September 26, 2013

The Owl and the Pussycat

Click HERE to read the poem by Edward Lear!

Questions/to do:
  1. What are the made-up words of this poem?
  2. Make up a list of the words you like from this poem.
  3. Enjoy reading the poem out loud!

An Alphabet

Inventing characters for our stories


ACTIVITY: 
  1. Write each of the silly sounds in the list below on little pieces of paper.
  2. Throw up the pieces of paper in the air.
  3. Pick up two or three without looking.
  4. Put them together and see what names come up.
  5. When you have come up with about twenty names you like, put the names in different piles: one pile for the hero (the protagonist), another for the villain (the antagonist), another for the sidekick, another for minor characters (who can be silly or boring or funny, etc.).
  6. Pick out the names of your story's main characters (about five).
  7. Imagine what the personality of each character is like just from his or her name.
  8. Do sketches of each character.
  9. Write down the description of each character's personality (underneath each sketch) using personality adjectives (click HERE for help!).
  10. Would some of the names you have made up also make great place names?

HOCK
TWOO
PLOT
FLAM
TRUVE
SLONG
STAVE
SLACK
ERTOG
PICK
GLAS
STEE
VASC
SCHLANG
TOON
STREE
GUM
LONG
STOW
TIC
FLI
DAS
MON
GREE
STINK
BIOUS
PAP
TROM
BRON
BLEW
FLEB
NEE
CLEN
BROOM
BLOOT
LEE
STINK
MOO
LON
STAV
DOW
HECK
GLER
ATA
FLAK
GLIN
ATA
FLAKS
GLEE
PLEEK
FROL
FLA
SHTAK
STOW
FUDG
PROO
STOK
WOOSH
TOWA
CAM
BLEE
DAS
GRI
FLI

+ add a few more silly sounds to this list!

September 19, 2013

Jabberwocky



`Twas brillig, and the slithy toves

  Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
  And the mome raths outgrabe.

"Beware the Jabberwock, my son!

  The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
  The frumious Bandersnatch!"

He took his vorpal sword in hand:

  Long time the manxome foe he sought --
So rested he by the Tumtum tree,
  And stood awhile in thought.

And, as in uffish thought he stood,

  The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
  And burbled as it came!

One, two! One, two! And through and through

  The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
  He went galumphing back.

"And, has thou slain the Jabberwock?

  Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!'
  He chortled in his joy.

`Twas brillig, and the slithy toves

  Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
  And the mome raths outgrabe.

Another great name: Geraldine Giraffe (poem by Colin West)

The
longest
ever
woolly
scarf
was
worn
by
Geraldine
Giraffe.

Around
her
neck
the
scarf
she
wound
but
still
it
trailed
upon
the
ground.

Click HERE!

Some famous names from children's literature in English ... Find the names of the books from which they come!

  • Tiggy-Winkle
  • Long John Silver, Cap'n Flint
  • Cluny the Scourge, Redtooth, Fangburn
  • Amelia Bones, Charity Burbage, Reginald Cattermole, Wilhelmina Grubbly-Plank
  • Scrooge, Bob Cratchit
  • Dr Dolittle
  • Hook
  • Mowgli, Baloo, Bagheera
  • March Hare, Mad Hatter, Queen of Hearts, Mock Turtle, Cheshire Cat
  • Arriety, Homily, Pod
  • Matilda
  • Mrs Flittersnoop
  • Oona
  • Peter, Susan, Edmund, Lucy
  • Brandersnatch
  • Pugwash, Cut-throat Jake
  • Gewain, Gwenevire


We have to find great names for our stories' characters, for example: "Jack Sprat"!

Jack Sprat could eat no fat,
His wife could eat no lean;
And so betwixt them both, you see,
They licked the platter clean.