1. www.literacytrust.org.uk Writers as Artists Painting pictures with a palette of sentences

2. 2 Tone, effect, style... Compare the different artworks In talking partners/groups discuss how each makes you feel. How would you describe the style of each, the colours chosen and the techniques you think the artists have used? www.literacytrust.org.uk

3. 3 The tools of the trade It’s all about effect, communicating ideas and connecting and engaging the emotions As writers we want to do the same thing. Instead of a palette of colours and different brush strokes and techniques we have words and sentences. www.literacytrust.org.uk

4. 4 Playing with Sentences One of the writer’s most powerful tools... How many different types of sentences do we know? Have you got specific names for each? How often do you use them in your writing? Do you prefer one type? What is the effect of using each sentence type? Does it matter which one we choose? www.literacytrust.org.uk

5. 5 Let’s investigate..... Let’s raid our reading Can we spot different sentence types? Can you explain the effect of the different types? www.literacytrust.org.uk

6. 6 Choose 3 of your favourite authors Find a passage in each book which describes a character. Compare their styles. Which brings their character alive most effectively? What kind of sentences do they use? Do they use a range of different ones? Do they have a preference?

7. 7 The garden gate swung open and a boy with longish dark hair strode towards us across the grass. He was tall and walked confidently with his hand in his pockets. It was Bug McAvoy! We couldn’t quite believe our eyes. Surely a high school lad, and frankly one of the coolest, wouldn’t want to be seen with a bunch of Y6s? But here he was. Bug, smiling and at ease, was heading our way. Nodding casually, he took out his headphones. “ It’s James isn’t it?” he asked, as he nonchalantly stuffed his iPod in his back pocket.

8. 8 ‘Dropping in a chunk’ sentence Great for character description Bug, smiling and at ease, was heading our way. What is the effect of this sentence in the passage? What kind of sentence is it? How would you describe it?

9. 9 What other chunks can we drop into a sentence to make it more interesting and help give our reader a clearer picture of our character using extra details?

10. 10 1.Stargazer, who was only twelve that year, chased the go- cart down the hill. 2.Stargazer, grabbing the burning flame, darted back into the cave without a moment’s thought. 3.Stargazer, exhausted from running so far, sat down on a cold rock and waited. 4a. Stargazer, quick and alert, spun round. 4b. Stargazer, with his long purple eyelashes, stared at the alien. 5. Stargazer, as quick as a cat, pounced on the small creature. 10 What kind of chunk have we dropped in? Great for character description

11. 11 Jade, __________________, ran quickly down the road. The boy, __________________, slammed the door behind him. Mr Jenkins, ____________________, stood up slowly. Let’s play ‘dropping in’... Great for character description

12. 12 A new tool... a “drop in” sentence Great for added detail Great for building a picture of our character Great for adding variety to our writing to keep our reader interested It’s no good just using this sentence continually. BUT, we can add it to our palette of sentences as a colour to use.

13. 13 Choose or create a character. Bring your character alive for your reader.

14. www.literacytrust.org.uk National Literacy Trust One in six people in the UK struggle to read, write and communicate We believe that society will only be fair when everyone can communicate as well as they need We deliver projects, campaign, investigate and innovate, share knowledge and work in partnership to transform lives through literacy We are an independent charity