Year 8 Homework Project

Assessment

The final deadline for the project will be set by your teacher.

Final Deadline: _______________________________________

Name: _____________________________

Form: ______________________________

To ensure that you are completing the homework on a regular basis, your teacher will also ask to check the project at 3 points throughout the term.

1. Date____________ Teacher’s signature_________________

2. Date____________ Teacher’s signature_________________

3. Date____________ Teacher’s signature_________________

Parent/Guardian Signature: _____________________________

Overall Skill Level Overall Writing Level Challenge Activity Level

Teacher’s comments:

Student’s comments:

Year 8: Writing Project

Follow the instructions and make sure that you check the spellings in your work and proof read it for mistakes with punctuation and grammar. Merits will be awarded for success in each of the challenges.

Good luck and get writing!

Manic Monday

My most amazing week!What happened over the last five days?

Your chance to tell the story of these amazing events!

You have five writing challenges based on five days of the week. Aim to use the most interesting and varied vocabulary that you can.You will be rewarded for using language effectively.You might want to use some of these words:

amusingly dramatically suddenly amazinglyfearfully powerfully thoughtfullycleverly quickly

however therefore because but furthermorealso in addition then and nextwhereas in contrast later at first similarly as well as

shouted murmured cried bellowed stuttered enquiredwhispered shrieked replied screamed bragged mumbled

You’re in the library. Outside is cold and miserable and so you find yourself a book or a comic and sit in the squidgy chair where you can get comfortable. There are some other students there but the library is quiet and you can sit back and get reading.

You are getting into your story when you notice something strange and quite unusual.The page seems to be flickering, words are wobbling and the book grows in your hand. You look down at the page and feel yourself tipping forward directly into the story and the events.

Amazingly you land in the story. The characters can see you and talk to you and you can explore the world in the book.

• What book or comic were you reading?• What was going on in the story?

• What happens to you while you were there?• How do you get back into the library and out of the book?• Does anyone notice you were gone or has time stopped whilst you were away?• Who did you meet and what did you do? You can choose any type of story or book. For example you might meet up with Harry, Ron and Hermione in a potion’s lesson. You could meet up with the amazing Alex Rider and have a series of adventures?

Twisted TuesdayThe day starts with you waking up late and rushing about to get ready for school. You get out of the house and grab some food as you leave.

Task: Choose one of the following tasksUse the bullet points above to give you ideas of what to write about.

1. Create a comic strip of no more than 8 slides, each with one sentence to explain the picture.

2. Write your diary that night describing the events and what went on.

3. Write an account of the events that you told the librarian on your return. Does he or she believe you? Has it happened before?

Rushing along the route to school, you notice something on the floor. You look at it, not quite sure about it, but then you pick it up. There is no one at all around. In your hand is a heavy gold ring.

Just to see, you put it on your finger. It goes on but as you twist to take it off, there is a blinding flash and a strange sound. You fall backwards. On the floor you look up and there is a blue genie hovering above you.

It’s your lucky day: the genie tells you that you have three wishes to use as you choose.“Just wear the ring whilst you say your wish, and what you desire will be.”However, before disappearing the genie warns you to be careful what you say and what you wish for. He disappears with a flash and so the day begins....

Wild Wednesday

You’ve just arrived at school.

Task: Describe your day and what happensThis is a creative story so you will need to add in lots of detail.

• You could start at the beginning when your alarm goes off and you were rushing around the house.OR• You could start from the end of the day- using a flashback style story.• You might want to plan what you would wish for and what happens to your wishes.• You might want to waste the wishes or have them go wrong. This could help to make your story funny and entertaining for the reader.

Remember you are writing to entertain so try to make your story lively and descriptive. A level 5 or higher writer will always try to include internal thoughts - these are the thoughts that we have in our mind.

For example:I was still standing there five minutes after the genie had disappeared. Could it be true? Did I really have three wishes?My mind was reeling with the ideas. What should I wish for?

Important: No cheating- you can’t wish for a million wishes!

There is a strange atmosphere about: students are chatting excitedly and teachers are rushing about. The caretaker is grumbling about having to set up the hall. What’s going on?

Today, unbelievably, a top band is arriving to spend the day in school and to perform at dinner. Their limousine is in the car park and as you pass by you try to look in.

Your friends, followed by a teacher, come racing towards you shouting: “You’ve won!”

They explain to you that you have won a competition that you entered - you had to write a persuasive letter to win a chance for your favourite band to come and perform.

You need to get your letter printed off. You log onto a computer. You search for your letter-the only problem is that you didn’t save it. To prove that you won that it was your persuasive letter you are going to have to re-write it- and make sure that it is persuasive.

Thundering ThursdayLesson 2: Science

Today should have been quiet.

Task: Write a letter to your favourite pop star or bandYou should explain why you like them as a band and why you want them to come and perform.

Tell them how much of a fan you are of them to try to persuade them. Use some persuasive tricks.

You could try to include:• Exciting and strong adjectives (best/most important/stunning)• Exaggeration- you need them to come to your school.• Repetition- this helps to convince the reader.• Connectives- however/although/whereas• Rule of three-writing phrases or ideas three times.• First person- use the word ‘I’. This makes your writing strong and powerful.• Commanding and powerful verbs- will/need/must/should/could.

Don’t forget the overall aim of your letter- to try to make your star come to your school.

Yesterday the school was wild with the show at dinner and the band in school. This morning so far has been uneventful but in science Miss X. Plode asks for a volunteer and for some reason you get picked.

She asks you to hold a container and you accidentally spill some on your hand - at the same time as Miss Plode says:

“Of course, this is a substance we know little about. It has very peculiar properties and affects objects in unusual ways. Very unusual ways!”

What a week! Surely nothing can happen at school today?

Fabulous Friday

Task: Describe your strange powers and what happensYou have got some strange powers and you are going to try and use them while the experience lasts.

Describe the events and what happened, in the first person. Try to make your story as exciting as possible.

Write the script of a television interview with Miss Plode, and a friend who saw what happened.

As you stand in the playground a helicopter goes overhead and you can hear sirens going off. You know today is going to be as crazy as the rest of the week.

You turn and see outside the school a news crew and journalists. You ask what is going on and you are told that an animal has escaped from a zoo and that it is somewhere in the school. The problem is no one knows where. The school doesn’t want everyone to panic so students are still in lessons and they are hoping the animal comes out to the grass.

You wonder what the animal is. Then you see it! Heading straight towards you! It doesn’t look happy and you don’t feel happy with it facing you. Looking around, you can see the news crew and journalists have hidden behind a van and that you are on your own.

What can you use in the playground or in your bad to capture the creature and save the school? You might still have some of your superhero strange powers from Thursday left so you are ready to give it a go.

YOU WERE THE SCHOOL HERO - YOU SAVED THE DAY!

After the amazing capture of the animal all the journalists come out of hiding and beg you for an interview.

Task: Write the newspaper front page describing the events at school

• You must inform readers about what happened and come up with a headline for the story.• You are writing as a journalist and must use third person (he, she, they) not first person (I)• You should include quotes from the head and yourself and any students or staff at the school who saw the events.• Don’t forget the 5 w’s when you are planning and writing your story: Who, What, Where, When and Why?• Your first paragraph must tell the key events.• Write in the past tense - these events have happened already.