Junior cycle writing portfolio KEY FEATURES

Features of a diary entry Include the day and date in the top right corner. Start with ‘Dear Diary’ or name your diary if you wish! Write as if you are talking to a close friend, in a chatty style. Make your entries detailed but avoid describing what is not needed. Focus on your thoughts and feelings – record events through your eyes. Diary entries are a form of personal writing. They should deal with things that happened to you, your problems, your feelings, your hopes and dreams etc.

Features of an informal letter This is a letter you would write to a friend or someone you know well. The layout includes your address in the top right corner, skip a line and put the date underneath. Then open the letter on the left hand side. The tone of the letter should be relaxed and casual but avoid text language! The first paragraph of the letter should explain why you are writing, even if the reason is just to catch up. The rest of your paragraphs should have a lively and interesting tone and include personal stories. Sign off at the end of your letter (e.g. ‘Talk to you soon’/ ‘Love’ etc.) and put your signature under the sign off.

Features of a formal letter This is a letter written to a business or organisation or someone you don’t know very well. This has a different layout to an informal letter. As well as your address in the top right corner, with the date underneath, you will also include the recipient’s address on the left hand side, before your opening. The tone of the letter is very important – it must be serious, polite and business-like. It should be clearly structured into paragraphs with clear and relevant information. Formal letters are most commonly written to apply for a job, write a complaint, to write to a bank/newspaper.

Features of a debate The purpose of a debate is to present arguments and information on a topic from differing points of view. The introduction should welcome people to the debate and state your position/side of the issue. A good debate speech should be informative. It presents information, facts and evidence to make its point. It should be persuasive. A good debate speech combines facts with persuasive techniques like rhetorical questions, emotive language and anecdotes to get the audience on side. A good debate speech should be well-structured. The argument should be structured in a way which is logical, relevant and well-reasoned.

Features of a review Informs the reader. The review needs tell people the key details of what is being reviewed e.g. who wrote the book, who made the film, who stars in the tv show etc. Describes the story, characters, action, place etc. without giving too much away. No spoilers! Make your review entertaining. It shouldn’t be just a list of relevant facts, give your opinion in a lively/witty way that the readers will enjoy. Analyse what is being reviewed. Weigh up whether you think it is good or not by giving opinions backed up with reasons and evidence. Advise the reader. Make a recommendation on whether the reader should read the book, watch the film, go to the hotel etc.

Features of a BLOG Blogs are a blend of diary entry with newspaper article. They focus on personal opinion but are printed online with the intention of being read/watched. They include the date and specific time that they were posted (a timestamp). Blog entries explore the writer’s personal opinion on an issue or number of issues and so most are written in the first person. Most blogs are intended to be interactive and seek comments from their readers to engage on the topic. Blogs are multimodal. This means they are not just writing, they include other modes of communication like pictures, videos, podcasts, links and a comments section. If you are asked to write a blog entry highlight that you know the features by mentioning a previous blog past (e.g. Last week I talked about …) or by asking your readers to comment (e.g. Let me know what you think in the comments!)

Poetic techniques Theme: The message of the poem – what issue is the poet trying to explore in the poem? Imagery: The pictures that are created in your head from the descriptions in the poem. Mood/Tone: How the writer feels about what they are writing about (e.g. angry, happy, sad, thoughtful etc.) Simile: Making a comparison using the words ‘like’, ‘as’ or ‘than’ (e.g. faster than the speed of light, he ran like the wind etc.) Metaphor: Making a comparison by saying one thing is another to make a point (e.g. you are a star, my room is a wreck, I turned to ice etc.)

Poetic techniques Alliteration: When two or more words close to each other start with the same letter or sound (e.g. safe side, cold case, Kim came to help cut a kite etc.) Onomatopoeia: When a word sounds like what it is describing (e.g. the bees buzzed, the pitter-patter of raindrops etc.) Personification: When a writer gives an object, animal or idea human qualities and makes it seem like a person (e.g. the happy sun smiled down on me) Hyperbole: The deliberate use of exaggeration to emphasise a point (e.g. I could eat a horse) Symbol: A word or phrase which represents something real but also represents another meaning (e.g. a dove is a symbol of peace)

Features of a character profile Blogs are a blend of diary entry with newspaper article. They focus on personal opinion but are printed online with the intention of being read/watched. They include the date and specific time that they were posted (a timestamp). Blog entries explore the writer’s personal opinion on an issue or number of issues and so most are written in the first person. Most blogs are intended to be interactive and seek comments from their readers to engage on the topic. Blogs are multimodal. This means they are not just writing, they include other modes of communication like pictures, videos, podcasts, links and a comments section. If you are asked to write a blog entry highlight that you know the features by mentioning a previous blog past (e.g. Last week I talked about …) or by asking your readers to comment (e.g. Let me know what you think in the comments!)

CHRISTMAS REVISION DIARY ENTRY: You and some friends enter a major talent competition. Write three diary entries recording your experiences. INFORMAL LETTER: Write an informal letter to your future son or daughter offering him or her advice on some significant milestone in their life. You might include such events as: first day at school, first disco, sitting the Junior Cert exams etc. POETRY: (a) Imagine you are writing a poem. Outline the message you would like to show in your poem. The poem could be about something personal or universal. (b) Suggest an image you would use in your poem and explain why you think it would be an appropriate image.