The Big Freeze! Writing Tasks for S1

Writing Challenge Take a look out your window and begin to think about the weather and the experiences you’ve had over the past couple of weeks Your task is to complete one of the following pieces of writing, using the weather as inspiration: A collection of two or three poems A piece of personal-reflective writing A short story or diary entry

Poetry There are different types of poem you could try writing, including rhyming, non-rhyming, acrostic, mesostic, personification or haiku. Here’s some advice for writing a few of these…

Acrostic An acrostic poem is a form in which the title, key or theme-word appears, in bold and/or capitals, down the left-hand side of the page, so that each line begins with a word starting with each letter of the theme-word. Winter has brought snow and Ice and cold Nights. The ground is frost-covered and Every tree hibernates, waiting for the Rain or sun to come again.

Mesostic So cold and Nowhere to find cOver. Where is the sun? A mesostic poem is a form in which the title, key or theme-word appears, in bold and/or capitals, in a vertical line down the page, and through the heart of the text, so that each line of the poem contains one of its letters. Each line may consist of several words or only one, as in: So cold and Nowhere to find cOver. Where is the sun?

Personification Choose an item such as a snowflake, or tree and personify it in a poem, allowing it to speak for itself as if it was alive and had a voice and personality. GRASS By Carl Sandburg (1878-1967) Pile the bodies high at Austerlitz and Waterloo, Shovel them under and let me work-- I am the grass; I cover all.   And pile them high at Gettysburg And pile them high at Ypres and Verdun. Shovel them under and let me work. Two years, ten years, and passengers ask the conductor: What place is this? Where are we now? I am the grass. Let me work.

Haiku Japanese haiku traditionally comprises 17 syllables within 3 lines, arranged in a 5,7,5, fixed syllabic pattern. Examples (Iain Haugh 1H2) : Light headed ocean, Flowing long as the big blue, Crashing on rough rocks. Starting as a bud, Strengthening with rain and sun, Soon to be brown oaks.

Personal-Reflective Writing Alternatively you could write about one of your recent experiences. Have you been stranded anywhere on the roads? Have you had any exciting or scary moments in the bad weather? Have you done anything memorable with your days off school?

Personal-Reflective Writing Write in first person (Use “I” and “we”) Include your thoughts. Include your feelings. Use lots of detail and description (use adjectives, verbs, adverbs) Use a wide vocabulary The writing should be true (though you can exaggerate slightly to liven it up). Make clear how the events, experiences and people you described have affected you, or explain what you learned.

Imaginative Writing If you prefer to use your imagination, you could write a short story set in a cold climate or based around a blizzard or snowstorm. Short stories are best when there is only one main event and only one or two main characters, so keep it simple! Ideas to include…

Ideas to Include Similes – comparing two things using “like” or “as” e.g. “My love is like a red, red rose.” (Robert Burns) Metaphors – comparing two things saying one thing is another e.g. “All the world’s a stage” (William Shakespeare) Alliteration – repeating the same consonant sound at the beginning of more than one word for a particular effect e.g. Freddy felt the soft fur of his feline friend. Onomatopoeia – words that, when said aloud, sound like or imitate the noises they describe e.g. snap, crackle and pop!

Imaginative Writing Alternatively, you could write some diary entries of an arctic explorer or even someone trapped in their car overnight in the snow! Begin by writing “Dear Diary” and remember to include plenty of details, thoughts and emotions about what your character is experiencing and feeling

Word Bank Here are some words you might use, whichever task you choose Crunch Crisp Flurry Thick Deep Tingling Stinging White Opaque Crumbling Solid Flakes Slippy Sliding Smooth Rough Numb Throbbing Whooshing Bright Whistling Thud Screech Nipping Fresh Grey Dark Good luck!