Writing

St George and the Dragon

Monday

Slowly read the story of 'St George and the Dragon' (you can find the link below). You can take it in turns to read each page if you would like! Afterwards, you can listen to a different version told by Wilf Merttens below.

Consider what is the same and what is different about the two stories and then complete the 'Comparing Stories' chart.

What is the same?

What is different?

1.

2.

3.

I liked the book/oral story best because ...

Tuesday

Read 'A Small Dragon' by Brian Patten. Read the poem twice aloud and enjoy it.

A Small Dragon

I’ve found a small dragon in the woodshed.
Think it must have come from deep inside a forest because it’s damp and green

and leaves are still reflecting in its eyes.

I fed it on many things, tried grass,
the roots of stars, hazel-nut and dandelion,
but it stared up at me as if to say, I need
foods you can’t provide.

It made a nest among the coal,
not unlike a bird’s but larger,
it is out of place here,
and is quite silent.

If you believed in it I would come
hurrying to your house to let you share my wonder,
but I want instead to see
if you yourself will pass this way.

Brian Patten,
from Collected Love Poems, Harper Collins 2007

Re-cap what 'noun phrases' are using the slides below. Then have a go at writing your own noun phrases.

Example:

Start with a noun girl
Add adjectives a happy, laughing girl
Add adverbs an extremely happy, laughing girl
Add phrases about where and when an extremely happy laughing girl
in the garden

Do this for three different characters, creatures or things.
Then write a short paragraph about your three chosen things or creatures. You can be as imaginative as you want! Here's mine: The scarily hungry, emerald-green dragon flew upwards towards the snowy mountains.

Imagine that you have discovered a dragon of your own . . .

Is it scary or cuddly?

What does it look like?

Where did you find it?

What is it like to be with?

Wednesday

Read the poem 'On Some Other Planet' by John Rice below.

On some other planet
near some other star,
There’s a music-loving alien
who drives a blue car.

On some other planet,
on some distant world,
there’s a bright sunny garden
where a cat lies curled.

On some other planet
a trillion miles away,

there are parks and beaches
where the young aliens play.

On some other planet
in another time-zone,
there are intelligent beings
who feel very much alone.

On some other planet
one that we can’t see,
there must be one person
who’s a duplicate of me.

By John Rice

Identify the nouns, verbs and adjectives within the poem. Use the information below to help you recognise these.

A noun names a person, place, idea, thing or feeling.

In front of a noun, we often have: a an the
But sometimes we have: my your his her their

An adjective is a describing word. It tells you more about a noun.
Adjectives sometimes come next to nouns: The stinky fish or A sad alien
And sometimes don’t: The boy was scared.

A verb names an action. It is a doing or being word. A verb often has one of these words in front of it.
They He She We It You A name

Underline the nouns in red, circle the adjectives in yellow and colour the verbs in blue.

Or you could write them out in a list if you don't have colours or access to a printer!

Turning adjectives into nouns:

We can sometimes turn adjectives (describing words) into nouns by adding the suffix –ness. Happy becomes happiness.

He is a happy alien. (adjective)
With the alien returning, he felt the happiness come back. (noun).

Turn the adjectives in these sentences into nouns. Choose two and write a sentence containing the noun.The first one is done for you.

The light alien floated in the air.	lightness
One of the aliens is really mean.
How kind his friend is!
What a dirty spaceship!
I was sad when the spaceship went.
The dark night felt lonely.
Clean footprints were seen on the grass.
Cold shivers ran down my back.
In the warm room, I took off my coat.

Now write two sentences using two of the nouns you have created.

Thursday

Read 'Aliens Stole My Underpants'. Ask someone to read the story with you, taking turns to read, verse by verse. Enjoy it together!

Aliens Stole My Underpants

To understand the ways
of alien beings is hard
and I’ve never worked it out
why they landed in my backyard.

And I’ve always wondered why
on their journey from the stars,
these aliens stole my underpants
and took them back to Mars.

They came on a Monday night
when the weekend wash had been done,
pegged out on the line
to be dried by the morning sun.

Mrs Driver from next door
was a witness at the scene
when aliens snatched my underpants-
I’m glad that they were clean!

It seems they were quite choosy
as nothing else was taken.
Do aliens wear underpants
or were they just mistaken?

I think I have a theory
as to what they wanted them for,
they needed to block off a draught
blowing in through the spacecraft door.

Or maybe some Mars museum
wanted items bought back from space.
Just think, my pair of Y-fronts
displayed in their own glass case.

And on the label beneath
would be written where they got ‘em
and how such funny underwear
once covered an Earthling’s bottom!

By Brian Moses

Read the comprehensions questions and write your answers in complete sentences.

1. When did the aliens come?
2. Why did they choose that day?
3. Who was a witness as the aliens
stole the underpants?
4. What else did they take from the line?
5. Why does the poet finally decide that aliens stole his underpants?

Now for some writing! What do you think the alien looked like? How many arms and legs? What colour? How many eyes? How many ears? Where did it come from? Write a paragraph describing it! Once you have completed this, you can even draw your own aliens!

Friday

Read 'The Cats Journey' using the link below. Slowly read the book with someone at home, taking turns to read each page. Then, look at the talking points below and discuss these together too.

Who are the main characters in the story?
What happens in the story?
Why are Scratch and Annie pleased to see each other?
Where is the story set?
Which is your favourite part of the story?
Share a time you have lost something important and describe how it felt to find it again!

Read Annie's diary for Wednesday. Scratch the cat wrote 'The Cat's Journey'. Imagine what Annie's diary would have said for the same time. Read Annie's diary for Wednesday below:

Annie’s Diary for Wednesday
Morning
I woke up and pulled back the curtains. It was raining. The sun was trying to shine through, but it wasn’t having any luck. I got dressed and hurried off shopping. Scratch meowed and rubbed my legs. I told him to stay dry.
Afternoon
I arrived home and Scratch was sleeping in my chair. I put the shopping away in the kitchen and as I was walking back to hang my coat up I fell. My ankle hurt. Scratch came and sat with me. He made me feel better. I rang for an ambulance.
Evening
When the ambulance arrived, they lifted me onto a stretcher and carried me into the back. My neighbour came out to see what the fuss was, and I asked him to feed Scratch until I came home. I waved to Scratch as the doors were closing.

Now for some writing! Use Annie’s Diary on the day Scratch came home to write what you think Annie wrote on that day.

Try these Fun-Time Extras
• Draw a cat of your own.
• Write its name and something about it.

George and the Dragon, as told by Wilf Merttens