Developing a Creative Writing Club in your Primary School
Spooky Snippets
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Spooky Snippets project
Spooky Snippets A six week programme of lesson plans and resources for new or established creative writing clubs culminating in a Spooky Snippets event Designed and produced by Mark Grist as part of the Well Versed Poetry in School project
Week 1
A range of word games designed to get students thinking about the ingredients of the horror/gothic genre.
Week 2
‘The Boneyard Rap’ – students get to make their own spooky raps in pairs/threes.
Week 3
Spooky short stories- Students try to build suspense using no more than 50 words.
Week 4
Looking at the witches from Macbeth – recreating Act1 Scene 1 as a small performance.
Week 5
More games – some creepy limericks.
Week 6
Final preparation for the event.
Spooky Snippets project
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Week One Intended learning An introduction to horror/gothic writing and some quick writing activities aimed at identifying elements of the genre.
Intended outcomes Students create their own scary stories and to list the details of the horror genre – these lists may be useful in later sessions. Time
Activity
00-05 minutes
Word scramble – write the following letters on the board – EDOBTASPE Pupils have to see how many words of three letters or more they can find in these 9 letters. They have 2 minutes to write down as many as they can. There is also a word that can be made using all of the letters. If anyone gets this, then they get 5 bonus points. The word that is hidden is SPEEDBOAT Once the time is up, get the pupils to count them up and see who thinks they have the most. Then get the student claiming the most to read their words out while you write them up on the board. Ask the others which ones they also got, or for any other particularly long words that haven’t yet been written on the board. Wherever possible follow the same routine as the previous week – this game will be the opening game for every session of the half term.
05-15 minutes
Ask the students for the ingredients of scary stories. They have a minute to talk in pairs and decide on three things which are often found in scary stories. Share these and add the following if they aren’t mentioned, writing them on the board: Ghosts Blood Footsteps Thunder The students then get into pairs/threes. They need to get a sheet of paper and attempt to write something for every letter of the alphabet that links with the horror genre. EG A -Alleyways B –Blood C- Chill
Resources required
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Spooky Snippets project
15-20 minutes
Pupils share their words until the board has 6-8 words on it. During this time you can discuss whether the words are accurate for the horror genre.
20-25 minutes
Pupils see whether they can create a story in 5 minutes that uses all the words from the board.
25-30 minutes
Pupils share their stories with each other.
Extension work
Pupils write their own scary stories or finish filling in their A-Z of horror words.
Spooky Snippets project
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Week Two Intended learning While looking at Boneyard Rap, by Wes Magee, the pupils experiment with rhythm within poetry/rap.
Intended outcomes
Pupils to create their own raps in pairs/threes with a spooky twist. Time
Activity
00-05 minutes
Word scramble – write the following letters on the board – KELTOENS
Resources required
The word that is hidden is SKELETON Same rules as previous week 05-10 minutes
Listen to ‘The Boneyard Rap’ being read by Wes Magee, while the students look at copies of the raps on the table in front of them.
10-15 minutes
Get the students to answer the following: - What do you like about the poem? Give them a minute to discuss and prepare their answer. - Is it scary? - Do you think that the writer was trying to be scary? - How important is the rhythm in the rap?
15-25 minutes
Write the following on the board: - The Vampire Rap - The Werewolf rap - The Ghostly rap And ask the students to choose one (in pairs or threes) to write. They then get ten minutes to start writing their raps.
25-30 minutes
Pupills to read their raps out
Extension work
To continue working on their raps.
The poem can be found at: http://www.poetryarchive.org/ poetryarchive/singlePoem. do?poemId=382
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Spooky Snippets project
Week Three Intended learning To look at how to build suspense in a short space of time.
Intended outcomes Pupils will create their own scary short stories, with a fifty word limit. Time
Activity
00-05 minutes
Word scramble – write the following letters on the board –
Resources required
RANEBDYO You can give a clue for the word using all letters as being something to do with last week’s writing club. The word that is hidden is BONEYARD Same rules as previous weeks. 05-15 minutes
Explain that pupils are going to be creating short stories of no more than 50 words. The stories will all be sent off for the Mini Sagas competition. It would be best if they were scary, to keep with our theme for the half term.
15-25 minutes
Using the suggested opening line: ‘It was dark when she left the house.’ (pupils can use their own scary first lines if they want) pupils write their own mini sagas – in rough before then writing them out again in neat.
25-30 minutes
Mini Sagas can then be read out to the rest of the pupils. They can also then be sent off for the competition, should the teacher want to.
Extension Work
To write another story for the competition – or to rewrite these ones in neat for a display.
Details of the Mini Sagas Competition can be found on the Young Writers website - www.youngwriters. co.uk
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Spooky Snippets project
Week Four Intended learning Students to develop a critical directorial response to the opening of Macbeth
Intended outcomes Students prepare their own rehearsed reading of the opening scene of Macbeth, and will hopefully have a lot of fun while doing so.
Added notes It would be great if you had any costume/props to hand for this session. Time
Activity
00-05 minutes
Word scramble – write the following letters on the board – CIWTEHS
Resources required
Hidden word: WITCHES Same rules as previous weeks. 05-10 minutes
The pupils will then get a copy of the opening scene of Macbeth. You can read through the extract as a class. Then watch the recreation on YouTube.
The opening scene from Macbeth can be found in appendix 1. A good video of this scene is: http://www. youtube.com/watch?v=tpzbgZTa660&featu re=related
10-25 minutes
Pupils see if they can create their own scary delivery of the scene (in threes). This means they will all be working as directors of their own scene. If there are any pupils left over, then they can create their own set designs for the opening scene/or design their own costume for one of the witches.
25-30 minutes
Pupils to perform their speeches – feel free to play with the classroom lights/sound effects etc for added effect.
Extension Work
To find a scary short story or poem that they like and bring it back to the group for next week.
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Spooky Snippets project
Week Five Intended learning To develop an understanding of limericks, whilst looking at undermining the horror genre through humour.
Intended outcomes Each pupil to create their own ‘spooky limerick.’
Intended outcomes You’ll be collecting the Scary Snippets in from the students – they were bringing these along as the extended activity from last week – they’ll be used next week, so if anyone has forgotten, they’ve got another week to find them. Time
Activity
00-05 minutes
Word scramble – write the following letters on the board –
Resources required
DEIROCTR – clue – they were all these last week Hidden word: DIRECTOR Same rules as previous weeks. 05-15 minutes
Use Appendix 2 to introduce Limericks and encourage pupils to consider what a Limerick is.
15-25 minutes
Pupils attempt to create their own limericks about monsters. Gather some suggested names for monsters from the pupils. It’s always best if the monster is mentioned in the first line. ‘An angry old ogre once said’ ‘A wicked witch from Wyndham’ might be too tricky a rhyme J
25-30 minutes
Pupils to share their limericks with the rest of the class.
Extension Work
If they haven’t already done so, pupils are to bring in a snippet of a spooky story/poem to the club for next week.
Introduction to Limericks is in Appendix 2
Spooky Snippets project
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Week Six Intended learning Pupils take responsibility for preparing their own Spooky Snippets presentation.
Intended outcomes A planned outline for the Spooky Snippets event. Time
Activity
00-05 minutes
You may not have time for the game this lunchtime and may need to move straight on to the preparation for the event.
05-15 minutes
Pupils decide which things that they’ve created they would like to read out. Each of these items can be written up on the board by the teacher.
15-25 minutes
The pupils, with teacher guiding them, decide which piece they want to be the last and first piece in the show. They then need to decide the order of items in the show. They should be reminded that it doesn’t matter which order they get to read in, they’ll all get to give a reading.
25-30 minutes
Pupils then practice reading their work and finish off any pieces that need improving.
Extension work
Pupils take away photocopies of their work to read out. The teacher may want to get a few adults to read some of the spooky snippets at the event as well.
Resources Required
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Spooky Snippets project
Spooky Snippets resources
Week
Resources
Can be found
1 2
Audio and text can be found here – http://www.poetryarchive.org/poetryarchive/singlePoem. do?poemId=382
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Mini sagas website can be found here http://www.youngwriters.co.uk/TASH_Primary.html
4
The opening scene from Macbeth can be found in appendix 1. A good video of this scene is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpzbg ZTa660&feature=related
5
An introduction to Limericks can be found in Appendix 2
6 Additional resources
Word search
http://www.teachit.co.uk/attachments/xmaswdsch.pdf
Spooky Snippets project
Appendix 1 Macbeth by William Shakespeare Act 1, Scene 1 SCENE I. A desert place. Thunder and lightning. Enter three Witches First Witch When shall we three meet again In thunder, lightning, or in rain? Second Witch When the hurlyburly’s done, When the battle’s lost and won. Third Witch That will be ere the set of sun. First Witch Where the place? Second Witch Upon the heath. Third Witch There to meet with Macbeth. First Witch I come, Graymalkin! Second Witch Paddock calls. Third Witch Anon. ALL Fair is foul, and foul is fair: Hover through the fog and filthy air. Exeunt
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Spooky Snippets project
Appendix 2 An Introduction to Limericks A limerick is a fun, comic type of poem. Look at these examples and see if you can make a list of the features of a limerick: There was an old man with a beard, Who said, ‘It’s just as I feared – Two owls and a hen, Four larks and a wren, Have all built their nests in my beard. There once was a girl from Pinner, Who ate spiders with chips for her dinner. They were tricky to catch, She was really no match, And by Christmas was very much thinner. Limericks • Limericks are usually five lines in length. • Limericks normally have a rhyme scheme of a,a,b,b,a and follow a regular rhythm. • Limericks often begin with similar lines such as: There once was a man from… There was a young lady from… • There is a sing-song quality to limericks that make them suitable for light-hearted, funny ideas.