Dear Parents and Year 6 children:
Below is an outline for the children's Literacy homework which will be set every Friday and due in every Monday. Although both Miss Renier and Mrs Doran will go through this in more detail in class, please ensure your children has read this entry and keeps the hard copy of the following guidelines to enable him or her to produce a fantastic piece of writing. 7/20 of the 2011 finalists were from Crabtree, not all children who regarded themselves as usually gifted in literacy. This competition really is open to any child who wants to have a go at expressing themselves on paper. If you would like more information, here is the website:http://www.wickedyoungwriters.com/about_the_award.html.
We hope the children enjoy the process and we look forward to reading their ideas, plans and final pieces!
Maths homework will be set on Monday and Science/Topic homework will be set on Wednesday.
Can we also take this opportnity to remind you about providing a white t-shirt for your child as they will be designing their own Leavers T-shirts in the next couple of weeks. Please also bring back the final forms for the school journey as sent to you earlier in the week.
Finally, the script for the leavers concert will be coming home very soon. We would really appreciate it if you could support your child in rehearsing his/her lines as much as possible at home. We have planned many rehearsals but we also have an extremely busy half term ahead of us. Your cooperation will be a huge help to us. Some of the children may well also need to wear a costume (there will be nothing too complicated!) which will need to be ready for Friday 13th July.
We hope you have all had a great half term and we look forward to welcoming the children back tomorrow.
The Year 6 Team
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Literacy Homework:
Your homework in the next five weeks is to plan, write, edit and publish your entry for the Wicked Young Writers award. All of the following detail can also be found on the Year 6 blog.
The following homework is set on each Friday and should be handed in on the following Monday. Please ensure your piece of work comes in your homework folder, not loose. By the 13th July, your folder will then include five pieces of work.
Quick reminder of the key rules:
• The story should be 750 words max.
• Typed, not hand written
• Possible themes: friendship, trust, tolerance, prejudice, propaganda, exclusion
• Can be a story, a poem or a playscript.
Use the following guidelines to help you.
Friday 15th:
• Decide the theme for your story. Talk it through with your parents.
• Write a quick summary of the plot in bullet form.
• Write a quick character description for your main characters, not just a physical description:
o Personality
o Strengths and weaknesses
o Character’s background, aspirations etc
• Write a quick setting description:
o Where is the story taking place?
o Create an atmosphere (positive, negative, scary, cheerful)
DO NOT WRITE YOUR STORY YET!
Friday 22nd:
• Use your ideas from last week
• Use this planning format so you stick to a clear structure (or your own)
• Plan your story in detail.
DO NOT WRITE YOUR STORY YET!
Friday 29th:
• Write your story
• Refer to your steps for success
• Stick to your plan
• When finished, read your story aloud to your parents.
Friday 6th July:
• Think about yours and your partner’s comments
• Re-draft your story, try to improve:
o Vocabulary
o Punctuation
o Sentence structure
o Tension where necessary
o Personality of your characters
o Overall structure
Friday 13th July:
• Hand in your last draft, typed
• On the back, write with your age, full name, parents’ email address/phone number
ALWAYS REFER TO THESE STEPS FOR SUCCESS! :)
Steps for success:
StructureI have included all 5 parts to the story
I have an interesting opening which hooks the reader
I have included a build up to a problem which increases tension
I have ended with a resolution to the problem
Language FeaturesI have described the character's feelings, emotions and conveyed his personality
I have used a variety of description techniques
I can vary my sentence structure
I have included speech to move the story events forward
I have included questions to intrigue the reader
Year 6 Target!I have used a range of punctuation to structure my sentences and add effect.
