Junior Wordvoodoo

The bullies!

2009-12-16T17:47:00.002Z

I woke with a start as the car slammed shut.The engine started and the car whizzed away and turn't every corner with ease. I turn't away from my window and went to see my mum. I peered through the hole in her door but she wasn't there. I ran down stairs to find her crying whilst standing at the door with her coat ripped and her bag missing.

"Get ready for school!" she shouted.
"But..."I began
" No buts, Just get ready ready for SCHOOL!" she yelled.I ran up the stairs and obviously did what I was told. After putting my shoes I asked, " Mum , will you walk me to school?"
" No walk on your own," she said angrily as she sat on the sofa.

On the way to school I saw the three school bullies, who were 18 and could drive,Tom, Leah & Spike! As you probably guessed Spike is the worst. Well they were looking in a bag and it was MY MUM'S! Then I knew why my mum was so sad.The worst thing is they had her phone. I know I should have done some thing but I like my face how it is.

After school I was at the park and i got a message on my phone saying 'YOUR GO'NA HAVE A BLACK EYE!' I spike consequently I ran home as fast as lightning and locked the front door.I watced some T.V. Then ate dinner and tried to get to sleep.

The next day I told the head master Mr.Patterson. He called the boys to his office and made them say sorry and prommise not to do like that again.But something told me they were going to come for me eventually anyway.

the magical wishbone

2009-12-13T12:28:00.000Z

The magical wishbone

I woke with a start as the car door slammed shut and that was just the start of my amazing adventure. it all began one Sunday lunchtime.mum was cooking the Sunday roast .dad was mowing the lawn and I was watching shrek.mum had just taken the chicken out of the oven and began to carve it when she called me to the kitchen. She told me to get dad because she had just found the wishbone. I won and made a wish.

My wish came true. The next morning I was whisked away to mars {the red planet}.It was my dream come true!”Wow is that a Martian over there”. I went over to one and said “do you speak my language”. It only said”warooh warooh”. I was just beginning to miss home but I told myself to keep on exploring. I found a Martian antenna key ring and I put it in my pocket. I went home despite my early thoughts. So I went home in a wonderful alien space ship.

The next day I told my class, but no one believed me until I showed them the alien antenna key ring. The teachers told me to send it to the government for further investigation. I sent it to them. When I got home the next day there was a news flash. It said...’’ YOUNG GIRL AGE 10 FINDS ALIEN LIFE ON MARS’’! I was so shocked1 the very next morning I was rewarded for my courage and my hospitality with aliens. I was given a glorious mansion, 5 million pounds. It was great. I got forty cats. Me and my parents all lived happily in our mansion and we always eat chicken just in case I had more luck. But something told me they would come for me anyway

2009 (LAST TASK) screamer

2009-12-12T17:22:00.002Z

Sapphire woke up with a start! she had just started Coolsville school, but she hated it. Do you know why? Because Sapphire was being bullied by Ryan. He was the meanest, nastiest bully in the whole school. today sapphire and her friend Tabatha had had enough!

When it was playtime, he would always find a poor helpless victim."Hey Sapphire! Having fun?"said Ryan sarcastically.then Sapphire exclaimed,"We've all had enough of you Ryan. Leave us alone!" "What is going on?"said an irritated teacher.Ryan sped off.The cheek!!

In the scorching classroom,rude Ryan kept passing nasty notes about Sapphire.then she rose out of her stumpy seat and walked straight to the teacher."Miss!Ryan keeps being mean!"The livid teacher replied,"Nonsense!Stop all your hassle Sapphire!
later she whispered to Tabitha,"Tomorrow is payback time1 I've got a marvellous, spectacular plan!!"

The next day,Sapphire was so excited. Today was payback time!!Later she asked Tabitha,"Ready?""You bet sapphire!"then Ryan said,2hey Sapphire1 You OK ugly?"she replied,"Yep. Never better!"Everything was going very smoothly.sapphire then went inside and told all the teachers that it would rain at 12:55!

They were horrified so later they would come outside and collect all the children. as usual, Ryan started bullying everyone Particularly, The reception children.then he started being very rude. the poor kids were howling like a huge pack of wolves!!

Suddenly, a whole crowd of teachers rushed outside,"RYAN JONES!! DETENTION FOR YOU, NOW!!"Then he stared at Sapphire and Tabitha, who were giggling like a pair of hyenas.Sapphire knew he was going to come for them eventually anyway............

Never going to catch up

2009-12-08T18:35:00.003Z

I woke up with a start as the car door slammed shut.
I knew that mum had come back from her night job but wasn't in a good mood. I wondered what happened to mum. Did she have a fight with that lady? or did she get fired? Who knew?. Anyway i went downstairs to open the door for her before she broke it open. And boy she didn't seem happy. Her face was bright red and steam was coming out her ear. "OK mum whats wrong, somethings wrong" I asked. "NOTHINGS WRONG OK!" yelled mum. Although she said nothing was wrong i knew something was wrong. So I let the day go past because I thought that she would have calm down. Did she? Oh no, I was so wrong. She was still fuming hot. But I didn't mind i had to go school so I got ready and I set off. I had a terrible day. The boys were bugging me and calling me a cry baby because I fell over and a tear rolled down my cheek. Also Jessica and Conny broke up with me just because I didn't tell them my secret, how stupid is that. So I just ignored them, but it did hurt because they were my friends and I had no one to play with. There was a surprise when I got home. What was it? That's right, mum was actually happy. She was spinning and twirling. I didn't even want to know why she was so happy. So I ran upstairs still upset and lay down on my bed. I closed my eyes for a while and before I knew it I was in a deep sleep but then when I woke up I jumped with a squeal. Mum was all dressed up and told me to come down stairs. When I entered the living room it was full of mums friends and banners on the wall that read congratulations. "Why are you having a party" I asked. "Because I'm the boss of the work place now" she replied screaming and dancing. I was pleased for her but still so upset that I couldn't enjoy myself.That night I went sleep late and woke up late. So that day I was late for school. But I didn't mind. During school when I was walking alone in the play ground I nice group with a mix of boys and girls asked me if I wanted to hang out with them and I and said yes. I had a great time with them. After school I did a little trick on them and they started laughing and chasing me. I finally lost them at my door step. But something told me that they will come for me eventually anyway.

Christmas Eve

2009-12-08T18:10:00.013Z

I wake with a start as the car door slams shut. It is December 24th, so I rush down to get my sweet for Advent. Once I have eaten my sweet, I check the time. It is 07:56. I open the door and standing in front of me is a man that is basically Rudolph. He has a red nose (he is sneezing), hair practically all over his face and a pair of dressing-up antlers. "Delivery for Mr Eravad," he says.

"I'm his son," I say.

"Give it to him will ya? I'm on a tight schedule here!" and he shuts the door. Hm, I wonder what's inside? It could be my Christmas present! Mum and Dad are coming down here now. I have torn open the box. It is a pile of bills.

"What are you doing, son?!"

"Taking in post, Dad," I say.

"But those are our bills!"

"I know, Dad."

"Oh, great. Absolutely great," says Dad.

"Don't you talk to our son like that!" They start a row. They have never argued before, so I feel scared and worried about what might happen. Before I even have time to think about what to do, two men in black dinner suits take Mum and Dad away from me and shut the door. Why? I do not know.

The men are not after me, they are after Mum and Dad. So what can I do? Nothing, apart from look at the bills. They are not bills. They are messages. "Evacuate!" one says. "Get out!" says another. People were trying to save my parents. But from what? I do not know.

I think they have forgotten about me. But something tells me they are going to come for me eventually anyway.

Final task 2009 (draft).

2009-12-04T16:21:00.010Z

I woke with a start, as the car door slammed shut. My mum said she was going into the store, but I felt dizzy. So, I decided to play with my toys, and pretended that they were on an adventure. Then, I went back to sleep. When I woke up in my dream, I looked at my hands, and they were how I draw them! I looked in the water, and guess what? I was the Hero of ScribbleVille. ME!! I looked inside a newsagents, found the S.V comic, and there was me! Drawn as I draw myself, with my spiky brown hair, stripy top, and special trainers. I put the comic away, and slipped my hand in my pocket and to my shock, I find these things called ''Pencil Coins.'' I found a 2-meter pencil and on the packaging, it said ''AMAZING 2 METER PENCIL! DRAW ANYTHING YOU WANT!'' The label said''150 Pencil coins to purchase.'' I bought it with a belt, which was 35 P.Cs. Outside, I pressed a button on the pencil, and it grew to full size! I drew a Mario Kart, and raced over to Scribble Mountain. I drew a Snow Shredder, and cleared the snow. Then, I drew a snowboard (with turbo boosters)! Then, with a BOOM! my mum opened the car door. On the way home, I daydreamed that I was back in ScribbleVille, being chased by a killer robot! There was going to be more,I knew it was a dream, but something told me they were going to come for me eventually, anyway.

2009-12-01T17:46:00.005Z

I woke a with start as the car door slammed. I was forced in by a strange man with a
distinctive gold tooth like a pirate. He smiled a wicked smile at me and drove away, me in the car. I was half asleep when he shoved me in but by the time his speed was at 150 mph I was well awake.
He took me to Parkway Drive where he threw me out of the car and I fell to the ground. A large posse rolled weother middle aged men appeared from nowhere smoking freshly weed and grinding me to the floor.
I was crying for help but their dirty boots were over my mouth. I was sweating and just thinking of death. I felt sick. My sweat turned to blood and my solid bones broke. My skin tore and my teeth crunched.
They left me on the floor in pieces. The next thing I remembered was a paramedic telling me to get up. I got up with a ton of effort and stumbled into an ambulance.
A siren rang in my ears as I began to feel dizzy. The journey was long and painful but I knew I had to fight.
They took me into the hospital and I fell asleep. I woke up with two policeman by my bedside. They began asking me questions but the distant sound of the sirens was still ringing.
"Who did this to you?" A deep voice tackled. I replied with a full description of his sick face. They seemed to recognise the description.
I remember more questions and the man. He was there so I pointed to him.them taking me to the station when I was better to recognise
He was now in prison and had formally apologized but something told me he would come after me eventually anyway.
THE END.. I hope it is okay that I changed the last sentence a little by putting he instead of they

Final Task for 2009

2009-11-30T18:49:00.004Z

You have learnt a lot on Junior Wordvoodoo this year - and your writing has come on in leaps and bounds.

You have produced plenty of powerful poems and some special stories too - and, most importantly, you have been given lots of terrific tips by your moderators too.

Your final task of 2009 is another piece of prose fiction - but, this time, ALL of you are going to:

follow all the rules you are set
check your work carefully for spelling and punctuation errors
show off what you can do by producing the very best writing you can

Instead of a title this time, I am going to give you your BEGINNING and your ENDING; your job is to write the rest in between.

Look back at Task 5 and Task 6 to remind yourself what makes a really good piece of prose fiction.

Look back at the comments you received (and the comments others received too) to remind yourself how your writing can be made even better.

Then you should be ready to plan, draft and, finally, write your finished piece. Your story MUST begin:

I woke with a start as the car door slammed shut.

(Or, if you prefer the present tense, you could begin:

I wake with a start as the car door slams shut.)

Your story MUST end:

But something told me they were going to come for me eventually anyway.

(Or, if you chose to write in the present tense, you could end:

But something tells me they are going to come for me eventually anyway.)

Also, if you would prefer to write in the 3rd person (i.e. HE/SHE woke with a start...), that is fine too.

Your story MUST be between 250 and 300 words in length (no more, no less).

Good luck! Now go write something AMAZING! :)

Your deadline is 6pm on Sunday 13th December.

The locked door

2009-11-01T17:52:00.002Z

My name is charol.I am going to tell you about a mistake I made,which probaly i will regret throughout all my life.Firstly I live with my mum sara.She is a cook at a posh hotel.I used to live with my dad though he left and never came back.Secondly i am the youngest.I have an older sister called carey.The thing is ,my sister carey is mental.I don't mean it in a bad way though she has a mental dilema.My mum is ever so worried about her.She never speaks but sometimes screams.We have taken her to the Doctor and he has said that carey has seen something that may have shocked her.Thirdly there is a door.It leads up to our attic.I have never been up there neither has carey.Only my mum has and has declared that room must be shut at all times.Well I must admit I am quite nosy.Mum tells me to stick my nose out of things,but I simply can't.I was there,sitting on my bed thinking about carey.I then realized that there could be a secret to that room,which might realate to careys mental condition.One day when mum went shopping,me and carey were at home.I left her in the dinning room,gave her some tomato soup and went up to the attic carrying the keys.I carefully opend the lock and went in.It was full of old antiques and junk.I walked around and heard footsteps!!!I spun around and saw carey,standing in the doorway.She was pointing towards a old dusty box.I went and opened it.Inside were pictures of my dad.Righ at the bottom there was a small book.I peeked inside and found a letter.it read:dear carey
this may be a shock though i have to leave.This is not going to work out for me and your mum.But don't ever think I abandoned you lot.It is the right thing to do and i hope you will try to understand.I will always love you.love dad.
when I finished reading I had tears in my eyes.Suddenly I heard mum coming in from the door."mummmmmmmmmm!!!"i cried.Carey followed."charol what's the matter with you?"she said.I showed her the letter.She was quiet for several minutes."charol."she wisperd."im soo sorry i know i should have told you from the begginning.but i had no choice.i dindn't dare say a word in front of carey.oh im very sorry honey."she then burst into tears.Carey came and was holding a picture of my dad."dad."she mumbled."yes darling dad."mum smiled.Carey started to cry.Then suddenly she fainted."dont worry honey. it isnt your fault.carey will need some rest.let her be."mum smiled once more.Even though she said it is not my fault i will never forgive myself.If you can't realize my mistake it was being born.my dad did not want me.I dont know why though,But he only had space for carey in his heart.That is why my mum left my dad,only for my sake.Carey was shocked because she loved dad and was more close to him than mum.Thats ok with me.I have a mum and sister who love me alot.

A Strange Journey.

2009-11-01T10:11:00.075Z

Let me tell you a story about 2 boys and a strange journey. One sunny weekend in the suburbs... 2 boys were daydreaming. After their lunch, they were playing on their Nintendo DSi, and they were taking pictures of each other upstairs in their bedroom. Just then, they started playing their games and got sucked into the DSi. It was mostly a boring game, so they jumped out the DSi, and they were tiny! "Everything's so big!" said the boys. Then a giant BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! made the boys jump. "Duck and cover!! It's Dad's feet. Run!" The boys shrieked for their dear lives as they ran away from the vast feet of Dad. Trying to run down the stairs seemed like a mountain, a sheet of paper was a flying carpet, and toy cars were real cars. Nothing was possible, except for teamwork. Soon, they found a car. 1 boy said "I'll drive, you navigate." Boy 2 wound up the car, and they were off! Bouncing off the stairs, was like a roller coaster! Jumping so hard off a ramp, they tripped into their DSi. Jumping out again, they returned to their normal sizes. Dad said "Where have you been?", "Nowhere Dad" said the boys, "just having a tiny adventure!!" The boys looked and laughed at each other and said "What a strange journey that was!!"

Locked Door

2009-10-31T17:41:00.004Z

Locked Door

Violet was locked in!"I should never have come to this terrible place," she thought to herself.Because she had been so fed up at home,Violet had slyly sneaked into a dark mysterious cave,which belonged to a band of scary,horrible, mean thieves.

The cave was full of the most precious jewellery and treasure, which they had stolen. Suddenly, something grabbed her by the neck and dragged her to a dark basement. She was so FRIGHTENED.

Violet came face to face with a small, pretty girl, not much older than her."What are you doing her? You could've been caught by them!" she said.Violet told her everything. Nevertheless,The pretty girl, who was called Subrina, helped Violet plan her escape.

Just as they finished chatting,someone entered the cave and spotted them plotting.The robber snatched them and they were in deep deep trouble.They awoke to find themselves chained. But... Subrina had a clever plan!

She unchained them, they took some treasure and ran for their lives.They had truimphed.Violet and Subrina had escaped!

Up all night

2009-10-29T18:04:00.003Z

It was a cold windy night and the wind was whistling through the trees. My mum, Melanie and my dad, Tom had gone to sleep and I was sat in my bed shaking. I was scared that night because I watched one of the scariest films ever made!

My mum told me not to, but I said ,“I’ll be fine.” I was wrong way, way wrong. Consequently I sat staring at the wall like it was the most amazing thing on earth. I heard drunk men cheering because their football team had won . Because it was a school night, I knew I was going to get into trouble.

All of a sudden my baby brother, George began to cry like always. Quickly, foot steps gathered I hid under my blanket then remembered it was my mum. Slam! My window, witch I forgot to close, shut. There was a rain drop trickling down the window. Suddenly there was a big crash of thunder and a flash of lightning.

Every thing stopped and I then heard a scatter across the floor and there was more thunder more lightning and the rain began to poor. To make things worse I fell out of bed and smashed my head the floor. I knew I would never get to sleep.

The Locked Door

2009-10-28T16:13:00.003Z

Sasha, a courageous 14 year old girl, was walking her dog one Saturday morning. She wore a blue top with a yellow smiley face on, a grey cardigan, blue skinny jeans and her black boots. She loved and cared for her dog ,Sally, and took it for walks every day. There was something strange though, whenever Sasha and Sally went for a walk they would pass a great big huge warehouse. When this would happen Sally would whimper and run away. Sally was a strong dog compered to her owner, this meant that whenever Sally would run she would pull Sasha with her along the street. Meaning Sasha would never get to look at the warehouse.

But this morning Sasha asked herself weather she should hold Sally and take a look. So,

when they were both out for a walk Sasha did what she said she would do. Sasha got to look at the warehouse and saw a door! No one saw people go in there but every day there would be a mad rush of lorries coming out. " Maybe there could be sweets inside, paint or maybe even animals." Sasha was determined to see what was inside that warehouse, no matter how scared Sally was.

So Sasha pushed open the door and then Sally ran away, but Sasha didn't go after Sally because she was too focused, on getting the door open, but it wouldn't open! She found a key on the floor. It looked as f it had just been chucked there. She tried to open the door with it but it would not budge. No the key was for something much more valuable.
"I'll keep this key for later." She muttered.
Sasha saw a dusty window and some crates. She stacked the crates under the window. When she reached the window she wiped the dust off and looked inside.

There was no body there but things were moving, by themselves. Some of the things were flying,but they were all glistening in the light.

BOO!!! A loud thump crashed against the window and knocked Sasha of the crates. Something swept her up on her feet and said..."If I show my face, do you promise not to scream or any thing?"

"Yes I do."

So then out of the blue a ghost appeared! It was sort of transparent, but you could still see it.

"Look kid we run a thief warehouse it is not safe for you here. Now run along."

Speechlessly Sasha ran down the road out of sight. She was petrified and didn't know what to do. So, Sasha went down back to the battered old warehouse and waited for the mad rush of lorries.
She waited and waited, it was so boring for her.

Finally, after two hours of waiting, the lorries came. One drove out and then Sasha grabbed on to the back of the lorry. She then grabbed the key out her pocket and opened the lorry door. Sasha was thrilled. She jumped in. When she did so she jumped on jewelery lots of it . The truck was full of it. The ghosts must have been stealing it, by going invisible!
"The ghost must have been right."Sasha whispered. But it was not quiet enough!
There was a noise from the front of the lorry. She had been caught!
Suddenly, the ghost from earlier, swooped down and grabbed Sasha. She quickly turned invisible too. They jumped out the moving lorry and then something lifted therm into the air. They were flying!

Then all of a sudden they were back in Sasha's bedroom!
"I thought I told you stay away from us we are not good. do not get your self messed up with our business. One last thing before I go do not tell any one else about this do you promise?"
"Yes. But all of it is so exciting."
"NO it is dangerous!!! Now stay away!" The ghost shouted,and with that he flew away.

She never spoke of that warehouse again! As for the walks, well, let's just say she found a different route. She never got another visit from the ghost again. That is what was behind that locked door though.

Up all night

2009-10-28T09:56:00.006Z

I ignore Mum's call. My new Lego Power Miners Crystal Sweeper is busy collecting crystals and Rock Monsters. I wish my Crystal Sweeper would sweep up Mum. She calls again. We are having stuffed marrow for dinner. But I still run down the stairs.

I wolf down my dinner, because I want to go trick or treating. I transform myself and exit my house.

At last I snuggle into the burrow of my comforting covers. Glancing at my clock, it says 10:39 pm. I hear a quiet purring noise. It seems to be coming from under my bed. Peering into the dark expanse under my bed, I notice a werewolf mask next to my football. I reassure myself that it is probably just my Halloween mask. But I remember that I was a vampire today, not a werewolf. I check under my bed again; this time the eyes are shining rubies.

Staring at me, it growls. Pushing my head out of the way, it emerges from underneath the bed. A brown, furry beast towers above me. It shrieks again.

I race like a Bugatti towards my Mum's bedroom, barricading the door. Mum is not there.
So I throw myself out of the window, landing in a bush. Scrambling out of the ditch, I kick the front door open. I enter the living room, switching on every light. I grab my iPod and put on the headphones.

I jerk awake and see that the DVD player now says 7:29 am. I creep upstairs and check under my bed. No werewolf. "Did you sleep okay?" asks Mum. "I slept fine," I answer a bit too quickly. I scoff down my breakfast.

When I go to bed that night, I swear I hear a faint, yet recognisable purr.

Mary in France

2009-10-25T12:06:00.001Z

Long time ago there was a young girl and she lived in London. People called her silly Mary. For her summer holiday she decided to go to France. She took the ferry. It was lovely. She wanted to have the time of her life in France. But for her surprise when she entered France people called her ugly. She hid her face and sadly took a coach to the beach. She stared at the beach, it was absolutely beautiful. When she got off the coach she bought herself a peach. She loved the area so much that she forgot about everybody. Even at the beach people were making fun out her. She heard people calling her spotty. She burst out in tears and run to the toilets. While she was there she met a really nice lady. She looked at Mary’s face and didn’t want to spoil it. “Cheer up little girl, if you keep your face like that for long it will stay like that” said the kind lady. Mary laughed. “You defiantly know how to cheer someone up” Mary said like a baby. “I’m from London as well, I’ve been through all this, what you have to do is show how you feel through something your good at” She explained. “Thanks” said Mary. She wandered around thinking what to do and what it would contain. Eureka she had got it, Mary was a brilliant singer. She went straight to work. She stayed up day and night working on the song; the pen she was using was the size of her finger. She finally got the song ready. Next she headed to the salon to look good. She finally arrived in the centre of Paris. Even though she went to the salon everybody laughed at her, so she tried looking for a hood. Her music started playing and she started to sing her song. Everyone loved her song and everyone started joining in. When Mary finished her song everybody cheered, someone even hit a gong. She saw the lady who gave her advise and said thanks a lot. The lady smiled and said your welcome. Mary played in the nice beach, and said “I love this holiday, I’ll never forget it, and I want to buy myself a lovely hand made French pot”.
The end

Up all night

2009-10-24T12:20:00.005+01:00

"Sophia, bed time" My Mum shouted to me from downstairs, "tomorrow is a big day, you need lots of sleep." Indeed tomorrow was a big day, it was my birthday tomorrow and I couldn't wait!

"Mum, do I have to go to bed now?" I moaned, slouching along out of my unusually tidy room and onto the landing to look at her."Yes you do, we still have lots of things to do and I need to get the party food ready for your party so of you trot" she said looking at me with a stern face.

"all right, I'll try to go to sleep but it's not my fault if I don't get any sleep."

I went downstairs and said good night to my parents and my dogs, Snoopy and Ella. As I walked upstairs my annoying 6 year-old brother sneaked up behind me and jumped on my back! "oi!! What on earth did you do that for you idiot!" I hollered at him, almost spitting in his face. I stormed up-stairs and slammed my bedroom door shut with a loud BANG.

When I was in my room I started to feel guilty for hurting his feelings. I started to think about apologising to him while I was getting my Hello kitty pyjamas on and while brushing my teeth.

When I got in bed I started to fell really exited about tomorrow and I thought about all the people coming to my party and me throwing up in the middle of the party. I turned over to try to get to sleep but ten minutes later I was still awake! I went downstairs and found my mum and dad lying on the sofa drinking wine and watching one of our romantic films .

I managed to go back upstairs without them hearing or seeing me. When I got into my room I turned on my bedside lamp and read my favourite book, The mystery of the vampire slayers for at least two hours. When I finished it I went downstairs to see what time it was and it was, wait for it, 11:55!!!! I had gone to bed at 9:55 but my parents where probably asleep by now so I thought to myself "why don't I have a midnight feast." So I went to the kitchen, opened the fridge and took out a large chunk of chocolate, got a glass of milk and went back upstairs to eat and drink it.

By the time I had finished that I was really tired but I couldn't go to sleep!!!!! So I went downstairs and turned the TV on and went on the PlayStation - playing my favourite kind of game, horse racing. By this time it was 05:05am and it was starting to get lighter plus I was starting to get tired so I went upstairs and fell sleep.

A New Beginning

2009-10-21T19:56:00.003+01:00

Once upon a time noo that's not how my story is going to start it's going to start like this....
"La la la la la la"said my little sister Emily very annoyingly."Stop annoying me you twit."i shouted at my puny midgety 8 year old sister.She is quite brainy (that's a reason to make fun of her) but she is very annoying.She has curly ,back-length ,Blondie hair.She is very short for her age (That's what my dad says, i know he likes me more than the twit ,i can tell)but she's the tallest in her class because her class are full of midgets.I'm 14 years old.But that's sisters for you because I'm the tallest in my class but my class have the tallest people in the school (Including me!)."Shut up you stupid silly Reindeer Serena!"My sister shouted it very loud that my dad heard and came in the room."Why are you two arguing again you just argued lets see....(he's checking his watch because he timed us)53 seconds ago!"Screamed my dad.We could tell he was fed up with us fighting over and over again."If i hear another peep out of you two I'm going to leave you and your poor mother if that's what i have to do!"Shouted my dad sternly.We know that's a threat but it sounded like he really meant it.
What a shocking day this was...Today (sniff sniff) mum and dad had a HUGE argument out of nowhere and dad meant what he said yesterday well I'll tell you how it started.Me and Emily had a little quarrel and dad smacked Emily on the cheek and he just gave me a borrrrriiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnggggggg lecture.Mum had a go at him for smacking Emily and not me and for threatening us yesterday.So he remembered what he said and left the room and brang a HHHHUUUUUGGGGGGGEEEEEEE suitcase stuffed full of his stuff.Mum was shocked that she dropped a mug on her foot and it was bleeding but she didn't care.She just cared about her only husband was leaving her."Linda why did you drop that mug on your foot you clumsy bunny."said my dad like nothing was even happening.Everything was silence for a few seconds."Why are you all shocked,remember Emily and Serena Geoffrey."He said in a very nice way ."Remember what i said,another quarrel and I'm out of here."Said my dad sounding more serious than ever.Suddenly my mum came out of shock and went to give dad a huge kiss on the lips (well it was more like a snog)and wished him good luck.I can't believe she didn't care."Honey I know they are very naughty but you should go with your word."She said sounding the least bit bothered.Then she went to give him another snog this time even longer.He promised to come and visit but he thinks its time for a change.
Now we have to live in grandma's house it's very different because we never stayed there before because mum didn't trust us.Its a New Beginning.Her house is a very small squashy house but i like it.We've gotten used to not seeing dad.He sent us a picture of him and his girlfriend.At the back it said she is 2 month's pregnant.We ripped it and put it in a fire.Me and Emily agreed we have nothing to do with him.We are nice to each other now.School is not so bad our topic this term is to join junior word voodoo!

A Difficult Journey

2009-10-21T09:13:00.004+01:00

Rosa was 17. She hated her life in her skanky council estate flat. Every morning she woke up to smells of cigarettes and sounds of arguements. She had a 3year old child who she raised by herself as her boyfriend walked out on her.
She didn't show her hate for the gritty place although it's clear anyone would hate it.

One day Rosa decided she was tired of life, her flat, her moaning child and her "wake up calls" so she packed her bags and left the flat. She called her mother even though she was a complete mess, to look after Alex, her daughter.

Rosa wandered down the High St trying to think of where to go when she came across a quite cheap travel agent. She thought about finding a holiday but realised she didn't even have enough money for food.

As she walked a few drunk blokes whisltled at her as she walked by so she just rolled her eyes and carried on. It was becoming dark. It took her some time to realise that she was no longer in Liverpool but somewhere she didn't know.

She panicked and looked around at drunk people and people who had cigarettes sticking out of their mouths. They were too busy chatting to friends to react to her. She was lost. Nowhere to go. No one to talk to.

She missed Alex, she even missed her mum. She looked even more shaken when two policemen came past. They looked across to eachother and ushered Rosa into the van and took her to the station.

They first pulled up to a Rehab, Rosa got worried knowing she wasn't addicted to drugs but it was only to pick up a fellow policeman.

When they pulled up to the station, Rosa was taken to a small room to stay the night. It wasn't at all like a cell although it was small. It was a luxury compared to her old flat. Later the next day a non familiar policeman started to talk to her. He asked her where she lived. For a strange reason she didn't remember. A thing she did remember was a man offer her a drink. She remembered taking the drink.

She told the policeman this story and described the dodgy man to him. He seemed to know this man. He was apparentely tagged. Maybe he had drugged Rosa's drink or maybe Rosa just had a hangover.

Later on the men let Rosa go. She tried to ask people where she was but then remembered the name on the police station PRESTON POLICE was stuck in her head. She had wandered into Preston. It would of obviously taken another dark night to get home but she decided to try.

So many roads intertwined and went round in circles Rosa was obviously lost. She saw a group of lads hanging around outside a corner shop, surprisingly not drinking alcohol but obviously drunk. She was brave to ask them how to get to Liverpool. They tried to tell her but their words were slurred.

She just said thanks and walked away. Soon she came back to the shop and decided to take a different route she still ended up somewhere she had been before. This was the most Difficult Journey Rosa had ever been on.

At the end of 3 days she still hadn't given up even knowing she would never find her way. Days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months. Rosa's mum forgot about Rosa as her head was a bit messed up.

ROSA STILL WANDERS THE STREETS OF PRESTON TRYING TO FIND THE WAY TO LIVERPOOL. HER DIFFICULT JOURNEY REPRESENTED HER DIFFICULT JOURNEY IN LIFE AND HER DIFFICULT JOURNEY BACK HOME.

up all night

2009-10-19T20:09:00.001+01:00

Up all night

One summery hot afternoon a young boy called Jackson was walking along the street feeling sad because only yesterday his 1 and only birth father had died at exactly 2.30pm and precisely 36.20 seconds. So while walked along the street trying g to imagine the day when his father walked him to school for the first time .Jackson walked along the street staring at the pavement and sighing. H e just wanted to have his father back from the dead. “I think I shall go on an adventure with jenny preferable to the theme park” whispered Jackson. Jackson thought if I am going on an adventure I must ask mum .so that what he did .he went straight to his mum to ask if he was allowed to go on an adventure “sure Jackson but please go with jenny so you can look after each other wherever you end up going and please get in the Ferrari okay mum I’ll get in the car at once”. Replied Jackson. When they arrived jenny agreed that going to the theme park as their adventure was a good idea because the theme park had just brought in 25 new rides I repeat 25 NEW RIDES. Then jenny’s mum told them to get in their new car so that she could drop them of at the theme park on her way to work. When they arrived they both ran to zoomy zoom zoom. The 150 mile an hour ride .They was just in time to go on the first public ride. When they reached the top of the ride and it was actually at its highest point the most evil man arrived...THE THEME PARK ANIMATOR. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.The ride suddenly screeched to a halt with everyone screaming like bunch of crazy screaming people! Jenny suddenly got flung out of the ride and fell 10000metres.Javkson decided to jump and try to rescue jenny luckily the ride had ropes on the sides so jenny grabbed onto one of the ropes so that Jackson could grab the other rope that would hopefully lower them to safety. Thanks to the ropes they survived but their time at the theme park had only just begun they decided to try and kill THE THEME PARK ANIMATOR. They chased him and cornered him but they just couldn’t kill him finally they got him cornered in a very awkward place the front ticket desk. They kicked him they punched him but he did not die so they ended up shooting him with water[ by the way water dissolves theme park animators] then suddenly he dropped dead and dissolved .suddenly jenny mum arrived to take them home they decided to not tell their parents about their adventure. The next day they both wanted to have another adventure .They decided to go into the city of Pompeii and climb the volcano Vesuvius. First we must walk to the time travel station to get the regular time traveling machine to Pompeii. Remember all the other adventure s we’ve been on together. Let me list them all: The theme park animator, the alien of doom, the devil and finally crulla de vill doom town [the scariest], the devil roller powered by steam. Jenny here’s the train come on aren’t you coming. “Sure I’ll come with you. Do you want to know about Vesuvius before we arrive?”Said jenny. “Sure I do” said Jackson. “The facts of Vesuvius boiling lava and its very high” said jenny. “Let’s get off now were here” Jackson said let’s get climbing jenny exclaimed they climbed until jenny fell into the volcano. “HELP ME” jenny called out to Jackson. “Grab my hand and I will pull you to safety” Jackson shouted. I’ve got your hand now pull me. Said jenny. “I’m pulling hurray you’re back lets run and catch the last time travel machine back to London” exclaimed Jackson. What an adventure Jackson and jenny had.

Task 6: Another piece of prose fiction

2009-10-18T16:20:00.001+01:00

There was some really good writing on Task 5...

...but there was also a lot of room for improvement for many of you (and, as you know, some pupils didn't post an attempt at all).

Therefore, the most sensible choice for Task 6 is obvious: you need to write ANOTHER piece of prose fiction, following the same rules and recommendations as Task 5 - just with a new title...and EVEN better writing!

Please make sure you follow these instructions VERY carefully, ensuring you complete EACH part:

Read again carefully through Task 5 itself. Click HERE to go straight there. Make sure you think carefully about what I said I was looking for.
Now read again your own attempt (if you did one) - and, most importantly, the comments you received. Make sure you are crystal clear what you did well, and what could have been done differently. How could you improve on it next time?
Next read ALL the other attempts at Task 5 - and, again, most importantly, ALL the comments they received. Try and get a clear picture of what suggestions the OTHER moderators were giving: how could the OTHER pupils have improved their writing too?
Once you have completed Steps 1-3, now you should be able to make a list - perhaps on a piece of paper - of all the things you need to remember when writing your Task 6: all the things you need to do to make your next piece of writing as AMAZING as possible.
Finally, choose one of the following titles and plan carefully what you are going to write this time. Once you have got some ideas, you can write a first draft of your story - again, around 200-300 words.
NOW you can check through your work to make sure it a) does EVERYTHING your moderators and I have asked for; and b) is totally accurate as well, in terms of spelling, punctuation and grammar. THEN you are ready to post it on the blog.

Your four titles from which to choose are:

A Difficult Journey
Up All Night
The Locked Door
A New Beginning

Your deadline is 6pm on Saturday 31st October. That means you've got 2 weeks for this one; but that DOESN'T mean you should leave it until the last minute!

Good luck!

englishguru

Task 5( Selena and the magic dimension)

2009-09-29T10:27:00.000+01:00

Selena And The Magic Dimension

Once there was a dimension and on that dimension there was a family. That family had to sacrifice themselves to save their friends, family, and all of the people who lived on earth. They were lonely and bored. They had no satellite and only one pair of clothes they had left everything else on earth. One of the things they left on earth was their SOUL!!!!
Chapter 2
On that dimension they were ghosts. They fought for over 1,000 years to go back to earth. They had lived for over 1,000 years because as ghosts they never aged. The whole family had given up except the oldest daughter. The oldest daughters name was Selena Mary Gomez. She was 19, she used to make gadgets on earth, but on that dimension she could not find anything to make gadgets with, she looked day and night for materials to make gadgets with. One day she saw a big pile of different materials she could use, as she walked towards it “CRASH!!!” Selena tripped on a piece of metal and fell to the ground. She got up and steadied her self. Selena turned around to see what she tripped on. Oh how she loved that piece of metal to her it looked like magic. The thing that Selena did not know was it was, magic. Selena picked up the piece of metal and took it right home with the intention to investigate that magical piece. The reason she wanted to investigate it was because it looked beautiful and not like metal. After a few days of investigating she found out that the metal was actually a piece of the dimension. Oh she was fascinated by the magical metal because it did not look like a piece of the dimension. The magical piece was round and colourful. It was like someone had painted it but it was naturally like that.
Chapter 3
A few weeks later Selena found out that the piece was actually magic. She had also found out how to use it.”Wow I never new that such a lame dimension had anything interesting in it”. Because it looked like metal, it had the powers to make any gadget you wanted. All you had to do was find the material and then make a wish about the gadget you wanted. The next morning she found all her material and made a wish. She wished for a laser ring, hands free walkie talkie, GPS, and a laptop disguised as a mini flip up mirror and many more. “OK! All done now off to my mission”. She thought to her self. The next day she set off, on her mission. “Bye mum, bye dad, bye you guys”. She said to her mum, dad and her little brothers and sisters.”Wish me luck”. Selena said to them. “Bye sweetie be safe”. Selena’s parent’s told her nervously. Selena set off with all her gadgets. To Selena the dimension was massive to. “My this is one big dimension”. Selena said panting. She walked for over 10 miles. She fell to the ground, taking her water bottle out she said. “What did me and my family do that we got punished”. She wept. “Nothing really”. Spoke a squeaky voice from Selena’s pocket. Selena gave a little squeal. “Eeeqqq”. Something wobbled in Selena’s pocket and jumped out. It was the metal but it had eyes a mouth to arms and to legs.
Chapter 4
“Hi”, Spoke the metal with its squeaky voice.” My name is ‘Justin’. The metal told Selena. “Hi”, replied Selena shivering. “My name is Selena”. She told ‘Justin’ still feeling the same. Selena shook hands with ‘Justin’. “Since when have you heard me talk”? Asked Selena sitting at arms length from him. “Since you’ve moved to this dimension”, said Justin. “The land around you has ears”. Selena gasped.” SS...So you mm...Mean that ww...We have been heard sss...since we moved here”. Selena was frightened, what if they would punish her and her family more, and what if they got locked up forever. These questions scared Selena. She jumped up in fright. “Will me and my family be punished even more”. Asked Selena. “Oh no I think you have been punished enough”.”I have told them not to punish you and your family any more”. ‘Justin’ told Selena. “Now get up and get your planet back. Selena smiled and stood up. All of a sudden a group of men who looked like the person who had chucked Selena and her family out of earth surrounded her. She was brave on the outside but inside her heart trembled. In her eyes you could see braveness. “Oi you, you look brave why don’t you try and get passed us”. Said one of them. The rest shouted”YEAH!”The men tied the metal rope around Selena. But, Selena was too smart for them and used her magic laser to undo the metal rope. But the men held her tight, she could not move. She kicked and shoved, the men would not budge. They held her for an hour while she tried hard to get out. “OW”. Yelled a man.
Chapter 5
Selena looked behind she found her family fighting the men. Selena was amazed how her family saved her. “Hi mum, hi dad, hi kids”. She said .” Hi sweetie”, said mum, I told you not to go but we were here for you”. Hey hold on a sec”. Said Selena. “Since we came here we never fought, we have always shown love towards one and another”. “There can only be one explanation...this dimension is magical!, the magic about it is love!”. Selena smiled and hugged her family. “Hurry I know a way to get to earth but the portal is about to close”. Selena and her family ran for the portal......

Did they get there in time or did they stay in that dimension forever?
The End

An Unusual Visitor

2009-09-25T18:37:00.004+01:00

"Aah,bliss."said Rani.No body's here except for Rani but she enjoys it.She can do whatever she wants without anybody telling her what to do.Suddenly there was a knock on the door."Whoa that scared me,it must be mum coming to apologise."Nobody really visits Rani because she had a fight with her family, they wouldn't let her stay that's how bad it was.Rani walked to the door and opened it.That was a surprise it wasn't mum,dad or Sabrina (her sister).It was somebody she had never seen before."Hello."said the stranger."Do i know you."Said Rani."You do now."said the stranger."My name is sally,i moved in next door."said sally joyfully."I finished unpacking my stuff so i thought I'd just meet the neighborhood"."I'm Rani it's a pleasure to meet you."Said Rani. "I better go now i have to go now i want to meet everyone."Sally left.Rani found her beautiful scarf in her hand's."Wait you forgot your scarf!" Shouted Rani."Keep it as a gift from me!"Shouted sally.Rani knew they were going to be great friends. She shut the door and got ready for work.She wore the scarf that sally gave her.Suddenly there was another knock on the door." I'm lucky girl ,people are noticing me."She opened the door and guess who was there her mum ,her brother and even her dad was here.Rani was in tears.They all apologised and hugged each other.This was the best day of Rani's life.

The magic box

2009-09-24T18:46:00.007+01:00

It was a scorching day and Thomas was sitting lonesomely in his room.I now bet your thinking why is he indoors well its because he is grounded. There was a knock on the door and it was his best Friend Luna. She'd brought her favourite dinosaur so the headed for his room.

As soon as they got up stairs Thomas got out his favourite dinosaur and they began to play. "Thomas come and do your homework and send Luna home!" shouted Thomas's mum Lucy. So they said good bye and Luna left.

The next day Thomas was on his way to the park when he saw Luna. Quickly, he ran to see her and strolled down the road. On the way down the road Luna realized a new shop that had just opened so, they dashed across the empty road and walked in.There wasn't much but on their way out Thomas noticed a dazzling, glittery box out of the corner of his eye. As he walked over his phone rang it was his mum asking him to come home. Like anyone who didn't want to get a slap he happily walked home.

When he got home Lucy was sitting miserably at the kitchen table that was shimmering in the sunlight . Concernedly Tomas walked up to his mum and asked her what was wrong.
"Thomas do you remember your great nan?"she replied.
"Yes," said Thomas, "Why ?"
"She died five minutes ago."
Thomas quickly ran to his room and began to cry.

The next morning Thomas went back to the shop and adored the box. Suddenly ... a strange man with a long, black, plated, beard mumbled, "Take the box but don't mistake its power. "

Thomas excitedly picked up the box and took it home. As soon as he got home he ran up to his room without saying hello to his mum. He got out his favourite dinosaur and placed it carefully in the box.

A few days later on a miserable day after school Thomas and Luna went to play with their dinosaurs. But when Thomas looked in his box the lid was open and the dinosaur was gone.They searched all over the house but they could not find it.

All of a sudden the floor began to shake and people began to scream for help.Slowly, they took one step out of the door and they saw Thomas's Dinosaur. But it wasn't a toy any more no way it was real! "what shall we do?" asked Luna
"I don't know," said Thomas " maybe call the army. I don't know!"
Terrified they ran inside the house.

"Where did you get the box?" asked Luna
"The man in that shop gave it to me,"replied Thomas
"Before he gave it to you did he say any thing?"
"Yes he said don't mistake it's power."
Luna had an idea and got the box.Then she asked Thomas to distract the dinosaur. Worriedly Thomas replied " Yes!"
So he ran out side and began to scream.

Bravely, Luna ran up the back of the dinosaur and placed the box on its head. Suddenly he began to shrink. Then Thomas ran to the box and the dinosaur was a toy again. Thomas thanked Luna as they walked down to the shop to return the box.

A Strange Adventure.

2009-09-23T13:43:00.019+01:00

"Why?Why was I born with such agony?".The reason why I was going like that because it was sssssssssoooooooobbbbbbbbbbboooooooorrrrrrrrriiiiiiinnnnnnnnnggggggggg!!!!!!!

My school had to go on a completely dull trip to the museum! AAH! How much can 1 guy(or 29 other guys) take!?!?! So, I decided to spice things up a little bit..."LOOK! Giant monster!" I say. The rest of the class says "Oh please, we're not gonna fall for that again."Just then, we saw an... ANAMATRONIC T-REX!!! Everyone screamed-except for me just'cus it's looks realistic(kids and people these days! phew!).Somehow, it got to 12'o'clock which meant...LUNCHTIME!!!
Sooner or later, I dozed off to sleep and woke up in my humble home...in bed.But this is no ordinary dream(I'm not kidding.I'M NOT INSANE!). And I was home alone.WHOOP WHOOP! Woo! I turned on the T.V and played on my DSI(This is a dream, remember.)Then I dosed off again and I found myself in the museum and everyone went off to the 3D exhibit and I followed them there.
I ask to myself"How did that happen?" And then I saw a dinosaur chasing me out of the screening room, all the way to the museum exit.(And yes,it was real!)

A Strange Adventure

2009-09-20T15:07:00.001+01:00

One summery hot afternoon a young boy called Jackson was walking along the street feeling sad. While he was walking down the street it started to rain then he felt like he needed an adventure to brighten up his day .Jackson thought if I am going on an adventure I must ask mum .so that what he did .he went straight to his mum to ask if he was allowed to go on an adventure “sure but you must take jenny work so you don’t go alone but you now if you’re going to jenny’s house I will drop you off because it’s on my way to work. “Said his mum. Please get in the Ferrari Jackson.” okay mum I’ll get in the car at once”. Replied Jackson. When they arrived Jackson asked jenny what adventure they should go on. They decided to go into the city of Pompeii and climb the volcano Vesuvius.se First we must walk to the train station to get the regular train to Pompeii. Remember all the other adventure s we’ve been on together. Let me list them all: The theme park animator, the alien of doom, the devil and finally crulla de vill doom town [the scariest], the devil roller powered by steam. Jenny here’s the train come on aren’t you coming. “Sure I’ll come with you. Do you want to know about Vesuvius before we arrive?”Said jenny. “Sure I do” said Jackson. “The facts of Vesuvius boiling lava and its very high” said jenny. “Let’s get off now were here” Jackson said let’s get climbing jenny exclaimed they climbed until jenny fell into the volcano. “HELP ME” jenny called out to Jackson. “Grab my hand and I will pull you to safety” Jackson shouted. I’ve got your hand now pull me. Said jenny. “I’m pulling hurray you’re back lets run and catch the last train to London” exclaimed Jackson. What an adventure Jackson and jenny had.

A Wrong Turn

2009-09-20T10:38:00.003+01:00

"See you tomorrow!" George calls, as I walk away. I do not turn around as I am desperate to get home and play on my P.S.P, the December light fading slowly away in the distance.

"See you later!" I call back. Yippee! Now I can run home! So I turn and sprint, stopping to cross the road.

At the other side, I see an alleyway that could be a shortcut. I run towards its mouth and throw myself in, emerging what seems like a long time afterwards. I notice something. The street here is nothing like the other streets
in London. There are no people anywhere - and, even though it is nearly dark, there are no lights either. Both street lamps and houses are pitch black, the road seeming to go on for ever. Despite my growing fear, I keep on walking.

It quickly gets even darker. My stomach is begging for food, so I decide to knock on the door of a spooky house. No one answers, but the door opens. I step inside and the lights come on, but there are no light switches.

"Hello," I call, but no one calls back. My voice echoes and the pipes start to whistle. I run out of the house and slam the door, dashing back to the alleyway. I wish I had taken my normal way home.

My heart pounding, my breath racing, I arrive back where I started, relieved that I am away from all that terror. But the alleyway is not there. In its place, there stands a wall. Its bricks battered, its cement peeling off, it looks like it has been there for ages. I am trapped.

A Strange Adventure

2009-09-18T22:07:00.001+01:00

A Strange Adventure!
"This is so boring. I don't want to visit a museum with dull Victorian things ,"moaned Susan as she walked into the museum with her friend Sara. So they both ran outside and found a strange bush which lead to a deep dark cave. Susan was just about to go down when Sara stammered," M...Maybe we should go back," "Don't be such a wimp,"Susan replied.Then they both slid down the rope and found an enormous chest full of jewels,ruby's diamonds,pearls and gold! The girls were speechless! Suddenly they heard voices so they ran behind a rock. Out of the shadows appeared two robbers."When will we become rich?"asked one robber "Soon, just be quiet and listen.We need to make a plan on how to sneak the treasure out of this vault." Then the two robbers disappeared in the darkness. The girls were stunned. "Let's tell the museum about this." said Sara. So they both climbed up the rope and told the whole museum.Within minutes the police arrived and they captured the robbers The museum thanked Sara and Susan and from that time on Sara and Susan never ran away again!!

an unusual visitor

2009-09-18T19:55:00.004+01:00

"when is he coming,when is he coming,when is he coming"!squealed Anastasia."calm down honey
he will be here in a while".mum muttered.how could Ana possibly calm down?her dad would be coming to see her after three whole months!!!she just could not wait.Suddenly a car beeped outside."HES HERE,LET ME OPEN THE DOOR"!!!Ana screeched.she pulled open the door
"DAD".she yelled.A tall dark figure stepped forwards.Ana looked at the the tall dark figure.This did not look like dad.Her dad was colorful and bright,and would give her the tightest squeeze as soon as she opened the door.But no this man just stood there,as still as a statue. mum rushed out of the kitchen."Ana whe"...she stopped."hiya hon i missed ya"said the man.he had a strong voice ,not at all like her dads."oh... well....co..."squeaked mum.Ana went off upstairs.she was quiet disappointed.she had hoped her dad would be looking colorful and bright,but instead a creepy dark person had come.Ana took out her horoscope book.Ana read today's horoscope...
her twinkly eyes filled with water."wwwwahht"she burst into tears.it read "today someone dear will die and evil will come fourth".this meant her mum was going to die!!!"no" she yelled "this is a load of rubbish".but on the other hand the day she got the book all the horoscopes were true.Ana suddenly heard screams from downstairs."MUM"SHE SCREAMED.she ran downstairs as fast as lightning.too late.her mum collapsed on the floor and said"Anastasia i..."then she died.Ana could not talk.she looked at the man and fainted.

A strange adventure

2009-09-15T17:08:00.004+01:00

"Mum, where are we going?" Moaned Meg as she huffed and puffed up the hill way behind her parents."Don't ask that question again Meg, you're driving us mental!" Her mum shouted down the path. Meg, her mum and dad where on holiday in Chromar and her parents had decided to take Meg somewhere diffrent. I wish I knew where we were going then if it was exiting then I wouldn't be so slow! Meg thought as she passed at least 12 blue butterflys. "Meg, we'll wait for you at the top of the hill," Her dad called.

As Meg got to the top of the hill she couldn't see her parents anywhere! She looked and looked and looked and she couldn't find them. Maybe they forgot and whent ahead thought Meg. So she walked forwards a bit and in the blink of an eye she was in a world of cartoons! She looked at her hands and saw she was still human. So she turned around and, with her eyes closed, she walked forwards but when she opened her eyes she was still in the cartoon world! How am I going to get back! she thought. But suddenly she saw her mum and dad going through a porthole to the human world so she ran to the porthole and stepped out just as it was closing.

When she had told her parents what had happened her and her parents turned around and her parents started to walk back to the campsite and as Meg Ran down the hill she said to herself, "Never again."

Task 5: Your first FICTION task

2009-09-14T18:13:00.004+01:00

A student trying out their skills in a writing workshop at this summer's wordvoodoo 'residential'

For the next few tasks, we are going to take a break from poetry, and see what you can do instead with PROSE FICTION.

PROSE = any writing which is not a poem
FICTION = writing where the content is 'made up' or imagined (as opposed to Non Fiction, which is 'real life' or factual)

As usual, I will give you some guidelines - and some targets to aim for (see below). BUT the main purpose of Task 5 will be for us to see what you can do already.

So Task 5 is, if you like, a chance for you to show off what a GREAT story writer you are. Once we have seen what you are all good at - and what you all need to improve - I will use the next tasks to focus on some specific techniques.

In the meantime, here are some things you should bear in mind when writing your story for Task 5:

You do not HAVE to start a story by 'setting the scene' (e.g. Once upon a time... OR There once lived... etc.). Some of the BEST stories throw us IMMEDIATELY into the action - perhaps in the middle of an event or a conversation.
The best stories make us WANT to keep reading. They build up some TENSION and SUSPENSE so we are desperate to find out what happens next, and, above all, what is going to happen in the end. So keep us guessing a bit?
Although stories are NOT poetry, that doesn't mean they shouldn't be 'poetic'. We all use techniques like metaphors, similes, alliteration etc. in our poems - but the best stories use these techniques too.
People have been writing stories for centuries - for millennia even. So the challenge for all modern storywriters like you and me is still to manage to be different. Whether it is in WHAT happens or HOW you describe it, how will you make sure you are ORIGINAL?
Finally, just like poems, the best stories are the end result of lots of drafts. They are the final, finished product: the BEST you can do, with no errors (careless or otherwise) and showing yourself off to the max!

Now this is a lot to remember:

An amazing OPENING
TENSION and SUSPENSE
POETIC language (see above)
ORIGINALITY
a 'POLISHED' final draft

Let's just see what you can do. :)

Your story should be between 200 and 300 words (this is just a guide; PLEASE don't count each word as you go!)

Please choose from ONE of the following titles:

A Wrong Turn
An Unusual Visitor
A Waiting Game
A Strange Adventure

Good luck!

Your deadline is 6pm on Sunday 20th September. However, especially because some of you will be celebrating EID on Sunday, do NOT leave this task until the last minute!

when i was young

2009-09-11T12:51:00.002+01:00

When i was young i was forever free.
I was really tiny but big in mind.

I was naughty but that's just me.
I could get angry but also was kind.

Now i am ten years old i am clever.
Almost eleven and getting bigger.

Growing taller but seems like forever.
One day i might be a famous figure.

When I was young, Now I am

2009-08-14T09:42:00.000+01:00

When I was young I was as sensitive as a feather
Skinner than a brach from a huge tree,
As fierce as a stinging bee,
And louder than a trumpet.

Now I am wiser than an old oak tree,
Sensible like a beautiful Butterfly,
Smoother than a gentle Ocean.
As brave as a soldier.

when i was young

2009-08-01T10:16:00.000+01:00

when i was young it was so amazing and strange
I remember spain in the feaista season
i cant rememeber the truth but its strange
Iremember the spainish food seasoning
no i am ten i dont visit spain to arrange
I have a reason to grow and to season
now some of my friends moved to leyton grange
i have never ever moved to grow an d watch the seasons

When i was young...

2009-07-30T11:00:00.004+01:00

When I was young, I had so many toys,
teddies,soft bunnies, rubber balls, light blue,
they were not so tough like footballs and boys,
I loved my toys, all of them, it's too true.

Now that I am 10, I've given away,
some not-so tough toys to my mum,
She'll be good with the toys i gave today,
(Playing Sonic The Hedgehog is quite fun!)

2009-07-28T20:53:00.005+01:00

When I was young I was very silly,

People would say how cute and sweet I was.

They warned me not to eat the chili,

I asked them why but they just said because.

Now I am ten I can now think for me,

I can do what I want well not really.

Just a little older then I'm FREE,

Now people call me silly billy.

When I was Young..

2009-07-23T14:34:00.005+01:00

When I was young people thought I was sweet,

People thought I was friendly and charming,

They were all right but I had smelly feet,

Although my cries were very alarming.

Now I'm older I don't get attention,

Only from boys which is not always good,

How old I am, I don't want to mention,

Even though everyone thinks I should.

When I was young...

2009-07-23T10:47:00.008+01:00

When I was young, I had no sense of smell.
My noiseless nose could not participate.
I couldn't play the piano very well:
The noise I made would only irritate.

Now I am nine, my hands can memorise
Each sequence, finger ballet on the keys.
My nostrils have been taken by surprise:
Scent friends and stink bullies fly in the breeze.

Haikus

2009-07-22T14:43:00.002+01:00

Summer
Wake up to sunlight,
Summer weather everyday,
No clouds in the sky.

Our Planet
Our planet is cool,
Part of a big galaxy,
Thats why I love it.

Growing Up
Growing up is fun,
Everybodys there for you,
Part of everyone.

War
World war one and two,
Will there ever be war 3?
Guns are shooting "BOOM"!

Family
We are family,
Auntie, Uncle and cousins,
Mum, dad and brother.

School
School is fun mostly,
We attend 5 days a week,
Dressed tidy and neat.

Fear
Fear is always there,
Nothing can ever compare,
It chills all your bones.

When I Was Young

2009-07-22T14:32:00.004+01:00

When i was young i

stayed at my grans.

She had delicous chips,

Made in a lovely pan.

She also had fantabulous dips.

Now i am ten,

i still stay at my grans.

She has a new hen

and his name is Hans.

Task 4: My example

2009-07-19T17:10:00.001+01:00

When I was young the snow fell every year
And summers sweltered, scorching each July.
A hug from mum could swallow up my fear;
And happiness was lemon meringue pie.

Now I am old the seasons hide their face:
We have to flee abroad for snow or sun.
I cannot stifle fear with an embrace -
(But lemon meringue pie is still quite fun!)

Task 4: Now and then - a HOLIDAY task

2009-07-19T16:18:00.013+01:00

WELL DONE on your Haikus - what an amazing collection of poetry you have produced between you! I could not be more PROUD of what you have achieved - and I hope you, your schools and your families are equally proud of you too. :)

Now it's almost time for the next Junior Wordvoodoo task.

First, a word or two on the difference between RULES and STYLE...

In all your wordvoodoo tasks, there will be a handful of RULES which I expect you to follow. These are IMPORTANT and are there for a REASON - and you MUST follow them all.

But that is not where the FUN happens. The JOY of wordvoodoo is in what you might call STYLE. Whilst following the rules, what can you do with LANGUAGE to have the most POWERFUL effect on your READER?

Following the RULES shows that you have read the task properly and followed the instructions carefully. Giving your poem some STYLE shows that you are a true poet, a creative mind which likes to have fun with words - not only their meanings but also the way they sound.

In Tasks 1-3, you have been learning a number of skills. You have LEARNT how to:

Create and use fun and original SIMILES.
Build and develop exciting and fresh METAPHORS.
Play and experiment with the number of SYLLABLES in a line.
Escape and avoid the RHYME TRAP.

...and much, much more.

These are ESSENTIAL poetic skills - and one of the best ways to make sure you don't forget them is to carry on using them! Which is what you will be doing with Task 4...

Task 4: The RULES

Write a poem which COMPARES what you used to be like with what you are like now.
Your poem should consist of TWO STANZAS (or verses) - and each stanza should be FOUR LINES long.
Your FIRST stanza should be about what you used to be like, and should begin: "When I was young..."
Your SECOND stanza should be about what you are like now, and should begin: "Now I am nine..." (or "Now I am eight..." or "Now I am ten...")
Every line of your poem should be exactly 10 SYLLABLES long.
Your poem should RHYME as follows: Lines 1 and 3; Lines 2 and 4; Lines 5 and 7; and Lines 6 and 8. (And make sure you avoid the RHYME TRAP!)

Task 4: The STYLE

Want to make your poem out of this world? Head for MARS:

M is for METAPHORS: the king of poetic techniques, an original and effective metaphor or two can mean the difference between ordinary and EXTRAORDINARY poetry.
A is for ALLITERATION: the best poetry blows our mind because of the way it SOUNDS, and alliteration is one of the most efficient ways to play around with the sound of your poem.
R is for RHYTHM: read your poem out loud - can you feel the rhythm of each line? Some of the best poems almost sound like there is a beat tapping within them.
S is for SYNONYMS: the wider your vocabulary, the better your chances of finding the RIGHT word for the emotion or idea you are trying to get across. So don't settle for the first word that comes into your head: use a thesaurus and find a more effective synonym instead.

There you go: MARS. The place to go for the best Junior Wordvoodoo poetry.

* * * * * *

Right...

You know the RULES - so please make sure you follow them all.

You know how to give your poem some STYLE - so don't hold back.

Finally, remember this is a FOUR WEEK task - so there is no hurry to rush something on to the page. Take your time - draft and redraft - and only post when you believe you have produced the very BEST poem of which you are capable.

The deadline for this task is 6pm on Saturday 15th August.

Good luck - and watch out for my own attempt in a little while...

englishguru

Haikus

2009-07-12T20:06:00.002+01:00

Summer
A sizzling hot sun
lazy days lounging around
not going to school.

Family
Annoying sister
lovely hugs with my mum
Dad helping me bake.

War
Frightening unknown
devastation and sorrow
regret, war is it worth it?

School
Working hard all day
looking forward to play time
day dreaming through maths.

Our planet
How big is our world?
huge to us, tiny in space
we must care for it.

Growing up
Growing out of clothes
secondary school is next
a scary prospect.

Fear
The silence of night
guns and knives frighten me
having a nightmare.

Haikus

2009-07-11T17:34:00.001+01:00

School
School is really fun,
Work and play for the whole day,
Did you hear the bell?

Summer
We break up from school,
And have weather on our side,
So let’s have some fun!

Family
They’re kind and they care,
In return we show our love,
They are family.

Growing up
Friendship and freedom,
But growing up is our fate,
So don’t mess it up!

War
What’s the point of war?
Why not a conversation?
Then no one would die!

Fear
A nightmare coming true,
Having another world war,
That’s what I’m scared of.

Our planet
Turn off the light please.
And don’t use too much paper.
We can save this world.

Haikus

2009-07-10T17:56:00.009+01:00

Our Planet

A place to have fun,
Where all types of humans live,
A place to explore.

Growing Up

We face bad problems,
We face lots of challenges,
That's part of growing.

War

It's not very nice,
People get killed and injured,
So lets prevent war.

Summer

All is bright and light,
Summer is out hot today,
So now we can play.

Family

They're right behind you,
Backing you up all the way,
They're the best ever.

School

It is where you work,

You're learning every day,

Where you with friends.

Fear

We're all afraid of things
Big or little still afraid,
Fear is natural.

Haikus

2009-07-10T11:24:00.003+01:00

Our planet
The planet is big
We have a lovely planet
The best in the world

Growing up
Growing up is cool
Everybody supports you
Lovely people here

Summer
We have summer here
Summer is now around me
Summer is here now

Family
Family and friends
Are here for me all the time
Familys are cool

School
School is warm for me
In school we are a team
School is a good place

War
War is a cruel thing
What things do you gain from it
Why do you do war

Fear
Fear is a feeling
Its hurtful and terrible
I would never have fear

Haiku poems.

2009-07-10T11:22:00.007+01:00

Planet Earth

Peaceful world of God,
Lovely flowers are joyful,
Cool water ahead.

Fear

Sleeping scared in bed,
things are coming to haunt you,
think of happy dreams.

War

Guns blazing in fire,
use all your guns in battle,
attack rebel armies

Summer

A nice hot cool breeze,
cool shade under lovely trees,
calm water in sight.

School

Maths and literacy,
ICT and Golden time,
Sex education.

Growing up

Going to go high,
gonna grow up into space,
C'mon,I need to grow.

Family

Do you love your family,
your family care about you
do you love them more?

haikus

2009-07-10T11:21:00.002+01:00

The planet is vast
living in a natural world
fun is everywhere.

summer is pretty
splashing in the cold water
playing games with freinds.

growing up everyday
getting taller than the trees
you can reach the stars.

war is dangerous
bombs blasting in the cold night
people scared to death.

familys are caring
they help you in times of need
and can never be bad.

school is fantastic
it brings joy and happiness
wherever you go.

fear dark and scary
it is scary as the night
and never goes away.

Haiku

2009-07-09T17:32:00.006+01:00

Our planet:
Our planet is so cool.
What amazing nature is has.
Why can't I see more.

Growing up:
Am I really growing up.
It doesn't feel like I am.
What has just happened.

War:
What does war really mean.
All it does is cause's pain.
We dont need anymore.

Summer:
I love the summer.
It is amazingly hot.
Please do come back soon.

Family:
Do you know how familys are.
Some are just to annoying.
But some are perfect.

School:
Some kid's think school cool.
But i think school is SO lame.
That is just school.

Fear:
I have loads of fears.
Some of them are really stupid.
But really some are not.

my haikus

2009-07-08T18:21:00.000+01:00

Our planet
The planet is big
Our planet is so pretty
That’s why I like it

Growing up
I hate growing up
Growing up is so boring
But sometimes it’s fun

War
Why do we have wars?
Nothing gets sorted with wars
Wars have no charm

Summer
Wake up to summer
Summer to spring is so fun
Summer is awesome

Family
Families are fun
Everyone must have one
My family rules

School
School is so fun
Some days it’s a bore
But it’s always cool

Fear
Fears are scary
Just think of one fear
To many scares

the reader of this poem

2009-07-08T11:04:00.002+01:00

The reader of this poem is
as small as a fish
as delicate as a raindrop
and as tasty as a dish.

As pretty as a princess
as delightful as a cake
as crazy as rapper
and as bendy as a paper that can make.

As wet as the sea
as blue as the sky
as fearsome as a dragon
as peaceful as a bird that can fly.

The reader of this poem is
as still as water
as lazy as crisps
but is she my daughter?

Haikus

2009-07-07T18:04:00.007+01:00

Our Planet
Poisoned, polluted
Sweltering, scorching planet.
Stop this destruction!

Growing Up
Ladder of Wisdom
Climbing up away from youth
Dangerous journey.

War
Deafening guns scream
A thunderous hurricane
When will peace prevail?

Summer
Holiday picnic
Arctic ice cream melting fast
Blazing, baking heat.

Family
Caring, constant, close
Cocoon of love and kindness
Hugging gene-sharers.

School
Sympathetic friends
Engrossing curriculum
Where did play-time go?

Fear
Fear is a phantom
Scratching my Amygdala
Shield me from this ghost!

Haikus

2009-07-06T17:34:00.005+01:00

SUMMER
Waking to sunlight,
Summertime weather today,
No clouds in the sky.

OUR PLANET
Our planet is big,
If you blink you'll miss it all,
Our planet is cool.

GROWING UP
4 to 5 to 6,
Growing means getting quite big,
8 to 9 to 10

WAR
Guns are shooting "BOOM",
If you don't stop war quickly,
We will all be doomed.

FAMILY
Mum, Dad and Brother,
Auntie, Uncle and Cousins,
All my family.

SCHOOL
English, Art and Maths,
D.T, P.E, there's so much,
History and trips.

FEAR
It Chills all your bones,
Fear is scary on it's own,
Fear will not leave you.

The reader of this poem

2009-07-06T17:13:00.003+01:00

The reader of this poem is as snobby as a millionare,
As soft as a bunny,
As friendly as Pooh Bear,
And as sweet as a pot of honey.

As helpful as a guide,
As small as an olive,
As graceful as a swans delicate glide,
As stuck as a malteser in a sieve.

As light as a feather,
As hard as stones,
As dull as the rainy weather,
As skinny as bones.

The reader of this poem looks like they love KFC,
As they move their shadow looks like a tree,
They have many changing faces,
I'm sure you will agree.

Task 3: A Haiku a day...

2009-07-05T16:36:00.003+01:00

Well done on your excellent work for Task 2. Very impressive!

Please read this week's task very carefully, so that you do EXACTLY what I ask you to do...

A syllable is a part of a word pronounced separately. Sometimes, you can count the syllables in a word by clapping your hands each time you make a new syllable. For example, the word "syllable" has 3 syllables: syl-la-ble.

HAIKU (pronounced "hi-koo") is a traditional form of Japanese poetry - but it can work well in the English language too. A haiku consists of only 3 lines. The first line has 5 syllables; the second line has 7; and the third line has 5.

Here is an example of a haiku:

The Frog

Green and speckled legs
Hop on logs and lily pads,
Splash in cool water.

See how the poem obeys the syllable rules I mentioned earlier.

Here is another way to remember the 'syllable rule' for Haikus:

I am first with five,
Then seven in the middle;
Five again to end.

Have a look at some haikus written by some other children from around the country by clicking here. See if you can work out which of them has actually followed the rules correctly. Are there any you think are particularly good?

Writing a bad, boring, hurried haiku is EASY. But writing a GOOD haiku is very difficult indeed.

Read this haiku by the wonderful poet, Roger McGough:

The only problem
with haiku is that you just
get started and then...

Not as easy at it seems, is it?

How about this one though?

When I write haiku
I feel like a bird soaring
On high looking down.

Want to write a really good haiku - one that blows your moderators' minds??? Here are some tips:

Have fun with language - especially the way it sounds. For example, some alliteration is great! Read your haiku aloud as you write it. Do you like the way it sounds?
Think HARD about the words you use; don't use the first words that come into your head. Be original - and experiment with new words, or new ways of using the ones you already know.
Use the shortness of haiku to concentrate on what the topic is actually all about - kind of like holding a poetic magnifying glass to the topic. What are its most important qualities? What does it really mean to you? Think hard about this before you start writing.
Expert haiku writers often have a slight change after Line 2. It might be just a change of 'mood' (e.g. happy to sad); a change of 'tone' (e.g. positive to negative); or even a change of pace (e.g. fast to slow)

OK. Are you 100% clear now on what makes a really good haiku? Do you understand all of the rules? And, more importantly, what turns an OK haiku into an AMAZING one?

Good. :)

Here is your task for this week then:

You need to write 7 haikus. You could choose to draft one each day, or do them all in one go. But, either way, please make sure you upload them as ONE post, all together.

Your haikus should be on the following 7 topics (which can also be their titles):

Our Planet
Growing Up
War
Summer
Family
School
Fear

Right: NOW read through this task again several times. ONLY when you COMPLETELY understand ALL of it should you even THINK about starting to plan your writing; and ONLY when you have PLANNED your writing in DETAIL should you even BEGIN to draft your poems; and ONLY when you have DRAFTED and RE-DRAFTED your poems SEVERAL times should you settle on your FINAL version; and ONLY when you have settled on your FINAL versions should you POST your task.

In other words... TAKE YOUR TIME!!!

Good luck.

The deadline for this task is 6pm on Saturday 11th July 2009.

The writer of this poem

2009-06-29T15:23:00.001+01:00

The writer of this poem
Is taller than a house
As beautiful as a butterfly
As shy as a mouse

As short-tempered as a firework
As bright as the sun
As stubborn as a mule
As sweet as an iced-bun

As cool as an ice-cream
As wicked as a witch
As tired as a sloth
As deep as a ditch

The writer of this poem
Is hot and needs a fan
She’s at home instead of school
She’s been sick since the day began.

the reader of this poem

2009-06-27T11:51:00.003+01:00

The reader of this poem
is as tall as tree
as light as a feather
and buzzes like a bee

as bright as a sun
as quiet as a mouse
as cool as a fridge
as itchy as a louse

as silly as a koala
as high as a kite
as skinny as a stick

the reader of this poem
is as white as a snow drop
as cold as ice
and as summery as a flip flop

junior word voodoo rocks (redraft)

2009-06-27T10:45:00.004+01:00

It is an amazing labyrinth of words
everyday I'm on just because it is Aladdin's adventure
I'm flying with birds
i explore word voodoo
so i venture
never is it blocked
animals would love it if they talked
so it rocks
so i am happy I've got it

The Writer Of This Poem.....

2009-06-27T09:56:00.004+01:00

The writer of this poem
Is as kind as a bird,
As energetic as young kittens,
As fast as a runner winning first second and third.

Free just like angels,
Pretty just like swans.
Arty just like Henry Moore
Clever just like cons

As musical as Escarla,
As sweets as a cherry.
As sporty as a gold medalist,
As strong as a ferry.

The reader of this poem
Is as lucky as a millionaire,
As graceful as horses galloping
As juicy a a pear.

My world (redraft)

2009-06-26T17:53:00.005+01:00

My world is a flower waiting to blossom,
when does not come and it faces trouble.
My world is a hot air balloon set on fire,
while the edge of my eye starts to bubble.

My world is a kingdom with people voting me princess
while I wait anxiously to see what's going to happen.
My world is a creepy castle,
in which I wait still perplexed.

the reader of this poem

2009-06-26T11:40:00.003+01:00

The reader of this poem
is smart as can be,
As bossy as a teacher,
as tall as a tree.

As quiet as a mouse,
as noisy as a train,
As delicate as a baby,
as amazing as the rain.

As dainty as a dancer,
as funny as a clown,
As pretty as a ruby,
as gorgeous as a gown.

The reader of this poem
may be small or big,
Could be quiet or loud,
but as sweet as a fig!

The Reader Of This Poem

2009-06-26T11:30:00.002+01:00

The Reader Of This Poem
is as smart as a kid,
as bouncy as a spring,
and stiff as a lid.

As quiet as the wind,
as coiling as a binder
as crazy as chemistry,
as hunting as a finder.

As sharp as a knife,
as funny as a clown,
As speedy as a ninja,
as sad as a frown.

The reader of this poem
has gone to play games,
He's finished his poem,
and is not quite the same!

The Sun (redraft)

2009-06-25T21:00:00.004+01:00

The sun is a chili on fire in my mouth,
Shimmering red glossy and bright.
Sunshine is a flower blossoming all pretty,
The same as flowers we depend on its light.

It is an orange round big and strong,
The juicy citrus rays put laughter on my face.
The sun is a big beautiful bar of gold,
I wish I could carry the sun in my case.

The Reader of this Poem

2009-06-25T19:00:00.002+01:00

The reader of this poem
Is as soft as a feather
Harder than pebbles
As unpredictable as the weather

As loud as a trombone
Sneaker than a rat
As tall as tree
As viscous as a cat

As round as a ball
As big as a Whale
As red as a stawberry
As long as a tail

The reader of this poem
Is a cute thing
He's a cute baby
And he loves to sing.

happiness (redraft)

2009-06-25T18:16:00.004+01:00

Happiness is when you find gold
and keep it forever.
Happiness is your family
when you see them together.

Happiness is a seed
which becomes a flower.
Happiness is being a superhero
with so much power.

The Reader of this Poem

2009-06-25T17:09:00.042+01:00

The reader of this poem
Is as musical as a voice with a beautiful tone
Cleverer than an Oxford scholar
As chatty as a teenager on their mobile phone

As blue as rain on a hot summer’s day
More exhausted than a runner after a long distance race
As unique as my Asperger’s gene
Lean like the aglet at the end of my lace

As raging as a volcano
More funny than a fart
Playful like a kitten
As loving as my heart

The reader of this poem
Is as thoughtful as a nurse
But if you get to know him
He’s lonelier than the universe

My World (Redraft)

2009-06-24T19:09:00.002+01:00

My world is a delicate tulip,
That flowers in joyful spring.
My world is a beautiful eagle,
That's about to spread its wings.

My world is a towering tree,
That wavers in the breeze.
My world is a whole new planet,
That has oceans, rivers and seas.

The Reader of this Poem

2009-06-24T16:15:00.002+01:00

The reader of this poem
Is as sensitive as a new born
As stroppy as a teenager
As loud as a cockeral at dawn.

As clever as Stephen Hawkin
As exaggerating as a boaster
As creative as Picasso
As hot as a toaster

As giggly as a hyena
As fun as a theme park
As young as you were once
As angry as a bark

The reader of this poem
Is as pretty as a rose
As fashionable as Stella McCartney
Or so the legend goes.

Home (Redraft)

2009-06-23T18:19:00.016+01:00

My home is the Empire State building,
It tickles the sky and the clouds.
My home is a mystical maze,
An easy escape from the crowds.

My home is a manic menagerie,
Can you count all my guinea pigs' paws?
My home is the London Zoo,
Come and see alll my sows and my boars.

The Reader of this Poem

2009-06-22T18:37:00.010+01:00

The reader of this poem is as generous as a millionare,

They sail the British Isles as if there's no time to spare,

This person looks like they're not in despair,

The person reading this looks like they care.

As wonderous and as helpful as a guide,
They helped me go down the Junior Wordvoodoo slide,
This person is as graceful as a swans delicate glide,
It's like the person reading this is always alongside.

They look like they have a good life to live,

This person is as stuck as a malteser in a sieve,

When they leave it's like the crash of the Titanic,

This person is as small as an olive.

The reader of this poem looks like they love KFC,

As they move they're shadow looks like a tree,

This person looks as if they would like a cup of tea,

This person looks as if they're age is three.

Happiness (Redraft)

2009-06-22T18:24:00.004+01:00

Happiness is giant playground
Where I can do as I please.
Happiness is a rollercoaster
Hair flying in the breeze.

Happiness is a sparkling sea
Waves lapping at my feet.
Happiness is the sound of music
Hips moving to the beat.

The Sun (Redraft)

2009-06-22T18:01:00.004+01:00

The sun is yellow icing,
Set upon a sky blue cake,
The sun is a colourful ball,
Lost in the glistening lake.

The sun is a bird about to take to flight,
The sun is a spiral of sheer delight,
The sun is my only fun,
Oh how I love the sun.

The Reader of this Poem (An example)

2009-06-21T15:20:00.004+01:00

The reader of this poem
Is as old as a leaning oak
Wiser than a learned owl
Funnier than your favourite joke

As tired as a weary sloth
More complex than a code
Stranger than a foreign tongue
As grumpy as a toad

As shy as every hiding snail
More stubborn than a teenage girl
As selfish as a preening cat
As precious as a pearl

The reader of this poem
Is opposites rolled into one
He's never sure quite what he is
He's finished - and he's just begun.

Task 2: A Simile Poem

2009-06-21T14:03:00.008+01:00

Task 2 is in TWO PARTS - so please make sure you complete both of them!

Part One

In order to show your moderators each fortnight that you are definitely learning from and taking on board their comments, I would like each task from now on to begin with a REDRAFT of the previous task.

This week, therefore, I would like you to read:

your own Task 1 metaphor poem again several times;
your moderators' comments again several times (and ask them to explain them further if you don't know what they mean);
every other Task 1 poem by the other pupils (and their comments too).

Then I would like you to REDRAFT your own poem. (You should do so as a NEW POST - and your title can be the same as before, but with the word "redraft" in brackets after it.) Redrafting is when you REWRITE a piece of writing to IMPROVE it - getting rid of bits that didn't work so well; changing bits that weren't quite right; and developing bits that could have gone further.

Some of you might choose to start from scratch, and attempt a totally new Metaphor Poem - especially those of you who didn't manage to follow the rules first time around. Others of you - especially those of you who have managed most or all of the rules already - might just want to tinker with what you wrote, changing it here and there to improve it in line with what your moderators said. This is SO important. Without this redrafting, it will be HARD to ensure you continue to improve; and EASY to end up learning very little from each task.

Part Two

Last week we worked on metaphors. This week we will work on similes.

A simile is another way of describing something - but this time, you do so by saying it is LIKE something else. Anything which compares something to something else (usually using the words "like" or "as") is a simile.

Why not click here, here or here to try out some exercises which will help you to learn even more about using similes in an interesting and effective way.

Now have a look at this wonderful poem by Roger McGough. It is full of similes!

The Writer of this Poem

The writer of this poem
Is taller than a tree
As keen as the North wind
As handsome as can be

As bold as a boxing-glove
As sharp as a nib
As strong as scaffolding
As tricky as a fib

As smooth as a lolly-ice
As quick as a lick
As clean as a chemist-shop
As clever as a tick

The writer of this poem
Never ceases to amaze
He’s one in a million billion
(or so the poem says!)

Roger McGough

Your task this week is to write your own poem entitled, "The Reader of this Poem". And I would like you to follow these rules:

Like McGough's poem, your poem should have FOUR STANZAS (stanza is the proper word for 'verse'); each stanza should have four lines. N.B. Your lines should be a similar length, just to ensure the poem 'flows' properly.
Each stanza should rhyme Line 2 with Line 4; Lines 1 and 3 do not need to rhyme. N.B. Make sure you avoid the rhyme trap!
Your first stanza should begin: "The reader of this poem..."; then the rest of the 1st stanza and the whole of the 2nd and 3rd stanzas should consist of a different simile on each line.
Your final stanza should also begin: "The reader of this poem..." - but you can finish it off how you like. Have fun doing so (but make sure it is still four lines of similar length, and that it also rhymes like the others).

And remember:

Your similes can begin with LIKE or AS (or even ___ER THAN) - or a mixture of all three.
Your similes should be as original and unique as possible.
Your similes should aim to be both simple (so they make sense) but also complex (so they contain a deeper meaning).

Have fun - and good luck!!! Your deadline is 6pm on Saturday 27th June.

Remember: if you are stuck, have a look at my own attempt which I shall post shortly. And if you are STILL stuck, ask your teacher or parent to explain the task to you again (just make sure that your poem itself is ALL your own work!).

englishguru

Well done on Task 1!

2009-06-21T13:54:00.005+01:00

Well done on such fantastic writing for Task 1.

Your metaphor poems were wonderful - and full of such creativity and originality I often couldn't believe they were written by such young writers. Congratulations!

The best poems were those which followed EVERY rule I set in the task itself, but ALSO managed to take some risks with language and rhyme too. Like all the best art (poetry, music, paintings...), the most wonderful work often comes out of the STRUGGLE to wrestle with rules and guidelines without ending up being ordinary as a result.

You MUST read your moderators' comments carefully. They are FULL of useful nuggets of advice and guidance which will help make your writing even better every time you post. You might also want to read the comments written about some of the other pupils' work; in fact, if you are REALLY keen, you would do well to read EVERY other post AND its comments - as this way you are likely to make massive progress and improvements yourself EVERY fortnight.

You are also welcome to respond to your moderators' comments with a comment of your own. Perhaps you would like to thank them for what they wrote; or explain something they didn't understand? Maybe you could ask them to expand on one of their suggestions; or give you some more examples of how you could do things differently? Whatever you do, your moderators would, I am sure, be delighted to discuss your work with you further - and the comments tool is the perfect way for this to happen.

Now on to Task 2...

colours

2009-06-21T12:51:00.000+01:00

Red is roses
Green is great
Pink is pretty
Blue is bashful
Purple is painful
Yellow is young
Lilac is lucious
Grey is gangster
Silver is sour

This is a colourful world
Its great and bold
One more thing it is also bold.

happiness

2009-06-15T17:50:00.003+01:00

happiness is when you find gold,
and keep it forever.
happiness is your family,
when you see them together.
happiness is a gorgeous rose,
which is about to bloom.
happiness can be a celebration,
and can never bring doom.

My world (Redraft)

2009-06-15T16:22:00.003+01:00

My world is a DS,
where I can create.
My world is the internet,
where I see words
on a flickering screen
My world is school,
where I can play with
my friends in peace.

Happiness

2009-06-13T17:18:00.003+01:00

Happiness is a giant play ground
Where I do as I please
Happiness is a rollercoaster
Hair flying in the breeze
Happiness is a sparkling sea
Waves lapping at my feet
Happiness is a chocolate cake
That I always love to eat

My World

2009-06-12T20:25:00.002+01:00

My world is a flower waiting to blossom,
While facing trouble.
My world is a hot air balloon being set on fire,
While the edge of my eye start’s to bubble.
My world is a kingdom waiting for me to be crowned princess,
While I anxiously wait to find out what’s going to happen next.
My world is a creepy castle,
But I am still perplexed

The Sun

2009-06-12T19:16:00.002+01:00

The sun

The sun is a treasure chest full of gold

The gold shines through your face

The sun is the light of my heart

The sun is having a ridiculous race

The sun is an ice cream in a cone

The sun is my favourite place

The sun is like a hot bun baked

The sun is the end of my shoelace

My world

2009-06-12T17:59:00.003+01:00

My world is a delicate flower,
That comes out in summer and spring,
My world is a beautiful eagle,
That’s about to spread its wings,
My world is a humongous tree,
That keeps on growing,
My world is a meandering river,
That keeps on flowing.

Junior Wordvoodoo Rocks

2009-06-11T17:11:00.004+01:00

It is an amazing labyrinth of words
Every day I’m on just because it is Aladdin’s adventure
I always feel like I’m flying with the birds
I venture through word voodoo because every task rocks so I really do venture
If animals could talk they would really love it
Never is word voodoo blocked
That’s why I love it
So it really rocks
So I’m happy I’ve got it

The Sun

2009-06-10T17:43:00.006+01:00

The sun is a chili burning hot in my mouth,

It shines red glossy and really bright.

The sun is a flower blooming all pretty,

The same as flowers we depend on it's light.

The sun is an orange round big and strong,

The citrus rays put laughter on my face.

The sun is a beautiful bar of gold,

I wish I could carry the sun in my case.

The Sun

2009-06-09T18:36:00.004+01:00

A ray of sunshine is my only light,

Though it's called "The Moon" at night,

The sun is a fireball burning bright.

The sun is a source of light,

A natural one at that,

It's a rising sensation that can give you fright,

It's a massive star,

So big and fat.

Home

2009-06-08T18:25:00.007+01:00

My home is the Empire State Building,
With Ground, 1st and 2nd floors,
My home is a labyrinth,
With at least 12 windows and doors,
My home is a pet shop,
With my guinea pigs and their little paws,
My home is the London Zoo,
With fish and sows and boars.

Earth

2009-06-08T16:38:00.003+01:00

Earth is a weird place
The moon changes its phase
You change your coming of age
It all happens stage-by-stage
Life is weird
It is like a party
Craziness surrounds us
But earth is also funky
Your friends and family might not agree
But my agreement is up to me
Outside of earth is different
The planets have not got people
but maybe aliens

I like earth

the way it is

My World

2009-06-07T14:29:00.003+01:00

My world is a labyrinth
It's easy to get lost.
My world is a lawn in winter
Glazed with glassy frost.
My world is a juggernaut
Hurtling down the road.
And at times my world is dynamite
Waiting to explode.

Task 1: Metaphor Poem

2009-06-07T12:45:00.018+01:00

To complete this task, you will first need to visit one of the most wonderful sites on the web: The Children's Poetry Archive.

It is an amazing website where you can read - and even listen to - some of the best poetry around for children of all ages, and is well worth a visit. Click here to go to the site.

You will also need to understand what a METAPHOR is. Unlike a SIMILE (which is when you describe something by saying it is LIKE something else), a METAPHOR is a way of describing something by saying that it IS something else.

To help you some more, here are some metaphors about the wordvoodoo blog:

The blog is an ocean of words
It is a maze with magic at the centre
It is a blank page waiting to be written on.

Confusing? If you need some help, try some of the following:

Ask your parents or your teacher to explain it for you
Download the two excellent worksheets on this page
Look at these examples from a Primary School in Suffolk
Try out this 'Metaphor Quiz'

If you STILL need some help understanding what a metaphor is and how to use it, just email me.

For your task this week, you will need to look closely at a poem called Time by Valerie Bloom. Click here to read the poem. Why not have a listen to the poet reading the poem aloud too?
I love this poem for a number of reasons:

Like some of the best poetry around, this poem is BOTH simple AND complicated. The language is simple and easy to understand - but what the poem is saying (about life, getting old, and the passage of time) is really serious and complex.
I also love the way that Valerie Bloom uses such wonderful METAPHORS - and I love the way they are so original. When you write metaphors, the most important thing is to try and create ones that nobody has used before. The best writing is FRESH writing.
Lastly, I love the way she uses rhyme. Her second, fourth, sixth and eighth lines all rhyme - but at no point does it seem like she is trying to FORCE them to do so. I talk to students a lot about THE RHYME TRAP: this is when a poet uses a word even if it doesn't make sense or isn't what they wanted to say - just because it rhymes. Valerie Bloom doesn't do this.

YOUR FIRST TASK on Junior Wordvoodoo will be to write your own METAPHOR POEM. And there are a few rules you must follow:

You must decide on a title for your poem from the following choices: home; the sun; happiness; my world; or grown-ups.
Your poem must be 8 LINES LONG. And, like in Valerie Bloom's poem, they should all be a similar length.
You should then think of 4 metaphors for your chosen topic, each of which, like in Valerie Bloom's poem, should last for 2 lines.
Your 2nd and 4th lines should rhyme with each other; and your 6th and 8th lines should also rhyme. If you need some help with finding rhymes, click here. Just make sure you avoid that RHYME TRAP!

Also, as with EVERY wordvoodoo task, you need to try to:

be as ORIGINAL as possible, saying things in new and fresh and interesting ways
have FUN with language, taking risks with the words and phrases you use.

Shortly, I will post my own attempt at this task, just so that you can see what I am looking for. Then you have a week in which to plan, draft, write and post your own poem.

All poems MUST be posted by 6pm on Saturday 13th June 2009.

Good luck!

Welcome to Junior Wordvoodoo

2009-06-07T11:49:00.014+01:00

Welcome to Junior Wordvoodoo!

Your journey towards amazing story and poetry writing starts here...

But, before we start, a few rules for the blog:

1. Everything you do on the blog MUST be your own work. This is the NUMBER 1 rule. Although it might be tempting to get help with the tasks - from your teacher, your parents, your friends - you MUST resist that temptation.

2. ALWAYS check your work thoroughly before you post it. Lots of children write and redraft their work in Microsoft Word first. Then, when they are completely happy that it is the BEST they can do AND has no careless mistakes - they copy and paste into BLOGGER. Why don't you do the same?

3. NEVER miss the deadline for each task. The blog can only work if EVERY child posts their work on time - and even missing the deadline by a day or two spoils the blog for EVERYONE else.

Please make sure you obey all of these rules - and we should all get along fine.

Now, how do you go about posting on the blog? Here are some simple instructions:

1. Go to www.blogger.com

2. Login with the email and password you used when you set up your BLOGGER account. This should take you to your DASHBOARD.

3. On your dashboard, there should be a list of all the blogs to which you belong. Underneath where it says 'Junior Wordvoodoo', click on the blue box which says NEW POST.

It is in this new window that you post your task. But make sure you remember:

TITLE: Make sure you give each piece of work a title. This would either be the title of the poem or story you write.
TOOLBAR: At the top of the window, there is a 'toolbar' which can help you 'format' your text. However, I would prefer you NOT to play around with the size and colour of what you write on the blog. So keep the layout simple please.
LABELS: At the bottom of the window, there is a box called 'Labels for this post'. In here, you should write your BLOGGER ID (that is the name you created for yourself when you set up your account). Then, after a comma, write the Task number. For example: poemwriter, Task 1
PUBLISH POST: When you are completely happy with your post, press PUBLISH POST and it will appear on the blog for everyone to see. If you want to save it first and come back to it, just click SAVE NOW - and it will still be there for you next time you log in.

I hope this gives you all the information you need to make your first post - now you just need to read the first TASK and give it your best shot.

If any of you have any questions at all, just EMAIL me and I will always reply very quickly.

Mr Savage