Year 4 - Characterisation

Year 4 students have been exploring how to make their stories more interesting for their audience.  This week they have been specifically looking at how to build vocabulary to adequately describe a character or an image.  

Here are a few snippets of when they used an image from Anthony Brown’s ‘Into the Woods’.  

Riley - As I stumbled further into the cold, wet, dark forest I encountered a girl.  She had golden, stiff, plaited hair, dark, gloomy eyes and arched eyebrows.  “What’s in your very nice basket?”  “It’s a cake for my sweet, old, poor grandma.”  “I would love a cake like that.”  “Sorry but you cannot have it.”  “But I want it!”  “Sorry NO!” “But I..” “No!”

Hayley - As I stumbled through the eerily, silent forest a wicked girl with long, stiff, golden plaits stopped in her tracks and stared deeply into my basket.  The stubborn, bratty girl wouldn’t move.  Hungry for a tasty snack from my wicker basket I was confused and surprised at how she had got here.  How long has she been here for?  She was still waiting in her aggressive stance for a response, with her eyebrows arched still.

Abbey - As I walked on, a frustrated, angry stare stood in my way.  You could see her dark, gloomy eyebrows like they were talking for her.  I took a big terrified gulp and then I started talking.  I said “excuse me, you’re in my way, I’m trying to deliver a cake to my dear nanna.”  She replied back in a voice like a demon saying “Well, if you're going to get past me I’ll need a lovely cake like that too.”  As she was talking I was thinking I better make a run for it.

Lucinda - As I scampered on, I spotted a short little girl bending down, glaring straight at my Grandma's humongous cake.  “Nice cake you’ve got there!”  she frowned as she fell into an aggressive stance that was blocking my path.  “Thanks, it’s for my Grandma '' I replied, feeling  a little stunned.  “I want a cake like that!”  She yelled back in frustration.”  I am terribly sorry I explained politely, “but it’s for my Grandma”  I quietly yelled trying to calm down.  I took one step around the greedy girl and continued trudging along the rickety path, but I could still hear her blurting out words in catastrophic frustration.

Imogen - As I ran cautiously down the twisted path, I saw a golden haired girl dressed in a pink apron (dangling from her knees).  “What a lovely cake you have there.”  The girl confronted me with a stare.  I stopped with shock and fear looking at her beady black eyes. The stubborn look she had reminded me of this girl from back home.  As she bent down to get a closer look at the basket her long, stiff plaits caught my undesirable attention.  I quickly walked away still hearing her.  I did not want to stay there all day.

Mia - As I walked through the dark, gloomy forest a girl with golden hair and a nasty, mean stare stood in front of me.  When she finally stopped staring at me she took a good look at my basket and said “Whatcha got there?”  “A nice fruity cake?”  I looked at her thinking what should I do?  Does she want some?  I tried to walk away, but her furious face stood there.  “Give me some.” she stomped with anger so I stomped away.  Despite her yelling “I want some!  I need some.”  She just kept demanding but still I didn’t give her any.  She threw her thick, grey ribbon on the floor.

Charlie - As I stumbled through the wicked, gloomy forest I spied on a golden headed, eerily dressed girl.  The girl immediately went into a sassy position then glared into my dear old Granny’s basket.  Despite her slanted, furrowed, beady black eyebrows, she spoke sweetly.  Although I needed to keep going, I heard her saying “I need cake.”

Cordelia - As I walked further into the forest I stumbled across a girl with long, stiff, golden plaits.  As she got closer she stood in my way and with her black, beady eyes looking straight at my basket ad said “What’s in that basket?”  I replied with “a fruit cake for my poorly Grandma.”  The bratty looking girl said “I would like cake like that.  I am poorly.”  As I walked further away from the annoying, bratty girl she kept saying the same thing.

Amelie - As I ran into the forest a mean, jealous, greedy girl with long, golden hair looked into my basket.  Why was she looking into my basket?  However much I wanted to kick her out of my way that was the mean thing to do.  She said “What a lovely cake you have there.  Can I have some?  That will be lovely of you if you do.  Do you like me?”