Friday 8th January

LC: To use action, dialogue and description within narrative writing

Yesterday, we looked at different ways in which a writer advances a story (action), how they describe character and setting (description) and how they tell the reader what a character is saying (dialogue). Some of you highlighted these in Chapter 4 of Oliver Twist, but quite a lot of you didn't!

Today, you are going to write some of your own sentences using these different aspects of a 'Writers Toolbox'. 

Please read Chapter 5 of Oliver Twist below.

Below is a short extract from the Wizard of Oz. Here, the writer has used a good blend of action, description and dialogue. Can you identify each of the different aspects?

The Wizard of Oz

"Quick, Dorothy!" she screamed. "Run for the cellar!"

Toto jumped out of Dorothy's arms and hid under the bed. Aunt Em, badly frightened, threw open the trap door in the floor and climbed down the ladder into the small, dark hole.

"Quick, Dorothy!" she screamed. "Run for the cellar!"

Toto jumped out of Dorothy's arms and hid under the bed. Aunt Em, badly frightened, threw open the trap door in the floor and climbed down the ladder into the small, dark hole.

Here, I have highlighted the different features of writing. Can you work out which is which?

I could adapt this and change each part of the extract.

"Run quickly Dorothy!" she insisted. "Get to the cellar!"

Toto leaped from Dorothy's arms and sheltered beneath the bed. Aunt Em, terrified by what she had witnessed, flung the trap door open and scrambled down the rickety ladder into the small, gloomy void below.  

It still has a good blend of action, dialogue and description.

Now, you need to login to Seesaw and complete the activity for a short extract from Chapter 5 from Oliver Twist. The activity is called - Blending action, description and dialogue.