Descriptosaurus Story Writing

Language in Action for Ages 5–9

Alison Wilcox, Adam Bushnell

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2020
• Print ISBN: 9780367559113
• eBook ISBN: 9781000245967
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education General

Descriptosaurus Story Writing provides a resource for younger pupils that will not only expand their descriptive vocabulary but also provide them with models that demonstrate 'language in action,' in a genre that is popular and familiar to children aged 5–9. Providing the essential building blocks to create a narrative text, alongside contexualised banks of vocabulary, phrases and sentence types, this book is designed to provide young pupils with the opportunity to see how a text is constructed using words, phrases and sentences. This exciting new resource:

• Provides vocabulary for setting, character, 'show not tell' and sensory descriptions with clearly defined progression
• Demonstrates how to use this vocabulary in different contexts using set sentence structures
• Offers four model narratives written in different styles and level of difficulty
• Presents modelled sentences with exercises so that pupils can expand their vocabulary
• Enables young pupils to develop their understanding of how sentences are constructed and become more confident about using these skills in their own story writing

This is an ideal resource to dramatically improve children's knowledge and understanding of language, grammar and punctuation for all KS1 and KS2 primary English teachers, literacy coordinators and parents. This easily accessible guide will also be helpful for teachers to use in preparation for Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar (SPAG) alongside a creative writing task.

Part 1 Settings: Landscapes

DOI: 10.4324/9781003095675-2

1 Forests and woods

DOI: 10.4324/9781003095675-3

NOUNS	ADJECTIVES
Forest, jungle, woods Trees, bushes	Thick, bushy, deep, dense Beautiful, lovely, amazing, stunning, majestic Tall, high, towering Huge, enormous, gigantic, massive
Leaves, bark, twigs, flowers, petals, fruit, berries, nuts Bluebells, snowdrops, daffodils, poppies Ivy, nettles, thorns, moss Trunk, branches, roots, logs	Brown, yellow, gold, bronze Green, olive, mint, lime, emerald Red, scarlet, crimson Bright, colourful, vivid, dazzling Rough, sharp, spiky, scratchy, prickly, thorny Bent, twisted, crooked Dead, rotting
Floor, paths, trails Sun, sunlight Wind, breeze Rain, dew, frost, ice Mist, fog Darkness, shadows	Wide, narrow Straight, winding, twisting Light, sunny, bright Shining, sparkling, twinkling, glittering Gentle, fierce Dark, black, gloomy Wet, damp, cold, chilly, icy Misty, foggy Scary, creepy, spooky, ghostly
Smell, scent, perfume Stink, stench	Sweet, fresh, minty, fruity, nutty Stale, sour, musty, damp, rotten, mouldy, disgusting, revolting
Sound, noise Hum, whisper, click, rustle Tweet, chirp, cheep, hoot, chatter Snap, creak, groan, crash, thud Cry, howl, shriek, screech	Quiet, soft, gentle, pleasant, bright, cheerful Loud, echoing Snapping, creaking, groaning, crashing, thudding, pounding Howling, shrieking, screeching

VERBS
Stood, rose, climbed Spread, stretched, arched, bent
Covered, wrapped, blanketed, cloaked
Wound, crept, wriggled
Stopped, blocked, trapped
Knotted, twisted, tangled
Grabbed, grasped, gripped, pulled, tugged
Scratched, tore
Hung, dangled, drooped
Swayed, floated, fluttered, danced, hopped
Shone, lit, sparkled, shimmered
Heard, drifted, filled, echoed
Smelt, wafted

PHRASES (Nouns and adjectives)	PHRASES (Verbs)
deep, dark wood	spread out in front of me
thick wood of enormous trees	stretched as far as the eye could see
tall, majestic trees (like a crowd of green umbrellas)	rose above my head
huge treetops (like an emerald blanket)	blocked out the sky
beautiful, mint green vines	dangled from the branches
gigantic, olive green leaves	drooped from the branches
dazzling, lime green stems	wound around the branches
vivid, lime green vines	twisted around the huge tree trunks
leaves (like emerald green ribbons)	fluttered in the breeze
narrow path	twisted through the forest
path through the forest	was covered in beautiful bright sunlight
carpet of bluebells (like a path of dazzling jewels)	covered the forest floor
colourful ivy (like party streamers)	hung between the trees
chattering magpies	flitted from branch to branch
hid their stolen treasures
scampering squirrels	sat on a branch
	nibbled the nuts
clutched the nuts between their tiny fingers
groups of snowdrops	nodde...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Half Title Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Table of Contents
• Introduction
• How to use this book
• Part 1: Settings: Landscapes
• Part 2: Characters
• Resources for ‘Language in action’
• Part 4: ‘Language in action’ templates