For anyone new to this blog, the idea is simple - each day my boys (Joshua - 9 and Archie - 8) choose a stimulus that drives the learning. We hope that you enjoy the blog and can take some inspiration from what we love doing - making learning as engaging as possible!
Superheroes
Today's blog is continuing our development of character. Whilst I have been working really hard with the boys to grow their vocabulary and imagination, I also am aware of the challenge figurative techniques pose, especially to a logical thinker. So today, we are going to use the world around us to describe character.
We hope you enjoy!
English
Rhyme
Simile
Character description
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We began the session by creating our own superhero avatars:
You can make and download your own superheroes via this fantastic website (hours of fun!)
We then decided to brainstorm some similes, mainly to break cliché as I didn't want to read 'as quick as a cheetah.' Here is the brainstorm:
The boys then brainstormed ideas to match their own superheroes. This included discussion around the nature of their superhero, i.e. what sort of person they were and how they would therefore be perceived.
I then modelled how to create a short, catchy description / advertisement. I had no intention to use rhyme but it came out naturally. The boys then wanted to latch onto the idea of rhyme, so we had a lot of fun exploring ideas that worked within their writing.
Here is my model:
And here are the boys' descriptive adverts:
Super Joshie
Is is a rocket? Is it a plane?
No! It's Super Joshie here again!
As strong as an ox carrying the heaviest box.
As quick as lightning!
As clever as an owl!
His parrot Squawk is as fast as a hawk.
Do not despair - he has glorious hair.
Baddies beware - come out if you dare!
Muscle Man
Is it a rocket? Is it a kite?
No! It's Muscle Man!
As super as a snail riding on a whale!
As strong as a rhinoceros
(some would say that's preposterous!)
As smart as a scientist, he flies the quietest.
As quick as an explosion,
he zooms across the ocean.
His dog, Hog, crossed a bog
with a frog!
If you are enjoying this blog, please do share it and spread the word. Thank you to all of you who have got in touch and shared some of the outcomes from what you have tried - we love to hear from you.
Due to work commitments, the next blog will be this Friday, where we shall be celebrating:
World Emoji Day
My thanks to Pie Corbett, Julia Strong and the Talk for Writing team for inspiring many of the ideas explored in this blog.
This blog is copyright. All materials herein, texts and supporting resources are copyright to Jamie Thomas & Talk for Writing. They may be used to support children/staff/parents in home-learning ONLY and not for commercial gain or for training or sharing widely, in their original form or any variations. They must also not be shared online or on any social media platforms without prior permission.
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