Writing

Catch A Lot

Questions for discussion:

Pause after a couple of seconds so we see image of boat
and two men aboard it.

• What time of day is it?
• What can we tell about these characters from what they are doing, what they are wearing and their tools?
• What do you think it smells like?

Pause as soon as the image pans out.

• Why do you think the director has chosen to pan out?
• What might the mist be indicating?
• How is the son feeling? What actions can you describe to show this?

Pause after the father shakes the son.

• We know the father has spotted a whale, how does the director show us that a whale has been found?
• Why is the father becoming more frustrated?
• What do you think he would say to his son if he spoke at this point?
• What do you think the son is thinking?

Pause after the eye opens at the side of the boat.

• How could we describe the whale’s appearance using ‘show not tell’? (Show not tell - describing something without telling the reader directly)
• How does the director build tension in this section?

Pause after the view from under the boat after the father
has climbed aboard.

• How is the father feeling at this point?
• What questions would the son be asking himself?
• How has the director used the weather to reflect the
• mood?
• Can we think of any synonyms for anger? (Synonym - word that means similar or the same)

Pause when it fades to black.

• What do you think will happen next?

Watch the film to the end

• Does the final image of father change the way his son thinks about him?

Activity 1

Odd Ones Out
Watch the clip. How many of these things can you spot? Tick them when you see them. You might need to watch the clip more than once. Some of these are not in the clip. Which are the odd ones out? (There are 4)

Activity 2

How many of these words can you find a rhyming word for?

Activity 3

Message in a Bottle

Imagine you are one of the characters from the clip. After the whale tries to eat you, you find yourself washed up on a strange island. Write a message to put into a bottle to explain how you got there.

Activity 4

The Whale's Tale

Imagine you are the whale in the clip. What would you say about what happened that day? Have a look at the short paragraph below to give you some ideas.

I was really tired. I had been swimming all day and eating krill. The sun was going down and I went up to the surface to
breathe. Just then, a small boat appeared nearby. I thought I should go and say hello because I am polite. It started to get chilly and a little bit misty. When I popped my head up, I was shocked to see a sharp spear! Wouldn’t you be? The man with the
spear looked angry and it scared me. I dived down under the little boat to hide. I could hear thunder on the surface and the
rough sea was very choppy. It wasn’t safe for the men on the boat. I swam up to the surface with my mouth open to tell them I was sorry and the boat fell into my mouth!

Things to make your writing better…
 

Using expanded noun phrases
This just means to add an adjective or two into your writing to describe the noun.
E.g. the rough sea, the small boat, the angry man
 

Add in a question
E.g. Wouldn’t you be afraid?

Join parts of your sentence using and, because, but.
E.g. I was scared because the man had a
spear.

Make sure you use capital letters and full stops to show where your sentences start and end. Remember to read your work to check it makes sense.

Other activity ideas:

• Research different types of whales and where they are found.
• Write a newspaper report about the event including interviews with the characters.
• Imagine that the clip you watched was part of a story book. Create a front cover for the book to show what the book is about.