1. Descriptive writing – extreme weather
Image © John Fowler (cropped)
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2. Recap of word classes Noun: Verb: Adjective: Adverb:
The name of a person, place or thing (boy, Sarah, Wales or table).
Verb:
A doing word (run, think, create, etc …).
Adjective:
Describes a noun (tall boy, Sarah was curious).
Adverb:
Describes a verb (running quickly, thinking carefully).
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3. And a couple more Simile: Metaphor:
Comparing something to create an image:
… as quiet as a mouse.
… dashing like a gazelle.
Metaphor:
Describing something by replacing it with an image:
The moon was a pale lantern in the sky.
His hands were tied; there was no way his company could donate the cash.
As her mother continued to sing, her daughter’s face became a giant tomato.
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4. Look at the extract on your sheet
Step 1:
Grab 4 different colours (pens, highlighters, crayons, coloured pencils).
Step 2:
Create a key – nouns and adjectives, verbs and adverbs, similes, metaphors (or colours of your own).
Step 3:
Read through and highlight these things in your extract.
Step 4:
Draw arrows and explain (annotate) – images, reactions, emotions …
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5. It was midday at the height of summer
It was midday at the height of summer. The car slowed lazily, and we turned down a sand path and onto a beach of large smooth stones. We halted suddenly, but there was no dust. The creek was low, no more than a foot of water, but fairly wide – at least 10 yards. The sun was a ball of hot, scarring gold and our tongues felt tacky against the roofs of our mouths. The stones were a brightness of colour under the water; blues and deep blood red – a break from the yellow grass, green needles, and the pale, cloudless sky. It would have been a sunny, beautiful day of sky and peace and birds if the water was not drying up, disappearing like candyfloss on a child’s tongue. The breeze burnt our skin with flames made of air. I saw my father’s look of worry, and fear crept into my veins.
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6. PEE outline
What is the effect of the language in the extract?
The writer uses language to make the reader feel ……………………………………….
For example, the writer says (that) “……………………”.
Readers might react in a ………………………… way, because they think ……………………………………… .
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7. Use the following checklist to plan a vivid description:
What were you doing?
Time of day?
Time of year?
How did you feel?
How did others feel?
Where were you?
Did the weather cause anything strange to happen?
Extreme weather
Similes?
Alliteration?
Verbs and adverbs?
Metaphors?
Adjectives?
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8. Homework
Use your plan (finish it at home if necessary) to write a description of some extreme weather that you have experienced. It should be a maximum of three paragraphs long.
Images: © Craig O’Neal © Ben Salter
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