Teach-Primary-Issue-19.8

burning and destruction, which nouns would work well if they were a victim ( home, family, ashes, fire, crime, destruction, cruelty )? Which would work well if they were a Norman ( house, thatch, torch, tar, ruins )? Remind them, too, that nouns are made twice as brilliant by describing them with adjectives ( sharp, shining, trusty, solid, loved, precious, terrible, horrifying ), and that verbs are made twice as fantastic by describing them with adverbs ( quickly, angrily, brutally, mercilessly ). Recap similes and metaphors, and encourage pupils to try to use both in their descriptions. For pupils who are • What were you wearing at the time? • What were your enemies wearing, what were you going to try to do to them? • Why were you going to do this? • What were they going to try to do to you? Ask them to draft an introduction paragraph that tries to give answers to as many of these details as they can, in full sentences. 2 | HOW DID IT HAPPEN? Next, children will describe the action of their chosen event. Ask the class to consider what kind of language they will need for their descriptions. For example, if they are writing about being involved in the • Using the glossary from the graphic novel, write and illustrate a handbook to places, people and things in 1066’s England. • Research what William did next to secure his reign of England. Design the first page of a comic book telling this story. • Write a character dossier of Harold Godwinson and include as much detail from the graphic novel as you can. • Write a character dossier of William of Normandy and include as much detail from the graphic novel as you can. EXTENDING THE LESSON confident writers, they can also use onomatopoeia to bring sounds to life ( crash, smash, bang ). Next, ask children to check the graphic novel (or other research materials) for the progress of the event they are describing. How does the event end? Remind them that they will be working towards this endpoint in their writing. 3 | WHAT NEXT? Once children have described their main events, challenge them to write a paragraph about the aftermath. For instance, if they wrote from the point of view of a Viking, what would they be doing if they survived at Stamford Bridge? They might be going home, injured and sore; ashamed at having lost to Harold. If they are writing from the point of view of an Anglo- Saxon, what would they be doing after Hastings? When pupils have written their pieces, it’s time to check some style ideas and re-draft. Provide prompts for editing, such as: have you used sentences of different lengths? Are your verbs in the same tense throughout? Make sure your work finishes on a clear ending (no cliff-hangers!). Give pupils time to make changes, then you can ask volunteers to read snippets, or even act out some scenes. Stuart Douch is a teacher and former headteacher. His first graphic novel, 1066: The Battle of Hastings (£12.99HB, Button Books), is out now. “Eyewitness accounts can help us learn a lot about emotions and feelings fromany historical event” • Am I staying on the point of the task? • Is my first sentence interesting, to hook the reader into my piece of writing? • Have I used a good range of punctuation (if not, ask your teacher for help)? USEFUL QUESTIONS Download your FREE graphic novel spreads from 1066: The Battle of Hastings at tinyurl.com/ tp-HastingsLP www.teachwire.net | 95