Lesson video

Hi everyone.

And welcome to our lesson today.

Today our lesson is going to be a little bit different.

It's going to involve some free writing, which means I'm going to give you a task.

We're going to look at some images together and read an example.

And then you are going to write completely independently.

Let's get started.

So, today's learning objective is to write a suspense narrative, a free write.

In this lesson, you will need an exercise book or paper, a pencil or pen, and your best learning brain.

Pause the video if you need to take a moment to go and get those things.

Here's our agenda for learning today.

First of all I'm going to outline your task.

Then we're going to look at some images to inspire your writing.

Then we're going to read a model and finally, it's your chance for some free writing.

So here's our task outline.

Your task is to write a suspense narrative set in Victorian London.

Here are some of the features of a suspense narrative.

So, sometimes we may have details hidden from the reader.

For example, there might be a mysterious character or a place we would use adverbials of time to slow down or speed up the pace of the story and create suspense.

We might use short sentences to create tension.

For example, then comma silence.

So by short sentences, they might be sentences with three or two, or maybe even just one word in them to really hook our reader in and make them want to find out what's going to happen next.

In a suspense narrative, we will also include high level descriptive detail using those ambitious adjectives, nouns, verbs and adverbs.

And we may also see punctuations such as ellipsis or dot, dot, dot to show an unfinished thought or create a mysterious atmosphere.

Here are some images which might inspire your writing today.

So, on my screen I have this image that we saw in our clip which, at the very beginning of this unit, which shows St.

Paul's Cathedral, I can see a black raven or a crow flying against that dark collided sky.

The only thing lighting this scene up is moonlight, which is reflecting off the cobbled streets and the buildings.

Here we've got the flickering gas lamp and the flickering flames which are illuminating these completely deserted streets.

There's no one around.

And again, I can see perhaps a mysterious carriage or the tall imposing Victorian buildings on the streets of London or the moonlight again reflecting off those cobbled streets.

Now, I would like you to pause the video and go back through each image and start to collect some descriptive vocabulary you would like to use in your writing.

Okay everyone.

So, we've just outlined our task.

We've looked at some images, we've discussed some vocabulary and hopefully you've begun to record some vocab that you will use in your writing.

Now we're going to read a model together.

I'm going to read this and you can follow along with me.

Above the sleeping city, a misty moon hung in the ink-black sky.

The streets below were dimly lit by cracked ancient lanterns and shadows loomed eerily against the walls.

The hooded silhouette of a mysterious figure darted along the moonlit cobbles as silently as a shadow.

Who were they? Where were they going? As the unknown person slipped from shadow to shadow the calling of a huge raven suddenly ripped through the night.

They were not alone on the streets of London.

So, there's my example paragraph.

And here are some word bites of vocabulary that you might want to magpie.

So synonym is, words which mean the same thing, or have a similar meaning to the word creepy.

So my turn eerie, your turn.

Unnerving, your turn.

Unearthly, your turn.

Spine-tingling, your turn.

Now for some setting words you might want to use in your writing.

Moonlit, your turn.

the misty-silver moon, your turn.

The ink-black sky, your turn.

Darkness blanketed the city, your turn.

Excellent.

And finally, here are some examples of fronted adverbials that you might want to use to open your sentences.

without warning, comma, your turn.

In a split second, comma, your turn.

Unexpectedly, comma, your turn.

Out of nowhere, comma, your turn.

Well done everyone.

So, here are some examples of word bites that you might want to magpie from.

I would like you to pause the video now, while you copy down any vocabulary that you would like to use in your own writing.

Off you go.

Okay everybody.

So, we've just gone through some high level vocabulary and hopefully you've magpied some to use in your own writing.

Now, I would like you to pause the video while you write your own suspense narrative and on the screen, I've got a mind map to remind you of some of the features.

So let's go through them one more time.

So you may have details hidden from the reader, such as a mysterious figure or creature.

You might have some adverbials of time to speed the pace up or to slow the pace right down.

You might have some short sentences.

We will definitely include high level descriptive detail.

And you might use ellipsis, dot, dot, dot.

However, only use ellipsis once or twice.

If you use it at the end of every sentence, it loses its impact.

Okay.

And when you're ready, you can press play.

Okay.

Everybody well done.

I hope that you have really enjoyed your free write and remember this is an opportunity for you to be as creative as you possibly can.

And I hope you've really enjoyed that task.

Well done for all of your hard work.

And if you would like to, maybe you can share your writing with a parent or carer or on social media.

Well done everybody.