Northfield School
ENGLISH
HOMEWORK
PACK
YEAR 8
LETTER TO PARENTS
Dear Parents,
RE: English Homework
The English Department has constructed packs of homework and extension tasks,
which will be made available to you and your child either in an electronic or paper
form.
Each pack contains over 50 exercises designed to help your child progress in English.
There is one for each of Years 7, 8 and 9.
This means that there is always English homework. Should your child claim that they
have not been set any, you can tell them that they should do an exercise from the
pack. Your child’s teacher may sometimes set specific homework from the pack.
Other homework will be set where relevant to the week’s lessons.
The exercises can also be used to extend or help your child’s learning. Your child’s
teacher may tell them to look at a particular page in response to some work that the
teacher has marked. If you feel that your child needs to work on a particular area,
there may well be an exercise for them to do.
All of the exercises can be usefully repeated.
All work should be written carefully in your child’s English book. If you wish to help
your child, it might be useful to add a note to the work saying how much help you
gave, so that we know where your child’s strengths and weakness lie. Generally,
however, we would fully encourage you to work with your child, discussing the work
s/he is undertaking and offering advice and encouragement.
Please sign and return the slip below to acknowledge that you have seen this letter.
Should you have any questions, please contact your child’s English teacher.
Yours sincerely,
Head of English
____________________________________________________
I have seen the letter about the homework package.
Signed:
Child’s Name:
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HOW TO USE THIS PACK
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If you have a paper copy of this pack: Keep this book at home.
If you are using an electronic version, do all the exercises in your English
book. Don’t try to do them on computer. It won’t work.
Sometimes your teacher will tell you to complete an exercise as homework.
If you have not received any homework in any given week, complete one of
the exercises.
If you want to get ahead with your English, do an exercise as extra homework.
Many of tasks lend themselves to repeated attempts: the more you do them,
the better your reading and writing skills will become.
• Complete the exercises in your English book. Please do not write in this book
- return it at the end of the year.
• Hand in the homework when the teacher indicates. It is important that you
meet deadlines, as some correcting of tasks may take place in lesson time – if
you don’t have your work, you will prevent the lesson running smoothly.
• Other exercises can be submitted when completed, for your teacher to check.
• Should you lose this book – or feed it to the dog – you will be asked to pay the
cost of making a new copy for you.
• Problems or questions? See your teacher immediately.
WHY BOTHER?!
1. Because your teacher will make you!
2. Because your parents will make you!
3. Most importantly: this pack is designed to help you improve your reading and
writing skills. These skills are vital in so many ways.
4. The pack is designed to help you get a good level at the end of Year 9 and get
ready for your GCSE work in Years 10 and 11. As such, it is REALLY
USEFUL!
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CONTENTS
Page
5
6
7
8
19
20
40
41
60
71
81
82
85
87
Handwriting
How Your Work Is Assessed: Writing
How Your Work Is Assessed: Reading
Punctuation and Grammar Revision
Including:
The Clause
Colons
Semicolons
Nouns: Agreement
Verbs: Agreement
Combine Sentences
Paragraphs
Dashes
Commas
Correct a Passage
Reading: What You Need to Do
Reading Exercises
Including:
Bleak House
All the World’s A Stage
England 1819
The Tyger
Daffodils
The Kraken
The Diary of a Pre-teen Prom Queen
The Galaxy of a Thousand Earth-like Planets
Ramble On
Stacey Treebling and the Demolition Man
Writing: What You Need to Do
Writing Exercises
Spelling
Including:
-ible or -able
Drop the e
Prefixes and Suffixes
Change –y to –i
Double Letters
Plurals
Problem Words
Making Your Own List
Vocabulary Exercises
Reading with Others
Reading List
Crossword Puzzles
Assessing Your Progress
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HANDWRITING
Has your handwriting improved since you started Year 7?
You’re in Year 8 now, and you are going to find it harder to change your handwriting
as you get older. So it’s a really good idea to sort out any remaining problems now.
This pack can give you another chance to make your handwriting neater. Whilst
attempting some of the exercises in this pack, think again about your handwriting. The
tasks here will give you a chance to practise your pen-work.
As you know, good handwriting needs to be even, consistent and controlled.
Straight lines (in d, b, t, f, l, p, etc.) need to be straight and the same length in each
letter.
Circles (in o, c, d, b, p, g, etc.) need to be smooth and the same size each time.
Upward strokes should go near to the next line up.
Down strokes should go half way down to the line below.
The letters need to sit on the line.
The links between the letters need to be smooth and small.
Make sure that your letters are not too small and not too big.
Make sure that the gaps between words are not too big and not too small. The gap
should be the same between each word.
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HOW YOUR WORK IS ASSESSED
Below is a list of things that you need to do to achieve each level in reading and
writing. Consider these factors every time you attempt some written work or a
response to reading. Did you move up a level last year? You should be aiming to
move 2 levels between your Year 6 SATs level and the one you get at the end of Year
9. So, to move a whole level in a year would be impressive, but possible.
WRITING
KEY CRITERIA
You need to have imaginative ideas.
You need to make your writing suit the audience and purpose of the text.
You need to structure your work thoughtfully.
You need to use paragraphs precisely.
You need to vary your sentence lengths and structures.
You need to use a variety of punctuation accurately.
You need to vary your vocabulary.
You need to spell accurately.
LEVEL THREE
• Simple sentences will be correct.
• Some full stops will be used.
• There may some sense of different sections to the work.
• The vocabulary may be simple, but most words are spelt correctly.
LEVEL FOUR
• Some long sentences will be used.
• A few commas will be included.
• There will be some basic signs of paragraphing.
• The vocabulary will be wider, including longer words.
LEVEL FIVE
• A variety of sentences will be used: long and short.
• Commas will be used to divide different clauses.
• Paragraphs will be clearly used.
• Interesting vocabulary will be included.
LEVEL SIX
• Longer sentence structures will be used accurately.
• Commas will be used effectively.
• Paragraphs will be developed and linked.
• More varied and mature vocabulary will be used.
LEVEL SEVEN
• Full range of sentence types and structures included.
• Commas will be used to create interesting effects.
• Paragraphs will be used in creative and varied ways.
• Very impressive vocabulary will be included.
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HOW YOUR WORK IS ASSESSED
READING
Did you get better marks for reading or writing last year? Did you move up through a
level, from c to a?
KEY CRITERIA
You need to select key sections of the text.
You need to read between the lines – pick up on hints.
You need to explain the use of language.
You need to explain how the text is structured.
You need to explain the writer’s overall aims.
LEVEL THREE
• Simple comments will be made on the content of the text.
• There will be a response to the basic meaning.
LEVEL FOUR
• There will be evidence of understanding of the main points
• The reader will begin to infer and deduce.
• There may be a few comments on language and structure.
LEVEL FIVE
• Key quotations will be selected.
• Comments on language and structure will be included.
• The reader will respond personally.
LEVEL SIX
• Comments on style will be included.
• Comments on language and structure will be developed.
• The reader will link style to overall intentions.
LEVEL SEVEN
• Detailed responses to style will be included.
• The reader will evaluate texts.
• Quotations will be used precisely.
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PUNCTUATION AND GRAMMAR REVISION
In Year 8, you need to keep working on your writing skills.
If you don’t think about grammar and punctuation, you’ll forget what you learnt in
primary school. You might find that bad habits become entrenched.
The next ten pages each contain a separate homework exercise that will help you to
improve the accuracy of your writing.
Read the information.
Copy and correct the sentences into your English book.
These tasks are worth attempting several times – each time you do them, you should
find your knowledge of what is correct increases. Unfortunately, our memories are
such that we tend forget much of what we learn, so we need to repeat exercises like
these, in order to reinforce the learning.
Now that you’re in Year 8, you don’t need telling how to set your work out, do you?
Well, just in case …
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Your title will be the title at the top of the relevant page.
You should also write the date in full.
You should underline the title and date, using a ruler.
You should write in blue or black pen.
If you need to scratch your nose, you may …
…. but don’t pick it, because that’s not nice.
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THE CLAUSE
INFORMATION
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A CLAUSE is the main part of a sentence.
It contains:
A verb (a doing word – looks, runs, ate, fell, is, was, etc.);
A subject (someone or thing that does the action – I, she, Paul, Jenny, the cat).
A clause must be followed by either:
A full stop – I ran away.
OR
A semi-colon – I ran away; the dog chased me.
OR
A comma
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a joining word – I ran away, but the dog chased me.
NOTE: A comma on its own cannot separate two clauses. The comma must be
followed by a joining word (because, which, but, and, etc).
TASK
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Copy the examples. Add full stops, semi-colons, commas, and capital letters.
1. galileo galilei was born in italy in 1564 he became an important scientist
2. galileo observed the planets and he discovered jupiter’s moons
3. he improved the telescope but he did not invent it
4. he is called the father of modern astronomy because he discovered a lot
5. he said that the earth is not at the centre of the universe it goes round the sun
6. this was controversial at the time because the church did not teach this idea
7. galileo was summoned to rome where he had to answer questions
8. he was forced to say that the earth was the centre of the universe it is not
9. galileo made other scientific discoveries so he is called the father of science
10. he showed how maths and physics go together he was also a philosopher
11. he thought that the meaning of life is written in the universe
12. he proposed new ideas about motion which were important to scientists
13. he observed sunspots he was one of the first people to understand them
14. he described craters on the moon which he had seen through his telescope
15. he observed the milky way which is a star system not a chocolate bar
16. he was silenced by the church but he did not change his views
17. his views are now accepted most people know he was right
18. he was brave and curious many scientists revere him
19. he is important because he furthered our understanding
20. he shows us how to live he was true to his beliefs
EXTENSION
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Do some more research on Galileo. Write an encyclopaedia entry on him.
Write a leaflet for Year 6 students explaining the clause.
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COLONS
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A good punctuation mark to use is the colon.
It impresses folk, even though it’s pretty easy to use.
So, here’s a chance to make sure that you can use colons perfectly.
INFORMATION
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A colon points forward to more information.
It comes before lists and bullet points, saying: “Here it is! Here’s the
information I promised you!”
A colon can also be used for dramatic emphasis, creating a pause and a brief
sense of anticipation.
EXAMPLES
The best school subjects are: English, maths, drama and science.
The next thing that happened: a bull crashed through the gate.
The answer was: Yes!
TASK
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Copy the sentences below into your English book.
Place the colons where they should go.
Remember to use the task as a chance to practise your handwriting too.
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Charles Darwin the most important scientist Britain ever produced.
He developed a theory the theory of evolution.
He added one key idea to the theory natural selection
He wrote several books On the Origin of Species, The Voyage of the Beagle,
The Descent of Man.
5. He was educated at Shrewsbury School, The University of Edinburgh and
Christ’s College Cambridge.
6. On the voyage of The Beagle, he travelled to Argentina, Chile and Australia.
7. The most famous place he visited was the Galapagos Islands.
8. Darwin’s theory stated animals evolve when individuals that are well-adapted
to the prevailing conditions out-breed less “fit” members of the species.
9. Darwin’s most controversial idea the notion that human beings might be
descended from apes.
10. Darwin’s other works include Insectivorous Plants; Climbing Plant; The
Power of Movement in Plants; The Formation of Vegetable Mould through the
action of Worms..
EXTENSION
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If this is too easy: write some of your own sentences that include colons. The
topic should be: the life and works of Isambard Kingdom Brunel. You’ll need
to do some research first!
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SEMICOLONS
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Semicolons are not as difficult as some people seem to think.
They can be used to separate parts of a sentence.
They provide a stronger break than a comma, but one that is not as strong as a
full stop.
Elegant, sophisticated writers use semicolons.
INFORMATION
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A semicolon can be placed between items in a list, where each item has
several parts. If the list is a list of sentences, semicolons should be used to
separate each item. If the items in the list have commas in them already, then
semicolons should be used. More simply, they are used in long lists.
A semicolon can also be used to divide two closely related sentences. They are
used to replace a full stop in these cases.
EXAMPLES
My favourite meals are: fish, chips and peas; pizza, beans and salad; curry,
rice and garlic bread; choc ice, snails and raw onions.
My brother likes jam; I like marmalade.
TASK
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Copy the sentences below into your English book.
Add the semicolons where they belong.
This is a very good opportunity to practise your handwriting.
1. The key facts about Rembrandt are: he was born in 1606 he lived in
Amsterdam he was a famous painter he is most remembered for his selfportraits.
2. Some of his best self portraits are: one in which he is young, dashing and
handsome one in which he is holding his painting materials one in which he is
old, troubled and rather bewildered.
3. Rembrandt’s painting of Abraham is powerful it shows Isaac’s terror and
Abraham’s intensity.
4. Rembrandt’s painting of The Night Watch is well regarded it features vivid
portraits of the men of Amsterdam.
5. Rembrandt’s paintings feature: dramatic, powerful effects of light realistic,
detailed and thoughtful portrayals of people a forceful, expressive and free
handling of paint.
6. Rembrandt’s expresses human experiences directly he captures what it is to be
human on canvas.
EXTENSION
• Write your own sentences that feature semicolons. Make the topic: the life and
works of Pieter Brueghel the Elder. You’ll need to do some research.
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NOUNS: Agreement
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We all agree, Leeds United are magic!
Ah, well. Some of us are old enough to remember when that was true.
But I digress. Agreement in language is a matter of making sure that different
parts of the sentence go together.
INFORMATION
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As you know, a noun is often called a naming word.
Nouns are the words that name people, places and things.
Nouns are pretty simple. But they do change if the number changes. You need
to make sure that you get the ending right.
TASK
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Copy the sentences below.
Correct the noun endings.
1. James Cook went to schools in a villages called Great Ayton.
2. He learnt about sailing in a towns called Whitby.
3. He sailed on a ships that went to Newfoundland.
4. In 1768 he commanded the ships The Endeavour.
5. The Endeavours sailed to New Zealands and Australias.
6. The purpose of the voyages was to observe the star in the skies.
7. Cook sailed round the many island in the Pacifics.
8. In three year of sailing there was only one deaths on his ship.
9. Cook is known as a skilful navigators.
10. His several voyage made many important discovery.
11. He helped further various science.
12. He was the first Europeans to see many of the Pacific island.
13. He landed in Australias when few peoples had been there.
14. His names is remembered in many Australian location.
15. There is a huge monuments to him on a hills near Great Ayton.
16. Cook was killed by a group of Pacific islander.
17. He returned to get a boats back.
18. A group of islander set upon him.
EXTENSION
• OK, that’s too easy!
• Try to write a simple guide for Year 5 students, explaining how to get the right
endings for their nouns.
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VERBS: Agreement
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OK, nouns are easy. Agreed?
Verbs have a bit more going on for them.
INFORMATION
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As you know, a verb is often called a doing word.
It is the word that tells you what the main action of the sentence is: ate, ran,
jumps, likes, will take, etc.
Verbs need to change their endings in order to agree with the subject. They
have different endings if the subject is “I” or “she”. The subject could be “we”
or “they” or “it” or “you” – you need to get the ending right for each.
There is a clear difference between the ending that goes with singular subjects
and that which goes with plural subjects.
Example: Apples are great. An apple is great.
TASK
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Copy the sentences below.
Correct the verbs.
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The London Underground Map are a design classic.
The red telephone box have been praised as an icon.
Mini cars is nippy and sporty.
The angle poise lamp have been described as an elegant solution to an
everyday problem.
5. Concorde have the look of a futuristic plane.
6. The Bauhaus chair are ergonomically perfect.
7. Many people loves the Routemaster London bus.
8. The mini skirt were a popular sixties sign of women’s liberation.
9. The Sinclair C5 were a bizarre buggy that no-one bought.
10. An American Quilt are a sign of community effort.
11. Experts reveres Chippendale furniture designs.
12. The catseye are a smart invention that helps road safety.
13. The spitfire plane are a design that are fit for purpose.
14. The World Wide Web are a British invention.
15. The E-type Jaguar were another elegant British design.
16. Some people thinks that computer games like Tomb Raider is design
classics as well.
EXTENSION
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Do some research. Find out all the different types and parts of verbs. Design
and write a leaflet to explain all about how verbs work.
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COMBINE SENTENCES
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You need to start using commas as a matter of course.
People often get them wrong, putting a comma where a full stop belongs.
Here is an exercise to get you thinking about commas.
INFORMATION
• Add some sort of connective and you can combine two short sentences into
one long one. A comma can divide the clauses if they are properly linked.
TASK
• Combine these sentences.
• Add a connective word like: but, because, if, when, so, etc.
• Add a comma.
• Make whatever changes you need to make to reduce the number of sentences
but keep the sense.
1. Gilgamesh is the first story known. It was written in Iraq.
2. The story was written in the Year 2700 BC. It has survived over 4000
years.
3. Gilgamesh is an unpopular king. He fights Enkidu.
4. The fight goes on for a long time. They decide neither can win.
5. Gilgamesh and Enkidu become friends. They are equal in strength.
They respect each other.
6. They set out on an adventure. They go to the forest. They aim to kill
Humbaba.
7. Gilgamesh and Enkidu kill Humbaba. They use team work. They
succeed. They feel guilty afterwards. They regret killing Humbaba.
8. Enkidu dies. It is a punishment. Gilgamesh is very sad.
9. Gilgamesh fears his own death. He goes in search of immortality. He
knows of a place. In this place he can find eternal life.
10. He is on his way. He meets an old woman. The woman tells him
something. She says he should give up his search. He ignores her.
11. He travels over the ocean. It is dangerous. It takes a long time.
12. He gets there. He finds a herb. It will keep him young and healthy all
his life.
13. He returns to the old woman. He sleeps. A snake steals the herb.
14. The old woman tells him something. She tells him to return home. She
tells him to return to his family. She tells him to value them.
15. There is a message to the story. The message is that family is
important. The message is also that you should value what you have.
EXTENSION
• Find out more about region where this story comes from. Write a guide to the
history of the place for Year 8 students to read and enjoy. Try to use long
sentences.
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PARAGRAPHS
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Paragraphs are essential for structuring texts.
They need to be used if writing is to be clear.
INFORMATION:
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Start a new paragraph when you change topic.
Start a new paragraph when a story includes a change in place.
Start a new paragraph when a story moves forward or back in time.
Start a new paragraph when you want to include a section of description.
Put your paragraphs in an order that allows you to link them.
TASK
• Here is a mixed up paragraph plan for the Gilgamesh story.
• Decide which order the paragraphs should be in.
• Write an explanation of why you made the choices that you did.
a. Gilgamesh and Enkidu become friends.
b. Gilgamesh decides to seek eternal life.
c. Gilgamesh and Enkidu kill Humbaba.
d. Gilgamesh is king of Uruk.
e. Enkidu dies.
f. Gilgamesh finds the secret of eternal life.
g. Gilgamesh decides to fight Enkidu.
h. Gilgamesh and Enkidu regret killing Humbaba.
i. Gilgamesh is warned not to seek eternal life.
j. Gilgamesh and Enkidu fight.
k. Gilgamesh loses the secret herb of youth.
l. Gilgamesh and Enkidu are equals.
m. Gilgamesh returns to his family.
n. Gilgamesh and Enkidu return to Uruk together.
o. Gilgamesh and Enkidu set out to kill Humbaba.
TASK
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Easy?
Now try to link the paragraphs.
Write an opening sentence for each paragraph in the story.
Make each sentence a topic sentence – one which clearly shows what the
paragraph is about.
Make clear what the link between each paragraph will be. Use words like
“however”, “later”, “surprisingly”, etc.
You might want to write a final sentence for each paragraph, to help you see
how the paragraph will link to the next.
By the time you have done this, you might want to write your own complete
version of the story.
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DASHES
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A dash can be used to show that some information has been added to the end
or into the middle of the sentence.
INFORMATION
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When a fragment of extra information is tacked on to the end of the sentence,
use a dash – it shows that the extra statement is indeed extra.
If you want to put a little aside – a short explanation for example – in the
middle of a sentence, a pair of dashes can be used.
TASK
• Copy out the sentences below.
• Add the dashes where they belong.
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6.
7.
Beowulf one of the oldest English poems tells an heroic story.
It is set in Denmark many settlers came from there to England.
Grendel a lonely, hairy monster terrorises the Danish court.
Grendel feasts on the Danish soldiers there is no escape.
Hrothgar is the Danish king he cannot rid his nation of Grendel.
Beowulf a soldier from over the seas comes to challenge Grendel.
No-one believes that Beowulf can kill Grendel a man called Unferth is
especially negative about Beowulf’s chances.
8. Unferth asks Beowulf to tell a story he has heard it features Beowulf
losing a swimming race.
9. Beowulf puts him right he lost the race because he stopped to fight a
sea monster.
10. That night Grendel visits the feast hall he attacks the sleeping warriors.
11. Beowulf lying in wait just for this moment surprises Grendel.
12. Grendel fights with Beowulf he is shocked by Beowulf’s strength.
13. Beowulf holds onto Grendel’s shoulder his grip is like iron.
14. Grendel screams he doesn’t know what to do.
15. Beowulf wrenches Grendel’s arm off the original poem describes this
very powerfully.
16. Grendel slinks off he is nearly dead.
17. Everyone in the Danish court celebrates they think their troubles are
over.
18. Grendel is dead his mother is not pleased.
19. Beowulf’s work is just beginning he’ll soon have another fight to
undertake.
20. Grendel’s mother is worse than her son she’ll be hard to kill.
EXTENSION:
• Write your own description of the fight between Grendel and Beowulf.
• Read the original poem – Seamus Heaney has written a modern English
version of it.
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COMMAS
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You need to use commas in your writing. We’ve looked at them a few times in
this pack. Here, you can try to use them to mark off different clauses.
TASK
• Copy out the sentences below.
• Add the commas where they belong.
1. When Beowulf reached the lake he knew he was at Grendel’s
mother’s lair.
2. Having waited for hours he decided that he would have to dive into
the murky water.
3. Swimming down through the waters Beowulf looked out for
Grendel’s mother.
4. He was uneasy because the lake was littered with corpses.
5. Waiting at the edge of the lake Beowulf’s men began to fear that he
would not return.
6. When Beowulf caught sight of the huge monster he swam towards
it.
7. Beowulf struggled with the monster and soon he began to realise
that he could not defeat it.
8. Beowulf began to feel terror because he was being crushed by the
monster.
9. When he felt that the end was near he touched something with his
hand.
10. He was lucky because he had found a sword on the bottom of the
lake.
11. Having grabbed the sword he swung it towards Grendel’s mother.
12. The sword cut through the monster’s neck and so Grendel’s mother
was defeated.
13. Exhausted but satisfied Beowulf swam for the surface.
14. When Beowulf returned everyone was amazed.
15. Their questions were answered straight away because Beowulf was
holding Grendel’s mother’s head in one hand.
EXTENSION
• Write your own description of the fight between Beowulf and Grendel’s
mother.
• Write a description of the celebration feast that takes place after Beowulf
defeats Grendel’s mother.
• Write a guide to using commas for Year 5 pupils.
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CORRECTING A PASSAGE
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Here’s a test for you! Try to put all the skills you have used in the preceding
exercises together here.
TASK
• Copy out the passage below.
• Correct all the mistakes:
Full stops
Capital letters
Apostrophes
Speech
Commas
Colons
Semicolons
Agreement
Dashes
Paragraphs
beowulf were a happy successful kings for many year and the people
loved him he were his peoples protector they relied on him when the
winters nights were cold he would recalls his adventure’s once he said
i was a young warriors who could defeat anyone imagine me then a
strong athletic arrogant heroes these was the stories he would tell the
killing of the sea monster the battle with grendel the fight with
grendels mother he loved to tell tales those were his glory day as he got
older his people began to forgets his many youthful exploit they saw
him as an old man few peoples could imagine that he were ever a
mighty fighter he seemed so frail then one day a terrible events took
place from nowhere a dragon appeared the dragons breath was fire and
his bite was bitter he preyed on beowulfs lands the dreadful dragon
layed waste to many villages how the people complained help us king
beowulf they cried send for a warrior who can rid us of this terrible
threats beowulf old as he was rose to answer his subject i will fights
this terrible beast he promised wishing to be respectful the people did
not laugh but they felt that beowulf was being ridiculous they could not
believe whatever he said that beowulf could fight any kind of beast the
next day beowulf set out to the dragons layer sure that he could kill it
he was brave perhaps he was foolish his people followed him they
hoped he would fulfil his promise but they feared that he would fail
miserably how could such an old men fight such a grim monster
EXTENSION:
• Write your description of the fight between Beowulf and the dragon – he
wins, but is wounded and dies afterwards.
18
READING
WHAT YOU NEED TO DO
• SELECT information to show that you
UNDERSTAND a text.
• Read between the lines, picking up on
HINTS in a text: INFER and DEDUCE.
• Comment on the STRUCTURE of a text.
• Comment on the LANGUAGE of a text.
• Comment on the OVERALL
INTENTIONS and EFFECTS of a text.
19
READING: Bleak House
•
•
•
•
•
•
Read the passage below.
Look up any words you don’t understand in a dictionary or on dictionary.com.
Answer at least one question in each section.
Answer questions at different levels if you wish.
The difficulty of this passage is: HARD
This passage is the opening of Charles Dickens’ (1812-1870) novel Bleak
House. Here he describes a fog-bound London. The book is partly about a
court case – “Chancery” was a court where disputes about money were settled
– which has dragged on for many years. So the fog might stand for the
confusion that the people involved in the case are feeling.
LONDON. Michaelmas Term lately over, and the Lord Chancellor sitting in Lincoln’s
Inn Hall. Implacable November weather. As much mud in the streets as if the waters
had but newly retired from the face of the earth, and it would not be wonderful to
meet a Megalosaurus, forty feet long or so, waddling like an elephantine lizard up
Holborn Hill. Smoke lowering down from chimney-pots, making a soft black drizzle,
with flakes of soot in it as big as full-grown snow-flakes — gone into mourning, one
might imagine, for the death of the sun. Dogs, undistinguishable in mire. Horses,
scarcely better; splashed to their very blinkers. Foot passengers, jostling one another’s
umbrellas in a general infection of ill-temper, and losing their foot-hold at streetcorners, where tens of thousands of other foot passengers have been slipping and
sliding since the day broke (if the day ever broke), adding new deposits to the crust
upon crust of mud, sticking at those points tenaciously to the pavement, and
accumulating at compound interest.
Fog everywhere. Fog up the river, where it flows among green islands and meadows;
fog down the river, where it rolls defiled among the tiers of shipping and the
waterside pollutions of a great (and dirty) city. Fog on the Essex marshes, fog on the
Kentish heights. Fog creeping into the cabooses of collier-brigs; fog lying out on the
yards, and hovering in the rigging of great ships; fog drooping on the gunwales of
barges and small boats. Fog in the eyes and throats of ancient Greenwich pensioners,
wheezing by the firesides of their wards; fog in the stem and bowl of the afternoon
pipe of the wrathful skipper, down in his close cabin; fog cruelly pinching the toes
and fingers of his shivering little ’prentice boy on deck. Chance people on the bridges
peeping over the parapets into a nether sky of fog, with fog all round them, as if they
were up in a balloon, and hanging in the misty clouds.
Gas looming through the fog in divers places in the streets, much as the sun may,
from the spongey fields, be seen to loom by husbandman and ploughboy. Most of the
shops lighted two hours before their time — as the gas seems to know, for it has a
haggard and unwilling look.
The raw afternoon is rawest, and the dense fog is densest, and the muddy streets are
muddiest near that leaden-headed old obstruction, appropriate ornament for the
threshold of a leaden-headed old corporation, Temple Bar. And hard by Temple Bar,
in Lincoln’s Inn Hall, at the very heart of the fog, sits the Lord High Chancellor in his
High Court of Chancery.
20
SELECT AND RETRIEVE
LEVEL 4: Which dinosaur is mentioned in the passage?
LEVEL 5: What has happened to the dogs in the first paragraph?
LEVEL 6: Which detail in the first paragraph suggests that it is always dark?
LEVEL 7: Select 5 key words or phrases that create a mood in this passage.
INFER AND DEDUCE
LEVEL 4: How do the people of London feel?
LEVEL 5: Why does Dickens start his book like this?
LEVEL 6: What does the fog represent?
LEVEL 7: Why is the Lord High Chancellor at the heart of the fog?
STRUCTURE
LEVEL 4: Why does Dickens start his book by focussing on the weather?
LEVEL 5: Why does Dickens list so many examples?
LEVEL 6: How does the passage build to a climax?
LEVEL 7: What expectations do you get for the rest of the book from this
passage?
LANGUAGE
LEVEL 4: What is the effect of the repetition of “fog”?
LEVEL 5: Explain three examples of Dickens’ strong language in this passage. What
do they make you feel or think?
LEVEL 6: What can you say about the types of sentence used in paragraph 2?
LEVEL 7: How does Dickens’ language emphasise his message in this passage?
OVERALL EFFECT
LEVEL 4: How do you respond to this passage?
LEVEL 5: What is Dickens’ main message in this passage?
LEVEL 6: What opinions is Dickens expressing?
LEVEL 7: What techniques does Dickens use? To what effect?
EXTENSION:
• Write your own description of a foggy day.
• Read the rest of Bleak House.
21
READING: ‘All the World’s a Stage’
•
•
•
•
•
Read the passage below.
Look up any words you don’t understand in a dictionary or on dictionary.com.
Answer at least one question in each section.
Answer questions at different levels if you wish.
The difficulty of this passage is: MEDIUM
•
This speech is taken from Shakespeare’s As You Like it. In the speech, the
generally miserable Jaques compares a man’s lifetime to various roles that an
actor might take on stage. “Sans” (from the last line) means “without”.
All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players:
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages. At first the infant,
Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms.
And then the whining school-boy, with his satchel
And shining morning face, creeping like snail
Unwillingly to school. And then the lover,
Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad
Made to his mistress' eyebrow. Then a soldier,
Full of strange oaths and bearded like the pard,
Jealous in honour, sudden and quick in quarrel,
Seeking the bubble reputation
Even in the cannon's mouth. And then the justice,
In fair round belly with good capon lined,
With eyes severe and beard of formal cut,
Full of wise saws and modern instances;
And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts
Into the lean and slipper'd pantaloon,
With spectacles on nose and pouch on side,
His youthful hose, well saved, a world too wide
For his shrunk shank; and his big manly voice,
Turning again toward childish treble, pipes
And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all,
That ends this strange eventful history,
Is second childishness and mere oblivion,
Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.
SELECT AND RETRIEVE
LEVEL 4: Select four words from the first three lines that refer to the theatre.
LEVEL 5: What are the seven separate ages?
LEVEL 6: Select five descriptive phrases that have a memorable effect.
LEVEL 7: Explain the effect of five key phrases from the passage.
INFER AND DEDUCE
LEVEL 4: Which is the best age to be at?
22
LEVEL 5: How does the speech suggest that different ages might be more or less
enjoyable?
LEVEL 6: What opinions does the passage suggest?
LEVEL 7: What view of human existence does the passage convey?
STRUCTURE
LEVEL 4: How does the passage begin?
LEVEL 5: Why does the passage end as it does?
LEVEL 6: How does the passage create tension and expectations?
LEVEL 7: How does the passage rise to a climax?
LANGUAGE
LEVEL 4: Select one simile from the passage.
LEVEL 5: How does Shakespeare use similes and metaphors in the passage?
LEVEL 6: Explain three examples of powerful language from the passage.
LEVEL 7: What techniques does Shakespeare use? To what effect?
OVERALL EFFECT
LEVEL 4: What is Shakespeare telling us here?
LEVEL 5: Why might Shakespeare have chosen to use plays and players as his
central metaphor for life?
LEVEL 6: What is Shakespeare’s message?
LEVEL 7: How does Shakespeare reflect the character’s misery here?
EXTENSION:
• Read As You Like It. Write a review of the play, as if you had seen it at the
theatre.
• Write your own poem about life. What could you compare the stages of life
to? School subjects? Weather? Animals?
23
READING: ‘England 1819’
•
•
•
•
•
Read the passage below.
Look up any words you don’t understand in a dictionary or on dictionary.com.
Answer at least one question in each section.
Answer questions at different levels if you wish.
The difficulty of this passage is: HARD
•
This poem was written by Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822). In it, he
describes the social and political situation of his time. People were much less
free than they are today. King George III was, indeed, mentally ill. His
successor, the Prince Regent, was a fat, ridiculous waste of space.
An old, mad, blind, despised, and dying king,
Princes, the dregs of their dull race, who flow
Through public scorn, mud from a muddy spring,
Rulers who neither see, nor feel, nor know,
But leech-like to their fainting country cling,
Till they drop, blind in blood, without a blow,
A people starved and stabbed in the untilled field,
An army, which liberticide and prey
Makes as a two-edged sword to all who wield,
Golden and sanguine laws which tempt and slay;
Religion Christless, Godless a book sealed;
A Senate, Time's worst statute unrepealed,
Are graves, from which a glorious Phantom may
Burst, to illumine our tempestous day.
SELECT AND RETRIEVE
LEVEL 4: Select an example of alliteration from the poem.
LEVEL 5: How many negative words can you find in the poem?
LEVEL 6: How many metaphors can you spot?
LEVEL 7: Select the strongest image from the poem. Why did you choose it?
INFER AND DEDUCE
LEVEL 4: What did Shelley think of the king?
LEVEL 5: What did Shelley think about the world in which he lived?
LEVEL 6: What did Shelley want to happen?
LEVEL 7: What would Shelley think about our political situation today?
STRUCTURE
LEVEL 4: Why did Shelley start with the images in the first line?
LEVEL 5: What kind of poem is this? How can you tell?
LEVEL 6: How many sections would you divide the poem into?
LEVEL 7: How does the poem rise to a climax?
LANGUAGE
LEVEL 4: How many examples of alliteration can you find?
LEVEL 5: Select three examples of strong vocabulary. Explain their effect on you.
LEVEL 6: How would you describe the language of the poem?
24
LEVEL 7: Which techniques does Shelley use? To what effect?
OVERALL EFFECT
LEVEL 4: What were Shelley’s feelings when he wrote this poem?
LEVEL 5: What is Shelley’s message?
LEVEL 6: Who is the poem aimed at? How can you tell?
LEVEL 7: What did Shelley believe in?
EXTENSION:
• Write your own poem about the problems that we face in our world today.
• Do some research into life in England in 1819. Write a chapter for a Horrible
History book about those times.
25
READING: ‘Tyger, Tyger’
•
•
•
•
•
Read the passage below.
Look up any words you don’t understand in a dictionary or on dictionary.com.
Answer at least one question in each section.
Answer questions at different levels if you wish.
The difficulty of this passage is: EASY
•
In this poem, William Blake (1757-1827) describes the animal, the tiger. He
asks: who could have made such a fierce creature? Could it have been made
by the same God who made the lamb? He describes how the tiger must have
been made in a furnace and twisted out of hot metal.
Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?
In what distant deeps or skies
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand dare sieze the fire?
And what shoulder, & what art.
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
And when thy heart began to beat,
What dread hand? & what dread feet?
What the hammer? what the chain?
In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? what dread grasp
Dare its deadly terrors clasp?
When the stars threw down their spears,
And watered heaven with their tears,
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the Lamb make thee?
Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?
SELECT AND RETRIEVE
LEVEL 4: Which part of the poem is repeated?
LEVEL 5: Which lines suggest that the tiger is evil?
LEVEL 6: Which lines suggest that the tiger was made by some kind of blacksmith?
LEVEL 7: Select five key words from the poem. Why did you select these?
26
INFER AND DEDUCE
LEVEL 4: What does Blake think of the tiger?
LEVEL 5: Is Blake a Christian?
LEVEL 6: Why does Blake mention the Lamb?
LEVEL 7: Is Blake afraid? What of?
STRUCTURE
LEVEL 4: Why does Blake repeat most of one of the verses?
LEVEL 5: What is different about the end from the beginning?
LEVEL 6: What is the topic of each separate verse?
LEVEL 7: How does the poem rise to a climax?
LANGUAGE
LEVEL 4: Which words suggest strength?
LEVEL 5: How does Blake’s language create an impression of evil?
LEVEL 6: How does Blake use rhythm in the poem?
LEVEL 7: Which techniques does Blake use? To what effect?
OVERALL EFFECT
LEVEL 4: What is Blake’s impression of the tiger?
LEVEL 5: What is Blake’s message?
LEVEL 6: What is Blake saying about good and evil?
LEVEL 7: Is Blake impressed by the tiger? Why? How can you tell?
EXTENSION:
• Read Blake’s book Songs of Innocence and Experience.
• Write your own poem about an animal.
27
READING: ‘Daffodils’
•
•
•
•
•
Read the passage below.
Look up any words you don’t understand in a dictionary or on dictionary.com.
Answer at least one question in each section.
Answer questions at different levels if you wish.
The difficulty of this passage is: MEDIUM
•
In this poem, William Wordsworth (1770-1850) describes his thoughts and
feelings about seeing a field full of daffodils.
I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
The waves beside them danced, but they
Out-did the sparkling leaves in glee;
A poet could not be but gay,
In such a jocund company!
I gazed—and gazed—but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:
For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.
SELECT AND RETRIEVE
LEVEL 4: In verse 1, what were the daffodils doing?
LEVEL 5: How many similes can you spot in the poem?
LEVEL 6: How can you tell this poem was written about the Lake District?
LEVEL 7: What does Wordsworth tell us about his mood?
INFER AND DEDUCE
LEVEL 4: How does Wordsworth feel about the daffodils?
LEVEL 5: How do the daffodils help Wordsworth?
LEVEL 6: What kind of person is Wordsworth?
LEVEL 7: What does Wordsworth think about nature?
28
STRUCTURE
LEVEL 4: Why does Wordsworth start with the idea in the first line?
LEVEL 5: How does Wordsworth create contrasts?
LEVEL 6: What is the topic of each verse?
LEVEL 7: How does Wordsworth structure the poem?
LANGUAGE
LEVEL 4: What are the key words in the poem?
LEVEL 5: What images do you get from the poem?
LEVEL 6: How does Wordsworth’s language affect the reader?
LEVEL 7: Which techniques does Wordsworth use? To what effect?
OVERALL EFFECT
LEVEL 4: What is Wordsworth’s message?
LEVEL 5: What does Wordsworth tell us about what is important in life?
LEVEL 6: What does Wordsworth expect us to feel as we read the poem?
LEVEL 7: What is Wordsworth’s philosophy?
EXTENSION:
• Write your own description of a natural scene.
• Do some research into Wordsworth’s life and works. Write an entry for a
children’s encyclopaedia about him.
29
READING: ‘The Kraken’
•
•
•
•
•
Read the passage below.
Look up any words you don’t understand in a dictionary or on dictionary.com.
Answer at least one question in each section.
Answer questions at different levels if you wish.
The difficulty of this passage is: MEDIUM
•
In this poem Alfred Lord Tennyson (1809-1892) describes a mythical seamonster. It rises from the bottom of the ocean and dies at the surface.
Below the thunders of the upper deep,
Far, far beneath in the abysmal sea,
His ancient, dreamless, uninvaded sleep
The Kraken sleepeth: faintest sunlights flee
About his shadowy sides; above him swell
Huge sponges of millennial growth and height;
And far away into the sickly light,
From many a wondrous and secret cell
Unnumber'd and enormous polypi
Winnow with giant arms the lumbering green.
There hath he lain for ages, and will lie
Battening upon huge sea-worms in his sleep,
Until the latter fire shall heat the deep;
Then once by man and angels to be seen,
In roaring he shall rise and on the surface die.
SELECT AND RETRIEVE
LEVEL 4: Which word suggests a noise in the first line?
LEVEL 5: What is the Kraken doing at the start of the poem?
LEVEL 6: What other creatures are mentioned in the poem?
LEVEL 7: How long has the Kraken been asleep for?
INFER AND DEDUCE
LEVEL 4: What is the mood of the poem?
LEVEL 5: Why did Tennyson write the poem?
LEVEL 6: What might the Kraken symbolise or represent?
LEVEL 7: What effect is Tennyson trying to create?
STRUCTURE
LEVEL 4: How does the poem end?
LEVEL 5: Is the end a surprise? Why?
LEVEL 6: What contrasts the does the poem include?
LEVEL 7: How does the poem lead towards the conclusion?
LANGUAGE
LEVEL 4: Which words are powerful?
LEVEL 5: How does Tennyson’s language create a strange effect?
LEVEL 6: Select one descriptive phrase. Say how it makes you feel.
LEVEL 7: Which techniques does Tennyson use? To what effect?
30
OVERALL EFFECT
LEVEL 4: What is your response to the poem?
LEVEL 5: What does the poem tell you about Tennyson’s way of thinking?
LEVEL 6: What is Tennyson’s message?
LEVEL 7: What does Tennyson want us to think or feel?
EXTENSION:
• Write your own description of a monster.
• Write an encyclopaedia entry about the Kraken. Explain why it wakes and
why it must die.
31
READING: The Diary of a Pre-Teen Prom Queen
•
•
•
•
•
Read the passage below.
Look up any words you don’t understand in a dictionary or on dictionary.com.
Answer at least one question in each section.
Answer questions at different levels if you wish.
The difficulty of this passage is: MEDIUM
•
This is from a funny book by Kara Furey about a 12 year old British girl who
organises a party (or prom) for her year group at school.
OMG! I thought I would be writing something like: “I just want to curl up in a ball
and cry. How could I be such an idiot!? I had my chance to make a real impression
today and what happened? I blew it.” But then … something miraculous happened,
something so perfect and unexpected that has changed everything and means that I
can write: this might just have been the best day of my life!
Here’s how it all started: Jenny, Emma, Kylie and me were just hanging about at
break when HE came along with his mates and started kicking a ball against the wall
nearby. We all did the giggly girlie act, and the lads started showing off, doing clever
flicks and kicks and belting the ball real hard.
So what did I do? I don’t know whether to laugh or cry really. You see, the football
bounces over towards us and HE – my greatest ever crush, the lush, cool, toogorgeous-to-look-at Terry Casper – calls over to me: “Kick it back Frenchy, will
you?” he shouts. He knows my name! What a triumph! What a day! So, there I go
over to the ball, feeling so wanted, so in-with-the-in-crowd, so excited. And what did
I do? Well, I swung my delicate little leg, but missed the ball altogether, carried on
swinging until I lost my balance and fell flat on my back! Of course, my loyal friends
– green with jealousy about Terry knowing that I exist – laughed like drains. I just
shut my eyes tight and lay there wondering how long it was until the end of break.
Suddenly, I felt a hand touch mine. I opened one eye suspiciously and looked up, and
there he was: his sweet smile, his emerald eyes, his perfect face looking
sympathetically down on mine: Terry! “Let me help you,” he purred as he lifted me
back to my feet. But it doesn’t end there. Here’s what he said: “Looks like you could
do with some footy lessons. You should come down the park sometime. I could teach
you.”
I just gawped and nodded and tried to keep breathing. Was he, well, kinda asking me
out on a date? I mean, I’m not imagining it, am I? I can hardly dare say it or write it or
think it, but it must be right: Terry Casper likes me!
SELECT AND RETRIEVE
LEVEL 4: How can you tell the narrator is a young girl?
LEVEL 5: What is Terry Casper like?
LEVEL 6: Why is the narrator so excited?
LEVEL 7: What feelings does the narrator express?
32
INFER AND DEDUCE
LEVEL 4: What does the narrator think of Terry Casper?
LEVEL 5: How does the narrator feel about what happened in the day?
LEVEL 6: Why do the narrator’s friends laugh at her?
LEVEL 7: What sort of person is the narrator?
STRUCTURE
LEVEL 4: What is the effect of the very start: “OMG”?
LEVEL 5: How does the writer make the reader keen to read on?
LEVEL 6: How does the writer use the first sentences in the paragraphs to create
tension and drama?
LEVEL 7: What is the effect of the opening paragraph?
LANGUAGE
LEVEL 4: How does the narrator describe her feelings?
LEVEL 5: How does the writer’s language make the piece funny?
LEVEL 6: How does the language appeal to the book’s key audience?
LEVEL 7: Which techniques does the writer use? To what effect?
OVERALL EFFECT
LEVEL 4: What is your response to this passage?
LEVEL 5: Can only girls enjoy this passage? Why? Why not?
LEVEL 6: How does the writer make us sympathise with the narrator?
LEVEL 7: What do you like or dislike about this passage?
EXTENSION:
• Write the next part of the story.
33
READING: The Galaxy of a Thousand Earth-like Planets
•
•
•
•
•
Read the passage below.
Look up any words you don’t understand in a dictionary or on dictionary.com.
Answer at least one question in each section.
Answer questions at different levels if you wish.
The difficulty of this passage is: MEDIUM
•
This passage is from a science-fiction novel by Dr Alan Goodall. In this part,
the rebel leader Thorg takes control of the Inter-Galactic Parliament.
The Mighty Thorg marched into the council chamber accompanied by three guard
droids, each carrying a battle-class laser rifle. The Pro-consul rose slowly to his feet,
trying to assert some sort of authority, but his wizened frame cut an unimpressive
figure next to Thorg’s massive, armour-plated bulk.
“As the voice of the people of the outer regions,” bellowed Thorg, “I hereby proclaim
an end to the Fourth Era and the beginning of the Fifth. We are in control!”
As he said this, a dozen coldly metallic robot warriors silently, smoothly slipped
through the great chamber doors. One Boolian delegate, its single eye starting out of
its purple forehead, made as if to leave its bench. It slithered to the floor and extended
its five twisting, rubbery tentacles, but it had no time to move: in an instant, a droid
raised its rifle and fired off three bursts of red energy. The unlucky Boolian froze,
shivered, glowed as red as the laser, then evaporated.
There was a brief buzz of shocked and nervous chatter about the hall, but this was
quickly silenced by Thorg’s glaring sweep of the chamber with his proud, defiant,
threatening eyes. As his purposeful stare fell upon each of the councillors in turn, so
they fell into intimidated silence.
Thorg let out a cruel laugh. “Yes, gentlemen, ladies, androgynoids,” he barked, “we
are in charge.”
SELECT AND RETRIEVE
LEVEL 4: How many droids accompany Thorg?
LEVEL 5: What does the Pro-consul look like?
LEVEL 6: Which details tell you that this is a science-fiction book?
LEVEL 7: Which is the key word to describe Thorg?
INFER AND DEDUCE
LEVEL 4: What kind of person is Thorg?
LEVEL 5: What does Thorg’s language tell you about him?
LEVEL 6: What are the robots like?
LEVEL 7: Whose side are you on? Why?
STRUCTURE
LEVEL 4: What did you expect after you read the first sentence?
LEVEL 5: How does the first sentence create expectations?
LEVEL 6: Why does the writer start new paragraphs where he does?
34
LEVEL 7: How does the writer create tension and drama?
LANGUAGE
LEVEL 4: Which words seem powerful?
LEVEL 5: Which descriptive details are most memorable?
LEVEL 6: How does Goodall’s language manipulate the reader?
LEVEL 7: Which techniques does Goodall use? To what effect?
OVERALL EFFECT
LEVEL 4: How do you respond to this passage?
LEVEL 5: What do you think will happen next?
LEVEL 6: What was Goodall’s main aim for this passage?
LEVEL 7: How did Goodall expect us to react to this passage?
EXTENSION:
• Write the next part of the story.
35
READING: Ramble On
•
•
•
•
•
Read the passage below.
Look up any words you don’t understand in a dictionary or on dictionary.com.
Answer at least one question in each section.
Answer questions at different levels if you wish.
The difficulty of this passage is: EASY
•
This passage is from a newspaper opinion piece about what it’s like to be a
walker or rambler. It was written by Timothy Nobes. The last part of the piece
is not printed here.
OK, I admit it: I’m a walker; a rambler; a hiker – one of those boring old so and so’s
who actually enjoys tramping through the countryside with a rucksack on his back. I
like the fresh air, the exercise, the company of my fellow strollers, the chance to get
up close and personal with the natural world. “OK,” I hear you say, “what’s your
problem? Just get out there walking. What have you got to complain about?”
Well, nothing’s that simple, is it? I have three crows to pluck: Firstly, there’s the fact
that I’m regarded as some sort of geeky weirdo because I like walking; secondly,
there’s the trouble I have with dogs and their owners; lastly, there is the old standard –
litter.
I object. I object to the snide, sneering, cynical comments that are whispered behind
my back; I object to the sniggering and the raised eyebrows; I object to being bullied
because I like to use my legs in the way God intended them to be used. What’s so
ridiculous about going for a pleasant stroll in the country? The way some people react,
you’d think I was proposing to swim the Atlantic underwater, naked. “You do what?”
they groan. “You walk! What’s wrong with your car then?” Nothing is the matter with
my car, thank you very much. My 1985 Trabant Deluxe is still running as well as it
was on the day it was stapled together in the former East Germany. I walk because I
like it: it’s healthy; it’s relaxing; it gives you a chance to notice and appreciate things,
like birds, flowers, trees. Remember them? They’ll be those blurred fuzzy things that
you go speeding past in your turbo-charged gas guzzler. Why not get off your high
horse power and give walking a try? You’ll be amazed at what it does for you.
However, having extolled the virtues of a good walk, I have to say that I often find
that my own rambling pleasure is rather spoilt by one particular curse: dogs, or rather
their excrement. It’s impossible to set out on a walk from a town or village of any sort
of size, without having to pick your way through a carpet of little brown messages. It
seems that dog owners think that every public footpath within staggering distance of a
car park is, in fact, a dog’s toilet, and since it’s in the countryside, you don’t have to
clean it up – do you? You just let your mutt poop right on the path where we all of us
– even the dog walkers themselves – have to walk. How hygienic! How considerate!
SELECT AND RETRIEVE
LEVEL 4: What does Nobes like about walking?
LEVEL 5: What are the three problems he has?
LEVEL 6: What does he notice whilst walking?
LEVEL 7: Which details reveal the writer’s personality?
36
INFER AND DEDUCE
LEVEL 4: Is Nobes being serious?
LEVEL 5: What kind of person is Nobes?
LEVEL 6: What is Nobes’ aim in this passage?
LEVEL 7: What does Nobes think about cars?
STRUCTURE
LEVEL 4: Which part of the article is missing here?
LEVEL 5: How does Nobes establish a clear structure for his piece?
LEVEL 6: Why does Nobes include the opening paragraph as it is?
LEVEL 7: How does Nobes link his paragraphs?
LANGUAGE
LEVEL 4: What positive words does Nobes use to describe walking?
LEVEL 5: How does Nobes’ vocabulary create contrasts and humour?
LEVEL 6: How does Nobes use sentence structure for effect?
LEVEL 7: Which techniques does Nobes use? To what effect?
OVERALL EFFECT
LEVEL 4: What are Nobes’ main points?
LEVEL 5: How does Nobes persuade us to share his views?
LEVEL 6: How does Nobes portray himself in the article?
LEVEL 7: How does Nobes manipulate his readers?
EXTENSION:
• Write a response to Nobes’ piece, telling him that he’s wrong.
• Write your own piece about things that annoy you.
37
READING: Stacey Treebling and the Demolition Man
•
•
•
•
•
Read the passage below.
Look up any words you don’t understand in a dictionary or on dictionary.com.
Answer at least one question in each section.
Answer questions at different levels if you wish.
The difficulty of this passage is: EASY.
•
This passage is from a young teen’s book about a resourceful girl’s attempts to
block a plan to knock down the houses in her street. It was written by Alison
Richards.
Stacey was a feisty little ball of flames. She was tough, determined and loud. She
would blow through the house like a hurricane when the mood took her, so everyone
was wary of her moods. If she was heard to cry out in anger or in pain, her brothers
would run for cover, her mother would find something in the garden that she just had
to look into, and her dad would make a dash for the bathroom, hoping to be able to
lock himself in there until the storm had passed.
So when Stacey came home from school one day in a foul mood, slamming the door
behind her, stomping up stairs, hurling her bag against her bedroom wall and
generally making an almighty row, none of her family was at all surprised; they were
all ready to make a run for it. However, before they could find their hiding places,
Stacey was at the top of the stairs shouting: “Don’t any of you move! I’m calling a
family meeting!”
In the lounge, Paul gave a quizzical look to his brother: “Family meeting? Since when
did we have those?” Before Phil could answer, the lounge door had been kicked open,
and there in the doorway – her black-as-night hair looking even more spiky than
usual, her dark piercing eyes flashing threateningly – was their “little” sister. Her
hands on her hips, her mouth screwed up in a grimace, she looked like a pocket-sized
Armoured Personnel Carrier, with attitude.
SELECT AND RETRIEVE
LEVEL 4: Select one detail that describes Stacey.
LEVEL 5: Select a simile that describes Stacey.
LEVEL 6: Select a metaphor that describes Stacey.
LEVEL 7: Which is the best phrase that describes Stacey? Why did you choose it?
INFER AND DEDUCE
LEVEL 4: What kind of person is Stacey?
LEVEL 5: What do her family think of her?
LEVEL 6: What do you think she’ll do stop her street being demolished?
LEVEL 7: How does the writer make us interested in Stacey?
STRUCTURE
LEVEL 4: What is the first paragraph about?
LEVEL 5: What are the topics of the second and third paragraphs?
LEVEL 6: How does the first paragraph link to what follows?
LEVEL 7: How can you tell that this is the start of the book?
38
LANGUAGE
LEVEL 4: How does Richards describe Stacey?
LEVEL 5: How does Richards describe Stacey’s family?
LEVEL 6: How would you describe the writer’s style?
LEVEL 7: Which techniques does Richards use? To what effect?
OVERALL EFFECT
LEVEL 4: How does the passage make you want to read on?
LEVEL 5: What kind of story is this?
LEVEL 6: Who is the intended audience? How can you tell?
LEVEL 7: What were Richards’ aims in this passage?
EXTENSION:
• Write the next part of the story.
• Invent your own character for a teenagers’ book.
39
WRITING
WHAT YOU NEED TO DO
WRITING
• Be IMAGINATIVE.
• Write for particular AUDIENCES and
PURPOSES.
• ORGANISE the whole text: beginning,
middle, end, etc.
• Use and link PARAGRAPHS.
• Vary SENTENCE lengths and structures.
• PUNCTUATE accurately.
• Use a wide VOCABULARY.
• SPELL accurately.
40
WRITING TASK
TASK: Write the opening to a detective novel.
AUDIENCE: Crime fiction fans of all ages.
FORM: Opening chapter of a novel – make the reader want to read on.
PURPOSE: To entertain, interest, intrigue!
ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
LEVEL THREE
• Simple sentences will be correct.
• Some full stops will be used.
• There may be some sense of an opening section.
• There will be basic descriptive words, perhaps setting the scene briefly.
LEVEL FOUR
• Some long sentences will be used.
• A few commas will be included.
• There may be an opening paragraph and some other sections.
• The vocabulary will be more descriptive and detailed.
LEVEL FIVE
• A variety of sentences will be used: long and short.
• Commas will be used to divide different clauses.
• There will be clearly marked paragraphs.
• A variety of words that fit the detective genre will be used.
LEVEL SIX
• Longer sentence structures will be used accurately.
• Commas will be used effectively.
• Paragraphs will start with link words.
• The vocabulary will be strong, descriptive, engaging.
LEVEL SEVEN
• Full range of sentence types and structures included.
• Commas will be used to create interesting effects.
• There will be lots of variety in length and structure of paragraphs.
• Vocabulary will include sophisticated words, combined in various ways.
41
MARK YOUR OWN WORK
•
•
Answer the following questions.
Use the table below to help decide what level you deserve.
1. How many commas did you use?
a. 0
b. 1-3
c. 4-10
d. More than 10
2. How many paragraphs did you use?
a. 1
b. 2-3
c. 4-6
d. More than 6
3. How many words were in your longest sentence?
a. Less than 6 b. 6-10
c. 10-20
d. More than 20
4. How many different first words did you use at the start of a sentence?
a. 2-5
b. 6-9
c. 9-12
d. More than 12
5. How many letters in your longest word?
a. 5
b. 6-9
c. 9-12
d. More than 12
6. How many sentences about setting did you include?
a. 0
b. 1-3
c. 4-10
d. More than 10
7. How many words about crime did you include?
a. 0
b. 1-3
c. 4-10
d. More than 10
8. How many descriptive paragraphs did you use?
a. 0
b. 1-3
c. 4-6
d. More than 6
•
a: 1
For each answer give the following marks:
b: 2
c: 3
d: 4
•
Add up all your marks.
•
Work out what level you are at:
8-10 Marks = Level 4
11-18 Marks = Level 5
19-26 Marks = Level 6
27-32 Marks = Level 7
•
•
Look back at the criteria.
What level would you give yourself from there?
42
WRITING TASK
TASK: Write a description of your idea of a perfect birthday party.
AUDIENCE: Boys or girls of your age – make it appeal to one particular gender.
FORM: This would go in collection of descriptions published as a book.
PURPOSE: To entertain and describe – make it detailed.
ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
LEVEL THREE
• Simple sentences will be correct.
• Some full stops will be used.
• There may be a sense of an opening and conclusion.
• The vocabulary will include obvious objects appropriate to a party.
LEVEL FOUR
• Some long sentences will be used.
• A few commas will be included.
• There may be an opening paragraph that sets out key points.
• The vocabulary may include references to feelings.
LEVEL FIVE
• A variety of sentences will be used: long and short.
• Commas will be used to divide different clauses.
• Paragraphs will be used to show changes in topic.
• Interesting vocabulary about personal interests will be included.
LEVEL SIX
• Longer sentence structures will be used accurately.
• Commas will be used effectively.
• Paragraphs will focus on opinions and emotions.
• Vocabulary will be clever and personal.
LEVEL SEVEN
• Full range of sentence types and structures included.
• Commas will be used to create interesting effects.
• Paragraphs will be used to create expectations and surprises.
• Impressive vocabulary about people, places and ideas will be used.
43
MARK YOUR OWN WORK
•
•
Answer the following questions.
Use the table below to help decide what level you deserve.
1. How many commas did you use?
a. 0
b. 1-3
c. 4-10
d. More than 10
2. How many paragraphs did you use?
a. 1
b. 2-3
c. 4-6
d. More than 6
3. How many words were in your longest sentence?
a. Less than 6 b. 6-10
c. 10-20
d. More than 20
4. How many different first words did you use at the start of a sentence?
a. 2-5
b. 6-9
c. 9-12
d. More than 12
5. How many letters in your longest word?
a. 5
b. 6-9
c. 9-12
d. More than 12
6. How many facts about the party do you include?
a. 0
b. 1-3
c. 4-10
d. More than 10
7. How many sentences explicitly refer to the fact the readers are your age?
a. 0
b. 1-3
c. 4-10
d. More than 10
8. How many people do you describe?
a. 0
b. 1-3
c. 4-6
•
a: 1
d. More than 6
For each answer give the following marks:
b: 2
c: 3
d: 4
•
Add up all your marks.
•
Work out what level you are at:
8-10 Marks = Level 4
11-18 Marks = Level 5
19-26 Marks = Level 6
27-32 Marks = Level 7
•
•
Look back at the criteria.
What level would you give yourself from there?
44
WRITING TASK
TASK: Write a description of a setting for a horror story.
AUDIENCE: Young teenagers – don’t make it too scary.
FORM: Story – a descriptive section.
PURPOSE: To entertain, frighten, thrill – make it powerful.
ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
LEVEL THREE
• Simple sentences will be correct.
• Some full stops will be used.
• There may be a clear opening section.
• The vocabulary may include basic references to what is happening.
LEVEL FOUR
• Some long sentences will be used.
• A few commas will be included.
• There will be some paragraph breaks.
• The vocabulary will be more mature and serious.
LEVEL FIVE
• A variety of sentences will be used: long and short.
• Commas will be used to divide different clauses.
• Paragraphs will be used to structure the section and round it off.
• A variety of vocabulary will be used to give a vivid picture of the place.
LEVEL SIX
• Longer sentence structures will be used accurately.
• Commas will be used effectively.
• The paragraphs breaks will be used for dramatic effect.
• The vocabulary will be appropriately atmospheric.
LEVEL SEVEN
• Full range of sentence types and structures included.
• Commas will be used to create interesting effects.
• Paragraphs will be of varied lengths, with clear topics.
• Vocabulary will be varied in conveying the mood and creating excitement.
45
MARK YOUR OWN WORK
•
•
Answer the following questions.
Use the table below to help decide what level you deserve.
1. How many commas did you use?
a. 0
b. 1-3
c. 4-10
d. More than 10
2. How many paragraphs did you use?
a. 1
b. 2-3
c. 4-6
d. More than 6
3. How many words were in your longest sentence?
a. Less than 6 b. 6-10
c. 10-20
d. More than 20
4. How many different first words did you use at the start of a sentence?
a. 2-5
b. 6-9
c. 9-12
d. More than 12
5. How many letters in your longest word?
a. 5
b. 6-9
c. 9-12
d. More than 12
6. How many objects in the place do you include?
a. 0
b. 1-3
c. 4-10
d. More than 10
7. How many direct references to emotions do you include?
a. 0
b. 1-3
c. 4-6
d. More than 6
8. How many spooky words do you include?
a. 0
b. 1-3
c. 4-10
d. More than 10
•
a: 1
For each answer give the following marks:
b: 2
c: 3
d: 4
•
Add up all your marks.
•
Work out what level you are at:
8-10 Marks = Level 4
11-18 Marks = Level 5
19-26 Marks = Level 6
27-32 Marks = Level 7
•
•
Look back at the criteria.
What level would you give yourself from there?
46
WRITING TASK
TASK: Write a description of your ideal home.
AUDIENCE: Aim it at either boys or girls.
FORM: Magazine article – a teenage magazine that shows what teenage life is like.
PURPOSE: To inform and entertain – make it detailed and lively.
ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
LEVEL THREE
• Simple sentences will be correct.
• Some full stops will be used.
• There may be a sense of a beginning and conclusion.
• The vocabulary will give the basic facts.
LEVEL FOUR
• Some long sentences will be used.
• A few commas will be included.
• Paragraphs will be used to show different parts of the description.
• The vocabulary will include some descriptive details
LEVEL FIVE
• A variety of sentences will be used: long and short.
• Commas will be used to divide different clauses.
• Paragraphs will be used when the topic changes.
• Vocabulary will be used to create a sense of enthusiasm.
LEVEL SIX
• Longer sentence structures will be used accurately.
• Commas will be used effectively.
• Paragraphs will be linked to show the progress of ideas.
• Vocabulary will reflect feelings and create atmosphere.
LEVEL SEVEN
• Full range of sentence types and structures included.
• Commas will be used to create interesting effects.
• Paragraphs will be used to add to the interest and enjoyment.
• Vocabulary will hook the readers and control their reactions.
47
MARK YOUR OWN WORK
•
•
Answer the following questions.
Use the table below to help decide what level you deserve.
1. How many commas did you use?
a. 0
b. 1-3
c. 4-10
d. More than 10
2. How many paragraphs did you use?
a. 1
b. 2-3
c. 4-6
d. More than 6
3. How many words were in your longest sentence?
a. Less than 6 b. 6-10
c. 10-20
d. More than 20
4. How many different first words did you use at the start of a sentence?
a. 2-5
b. 6-9
c. 9-12
d. More than 12
5. How many letters in your longest word?
a. 5
b. 6-9
c. 9-12
d. More than 12
6. How many emotional words did you include?
a. 0
b. 1-8
c. 9-18
d. More than 18
7. How many references to the gender of your audience did you include?
a. 0
b. 1-3
c. 4-10
d. More than 10
8. How many descriptive words did you include?
a. 0
b. 1-5
c. 5-10
d. More than 10
•
a: 1
For each answer give the following marks:
b: 2
c: 3
d: 4
•
Add up all your marks.
•
Work out what level you are at:
8-10 Marks = Level 4
11-18 Marks = Level 5
19-26 Marks = Level 6
27-32 Marks = Level 7
•
•
Look back at the criteria.
What level would you give yourself from there?
48
WRITING TASK
TASK: Write a letter to a pen-pal describing your school.
AUDIENCE: A pen-pal of your age.
FORM: Letter – set it out quite formally to show that you can do this.
PURPOSE: To inform, to entertain – make it detailed and lively.
ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
LEVEL THREE
• Simple sentences will be correct.
• Some full stops will be used.
• There may be an introduction and conclusion.
• The vocabulary will feature simple facts about the school.
LEVEL FOUR
• Some long sentences will be used.
• A few commas will be included.
• There will be some paragraphing, marking off different points.
• The vocabulary will be more informative and memorable.
LEVEL FIVE
• A variety of sentences will be used: long and short.
• Commas will be used to divide different clauses.
• Paragraphs will mark the changes in topic and the inclusion of anecdotes.
• Vocabulary will be strong and specific.
LEVEL SIX
• Longer sentence structures will be used accurately.
• Commas will be used effectively.
• Paragraphs will be linked to show how the description progresses.
• Vocabulary will make the audience react emotionally to the points raised.
LEVEL SEVEN
• Full range of sentence types and structures included.
• Commas will be used to create interesting effects.
• Paragraphs will be varied in length and will be used to create expectations and
surprises.
• Vocabulary will be powerful and addressed directly to the pen-pal.
49
MARK YOUR OWN WORK
•
•
Answer the following questions.
Use the table below to help decide what level you deserve.
1. How many commas did you use?
a. 0
b. 1-3
c. 4-10
d. More than 10
2. How many paragraphs did you use?
a. 1
b. 2-3
c. 4-6
d. More than 6
3. How many words were in your longest sentence?
a. Less than 6 b. 6-10
c. 10-20
d. More than 20
4. How many different first words did you use at the start of a sentence?
a. 2-5
b. 6-9
c. 9-12
d. More than 12
5. How many letters in your longest word?
a. 5
b. 6-9
c. 9-12
d. More than 12
6. How many descriptive words do you use?
a. 0
b. 1-3
c. 4-10
d. More than 10
7. How many references to the pen-pal do you include?
a. 0
b. 1-3
c. 4-10
d. More than 10
8. How many features of the letter form do you include?
a. 0
b. 1-3
c. 4-6
d. More than 6
•
a: 1
For each answer give the following marks:
b: 2
c: 3
d: 4
•
Add up all your marks.
•
Work out what level you are at:
8-10 Marks = Level 4
11-18 Marks = Level 5
19-26 Marks = Level 6
27-32 Marks = Level 7
•
•
Look back at the criteria.
What level would you give yourself from there?
50
WRITING TASK
TASK: Write a description of your ideal job.
AUDIENCE: Your parents or guardians – try to tell them what you want for the
future.
FORM: An email – set it out like an email.
PURPOSE: Explain and inform – tell your family about what you’d like to do when
you are older.
ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
LEVEL THREE
• Simple sentences will be correct.
• Some full stops will be used.
• There may be some separate sections.
• The vocabulary may simply record basic information.
LEVEL FOUR
• Some long sentences will be used.
• A few commas will be included.
• There will be some paragraphs for different sections.
• The vocabulary will be more descriptive and detailed.
LEVEL FIVE
• A variety of sentences will be used: long and short.
• Commas will be used to divide different clauses.
• Paragraphs will be used to mark off different ideas.
• Vocabulary will be friendly and enthusiastic.
LEVEL SIX
• Longer sentence structures will be used accurately.
• Commas will be used effectively.
• Paragraphs will be linked as they describe different aspects of the job.
• The vocabulary will suit the audience, being personal and clear.
LEVEL SEVEN
• Full range of sentence types and structures included.
• Commas will be used to create interesting effects.
• Paragraphs will vary according to purpose.
• Vocabulary will be specific and detailed.
51
MARK YOUR OWN WORK
•
•
Answer the following questions.
Use the table below to help decide what level you deserve.
1. How many commas did you use?
a. 0
b. 1-3
c. 4-10
d. More than 10
2. How many paragraphs did you use?
a. 1
b. 2-3
c. 4-6
d. More than 6
3. How many words were in your longest sentence?
a. Less than 6 b. 6-10
c. 10-20
d. More than 20
4. How many different first words did you use at the start of a sentence?
a. 2-5
b. 6-9
c. 9-12
d. More than 12
5. How many letters in your longest word?
a. 5
b. 6-9
c. 9-12
d. More than 12
6. How many facts about the job did you include?
a. 0
b. 1-3
c. 4-10
d. More than 10
7. How many words refer specifically to your audience?
a. 0
b. 1-3
c. 4-10
d. More than 10
8. How many features of the email form did you use?
a. 0
b. 1-3
c. 4-10
d. More than 10
•
a: 1
For each answer give the following marks:
b: 2
c: 3
d: 4
•
Add up all your marks.
•
Work out what level you are at:
8-10 Marks = Level 4
11-18 Marks = Level 5
19-26 Marks = Level 6
27-32 Marks = Level 7
•
•
Look back at the criteria.
What level would you give yourself from there?
52
WRITING TASK
TASK: Write a guide to a theme park.
AUDIENCE: Families – make it appeal to parents and kids.
FORM: Leaflet – vary presentation.
PURPOSE: Persuade, advise, inform – make them want to come.
ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
LEVEL THREE
• Simple sentences will be correct.
• Some full stops will be used.
• There may some sense of an opening and conclusion.
• The vocabulary may be too basic for the task.
LEVEL FOUR
• Some long sentences will be used.
• A few commas will be included.
• There will be some paragraph breaks.
• The vocabulary will be more suitable for the purpose.
LEVEL FIVE
• A variety of sentences will be used: long and short.
• Commas will be used to divide different clauses.
• Paragraphs will mark changes in topic – there will be headings and boxes.
• Interesting vocabulary will appeal to parents and kids.
LEVEL SIX
• Longer sentence structures will be used accurately.
• Commas will be used effectively.
• Paragraphs will be linked into a coherent overview of the park.
• More varied and exciting vocabulary will be used to impress the visitors.
LEVEL SEVEN
• Full range of sentence types and structures included.
• Commas will be used to create interesting effects.
• Paragraphs will be used in creative ways to create surprises and emphasis.
• Very impressive vocabulary will be included to persuade the parents and kids
to come.
53
MARK YOUR OWN WORK
•
•
Answer the following questions.
Use the table below to help decide what level you deserve.
1. How many commas did you use?
a. 0
b. 1-3
c. 4-10
d. More than 10
2. How many paragraphs did you use?
a. 1
b. 2-3
c. 4-6
d. More than 6
3. How many words were in your longest sentence?
a. Less than 6 b. 6-10
c. 10-20
d. More than 20
4. How many different first words did you use at the start of a sentence?
a. 2-5
b. 6-9
c. 9-12
d. More than 12
5. How many letters in your longest word?
a. 5
b. 6-9
c. 9-12
d. More than 12
6. How many persuasive words do you include?
a. 0
b. 1-3
c. 4-10
d. More than 10
7. How many specific references to the kids and the parents do you include?
a. 0
b. 1-3
c. 4-6
d. More than 6
8. How many features of the leaflet form do you include?
a. 0
b. 1-3
c. 4-6
d. More than 6
•
a: 1
For each answer give the following marks:
b: 2
c: 3
d: 4
•
Add up all your marks.
•
Work out what level you are at:
8-10 Marks = Level 4
11-18 Marks = Level 5
19-26 Marks = Level 6
27-32 Marks = Level 7
•
•
Look back at the criteria.
What level would you give yourself from there?
54
WRITING TASK
TASK: Describe a wizard.
AUDIENCE: Fans of Harry Potter and similar books.
FORM: A novel – make it descriptive and entertaining.
PURPOSE: To entertain and give a clear picture of the character.
ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
LEVEL THREE
• Simple sentences will be correct.
• Some full stops will be used.
• There may some sense of different sections.
• The vocabulary will give simple facts about the person.
LEVEL FOUR
• Some long sentences will be used.
• A few commas will be included.
• There will be some signs of paragraphing to show different topics.
• The vocabulary will be more specific.
LEVEL FIVE
• A variety of sentences will be used: long and short.
• Commas will be used to divide different clauses.
• Paragraphs will show changes in focus and topic.
• Vocabulary will be descriptive.
LEVEL SIX
• Longer sentence structures will be used accurately.
• Commas will be used effectively.
• Paragraphs will be linked by an overall feeling or idea.
• Vocabulary will vary as different aspects of the character are described.
LEVEL SEVEN
• Full range of sentence types and structures included.
• Commas will be used to create interesting effects.
• Paragraphs will create interesting contrasts and twists.
• Vocabulary will be vigorous, exciting, varied.
55
MARK YOUR OWN WORK
•
•
Answer the following questions.
Use the table below to help decide what level you deserve.
1. How many commas did you use?
a. 0
b. 1-3
c. 4-10
d. More than 10
2. How many paragraphs did you use?
a. 1
b. 2-3
c. 4-6
d. More than 6
3. How many words were in your longest sentence?
a. Less than 6 b. 6-10
c. 10-20
d. More than 20
4. How many different first words did you use at the start of a sentence?
a. 2-5
b. 6-9
c. 9-12
d. More than 12
5. How many letters in your longest word?
a. 5
b. 6-9
c. 9-12
d. More than 12
6. How many different aspects of the person do you describe?
a. 0
b. 1-3
c. 4-6
d. More than 6
7. How many references to magic do you include?
a. 0
b. 1-3
c. 4-6
d. More than 6
8. How many descriptive words do you include?
a. 0
b. 1-3
c. 4-10
d. More than 10
•
a: 1
For each answer give the following marks:
b: 2
c: 3
d: 4
•
Add up all your marks.
•
Work out what level you are at:
8-10 Marks = Level 4
11-18 Marks = Level 5
19-26 Marks = Level 6
27-32 Marks = Level 7
•
•
Look back at the criteria.
What level would you give yourself from there?
56
WRITING TASK
TASK: Write a description of a seaside town in summer.
AUDIENCE: Aim it readers who are interested in taking a holiday in this place.
FORM: A travel article for a newspaper.
PURPOSE: Describe and explain.
ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
LEVEL THREE
• Simple sentences will be correct.
• Some full stops will be used.
• There may some sense of different sections.
• The vocabulary may be factual.
LEVEL FOUR
• Some long sentences will be used.
• A few commas will be included.
• There will be some paragraph breaks.
• The vocabulary will be more descriptive.
LEVEL FIVE
• A variety of sentences will be used: long and short.
• Commas will be used to divide different clauses.
• Paragraphs will be clearly used to shape the article.
• Vocabulary will attract attention and shape responses.
LEVEL SIX
• Longer sentence structures will be used accurately.
• Commas will be used effectively.
• Paragraphs will be varied – with boxes and lists, etc.
• More detailed and descriptive language will be used.
LEVEL SEVEN
• Full range of sentence types and structures included.
• Commas will be used to create interesting effects.
• Paragraphs will be used to create memorable, surprising effects.
• Vocabulary will appeal to the audience’s interests and concerns.
57
MARK YOUR OWN WORK
•
•
Answer the following questions.
Use the table below to help decide what level you deserve.
1. How many commas did you use?
a. 0
b. 1-3
c. 4-10
d. More than 10
2. How many paragraphs did you use?
a. 1
b. 2-3
c. 4-6
d. More than 6
3. How many words were in your longest sentence?
a. Less than 6 b. 6-10
c. 10-20
d. More than 20
4. How many different first words did you use at the start of a sentence?
a. 2-5
b. 6-9
c. 9-12
d. More than 12
5. How many letters in your longest word?
a. 5
b. 6-9
c. 9-12
d. More than 12
6. How many descriptive words do you use?
a. 0
b. 1-3
c. 4-10
d. More than 10
7. How many words do you use about the weather?
a. 0
b. 1-3
c. 4-10
d. More than 10
8. How many features of the article form do you use?
a. 0
b. 1-3
c. 4-6
d. More than 6
•
a: 1
For each answer give the following marks:
b: 2
c: 3
d: 4
•
Add up all your marks.
•
Work out what level you are at:
8-10 Marks = Level 4
11-18 Marks = Level 5
19-26 Marks = Level 6
27-32 Marks = Level 7
•
•
Look back at the criteria.
What level would you give yourself from there?
58
WRITING TASK
TASK: Write a story set in a railway station.
AUDIENCE: Aim it at 13 year olds.
FORM: Make it a complete short story.
PURPOSE: To entertain – so make it surprising, interesting.
ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
LEVEL THREE
• Simple sentences will be correct.
• Some full stops will be used.
• There may some sense of structure – a beginning, for example.
• The vocabulary may be mostly basic and factual.
LEVEL FOUR
• Some long sentences will be used.
• A few commas will be included.
• There will be some use of paragraphs to show topic changes.
• The vocabulary will be more descriptive.
LEVEL FIVE
• A variety of sentences will be used: long and short.
• Commas will be used to divide different clauses.
• Paragraphs will structure the story, dividing description from action.
• Interesting vocabulary creates emotional responses.
LEVEL SIX
• Longer sentence structures will be used accurately.
• Commas will be used effectively.
• Paragraphs will show how the story progresses, whilst being linked.
• Varied and mature vocabulary will excite and surprise the readers.
LEVEL SEVEN
• Full range of sentence types and structures included.
• Commas will be used to create interesting effects.
• Paragraphs will be used to create suspense and surprises.
• Very impressive vocabulary will engage and grip the readers.
59
MARK YOUR OWN WORK
•
•
Answer the following questions.
Use the table below to help decide what level you deserve.
1. How many commas did you use?
a. 0
b. 1-3
c. 4-10
d. More than 10
2. How many paragraphs did you use?
a. 1
b. 2-3
c. 4-6
d. More than 6
3. How many words were in your longest sentence?
a. Less than 6 b. 6-10
c. 10-20
d. More than 20
4. How many different first words did you use at the start of a sentence?
a. 2-5
b. 6-9
c. 9-12
d. More than 12
5. How many letters in your longest word?
a. 5
b. 6-9
c. 9-12
d. More than 12
6. How many adjectives do you use?
a. 0
b. 1-10
c. 11-20
d. More than 20
7. How many words refer to things that would interest the age group you are writing
for?
a. 0
b. 1-3
c. 4-10
d. More than 10
8. How many descriptive paragraphs do you include?
a. 0
b. 1-3
c. 4-6
d. More than 6
•
a: 1
For each answer give the following marks:
b: 2
c: 3
d: 4
•
Add up all your marks.
•
Work out what level you are at:
8-10 Marks = Level 4
11-18 Marks = Level 5
19-26 Marks = Level 6
27-32 Marks = Level 7
•
•
Look back at the criteria.
What level would you give yourself from there?
60
SPELLING
•
•
Spelling is a problem for lots of school students. It does not have to be.
Answer the questions below, then read the comments.
QUESTIONS
1. Has your spelling improved since the start of Year 7?
2. What do you do to improve your spelling?
3. Am I bovvered?
4. Do you own a dictionary?
5. Do you remember how to learn spellings?
6. Has your handwriting improved since the start of Year 7?
7. Might you be dyslexic?
8. Is it too late to improve your spelling?
9. What sorts of spelling mistake do you still make?
10. What next?
RESPONSES
1. Poor spellers are those people who make no progress. You need to keep
refining your skills. Keep thinking about how you can improve. Don’t
settle for being OK. You may make very few mistakes. Great, but don’t
forget to work on any odd mistakes that you do make.
2. If you do something, you will improve. If you do nothing, you will not.
Take particular action about spelling. Spend time working on your
spellings – even a little each day will make a difference.
3. Does it matter? Well, a lot of people think that it does. Spelling can be a
great source of self-esteem and pride. If you see that you are improving,
you’ll feel good about yourself. Fear of failure tends to make people give
up. Failure is nothing to be afraid of: it is the universe’s way of teaching us
what to do next. Not trying at all is the only kind of real failure there is.
4. Yes – great, use it. Don’t know how? Ask your English teacher.
No – why not ask for one? Or use the online dictionary – dictionary.com.
5. Read the next page to remind yourself how!
6. Poor handwriting can hold back progress in spelling. Practice really does
make perfect. So put some time into making your handwriting clearer – if
you need to.
7. Dyslexia is an over-used term. Most people are not dyslexic. A few people
suffer from the condition – it means that you cannot see words as others
see them; you might have difficulty knowing your left from right; you
might be uncoordinated. If you are truly dyslexic, you need to be
diagnosed and to begin a programme of support. Dyslexia can be dealt
with – it does not mean that you can never read or write. It is more likely
that you are not properly dyslexic – you just don’t spell perfectly. This is
something that you can overcome. Overall: try not to label yourself as a
failure; be positive.
8. Never. No matter what problems you have, you can make improvements to
your spelling. It does, unfortunately, require some effort.
9. and 10. Look at the next page.
61
SPELLING
•
•
What can you do to improve your spelling?
Here are some strategies for you to try and a task for you to complete, which
will let you try the strategies out.
1. Look/Say/Cover/Write/Check
This is the most efficient way to learn a spelling. Look at the correct spelling. Say it
out loud – perhaps emphasising the letters used by pronouncing the word in an
exaggerated way. Cover up the correct spelling. See if you can write out the correct
spelling without looking. Check if you got it right. Repeat the process to make sure
that it wasn’t a fluke! The more often you do this, the more likely it is that the word
will stick.
2. Common Patterns
Look for common letter patterns in words and try to learn them. Look at –tion
endings; -ed endings; double letters, etc. The exercises here will help with this.
3. Learn your Phonics
You need to know which letters make which sounds. Most letters can make a range of
different sounds, especially the vowels – a, e, i, o, u. Think also about clusters of
letters that make particular sounds – sh, sn, ch, ght, and many more!
4. Look for words within words
Sometimes long words can be broken down into sections of smaller words. If you
know how to spell the short words, then you can piece together the long one. The
famously long word “antidisestablishmentarianism” is basically the word “establish”
with lots of prefixes and suffixes, for example.
5. Mnemonics
These are sentences that you use to help you remember something. For example, you
might give a word to each letter in a difficult spelling: Big Elephants Cannot Always
Use Small Entrances – BECAUSE! Try inventing some of your own for words that
you have struggled with.
6. Play word games
Crosswords, wordsearches, anagrams, Scrabble, and any number of other word games
can be a fun way to expand your vocabulary and get you thinking about spelling.
TASK
• Take the information here and turn it into a bright and interesting leaflet that
could be given out to Year 8 students to help them with their spellings.
• Look back over all your English work from Year 7. Try to learn how to spell
any words that you got wrong back then.
62
SPELLING: -ible or -able
•
There is no simple rule to help you decide whether to use –ible or –able. All
you can do is try to learn examples.
•
•
Select the correct spellings from the choices below.
Check your answer in a dictionary or at dictionary.com.
1.
a. iritabl
b. irritibel
c. irritible
d. irritable
2.
a. sensible
b. sensable
c. senseible
d. sensabel
3.
a. invisibel
b. invisible
c. invisable
d. invisoble
4.
a. exitable
b. excitible
c. excitable
d. ecxitabel
5.
a. responsable b. responsabel c. responsibel d. responsible
6.
a. incredable b. incredible
7.
a. accessible
c. incredibull d. incredibel
b. ascescible c. accessable d. acesabel
8.
a. indespensible
b. indespensable
c. indispensible
9.
a. admirable
b. admiraibel c. admirible
d. admiribel
10.
a. incurabel
b. incurible
d. incuroble
c. incurable
63
d. indispensable
SPELLING: Drop the -e
•
•
•
When you add a suffix to a word ending in –e, you sometimes drop the –e.
The rule is: if the suffix begins with a vowel (-ing, -ish), you drop the –e.
If the suffix begins with a consonant (-ful, -ness), you keep the –e.
•
•
Select the correct spellings from the choices below.
Check your answer in a dictionary or at dictionary.com.
1.
a. excitement b. excitment
c. ecxitement d. excitemant
2.
a. senseible
b. sensible
c. sensable
d. sensubel
3.
a. raceing
b. raccing
c. raicing
d. racing
4.
a. moveing
b. moving
c. mooving
d. movng
5.
a. motivation b. motiveation
c. motifation d. motivasion
6.
a. desireable
b. desirable
c. dezirable
d. disireable
7.
a. lateness
b. latness
c. leightness
d. latenes
8.
a. safety
b. safty
c. saffty
d. savety
9.
a. commencement
b. commencment
10.
a. sliccing
b. sliceing
c. commensement
c. slicing
d. comensement
d. slising
EXTENSION
• Design some posters to illustrate the rule. Think of some mnemonics to help
students remember the correct spellings.
64
SPELLING: Prefixes and Suffixes
•
•
Prefixes are the letters that go on the start of words.
Suffixes are the letters that go on the end of words.
EXAMPLES
• anti-, semi-, dis-, under• -less, -ness, -ance, -age, -ish
TASK
•
•
Add the prefixes and suffixes indicated to these words.
List as many other examples of the prefix or suffix as you can think of.
1. Disappear
advantage
satisfy
similar
2. Unnecessary
natural
encumbered
sophisticated
3. Underachieve
represent
state
rehearse
ground
4. –ness
sleepy
foolish
hopeless
idle
careless
5. –ary
function
caution
example
EXTENSION
• Make a list of all suffixes and prefixes you can think of.
• List as many examples as you can find.
• Write a leaflet explaining how words change when you add suffixes.
65
SPELLING: Change y to i
•
•
When you add a suffix to a word that ends in –y, you sometimes change the –y
to an –i.
The rule is: if the letter before the –y is a consonant, the –y becomes –i.
Example: duty – dutiful
If the letter before the –y is a vowel, the –y stays as a –y.
Example convoy – convoys
TASK
•
Add the suffixes indicated to the following words.
1. -ment
employ
enjoy
merry
2. -ness
silly
jolly
shy
busy
3. -ed
carry
worry
play
dismay
hurry
fry
4. –ful
beauty
pity
play
5. –s
boy
folly
baby
lady
EXTENSION:
• Design a poster to illustrate this rule.
66
SPELLING: Double Letters
•
•
•
Another common problem in spelling is the use of double letters in the middle
of words.
Short words double the final letter when you add –ed, -ing or –er.
Except words ending in –x, -w, or –y.
TASK
•
Add the suffix indicated to the following words.
1. -er
hit
fit
sit
blot
fat
spit
split
bat
mat
2. -ing
stop
crop
cut
shut
fit
sit
pat
drop
3. -ed
top
tip
flip
flop
snog
flog
plot
prop
trap
EXTENSION
• Design a poster to illustrate this rule.
67
SPELLING: Plurals
•
•
•
•
•
•
A plural is a word that shows that there is more than one of something.
Most plurals are formed by adding an –s to the singular word.
Example: cat – cats
Easy! But some words take a different kind of plural:
Words ending with –f sometimes change the –f to a –v, then you add –es.
Wolf - wolves
Words ending in –s, -x, -z, -ch, -sh take –es as the ending.
Example: church – churches
Some words change quite a bit and have an irregular plural.
Examples: man – men; child – children; mouse – mice.
Some words are the same in the plural and the singular.
Example: sheep - sheep
TASK
•
Change these words into the plural.
1. school
2. snake
3. sneeze
4. catch
5. latch
6. wish
7. quiz
8. search
9. miss
10. swindler
11. box
12. elf
13. catcher
14. fish
15. fox
16. louse
17. house
18. woman
19. calf
20. kiss
21. dish
22. guess
23. fez
24. wash
25. cash
26. business
EXTENSION
• Make a poster to illustrate the rules for making plurals.
68
SPELLING: Problem Words
•
•
Some spellings cause special problems.
Try to learn which spelling to use from the examples below.
Advise, advice
• Advise with an S is the verb. You use it to depict the act of advising.
Advise will be seen with a subject: I, he, she, it, people’s names.
Examples: I advise you. I am advising you. He advised you. Paul will advise
you.
• Advice with a C is the noun. You use it to depict the substance: a piece of
advice.
Advice will be seen with verbs: gave, is, was, received, got.
Examples: I gave you advice. This advice is free. Advice is welcome.
• Write out the sentences below and fill in the missing word. Is it “advise” or
“advice”?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
The ___________ you gave me was very valuable.
I ___________ you to listen to your teachers.
My __________ is: stay positive.
He ___________ me to make the most of life.
They ____________ us to listen to more music.
The best ___________ I ever had was: think of others too.
Practise. practice
• Practise with an S is the verb. You use it to depict the act of practising.
Practise will be seen with a subject: I, he, she, it, people’s names.
Examples: I practised the violin. He practises every day. You need to practise.
• Practice with a C is the noun. You use it to depict the substance: an example
of practice.
Practice will be seen with verbs: is, was, did.
Examples: This practice is dangerous. The practice session was great. He did
his practice.
• Write out the sentences below and fill in the missing word. Is it “practise” or
“practice”?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
It was an important __________ session.
He __________ nearly every day.
His veterinary ___________ is very successful.
I don’t __________ enough.
Which is the ________ piece?
Whole, hole
• Whole means complete: the whole story.
• Hole means a pit or gap in something: my jumper has a hole in it.
•
•
Invent five sentences that would feature whole.
Invent five sentences that would feature hole.
69
SPELLING: Your Own List
•
As you might have learnt in Year 7, the best way to improve your spelling is to
work on your own mistakes.
TASK
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Look back over all your writing from recent months. Look back at work from
primary school if you have any. Look in books for all subjects, not just
English.
List all the spelling errors that you made.
Use a dictionary or dictionary.com on the internet to check what the correct
spelling is.
Try to spot patterns in your mistakes. Do you have problems with particular
patterns – like “-tion”? Do you get your double letters wrong? Do you mix up
vowels or consonants?
Use the look, say, cover, write, check method to learn the correct spellings.
Get someone to test you.
Spend time learning any words that you still get wrong.
Try to invent mnemonics to help you remember some of these words.
IMPORTANT: Once you know the spellings, you need to make an effort to
use it in some of your writing. Otherwise, you will probably forget the spelling
again.
IMPORTANT: Get someone to test you again after a week or so. You need to
make sure that you haven’t forgotten any spellings.
Now you need to keep an eye on your spelling all the time.
Every time you make a mistake in any writing for any subject, you need to
check what the correct spelling is and learn it.
Occasionally, get someone to test you on words that you have made mistakes
on over the recent months.
If you do a little work on spelling each day – 5 minutes, for example – you
will make a difference to your spelling.
TASK
•
•
•
•
Here are some words that people often find difficult to spell.
Try to make up a way to remember them.
Learn them. Also learn what they mean.
Get someone to test you on them.
playwright
business
women
technical
awkward
commitment
advantage
alcohol
definite
soldier
sincerely
aisle
exaggerate
excite
assess
separate
carriage
violence
appalling
exceed
bicycle
harass
deliberate
government
possess
disappear
succeed
behaviour
70
embarrass
manoeuvre
environment
obsession
committee
success
dissatisfy
VOCABULARY
•
•
•
•
Now that you are in Year 8, you should be looking to develop your vocabulary
further.
You need to be able to deal with more complex and subtle ideas.
This means that you will need to be confident with words that you may not
have used much in Year 7.
So what can you do?
1. Look it up!
Did you use a dictionary much last year? Reading will not help with your vocabulary
if you don’t actually look up words when you are not sure what they mean. You need
to develop your curiosity to the point where you feel impelled to look up a word
whenever you come across a new one. What exactly does “impelled” mean? Look it
up!
2. Not sure – look it up!
Sometimes you will see a word that you recognise and sort of understand, but if
pressed to define it, you’d struggle. These are words that you need to look up as well.
You’re not likely to use the word yourself if you are not exactly sure what it means.
3. Use it or lose it!
Once you have worked out what a word means, you need to start using it, or you’ll be
likely to forget what it means. So start amazing and amusing your friends and family,
by slipping the odd new bit of vocabulary into to your conversations. The same goes
for writing: make a real effort to write words that you have just learnt – this will help
you to fix the spelling in your mind.
4. Read for vocabulary
Your reading should be moving forward now that you are in Year 8. This means
you’ll be reading some challenging texts, so you are likely to find difficult words in
them. When you come across new words, work at making sense of them. Ask your
parents or teachers about them. Try using them in conversation. Keep reading news
reports and feature articles from the so-called broadsheet newspapers – The Guardian,
The Independent, The Times, The Observer. They all have websites, so you don’t
have to spend any money to get their articles. Another website that might help would
be Wikipedia, which is an online encyclopaedia. Of course, you can look into a real
encyclopaedia – it is likely to be more trustworthy than the sometimes very dodgy
Wikipedia.
5. Use a thesaurus
One reason that your writing may not have progressed much last year would be the
lack of interesting vocabulary. Get used to using a thesaurus to make your writing
varied and colourful. If you didn’t do this much last year, start now!
6. Listen
Teachers, parents, newsreaders, everyone really: they all use interesting words at
times. Get used to asking about or looking up words that are new to you. Then
challenge yourself to use the word as many times as possible in the next few days.
71
VOCABULARY: Vocabulary Book
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
One way to expand your vocabulary is to keep a notebook, in which you jot
down any new words that you come across.
Next to each word, write the dictionary definition.
Perhaps write a few trial sentences that include the word.
When you have gathered a few words, try playing some games with them:
hangman, scrabble, anagrams, etc.
Try writing a story or an article in which you use all the words in your journal.
Maybe keep a diary, in which you reflect on what examples of language you
have encountered during that day.
Challenge your friends and family with a quiz based on your words in your
notebook.
Challenge your teachers at school: “Morning Mr Leatherpatches, can you tell
me exactly what dissipates means?”
Perhaps your tutor could be encouraged to have a word of the week for your
tutor group.
This could provide a source of challenges, quizzes and activities for your
group.
TASK
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Here’s an exercise you could do in your vocabulary notebook.
Think of scene that you want to describe.
List all the objects in the scene.
List all the parts of the objects: tree – branches, twigs, leaves, etc.
Try to get a real close-up focus on everything.
List a range of adjectives that could go with each of your object words.
Use a thesaurus to help you.
Aim for as many alternatives as you possibly can get.
Write several alternative descriptions of the scene, using different words each
time.
72
VOCABULARY: Subject Words
•
•
•
Here’s a list of some key words for each subject in school.
Try to learn the meanings, the usage and the spellings of these words.
Look up the meaning in a dictionary. Give a quiet cheer when one of the
words is used in a lesson.
• Art
acrylic
collection
impasto
palette
• D and T
brief
design
linen
mineral
tension
• Drama
character
director
rehearse
script
• Geography
amenity
climate
international location
transport
weather
• History
bias
Catholic
dynasty
government
reign
revolution
• ICT
byte
cartridge
icon
interface
password
program
• Mathematics
adjacent
amount
diameter
equilateral
metre
parallel
reflection
rotation
• Music
chord
crotchet
orchestra
pitch
vocal
• PE
agile
exercise
qualify
tactic
• RE
biblical
celebration
hymn
Israel
shrine
special
• Science
acid
apparatus
friction
hazard
reproduce
temperature
dimension
portrait
exhibition
gallery
evaluation
polyester
flour
production
ingredient
sew
exit
stage
inspire
perform
county
physical
erosion
provision
globe
settlement
civilisation
constitution
independence parliament
trade
defence
propaganda
connection
keyboard
server
delete
modem
virus
electronic
multimedia
axis
fraction
percentage
symmetry
circumference decimal
horizontal
kilometre
positive
radius
vertices
weight
instrument
scale
major
synchronise
minor
ternary
hamstring
medicine
personal
commandment disciple
miracle
parable
synagogue
worship
festival
prejudice
combustion
liquid
vessel
exchange
particles
digestion
nutrient
73
VOCABULARY: Multiple Choice
•
•
•
•
Learn and use the words below.
Select the correct meaning from the choices.
Check your answer in a dictionary or at dictionary.com.
Write a sentence for each word, using it correctly.
1. abominable
a. Able to explode
b. Hateful, unpleasant
c. Unable
d. A snowman
2. baffle
a. To confuse
b. To fight
c. To fill a bath
d. To play a musical instrument
3. campaign
a. An organised series of activities
b. A type of tent
c. A twisted ankle
d. A window
4. egregious
a. Talkative
b. An egg farm
c. Greedy
d. Notorious
5. hiatus
a. A tower
b. Hatred
c. A gap
d. A map
6. lambent
a. A baby sheep
b. A twisted sheep
c. Lazy
d. Flickering
7. nemesis
a. A book in the bible
b. An opponent that can’t be beaten
c. A name that is false
d. A farm implement from Ireland
74
VOCABULARY: Define and Use
•
•
•
•
•
•
Find the definitions for these words and try to speak them at least 10 times this
week. Write them once in the next two weeks.
Use a dictionary or dictionary.com to check the meaning.
Make sure that you understand how you use the word in a sentence.
Try out the word with family and friends.
Put the word into a piece of writing for any subject.
Next to each word is a clue about how you might use it, but you’ll still need to
find out the precise definition.
abject – a descriptive word that will be impressive if used correctly
basilisk – a word to get the imagination going
capacity – a precise term that will be useful in various contexts
delicate – you know what this means, but do you ever use it?
elaborate – a descriptive word that is more impressive than simpler alternatives
fascinate – again, a useful alternative to obvious words
gratitude – you know about being grateful, but do you use this word?
homage – a word that refers to a rather old-fashioned, but elegant idea
identical – better than saying similar to, like, etc.
juxtaposition – a great word – very useful; use it!
kowtow – a specific idea that you should know about
languish – a descriptive word that will be impressive
malapert – a new insult with which to confound your friends
nostalgia – a rather beautiful concept
obstinate – an unhelpful attitude in some situations
panache – an admirable quality
quincunx – a great word for something familiar
rational – an important word: use it; think about it
sagacious – another important concept
tepid – a descriptive word that will be impressive if used correctly
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VOCABULARY: Alternatives for Common Words
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Below are some words that tend to be over-used.
Some of them are rather babyish.
They are too general or vague.
Find interesting alternatives for these words.
Use the alternatives, as much as possible.
1. small
Try: tiny, minute
What else?
2. fast
Try: rapid, urgent
What else?
3. slow
Try: laboured, snail-like
What else?
4. beautiful
Try: English teacher, stunning
What else?
5. Take the mick
Try: ridicule, mock
What else?
6. excited
Try: thrilled, energetic
What else?
7. bad
Try: terrible, awful
What else?
8. good
Try: virtuous, wonderful
What else?
9. drank
Try: slurped, sipped
What else?
10. whatever
Try … NOT USING THIS WORD – EVER! Take an interest in life; be explicit and
specific; look for something to engage your interest. In short, be positive!
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VOCABULARY: Senses
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Descriptive language is useful for all kinds of writing.
Being able to describe things precisely and in detail is a key skill.
Vividly descriptive writing is memorable.
One way to develop your descriptive skills is to think of the five senses – five
ways in which we receive key messages about the world.
For each of the five senses, try listing as many words as you can to describe
various scenes, situations, encounters.
1. sight
• What words can you think of to describe sights?
• Think of words for: colours, textures, shapes, sizes.
• Try to develop the skill of looking at the minute of details of things:
Imagine various scenes; imagine the fine details in them.
2. sound
• What words can you think of to describe sounds?
• Think of the different noises that surround you.
• Try really listening. We tend to block out a lot of sounds. Pay attention.
• Think about different kinds of sound, different volumes and pitches.
3. touch
• There are fewer words to describe touch than sight or sound.
• Think about textures, temperatures, levels of comfort and pleasantness.
• Try closing your eyes and touching common objects.
• Get your friends to test you out: can you guess what something is just by
touch?
• Don’t touch sharp or burning objects!!
4. smell
• Smell is often thought to be the best sense for triggering memories.
• If you smell the smell of your baby food, you’ll be overcome with vague
feelings about being a little kid. Try it!
• What words can you think of to describe smells?
• Think of good and bad smells; think of the thoughts and feelings that the
smells bring to mind.
5. taste
• What taste words can you think of?
• Pleasant and disgusting flavours?
• Favourite flavours?
• How do you feel when you eat?
6. Other senses?
• Are there only five senses?
• What about the sense of time; the sense of balance?
• Try to think of other possible senses.
• Decide how they are similar and different to the five key senses.
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VOCABULARY: Fill in the Missing Words
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These sentences suggest the meaning for a useful, interesting word.
Try to think what the missing word might be.
A thesaurus might help.
Check your answer in a dictionary to make sure that it is right.
Ask for help from your family if you are stuck.
TASK
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Fill in the missing words in these sentences.
The first letter or two has been given for you.
1. To be worthless is to be ab____.
2. Another word for a home is an ab____.
3. To be kind is to be b_____.
4. A small case or little space ship is a c______.
5. To stroke to someone is to c______ them.
6. To come to an agreement is to co_______.
7. A riddle-like crossword clue is called cr_____.
8. To argue against something is to de______ it.
9. A very rundown house would be described as d_______.
10. To beg is to e______.
11. To be very careful, difficult to please, easily disgusted is to be f________.
12. Another word for leaves is f______.
13. To be distinguished and noble is to be ill_________.
14. Money left in a will is a l______.
15. To speak evil of someone is to m_____ them.
16. Another word for weak or thin is m______.
17. To be a liar is to be m_________.
18. A word for a total change is a m___________.
19. A word that sounds like what it means is an example of on___________.
20. To be thoughtful is to be p________.
21. To set out on a foolish mission is to be q________.
22. To be unwilling is to be r__________.
23. To be slow and dignified is to be s______.
24. Something strange or underhand might be called s________.
25. To put up with something is to t________ it.
26. Enthusiasm might be called z___.
EXTENSION
• Try to write a story that uses all of the words that you had to find.
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VOCABULARY: Semantic Fields
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A semantic field is an area of language. For example “farming” could be a
semantic field. It would include vocabulary such as: tractor, sheep, fence,
plough, harvest, veterinary surgeon, till, hoe, etc.
Look at the general topics below, and try to list as many words as you can that
would go with that topic.
Use a thesaurus to expand your list.
Check the meaning of the words in a dictionary.
Follow up on chains of vocabulary, looking up more and more words in the
thesaurus and so finding more words to look up.
Write a paragraph about each topic, using as many of your words as you can.
1. Mechanics
Find words for: cars; engines; parts; tools; types of work; machines; faults; repairs;
instructions; etc.
2. Fashion
Find words for: different types of clothing; designers; models; trends and styles; the
history of clothing and fashion; etc.
3. Money
Find words for: banks, other institutions; stockbrokers, conmen, thieves, greedy
individualists, cynical manipulators, shameless wasters of national resources, etc;
currencies; ways that money can be used.
4. Literature
Find words for: novels, stories, non-fiction texts, plays, other types of literature;
writers; equipment; publishers; literary styles; literary techniques.
5. Food and drink
Find words for: ingredients; dishes; meals; soft drinks; hot drinks; chefs; restaurants;
equipment; etc.
6. Science
Find words for: chemicals; equipment; experiments; theories; discoveries; animal
behaviour; natural cycles; etc.
7. What else?
Think of some of your own semantic fields and make vocabulary lists to go with
them.
EXTENSION
• Divide your lists into two sections: those words that seem powerful,
interesting and unusual; and those words that seem predictable and obvious.
• Write sentences using the powerful, interesting and unusual words.
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VOCABULARY: PSHE Subject Words
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Below are some words that you might need to use in your PSHE and tutor
group work.
Look up each word in a dictionary to check its precise meaning.
Write a sentence for each word.
Try to use each word at least once in discussion or in writing this year. There
are some clues about how they might be relevant to you.
These are important words in your development as a person, so they are really
worth thinking about.
ability: try to recognise your own abilities and strengths
achievement: try to celebrate your own achievements
addiction: don’t lose control of your own life
approval: how important is this to you?
communication: the key to successful relationships
control: who controls you?
dependant: are you overly reliant on someone or something?
discipline: success often requires self-discipline
discussion: the way to achieve things with others
effort: all good things require some of this
emotional: a key aspect of our experience
encourage: do you encourage others?
gender: part of your developing identity
generosity: a quality that many of others look for in others
involvement: do you get involved?
preference: can you justify your likes and dislikes?
pressure: we all have pressures: how do we cope with them?
racism: an ugly attitude
reality: can you tell what is real and what is not?
relationship: different kinds of relationship require different approaches
representative: who represents you?
reward: what do you need to do to gain long-term rewards?
sanction: which sanctions are fair? Which are effective?
sexism: another stupid attitude
stereotype: do you feel limited by what people expect of you?
EXTENSION
• Write a leaflet that explains some of the key terms involved in your
Personal, Social and Health Education. Define and explain the words
above. Try to do it in a lively style that will appeal to readers of your own
age.
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READING WITH OTHERS
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How much do you read?
What kind of books do you read?
One way to get more out of reading is to share what you read with others.
Here are a few ideas about how you can get enthusiastic about reading by
sharing your reading with others.
1. Magazines
There are lots of great magazines out there. Too many really. Why not make a pact
with some friends? Each of you might buy a different magazine at the start of the
week. Then you can swap the magazines when you have read them. This means you
get three or four magazines for the price of one. It also means that you can talk about
the magazines with each other – this will make them much more enjoyable.
2. Pass the book
If you really enjoy a book, pass it on! Lend the book to your friends, or advise them to
borrow the same book from the library. You can talk about the book together as your
friend reads it. Try not to be tempted to give too much away. Pass the book around to
all your friends, widening the conversation to include more and more people.
3. Start a book group
Many adults these days like to join reading groups. Here, a group of friends will
decide to read the same book at the same time, then meet to discuss it. This requires
that you all get a copy of a certain book. These days, you can order a book over the
internet and receive it within a few days, so it’s not such a difficult thing to do. Meet
regularly to discuss the book as you read it. Agree where you’ll get up to before each
meeting. Try to widen your group: get more people involved; extend your group of
friends.
4. Read with your family
A good way to have some quality family time is to discuss a book that you have all
read. Pass the book around the family and talk about it whilst each person reads it. If
you’re feeling mischievous, you could try this old trick: get an old copy of a murder
mystery book, then rip out the page on which the detective tells everyone who did the
murder. Pass on the book to a family member and watch their frustration as they get to
the end and don’t get the answer they were waiting for. You wouldn’t do a thing like
that, would you?
5. E-asy does it!
Email and other forms of internet communication can be a fun way to exchange ideas
about reading. You can keep in touch constantly, racing your friends to get to the end
of the next chapter. Internet communications, of course, should be carried out between
friends; you should be wary of strangers whom you “meet” on the net – they might
not be what/who they seem to be. However, chatting with friends over the internet is,
of course, absolutely fine.
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READING LIST
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Below is a list of some authors and books that you might like to try.
Of course, it only contains a few suggestions. There are hundreds of other
books out there to try.
One good source for recommendations is a library. Ask the librarian for help.
Look for reading lists and suggestions that might be there in the library. Look
at the books that are on display.
Another place to look is the internet. For example, try browsing on
amazon.com. Not to buy something, necessarily, but just to get ideas. When
you look up an author or a book you like, amazon often give you suggestions
near the bottom of the page under headings like “Customers who bought this
book, also bought …” You can now look up these books. Also, alongside the
books there are often “lists” of similar, relevant books. Once you get into these
lists, they’ll lead to more and more. Keep pursuing things and you’ll have a
thousand books to read in no time!
Alan Gibbons
• Alan Gibbons has written a variety of exciting and interesting books, including
horror stories – so beware! His Shadow of the Minotaur is a powerful take
on the famous Greek myth.
Neil Gaiman
• Gaiman writes very imaginative, original books that are weird and sometimes
disturbing. Worth a look if you like that sort of thing.
Eoin Colfer
• Colfer’s Artemis Fowl books are popular fantasy books with an interesting
twist.
J. R. R. Tolkein
• Now might be the time to tackle The Lord of the Rings. It is monstrously
long, but it will be worth the effort. Then you can watch the DVDs and pick
out all the differences from the book.
Jean M Auel
• Clan of the Cave Bear is the first in her series about pre-historic people. It’s
exciting and imaginative. Definitely something different.
Philippa Gregory
• Gregory is a well-respected author. She specialises in historical fiction. Her
book The Other Boleyn Girl, about the court of Henry VIII, was made into a
film starring Scarlett Johansson and Natalie Portman.
Darren Shan
• Shan is very popular. His books deal with vampires and other spooky stuff!
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Anthony Horowitz
• Horowitz’s Alex Rider books are very popular. They feature a boy who is a
spy and who gets up to all sorts of James Bond type adventures.
Michelle Paver
• Paver writes pre-historic adventures. Chronicles of Ancient Darkness is one
series that she has written.
Julia Golding
• Golding writes interesting books that mix legends with contemporary settings.
She also writes historical adventures, which feature a young girl, Cat Royal.
Adeline Yen Mah
• Chinese Cinderella tells the story of an unwanted child in China.
Lian Hearn
• Brilliance of the Moon and several other books tell tales about medieval
Japan. The books give an exciting insight into another world.
Sarah Mlynowski
• Her books about the teenage witch Rachel are fun, modern and lively.
Brian Keaney
• The Hollow People begins a series of books about a parallel world in which
magic is key. The lowly hero sets himself against the all powerful Dr
Sigmundus.
Cornelia Funke
• Inkheart is an interesting, weird book about people who love books.
Definitely worth a look.
Classics
• Charles Dickens: try Dombey and Son – it’s big and brilliant; there’s an
especially likeable dog in it too. Charlotte Bronte: Jane Eyre – the romantic
tale of Jane’s struggles and her encounters with the dashing, smouldering
Rochester. George Eliot: The Mill on the Floss tells the story of a passionate
and brilliant girl, growing up to be a frustrated woman, in a male-dominated
society.
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CROSSWORD PUZZLES
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Crossword clues give you a description of a word. You have to guess the
word.
Clues follow a set format.
The first or last part of the clue should be a synonym for the answer – so, if the
answer was “football”, then the first or last word of the clue might be “game”
or “sport” or something more difficult to work out like “what depresses dad on
Saturday afternoon”!
The rest of the clue will help you to guess just what “game” or “sport” or
“cause of depression” the answer might be.
THE MAIN TYPES OF CLUE
1. Anagram
In these clues the answer is in the clue, but the letters have been
rearranged. You have to unscramble the letters to find the answer.
Example: ladder = red lad
You can usually tell when it’s an anagram because the clue will contain a
word that means unscramble, move or rearrange.
Example: Shake red lad to help him climb.
Answer: Ladder
Explanation: “Shake” means move, so tells you it’s an anagram.
“Red lad” is the anagram.
“To help him climb” is the synonym for “ladder”.
2. Hidden Word
In these clues, the answer is hidden inside a word or across two words.
Example: wet all = tall
You can usually tell this type of clue by the use of the word “in” or some
other suggestion that you need to look inside the words.
Example: In the wet all look big.
Answer: Tall
3. Homophone
In these clues the answer is a word that sounds like another.
Example: Raw = roar
You can usually tell this type of clue by the use of references to
hearing and sound.
Example: Hear lion’s call in uncooked meat.
Answer: Roar.
4. Other types
There are many other types of clue. If you get into crosswords, you’ll start
to learn about them.
GETTING INTO CROSSWORDS
• If you do want to get into crosswords, then the best way is to do a crossword
from one particular newspaper regularly. It might be tricky at first, but
gradually you’ll learn what to expect. Use the answers to the crosswords
(published in the paper a day or two later) to check your own answers. Look
back at the clues and try to work out how the answers work. The important
thing is to keep going; don’t get put off.
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CROSSWORD CLUES
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Here are some clues for you to work out.
Doing crosswords is good mental exercise.
It can also help develop your vocabulary.
It gets you thinking about spelling.
It’s very satisfying when you get the answer!
TASK
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Work out the answers to these clues.
All the answers are words that come from the subject vocabulary list in this
pack.
1. Clue: Story is found in confused rap label. (7 letters)
Answer: _ _ _ _ _ _ _
2. Clue: Change sweet strategy. (6 letters)
Answer: _ _ _ _ _ _
3. Clue: Sword sap arranged code (8 letters)
Answer: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
4. Clue: Stop I’m a mixed up artistic technique (7 letters)
Answer: _ _ _ _ _ _ _
5. Clue: Get material from line narrowing. (5 letters)
Answer: _ _ _ _ _
6. Clue: To act in super form. (7 letters)
Answer: _ _ _ _ _ _ _
7. Clue: E-blog misread reveals the whole world. (5 letters)
Answer: _ _ _ _ _
8. Clue: Hold up a goose? Sounds like official lies. (10 letters)
Answer: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
9. Clue: Pit choir holds particular note. (5 letters)
Answer: _ _ _ _ _
10. Clue: Movement found in a tin root decaying. (8 letters)
Answer: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
EXTENSION:
• Invent some of your own clues.
• Try to construct a complete crossword, making the grid work so that the
overlapping letters fit.
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ASSESSING YOUR OWN PERFORMANCE
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Decide if you want to assess and improve your WRITING, READING or
SPEAKING AND LISTENING.
Select the level that you want target and use the statements to help you to
improve your performance.
Write out the key statements that describe what you need to do.
Set yourself a numerical target.
Pick from the statements the 3 key targets.
Review your progress after some weeks of working on your targets.
Speak to your teacher about the targets and how you are progressing.
Try to take control of your own progress!
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WRITING: LEVELS 4 -5
KS2 LEVEL:
CURRENT LEVEL:
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LAST YEAR’S LEVEL:
SATS TARGET:
You need to improve your writing if you are to gain a level 5 consistently.
Read the statements below and tick the ones that most apply to you.
On the back of this sheet, write 3 key targets taken from the lists below.
ATTITUDE AND APPROACH
• I need to concentrate better in lessons.
• I need to write more.
• I need to spend more time on work at home.
• I need to care more about my work.
• I need to be more mature and cut out attention-seeking behaviour.
• I need to ask for help more often.
• I need to follow my teacher’s advice and instructions.
• I need to learn from my mistakes: spend time each week working on spellings.
SENTENCE STRUCTURE, PUNCTUATION AND SPELLING
• I need to improve my handwriting, by taking care to form all letters properly,
at a consistent size.
• I need to write in a clear and organised way.
• I need to use full stops accurately.
• I need to punctuate speech accurately.
• I need to use a range of connective words (but, because, which, who, etc.).
• I need to control verb tenses (past, present, future).
• I need to use interesting sentence introductions (e.g. “Without thinking of the
consequences, …”)
• I need to use descriptive phrases.
• I need to use more commas.
• I need to comment and reflect on events, not just narrate and describe.
TEXT STRUCTURE AND ORGANISATION
• I need to use paragraphs thoughtfully.
• I need to link paragraphs.
• I need to link ideas within paragraphs.
• I need to develop my points with detailed explanations.
COMPOSTION AND EFFECT
• I need to interest my readers with attention-grabbing openings and hints of
what is to come that build expectations.
• I need to blend plot and descriptions with reflection and comment.
• I need to use stylistic devices like similes and rhetorical questions.
TARGETS
By______________:
By______________:
4a
5c
5c
5b
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5b
5a
WRITING: LEVELS 5-6
KS2 LEVEL:
CURRENT LEVEL:
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LAST YEAR’S LEVEL:
SATS TARGET:
You are working well and have achieved level 5. How can you move to 6?
Read the statements below and tick the ones that most apply to you.
On the back of this sheet, write 3 key targets taken from the lists below.
ATTITUDE AND APPROACH
• I need to expect a lot of myself.
• I need to produce my best always.
• I need to look for significant improvements with every written piece.
• I need to plan work carefully.
• I need to ask for more advice.
• I need to achieve something significant in each lesson.
SENTENCE STRUCTURE, PUNCTUATION AND SPELLING
• I need to vary the length and structure of my sentences.
• I need to use more modal verbs (might, would, could, etc.).
• I need to use sentence middles, phrases bracketed off by two commas, to
expand descriptions.
• I need to use expanded descriptive phrases.
• I need to vary my vocabulary.
• I need to learn spellings of complex words.
• I need to use commas, colons and semicolons.
TEXT STRUCTURE AND ORGANISATION
• I need to shape texts thoughtfully – include an introduction, a development
and a conclusion.
• I need to refer backwards and forwards within a text (e.g. “As we will see …”;
“As I have already shown …”)
• I need to structure paragraphs carefully – go from general comments to
specific examples.
• I need to link sentences within paragraphs, using connectives and appropriate
pronouns.
COMPOSTION AND EFFECT
• I need to manipulate the reader’s expectations, withholding key information to
build tension and drama.
• I need to add appropriate wit and humour.
• I need to adapt my style for the type of text that I am writing.
TARGETS
By____________:
By____________:
5a
6c
6c
6b
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6b
6a
WRITING: LEVELS 6-7
KS2 LEVEL:
CURRENT LEVEL:
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LAST YEAR’S LEVEL:
SATS TARGET:
Well done! You are a talented writer. How can you now ensure that you
achieve level 7 consistently?
Read the statements below and tick the ones that most apply to you.
On the back of this sheet, write 3 key targets taken from the lists below.
APPROACH
• I need to always write with flair, originality and style.
• I need to ask for specific advice about how I can reach the top level for each
piece of work.
• I need to eradicate all errors.
• I need to know how each piece that I write is better than the last one.
SENTENCE STRUCTURE, PUNCTUATION AND SPELLING
• I need to use a wide range of sentence structures: short, complex, embedded
(sentence middles between two commas), sentence introductions, sentence
conclusions, a mixture of all of the above.
• I need to use a range of punctuation for effect: full stops, commas, colons,
semicolons, speech marks, dashes.
• I need to use a wide vocabulary of precise, expressive words.
TEXT STRUCTURE AND ORGANISATION
• I need to control and shape the structure of the whole text, in order to guide the
reader’s focus.
• I need to use a range of types, lengths and structures for paragraphs.
• I need to use a range of devices within paragraphs: a mix of description, plot
and commentary; concluding questions; interesting connecting phrases.
COMPOSTION AND EFFECT
• I need to adapt my writing subtly to suit audience, form and purpose.
• I need to include original and surprising ideas to interest the reader.
• I need to write in a convincingly authentic style, suited to the text type.
• I need to use a range of devices: alliteration, onomatopoeia, rhetorical
questions, metaphors, similes, powerful vocabulary.
• I need to include humour, wit and irony in an appropriate fashion.
TARGETS
By ______________:
By ______________:
6a
7c
7c
7b
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7b
7a
READING: LEVELS 4-5
KS2 LEVEL:
CURRENT LEVEL:
•
•
•
LAST YEAR’S LEVEL:
SATS TARGET:
You need to improve your reading to achieve a 5 consistently.
Read the statements below and tick the ones that most apply to you.
On the back of this sheet, write 3 key targets taken from the lists below.
ATTITUDE AND APPROACH
• I need to concentrate on reading in lesson time.
• I need to care more about my reading skills.
• I need to be more mature and cut out attention-seeking behaviour.
• I need to ask for help more often.
• I need to read more books and magazines at home.
• I need to read carefully and thoughtfully.
• I need to get rid of negative attitudes to reading.
UNDERSTAND/DESCRIBE/SELECT/RETRIEVE
• I need to skim and scan effectively.
• I need to choose examples thoughtfully.
• I need to focus on first and last sentences in paragraphs to help me to grasp the
meaning of the passage.
DEDUCE/INFER/INTERPRET
• I need to pick up on hints in the passage.
• I need to guess at the writer’s intentions.
• I need to look for key clues – especially first and last sentences of paragraphs.
IDENTIFY/COMMENT ON TEXT STRUCTURE
• I need to respond to bullet points in longer questions.
• I need to think about how a text is structured.
• I need to think about how writers manipulate our expectations, build up
tension, drop hints about what might happen, etc.
EXPLAIN LANGUAGE
• I need to look for examples of similes, metaphors, alliteration, etc.
• I need to respond to strong words and phrases.
• I need to understand why writers write in a specific style.
IDENTIFY PURPOSES/VIEWS/OVERALL EFFECTS
• I need to think about why a text was written.
• I need to look for clues about the writer’s opinions and ideas.
• I need to think about the overall effect of the whole text.
KEY SATs TIPS:
• Read questions carefully.
• Answer all questions fully.
• Look at how many marks there are for each question.
• Write a lot for 5 mark questions. Include PEE for these questions.
Point
Evidence
90
Explanation
READING: LEVELS 5-6
KS2 LEVEL:
CURRENT LEVEL:
•
•
•
LAST YEAR’S LEVEL:
SATS TARGET:
You need to improve your reading to achieve a 6 consistently.
Read the statements below and tick the ones that most apply to you.
On the back of this sheet, write 3 key targets taken from the lists below.
ATTITUDE AND APPROACH
• I need to practise and improve reading skills in lesson time.
• I need to develop and refine my reading skills.
• I need to ask for help and advice more often.
• I need to read a wide variety of books and magazines at home.
• I need to read imaginatively.
• I need to enjoy reading.
UNDERSTAND/DESCRIBE/SELECT/RETRIEVE
• I need to skim and scan rapidly.
• I need to choose examples quickly.
• I need to know where to find key points in a passage.
DEDUCE/INFER/INTERPRET
• I need to be sensitive to hints in the passage.
• I need to grasp the writer’s intentions.
• I need to focus on key clues.
IDENTIFY/COMMENT ON TEXT STRUCTURE
• I need to use bullet points to shape responses to longer questions.
• I need to explain how a text is structured.
• I need to explain how writers manipulate our expectations, build up tension,
drop hints about what might happen, etc.
EXPLAIN LANGUAGE
• I need to explain examples of similes, metaphors, alliteration, etc.
• I need to be sensitive to the effects of strong words and phrases.
• I need to understand why writers write in a specific style
IDENTIFY PURPOSES/VIEWS/OVERALL EFFECTS
• I need to grasp why a text was written.
• I need to explain the writer’s opinions and ideas.
• I need to grasp the overall effect of the whole text.
KEY SATs TIPS:
• Respond precisely and fully to questions.
• Locate information quickly.
• Give clear and detailed answers.
• Write a lot for 5 mark questions. Include PEE for these questions.
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READING: LEVELS 6-7
KS2 LEVEL:
CURRENT LEVEL:
•
•
•
LAST YEAR’S LEVEL:
SATS TARGET:
You need to improve your reading to achieve a 7 consistently.
Read the statements below and tick the ones that most apply to you.
On the back of this sheet, write 3 targets taken from the lists below.
APPROACH
• I need to challenge my reading skills in lesson time.
• I need to exercise and extend my reading skills.
• I need to ask for help and advice in choosing and responding to texts.
• I need to read a wide variety of challenging books and magazines at home.
• I need to read imaginatively.
• I need to enjoy reading.
UNDERSTAND/DESCRIBE/SELECT/RETRIEVE
• I need to skim and scan precisely and purposefully.
• I need to choose apt examples immediately.
• I need to know my way round a passage after one reading.
DEDUCE/INFER/INTERPRET
• I need to respond sensitively to hints in the passage.
• I need to explore the writer’s intentions.
• I need to explain key clues.
IDENTIFY/COMMENT ON TEXT STRUCTURE
• I need to use bullet points to shape responses to longer questions.
• I need to develop points about how a text is structured.
• I need to explain how writers manipulate our expectations, build up tension,
drop hints about what might happen, etc.
EXPLAIN LANGUAGE
• I need to respond imaginatively to similes, metaphors, alliteration, etc.
• I need to be sensitive to the effects of strong words and phrases.
• I need to develop subtle explanations of writers’ styles.
IDENTIFY PURPOSES/VIEWS/OVERALL EFFECTS
• I need to explain and speculate about why a text was written.
• I need to isolate and respond to the writer’s opinions and ideas.
• I need to develop points about the overall effect of the whole text.
KEY SATs TIPS:
• Respond imaginatively to questions.
• Integrate key examples into your answers.
• Develop original responses.
• Do NOT neglect the obvious answers that will give easy marks.
• Write a lot for 5 mark questions. Include PEED for these questions.
Point
Evidence
Explanation
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Development
SPEAKING AND LISTENING: LEVELS 4-5
•
•
•
You need to improve your speaking and listening to achieve a 5 consistently.
Read the statements below and tick the ones that most apply to you.
On the back of this sheet, write 3 key targets taken from the lists below.
ATTITUDE AND APPROACH
• I need to concentrate on listening in lesson time.
• I need to care more about my speaking skills.
• I need to be more mature and cut out attention-seeking behaviour.
• I need to ask for help more often.
• I need to think more about speaking and listening skills.
• I need to work productively in groups.
• I need to get rid of negative attitudes to work.
LISTENING
• I need to listen to a variety of speakers effectively.
• I need to be able to respond to what I hear thoughtfully.
• I need to ask questions to support my understanding.
SPEAKING
• I need to speak in an interesting fashion.
• I need to vary my vocabulary and expression.
• I need to respond to other people’s comments.
GROUP WORK
• I need to pay close attention to others.
• I need to be confident.
• I need to stay on task.
KEY TIPS:
• Speak clearly and confidently.
• Monitor and think about your listening.
• Expect more of yourself.
• Vary your speech to suit the situation.
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SPEAKING AND LISTENING: LEVELS 5-6
•
•
•
You need to improve your speaking and listening to achieve a 6 consistently.
Read the statements below and tick the ones that most apply to you.
On the back of this sheet, write 3 key targets taken from the lists below.
APPROACH
• I need to practise and improve listening skills in lesson time.
• I need to develop and refine my speaking skills.
• I need to ask for help and advice more often.
• I need to speak in a variety of ways.
• I need to perform imaginatively.
• I need to enjoy speaking and listening.
SPEAKING
• I need to adapt my talk to different contexts.
• I need to vary my tone, pace, volume and body language.
• I need to use standard English, where appropriate.
LISTENING
• I need to listen with real focus.
• I need to learn to isolate key points in a talk.
• I need to respond encouragingly to others.
GROUP WORK
• I need to be sensitive to others in the group.
• I need to take an active role in the group.
• I need to help the group to work smoothly.
KEY TIPS:
• Respond precisely and fully to others.
• Control your self-presentation.
• Be confident.
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SPEAKING AND LISTENING: LEVELS 6-7
•
•
•
You need to improve your speaking and listening to achieve a 7 consistently.
Read the statements below and tick the ones that most apply to you.
On the back of this sheet, write 3 targets taken from the lists below.
APPROACH
• I need to challenge my listening skills in lesson time.
• I need to exercise and extend my speaking skills.
• I need to ask for help and advice in developing my communication skills.
• I need to speak and perform imaginatively.
• I need to take a lead and set an example.
SPEAKING
• I need to match my performance to the situation.
• I need to use a varied and precise vocabulary.
• I need to use standard English confidently
LISTENING
• I need to respond sensitively to others, helping them to develop their points.
• I need to practise focusing my attention.
• I need to be a thoughtful and imaginative listener, picking up readily on hints,
humour and variations in tone.
GROUP WORK
• I need to make significant contributions.
• I need to take a lead.
• I need to bring others in to the conversation.
KEY TIPS:
• Respond imaginatively to what you hear.
• Develop ideas in your own talk.
• Develop original styles of presentation.
• Control humour and irony.
• Be flexible and imaginative.
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APPENDIX
NOTES TO TEACHERS: ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING
This pack is designed to form a key part of an English department’s Assessment for
Learning strategy.
Assessment for Learning means using assessment to create learning opportunities.
This pack contains assessment criteria for each writing task, which can be used for
peer or self-assessment.
All the tasks are self-contained, so that pupils can access them at any point that is
relevant to their progress.
Teachers can ensure that their everyday marking is supported by learning
opportunities. When an issue arises from a pupil’s work (such as, a weakness in a
particular area of punctuation) the teacher can point the pupil towards a relevant
exercise that will help them make progress in that particular area.
The tasks are differentiated and extension tasks are supplied. This will help teachers
to personalise each pupil’s learning.
The pack contains general self-assessment sheets which can be used independently by
pupils at any point in a learning cycle to pinpoint how they can make progress.
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