Sally Jones - The New Head Teacher. Brush Up on Your Writing Skills

Title Page

Creative Writing Tutor

THE NEW HEAD TEACHER

by

Sally Jones and Amanda Jones

Publisher Information

Published by GUINEA PIG EDUCATION

2 Cobs Way

New Haw, Addlestone

Surrey, KT15 3AF

www.guineapigeducation.co.uk

Digital edition converted and dstributed in 2012 by

Andrews UK Limited

www.andrewsuk.com

Copyright 2011, 2013 Sally A Jones and Amanda C Jones

This pack may not under any circumstances be photocopied, without the prior consent of the publisher.

Choose a topic and start to practise writing. Each booklet has a theme to help you start to write...stories, reports, articles, letters and many more. Start collecting them now.

Guinea Pig Creative Writing booklets also provide extra practice for children who have completed:

- Creative Story Writing

- Persuasive Writing & Argument

- Information Writing

They are for children who are working at Key Stage 2 of the National Curriculum, levels 3-5 (in Years 5 and 6 of primary school), children who are working at Key Stage 3, levels 3-5 (Years 7 and 8 of Secondary School). They provide practice for all 9-13 year olds, especially children taking 11+ examinations.

First things first...

Lets learn to write non-fiction.

When you write non-fiction, you may write:

• information leaflets
• letters
• reports
• instructions
• diaries

You must decide:

• Who will be my target audience?
• Who will read this writing?
• What is the purpose of my writing?

The way you write will depend on what form your writing will take. If it is a letter, you will lay it out in a special way.

Decide:

• The form - an information letter from the head teacher
• The audience - parents
• The purpose - to inform parents of a change to the school timetable

It is a formal letter so it needs to be written in the language of a newsreader.

Plan your non-fiction writing:

PARAGRAPH 1

• Introduce your topic. Write down some facts about your chosen subject.

PARAGRAPH 2, 3, 4...

• Write down the points you want to make in chronological order.
• Include some evidence.

Remember:

• Use
  • facts
  • opinions
  • opinions in facts.
• Use connectives or conjunctions:
  • and or but (to join compound sentences)
  • or, so, if, when, while, after, before, because, unless, until, whereas, although (to join complex sentences)
  • use pronouns - who, which, whose, what, that
  • to link ideas use - firstly, later, therefore, on the other hand, at that moment, by this time, next, soon...
• Use a range of sentences simple, compound and complex sentences

Conclusion

• Draw all your ideas together in a conclusion.
• Make personal comments

The Head Teacher

A new, trendy head teacher has come to Rushford school. She wants to make some big changes to the school day.

Read the letter she wrote to the parents of Rushford High School.

The Letter

Rushford School

EAST RUSHFORD ROAD, RUSHFORD, RT12 8BH

T: 020 7651 5033 E: office@rushfordschool.org.uk

Rushford School,

East Rushford Road,

Rushford,

RT12 8BH.

8th September 2015.

Dear Parents,

You may already know that our school is considering making some big changes to the timetable. We have been discussing a more fun approach to learning and we are writing to you today to see what your views are.

In September, the school will open at 10.00am. This is a very late start, but it would mean that the children wouldnt have to get up so early, especially those who use public transport. At this time, there will be no traffic jams because everyone will already be at work.

In the morning, there will be a school assembly, which will last for thirty minutes and will give children the opportunity to do presentations of their schoolwork. Following this, the children will go back to their tutor groups, where they will each have their own computers on which to learn. There will be programmes in every subject, such as maths, literacy and science, so each individual can work through the levels at his or her own pace. The teachers will be there to discuss any problems.

In addition to this, there will be an afternoon session, which will start at 2pm. The teachers will organise practical classes in science and technology, with hands on activities to help children learn. Every child will learn to play a musical instrument. There will be art and craft opportunities, enabling the children to paint, do pottery or sculptures.

In social studies, the teachers will organise more outings, including fieldwork and visits to historic places and archaeological digs to take place during the term.

We are planning to close the school on Wednesday afternoons, to give pupils the opportunity to participate in local sports clubs - maybe to learn windsurfing or even horse riding.

There will be no daily homework diary to complete. Instead, the teachers will e-mail the pupils project work they can do. You will be able to choose for your child to join the homework (after school) club, where teaching assistants will help them with their work.

You must understand that these plans are still in the early stages, but the school governors are meeting next week to discuss them. Please write and say what you think about the changes or if you prefer the school the way it is.

Yours sincerely,

Miss Day

Headmistress

Your Response

Pretend you are a mum or dad of a pupil in the school. Write a short e-mail, saying whether you approve or disapprove of the changes.

What do the parents think and why?

Is 10.00am too late to start school? Why?

I think such a late start is shocking. Why do children need so much sleep? They should be going to bed early so they are not tired in the morning and can get up bright and early to start the new school day

Do you think children should learn on a computer at their own pace?

Im not sure if the children would concentrate learning on their own. They may get bored and mess around with their friends if they are not supervised properly. They might waste their time on social networking sites. I think it is laziness on the part of the teachers. They should be teaching the children and not relying on a computer. Young people spend too much time just sat in front of a screen, watching TV or playing computer games at home. They should not be doing the same at school.

Should your child have homework?

I feel that homework is very important for a child because it teaches discipline. I do not agree that homework should not be given everyday. I think that less homework will be a good thing. Children are too overburdened with work at the moment. They have no time for themselves.

How long do you think assembly should be? What should it contain?

I am glad to see that school assembly has been included in the new school timetable. It is a tradition that has been going on for years. Giving children the opportunity to participate is a good idea. It will get them use to public speaking and give them confidence

What subjects do you think they should learn?

Im worried that the new timetable concentrates too much on sport and art and crafts and not enough on important subjects like maths, english and science. These are the subjects that they will need to get good exam results.

Do you think it is a good idea for children to have Wednesday afternoon off?

I think this is a very bad idea because parents have to work. They will not be able to take time off work to pick up and supervise their children. There will be many children just roaming the streets with nothing to do. It is irresponsible for the school to suggest this. It would be better for children to use this free time to do extra curriculum activities or private study in the library.