Inspire pupils in Year 5 and Year 6 to create mystery and suspense in their writing using our spooky settings resource pack. This could be used as a Hallowe’en activity or at any point in the academic year when you are teaching setting descriptions and creating atmosphere.
Pupils will read our model text ‘The Forbidden Place’ and explore how the author has used language to create suspense and a spooky atmosphere, including the use of the senses, varying sentence length, figurative language and the use of dialogue.
The resource could be used as part of a topic day based on Hallowe’en to develop creative writing in KS2, or over a series of English lessons. It could also be used as a writing project which would be perfect for home learning.
What is included in this setting description resource pack?
- Model text ‘The Forbidden Place’
This is used to inspire writing and can be used as a model for pupils to base their own writing upon.
- Creating Suspense ideas sheet
The ideas sheet could be displayed on tables to support pupils at the point of writing.
- Vocabulary cards
Printable vocabulary cards that can be displayed in the classroom to encourage pupils to use a broad vocabulary when writing.
- Spooky setting image cards
Printable cards that can be used to stimulate ideas for their setting descriptions.
- Planning sheet
Explore ideas before writing using the planning sheet to answer questions such as: What can you see or hear? What might characters say?
- Themed writing paper
A beautifully designed sheet that pupils could use present their final draft.
- Teacher’s Notes
Guidance on how to use the resource is given, divided into four smaller activities. Additional activities are also suggested.
National Curriculum English programme of study links
- To discuss and evaluate how authors use language, including figurative language, considering the impact on the reader
- To plan their writing by identifying the audience and purpose, selecting appropriate form and using other similar writing as models for their own
- To draft and write by describing settings, characters and atmosphere and integrating dialogue to convey characters and advance action