Teaching ideas

Writing hints and tips to bring  the photos, and 100 word starters, alive...

Just in case you're needing a sprinkle of inspiration, then here are some ideas of how the photos and writing starters could be developed into a writing activity.

Scroll down to find a range of ideas.

More to come soon...

Dad

01

We all take journeys, but don't notice our surroundings.
Take careful notice of a journey that you take and describe what you see as if you are Sam on his way to the house.

02

Imagine the conversation between Sam and his dad. Would they say a little or a lot?
Write a playscript, or conversation that show how the characters feel.

03

Draw a map of the journey that Sam takes.
Can you use Ordnance Survey map symbols.

04

Write some advice that you could give to someone who is missing a family member, or a friend. 

A race against time - cliff rescue

We had to move quickly, time was tight, the tide was turning, racing towards us – an unstoppable force. Below, on the rocks the casualty was lying, still and silent, his dog whimpering miserably by his side. Above us the thrum of the coastguard helicopter filled our ears.


We had raced to the scene. A dog had slipped down the cliff face, its owner had attempted to rescue it. Now we were rescuing them both. A race against time. 


Checking the harness, Sam slowly started the descent, loose stones and soil slipping under her feet. The menacing waves growing ever closer.




01

Imagine you are the person waiting at the bottom of the cliff to be rescued.
What happened?
How did you get here?
Why do you need to be rescued?

02

Imagine that you are one of the cliff rescue team.
Write a report describing your rescue.

03

Imagine you are the person answering the 999 call about this incident.
Write the conversation / play script of that phone call.
Who rings in to report the incident? The person at the bottom of the cliff?
A dog walker?
Someone playing on the beach? 

04

Create a sign to be placed at the top of the cliff to stop something like this happening again.
What do warning signs look like?
What will it say?
What colours will it be?
Will there be any pictures on the sign?
Can you translate it into different languages? 

Dealing with a dragon.

“This is as far as I take you.” declared Kamali, “That was the deal.”
“But…the way back?” asked Kupe.
“You won’t need it !” smiled Kamali, and with that he vanished.

The caustic scent of sulphur drifted up to Kupe and Marco, they knew they were close. A low rumbling tremor shook the floor around them. Despite the dread that instantly overcame them, they grasped the overhanging roots and began to climb down.

Even the legend of Ryoko did not do her justice. Transfixed by her glowing eyes, burning like molten metal, they knelt before her, heads bowed… and waited.

  • 1. Describe the journey to this place.  What happened?  What were the discussions?
  • 2.  Design a dragon, describe it using a labelled diagram.
  • 3. Write instructions for how to look after a dragon.
  • 4. Imagine you are Ryoko, the dragon, what are you thinking and doing as these people arrive?
  • 5. Write a diary entry as Kupe showing this journey, or one of your other journeys.
WORKING TOGETHER

Keeping the faith.

01

Research shelters used to protect people. Write a set of instructions for how to use one correctly. 

02

Write a diary entry of a night spent inside an air-raid shelter.
Begin from when you heard the air-raid siren.

03

Research an incident from a conflict / war and write a news report as if you were an eyewitness.

04

Write a letter home as if you are a soldier on the front line showing what you have been doing and how much you miss your family.

Flying Free

01

Look up paper aeroplane designs.
There are many to choose from.
Make some.
Measure how far they fly.
Time how long they fly for.
Can you create your own design?

02

Use a map or atlas - It can be a real book, or one online.
Find places you'd love to fly to.
Find a country, or city, beginning with every letter of the alphabet.

03

Write, or draw what you might see if you could fly above where you live.

How do things look different from up above? 

04

Imagine that you are being interviewed as the 1st human that could fly.
What might the questions be?
How would you answer?

Under the bridge

Max was patient, he had to be. Nothing in this world moved quickly, however much he wished that it would. He’d learnt to wait.
Max knew his contact would meet him under the bridge, sometime before midnight.

The cry of a seagull, the splash of an oar cutting through the river, broke the silence. Max watched a boat drift serenely into the shore beside him.

A casual nod from the oarsman was all Max needed. Nonchalantly, he stepped on board. No words were exchanged. As the boat edged away, Max wrapped his coat tighter.

Silently, they disappeared into the mist.

01

Write a description (or draw)  either of the characters:
How old are they?
What are they wearing?
What will their voice sound like?
How do they walk?
What kind of person are they - brave, shy, confident, trustworthy?

02

What might the thoughts of the two characters be:
Create thought bubbles for them...
When they meet?
As they travel over the water?
When they reach the other side?
Do they trust each other?
Do they even look at each other?

03

Imagine you are watching the characters.
Write a note about them that you can pass to someone else.
It only needs to be short, but include good details (adjectives and adverbs)

04

When is the story set?
How can you tell from looking at the picture?
Now try and describe (or draw) what they might see on the other side of the river.
You might need to research buildings, vehicles and clothes of the time.

A walk in the woods

While walking in the woods a couple, with their dog, discover a new statue.  While venturing inside, the mouth closes trapping someone inside.

01

Imagine this was the head of a robot, or statue.
What might the rest of it look like?
Write a description, or
Create a labelled diagram.

02

Write a description of the statue for a blind person.

03

While inside the statue, you discover a staircase going down into the ground.
Where might it lead to?
Who might have created the underground world that you discover?

04

Design a statue to put next to this statue.
What would it be?
Why did you choose this design? 

What's in a name?

A girl searching for her ancestors, completing her family tree, discovers a grave with her own name on it - what will she do?
Check out the activities below:

01

Research your own family tree, talk to parents and grandparents about your ancestors, who they were, what they did - it's all a part of who you are.

02

What might Sarah do next?

03

Research a famous historical figure, maybe someone who has changed the world, or invented something that we all use.  What made them famous - or infamous ?

04

Write a spooky ghost story.

Works great alongside: 'Night of the Gargoyles' by Eve Bunting.

I have used this for:
  • Descriptive vocabulary - the illustrations (by David Weisner) looking down over Paris from a bird's eye view are excellent. There are many bird's eye view images available online, as well as videos flying over cities in the daytime and night time.
  • Empathy - writing from the gargoyles point of view as they begin to move.
  • Descriptive vocabulary as the gargoyles explore the streets and museum.
  • Diary entry as the night watchman as he explains his experiences.
  • Links with the film 'Night at the museum' - description of the museum, or as exhibits come to life.
  • Labelled diagrams of gargoyle designs.

Searching

Perfect for a PSHE session about:
- loneliness
- talking through problems - having a point of contact
- changes in people's behaviour
- sharing things with friends
- role playing what happened before
- role playing giving advice to others

Writing activities:

What might have happened before the disappearance
The search
Interviews with parents / friends
A diary kept by the missing person - before / during the event
A follow up news report
A conversation between searchers
A police report for a missing person
Text messages found on their phone

NSPCC website is great for information and support.
Childline are there all day every day if you need to talk.

PARAGRAPH TITLE

The Cabinet of Curiosities

The shop actually exists, it's in the village of Haworth in North Yorkshire - where the Brontes come from.
It is like stepping back in time, filled with weird and wonderful items at every turn.  (See pictures below)

Some writing prompts and ideas:
  • Descriptions of what you might see through the window.
  • Using an outline of a person - write words and phrases that describe their feelings, before and after they enter the shop)
  • A recipe / spell of some of the concoctions you might find inside the shop. (See photo below.)
  • Instructions of how to create the concoctions from above.
  • A conversation between the characters as the door closes.
  • A first person response as the owner of the shop, watching the latest people enter your shop.
  • The next part of the story - will this be a positive, o negative place to be?
  • A tour around your shop of curiosities.  What are the highlights - and items to avoid !
pdf

Time for a change.


  • Instructions, with Science links - How to make a sundial.
  • Stories linked to any period of history as a starting point.
  • Feelings discovering hidden areas of the garden.
  • Conversation between parents and child(ren) as they explore their new house and garden.

Links with 'Tom's Midnight Garden'.

  • Tom's feelings / diary being away from his family.
  • Description of the house at night time.
  • Description of the garden - sights, smells, encountering other characters.
  • Letters home to describe feelings.
  • Letters home to mum and Peter - one revealing the secret of the garden, the other making mum and dad feel that Tom is 'enjoying himself.'

                                                                          The missing glove.

01

A missing person / police report.  Blank forms available here:
TES version is free.
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/police-incident-report-form-6088227
https://www.twinkl.co.uk/resource/cfe2-t-2548144-witness-statement-writing-template

02

A detective story as the missing person is hunted down - will they be rescued?

03

For those who need to write from different perspectives - switch between the person searching and the missing person - different perspectives on the same incident. 

04

A newspaper article / radio or TV report of a missing person.
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