English Day 1 - eastayton.n-yorks.sch.uk

English

Day 1

Sequence of writing x 1 week – writing competition

Introduce BBC short story competition

Plan mini saga (short story)

Writing skill

Write mini saga

Edit and submit

www.youngwriters.co.uk

This week you are going to write a mini story

around the theme ‘A Wander In The Woods’.

This is a national competition for young writers

presented by the BBC. I would love to submit all

your stories as part of the competition. If your

story is chosen as a winning entry, you can win all

sorts of prizes from the BBC and your story will be

published.

Writing Competition

You’re going to watch a short video to

introduce you to the activity

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27TQm3sXXHI

Then we’ll learn more about a mini saga and what you

could write about.

Video

What is a mini saga?

A mini saga is a story told in only 100

words!

This is a very short story so every word

needs to be thought about carefully.

You need to get as much excitement as

possible into only a few lines!

The 3 Golden Rules

1. Be original! Your work can be

inspired by other stories, but add a

twist to make it your own!

2. Keep to the 100-word limit – make

every word count!

3. Remember that mini sagas must

have a beginning, a middle and

an end!

How to take part....

Once you have drafted your mini saga

either by hand or on the computer, you

will then be given a link.

That link will take you to a writing portal.

You then type your story into the

writing portal.

Before you start writing, let’s think of some

ideas to write about...

To help you write your mini saga here are 8 story starters, choose

one to inspire your Wander in the Woods story...

1. There must be a way out...

2. I heard a noise behind me...

3. In the distance, I saw...

4. It was getting dark...

5. I found ...

6. Once upon a time...

7. I arrived at the secret meeting place...

8. I’d escaped...

Now we’ll look at each story

starter and some ideas to

write about for each one...

Story Starters

1. There must be a way out...

You could:

• Be lost or missing

• Be trapped somewhere, like a cave

• Be in a maze

• Have fallen into a hole

• Be in fog

• Be in bad weather

• Be hiding from someone or something

If you wrote this number down as your favourite story

starter, do you like the ideas? Note down which one is

your favourite!

2. I heard a noise behind me...

What could it be...? What about...

• An animal

• A monster or mythical creature

• A lost child

• A vehicle

• The weather; the wind or thunder

• An escaped prisoner

If you wrote this number down as your favourite story

starter, do you like the ideas? Note down which one is

your favourite!

3. In the distance, I saw...

• A hidden door

• A portal

• A campfire

• A house made of straw

• A cave

• A person or creature

• A missing pet

• A church

If you wrote this number down as your favourite story

starter, do you like the ideas? Note down which one is

your favourite!

4. It was getting dark...

You could write about:

• Ghosts or forest spirits

• Setting up camp

• Nocturnal wildlife

• A monster party

• Witches, wizards, goblins and fairies

• How you’d feel in the woods in the dark

• Looking for someone or something

If you wrote this number down as your favourite story

starter, do you like the ideas? Note down which one is

your favourite!

5. I found ...

• Treasure

• A pharaoh’s tomb

• A magic object

• A spooky graveyard

• A ticket

• A snowman’s ball

• A spaceship

If you wrote this number down as your favourite story

starter, do you like the ideas? Note down which one is

your favourite!

6. Once upon a time...

• Retell a fairy story

• Write a recount

• A day in the life of

• Write your story on any theme

If you wrote this number down as your favourite story

starter, do you like the ideas? Note down which one is

your favourite!

7. I arrived at the secret meeting place...

You could be:

• A spy

• In a secret club

• A criminal

• A runaway

• About to solve a crime or mystery

If you wrote this number down as your favourite story

starter, do you like the ideas? Note down which one is

your favourite!

8. I’d escaped...

From:

• Homework club

• Prison

• A wild animal

• A witch

• Earth

• Under a lake or waterfall

If you wrote this number down as your favourite story

starter, do you like the ideas? Note down which one is

your favourite!

Planning

You should have a story starter that you like and

an idea of what to write about.

Take a minute to note down any ideas for your mini

saga.

When planning your mini saga think about:

• What is the beginning, middle and end?

• Will the ending have a twist or be humorous?

• Will you write in 1st or 3rd person?

Activity

Use the planning sheet to help you create a story

mountain for your mini saga.