Over the past couple of weeks we have been working really hard in writing. The class have been completing a Talk for Writing block on ‘Beating the Monster’ stories. We started with a cold task where the class wrote their own story with limited help to help us create class targets, e.g. using ambitious vocabulary, starting our sentences with interesting openers, creating a clear storyline etc. We have then been using the model text ‘Beowulf’ to help us. We have learned the text off by heart using actions and story maps and have analysed the author’s craft. We are now at the stage of innovating the story and using ideas from it to create our own. After that the children will complete a ‘hot task’ assessment which will show their progress.

Boxing up the story pattern and ‘Magpieing’ vocabulary:

Acting out Beowulf in drama to help embed the story: