin Remember to use: • Interesting verbs - 'doing' words or 'being' words. E.g. 'walk', ‘feel’ • Adverbs – words that add information to the verb. • Adjectives - describing words that tell you more about nouns. Task Create a character using the ‘show, don’t tell’ rule. He or she should express an emotion. Goosebumps travelled up her fair skin and her mouth went horribly dry. Her hands began to shake uncontrollably but her feet became lead weights that refused to move. _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ Lesson 4/5 Varied Vocabulary – Synonyms Task One: Using a thesaurus, create a vocabulary list for the following words. The first one has been done for you. 1. Slim: thin, trim, slender, lean, wiry. 2. Cold: 3. Hot: 4. Happy: 5. Sad: Task Two: Use the new words from your vocabulary list in a sentence. The first one has been done for you. 1. Slim: The teenage girl was very slender. 2. Cold: 3. Hot: 4. Happy: 5. Sad: Task Three: Make these sentences more interesting by using similes, metaphors, personification, adjectives and adverbs. The first one has been done for you. 1. I was very sad. Tears of sorrow streaked my face. 2. He was proud. 3. The wind was strong. 4. I was excited. ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ Lesson 6 Check your story has the following, if you are missing something go back to your story to try adding it in. Use below as a tick list. ❑ Exciting opening paragraph using dialogue OR action OR description ❑ Short sentences to build tension ❑ Varied sentence starters (use your sheet e.g. adverbs, ing words) ❑ Ambitious vocabulary (use a dictionary if you are unsure of spelling) ❑ At least four types of punctuation ❑ Description of the scene using plenty of adjectives ❑ SHOW not tell the characters through actions and dialogue ❑ Some dialogue between characters ❑ A crisis or dilemma – an exciting event ❑ A resolution to the dilemma to end Get someone in your household to give you a WWW and EBI. WWW- EBI- Read the following story and answer the questions. Lamb to the Slaughter by Roald Dahl LAMB TO THE SLAUGHTER by ROALD DAHL The room was warm, the curtains were closed, the two table lamps were lit. On the cupboard behind her there were two glasses and some drinks. Mary Maloney was waiting for her husband to come home from work. Now and again she glanced at the clock, but without anxiety: She merely wanted to satisfy herself that each minute that went by made it nearer the time when he would come home. As she bent over her sewing, she was curiously peaceful. This was her sixth month expecting a child. Her mouth and her eyes, with their new calm look, seemed larger and darker than before. When the clock said ten minutes to five, she began to listen, and a few moments later, punctually as always, she heard the car tires on the stones outside, the car door closing, footsteps passing the window, the key turning in the lock. She stood up and went forward to kiss him as he entered. "Hello, darling," she said. "Hello," he answered. She took his coat and hung it up. Then she made the drinks, a strong one for him and a weak one for herself; and soon she was back again in her chair with the sewing, and he was in the other chair, holding the tall glass, rolling it gently so that the ice knocked musically against the side of the glass. For her, this was always a wonderful time of day. She knew he didn't want to speak much until the first drink was finished, and she was satisfied to sit quietly, enjoying his company after the long hours alone in the house. She loved the warmth that came out of him when they were alone together. She loved the shape of his mouth, and she especially liked the way he didn't complain about being tired. "Tired, darling?" "Yes," he sighed. "I'm thoroughly exhausted. And as he spoke, he did an unusual thing. He lifted his glass and drank it down in one swallow although there was still half of it left. He got up and went slowly to get himself another drink. "I'll get it!" she cried, jumping up. "Sit down," he said. When he came back, she noticed that the new drink was a very strong one. She watched him as he began to drink. "I think it's a shame," she said, "that when someone's been a policeman as long as you have, he still has to walk around all day long." He didn't answer. "Darling," she said," If you're too tired to eat out tonight, as we had planned, I can fix you something. There's plenty of meat and stuff in the freezer." Her eyes waited to an answer, a smile, a nod, but he made no sign. "Anyway," she went on. "I'll get you some bread and cheese." "I don't want it," he said. She moved uneasily in her chair. "But you have to have supper. I can easily fix you something. I'd like to do it. We can have lamb. Anything you want. Everything's in the freezer." "Forget it," he said. "But, darling, you have to eat! I'll do it anyway, and then you can have it or not, as you like." She stood up and put placed her sewing on the table by the lamp. "Sit down," he said. "Just for a minute, sit down." It wasn't until then that she began to get frightened. "Go on," he said. "Sit down." She lowered herself into the chair, watching him all the time with large, puzzled eyes. He had finished his second drink and was staring into the glass. "Listen," he said. "I've got something to tell you." "What is it, darling? What's the matter?" He became absolutely motionless, and he kept his head down. "This is going to be a big shock to you, I'm afraid," he said. "But I've thought about it a good deal and I've decided that the only thing to do is to tell you immediately." And he told her. It didn't take long, four or five minutes at most, and she sat still through it all, watching him with puzzled horror. "So there it is," he added. "And I know it's a tough time to be telling you this, but there simply wasn't any other way. Of course, I'll give you money and see that you're taken care of. But there really shouldn't be any problem. I hope not, in any case. It wouldn't be very good for my job." Her first instinct was not to believe any of it. She thought that perhaps she'd imagined the whole thing. Perhaps, if she acted as though she had not heard him, she would find out that none of it had ever happened. Later, one of the detectives sat down beside her. Did she know, he asked, of anything in the house that could have been used as a weapon? Would she look around to see if anything was missing. The search went on. It began to get late -- it was nearly nine o'clock. The men searching the rooms were getting tired. "Jack," she said, "Would you like a drink? You must be extremely tired." "Well," he answered. "It's not allowed by police rules, but since you're a friend." They stood around with drinks in their hands. The detectives were uncomfortable with her and they tried to say cheering things to her. Jack Noonan walked into the kitchen, came out quickly, and said, "Look, Mrs. Maloney. Did you know that your oven is still on, and the meat is still inside?" "Oh," she said. "So it is! I'd better turn it off." She returned with tearful eyes. "Would you do me a favor? Here you all are, all good friends of Patrick's, and you're helping to catch the man who killed him. You must be very hungry by now because it's long past your supper time, and I know that Patrick would never forgive me if I let you stay in the house without offering you anything to eat. Why don't you eat up the lamb in the oven?" "I wouldn't dream of it," Noonan said. "Please," she begged. "Personally, I couldn't eat a thing, but it'd be a favor to me if you ate it up. Then you can go on with your work." The detectives hesitated, but they were hungry, and in the end, they went into the kitchen and helped themselves to supper. The woman stayed where she was and listened to them through the open door. She could hear them speaking among themselves, and their voices were thick because their mouths were full of meat. "Have some more, Charlie." "No, we'd better not finish it." "She wants us to finish it. She said we ought to eat it up." "That's a big bar the murderer must have used to hit poor Patrick. The doctor says the back of his head was broken to pieces. "That's why the weapon should be easy to find." "Exactly what I say." "Whoever did it, he can't carry a weapon that big around with him." "Personally, I think the weapon is somewhere near the house." "It's probably right under our noses. What do you think, Jack?" And in the other room, Mary Maloney began to laugh. Summarise the story in your own words- ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ Lesson 7- Information Retrieval: Can you answer these questions correctly? 1- What does Mary do when her husband arrives home from work? 2- What do Mary and Patrick normally do on a Thursday evening? 3- What surprising news does Patrick tell Mary? 4- What is Patrick’s job? 5- What does Mary do with the leg of lamb after she has hit Patrick? 6- Why does Mary go to the grocery store? 7- What story does Mary tell the police? 8- How does Mary persuade the policemen to eat the lamb? 9- What does the doctor say about Patrick’s head? 10- How does Mary react when the policemen eat the leg of lamb? Answers at the end of this booklet. Challenge: Can you complete the tasks below? - Make a list of adjectives you would use to describe Mary. - Identify at least three quotes which you believe show the traits of her character, link to the adjectives you’ve picked and explain what each quotation shows. E.g. the quotation ‘There was a slow smiling air about her, and about everything she did’ suggests she is a calm and passive person with the word ‘slow’ showing a lack of energy, while ‘smiling’ suggests she is content and happy. - Think about what makes a good story: intriguing or tense plot, interesting characters, a problem/dilemma to solve. - Consider who we feel sympathy for. Is it Mary or Patrick? Why? - Consider the ending of the story. Are we satisfied by this ending as a reader? Do we find it clever, amusing or something else? - Did you like this story? Why or why not? Make a list of things you liked and disliked. - Identify the part of the story you enjoyed the most. If you are struggling try this website - https://www.litcharts.com/lit/lamb-to-the-slaughter Lesson 8/9- Complete the four tasks below, you can pick which order you complete them-