Kidnapped!

This week in Literacy we have been reading and retelling a short story called 'Kidnapped' by Pie Corbett. 

 

Somebody was coming up the stairs! Ducking down behind an old crate, we waited. I could feel my heart thumping like a bass drum and my throat felt tight and dry with dust…and the crush of fear. What if we were caught? The strange girl glanced at me through the semi-gloom and grinned. I thought that she was trying to be reassuring.

Gradually, the door opened and we could hear someone tiptoeing in. There was a pause and then a torch flickered on. Its beam stabbed the darkness, seeking us out, nosing into all the hidden corners. Holding my breath, I tried to make myself as small as possible. After a few moments, the light switched off. Whoever it wasstood quite still, listening. We could hear each rasping breath. Then the door shut and the footsteps clicked back down the stairs. Relieved, I let out a sigh. As we clambered out of the window and slithered down the wet roof, I was trying to remember how I had got into such a mess.

It had only been half an hour ago when Mum had sent me down to the chippie with a tenner and strict orders for no vinegar on her chips. When I reached the Stroud roundabout, I couldn’t help looking at the old house. It was ready for demolition, which was a shame because we had played there for years! It was then that I’d seen it; a light at the window. Then I saw a face. I stood there staring. It was a girl, mouthing a word and the word was, ‘HELP’.

That’s how it happened. I’d broken in round the back through a smashed window. Half a minute later and I’d found her, a trapped prisoner in an upstairs room. She’d only just finished telling me that she was the American ambassador’s daughter, Cindy Breakwell, and about the ransom money when the kidnappers had returned to move her to a safe house.

So there we were, balancing on the wall, as if we were walking the plank. Gripping the guttering tightly, I lowered myself down. Five minutes later and we were back at Mum’s. “So Ron, where’s the fish and chips?” she asked, eyeing Cindy suspiciously.

Half an hour after that, Cindy’s Dad arrived in an embassy car. All the net curtains on the St Petroc’s estate started to twitch with curiosity. That night it wasn’t just chips for tea. He took us all out for a big meal. Amazingly, the next day, there I was in the local paper. A hero.

 

Can you retell the story in your own words?  Challenge - Try to retell it in 100 words.

Poetic Features

This week in Literacy we have been writing and editing our own Extreme Environment shape poems. Our class have written a range of shape poems about icebergs, snowflakes, polar bears and penguins. Here is an example we came up with. What features can you spot?






                                                  A

                                               giant

                                         icy iceberg is

                                       as delicate as icicles.

                             Slippery pieces sliding down

                                       the iceberg and cracking

                                open under the grey,

                                                dirty

                                              water.

More poetry

We've been looking at shape poems over the past two weeks and you have all been so brilliant in writing imaginative and vivid poems.

I think it would be a lovely idea if you could share some of your poetry with each other.

You do not need to write the same poem as you did in class and I have put a photo below to give you some more inspiration in case you are stuck but if you would like to post your poems below, I would love to read them!

Remember to encourage your families and friends to have a look and leave you comments on your work too.

Think back to the success criteria we created in class to keep you on track and make sure you use all your senses to help you with your description.

Poetry

We have been looking at shape poetry and calligrams. We have noticed that some shape poems have alliteration in them.

Can you create a whole sentence using alliteration?

Here is an example to help you.

E.g. My mother munched many mangoes.

Winter acrostic poems

Can you write an acrostic poem based on a winter theme? An example is shown below. You don’t have to just use the word winter for your poem, it is up to you!

Wonderful snow

Icicles hanging

Never falling

Trees covered in snow

Excited for spring

Remembering winter is fun

Describing a wintery setting

With the chill of winter beginning to set in, I thought it would be a nice idea to revisit our descriptive writing skills and think about how we can describe the wintery scenes we might see over the coming months.

Take a look at the picture below:

 

 

Can you describe this wintery setting? Write and post a descriptive passage using adjectives, adverbs and a range of language that will help to paint an image in the readers mind.

 

I have made a start on my own example, you can see it below. I'm sure you can do better though!

 

The bare trees stand alone, frozen by winter's icy touch. The footprints of strangers are etched into the blanket of fresh, white, crisp snow.

 

Remember, a passage is more than just one or two sentences.



Writing a report

At our workshop last week, we had the chance to see a Bearded Dragon up close.

In Literacy, we have spent a lot of time learning about writing an effective report.

Can you write a paragraph about what the Bearded Dragon looks like? Remember to include all the features needed in an interesting report. You may develop your report with more paragraphs of information if you can.