Language
Stage 4 & 5
(Stage 4: yrs 7 & 8 / Stage 5: yrs 9 & 10)
Whitlam Institute ‘What Matters’ Writing Competition
Getting Started:
- Use the secondary conversation starters to generate discussion about issues that matter in our world. Issues can be of local, national or global significance.
- Read the ‘Inspiring Entries’ section of the website to get some ideas
- Brainstorm a list of possible topics to write about
Developing your entry:
- Supplement your brainstorm by reading a national newspaper or watching a news program
- Decide on your topic and how you will write about it (creative, informative or persuasive?)
Drafting:
Write a draft and check the following things:
- Structure (introduction, body paragraphs, conclusion)
- Paragraphs – new idea, new paragraph
- Spelling, punctuation and grammar
- Have you included a range of figurative language and/or persuasive techniques?
- Have you provided examples to support your points?
Pobble 365 - Stimulus for creative writing
How to use this resource:
- Do a daily 200 word writing challenge using the Pobble 365 site as stimulus (allow yourself 30 minutes).
- The site contains a ‘How to use’ section which will give some ideas
- Challenge yourself to write as much as you can in 30 minutes
- Use the ‘Story Starter’ and ‘Sentence Challenge’ sections to challenge yourself
- Develop your knowledge and understanding of current issues by answering the questions in the ‘Question Time’ section
How to use this resource:
- Choose a shed that interests you and view the animations/films.
- Use the stimulus ideas provided to craft a piece of writing
Year 7 might like to look at the ‘Myths and Legends’ shed; Year 8 the ‘Fantasy’ shed.
Black out Poetry – “Steal Like an Artist!”
- What is a 'black out poem' and how do I create one? Scholastic
- How to teach black out poetry.
- 5 Tips for creating black out poems
- The easy guide to black out poetry
- Blackout poetry - extension ideas
How to:
- Look at examples from the websites provided or by googling ‘Black out poetry’
- Use the pages of an old book you don’t mind repurposing – you could make it a work in progress and use many pages in the same book for different blackout poems
- Magazines and newspapers work equally as well
- Follow the steps outlined in the Scholastic website, the ‘How to teach blackout poetry’ website and ‘The Easy Guide to Blackout Poetry’ website to create your blackout poem
- Decide on a platform to share your creation.
Dear Poet – an initiative from poetry.org
Use this lesson plan to engage with a range of poets and their poetry, develop your understanding of poetic techniques and write a letter to a poet.
TedED Series: Playing with Language
Contains links to a variety of TedED videos and lesson ideas with ways to engage.
Wide Reading
NSW DoE suggested texts by stage
Select a novel from the school library or town library. Use the list provided on the DoE website to guide your choice.
Ideas for working with a novel:
- Choose a main character and construct a character profile
- Select a significant passage and re-write it from a different character’s perspective or in a different tense – what is the impact of these changes?
- Choose a significant passage and construct a story board
- Write the opening passage to a sequel of the book you selected
- Write a book review
Viewing
NSW DoE suggested texts by stage
and Clickview
Select and view a film from the DoE list provided (films and documentaries can be accessed by students on Click View).
Ideas for working with a film:
- Grid analysis – complete a grid with the following headings: Similarities (what does the film remind you of?), Surprises (what happens that you were not expecting?), Puzzles (what questions remain unanswered) and Patterns (what recurring motifs did you see?)
- Choose a character and write their backstory
- Write a review of the film, or write a newspaper article about an incident from the film
Complete past papers (answers available at the link provided)