Contents of Short!

Week 1 Monday Comprehension 1

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Y5/6 Spr F Plan 3A
 Genre List- Adult Reference
Do not feel that you need to cover this exhaustively. Discuss genres which arise from discussion, ensuring that horror is
included.

Original plan copyright Hamilton Trust, who give permission for it to be adapted as wished by individual users.
Y5/6 Spr F Plan 3A
 This list is not definitive but gives a guide to recognising what genre a story might be categorised as.
Some stories will cross genres, although this is less likely with short stories due to their brevity.

Genre Features Examples

full of action, excitement and danger; often involves a journey; Alex Rider Books; Artemis
Adventure characters include clearly defined heroes and villains; may be Fowl Series; Swallows and
set in challenging settings Amazons
set in everyday life with everyday characters and settings; Jacqueline Wilson books;
Contemporary/realis
often include themes around family, school, animals (realistic) Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series
tic
and sport
traditional stories often passed on orally; a short story teaching The Hare and the Tortoise
Fable
a moral animal characters The Boy who Cried Wolf
simple plots often passed on orally with clear villains and The Three Little Pigs
Fairy-tale heroes; often includes royalty, animal characters, magic and The Frog Prince
happy endings for the good characters Cinderella
stories with magic, imaginary worlds and creatures; mythical The Hobbit; Harry Potter
and divine beings; magical objects; Series; Earthsea Series;
Fantasy
Artemis Fowl Series; Narnia
Books
intended to scare; use suspense to build up to moment of Any stories with ghosts,
Horror horror; often have danger, ghosts or spooky settings; often monsters
have twists or surprises; happy endings not guaranteed!
stories which have a basis in truth (historical characters & real Robin Hood
Legends
places) but have been added to over years of retelling The Legends of King Arthur
traditional stories explaining why the world is how it is; often Pandoras Box; creation
Myths passed down orally myths;

crime, puzzle or mystery to solve; detective or non- Sherlock Holmes, Famous

professional tasked with finding out; time pressure; villains and Five Series, Hacker, Alex
Mystery/Detective
victims; suspects; clues; red herrings; story ends in solving of Rider Books; Artemis Fowl
the mystery Series;
stories which imagine new technology and worlds; creatures The Iron Man; Star Wars;
Science fiction from other worlds; imaginary creatures/settings with a basis on Doctor Who
science and technology (rather than magic)
Original plan copyright Hamilton Trust, who give permission for it to be adapted as wished by individual users.
Y5/6 Spr F Plan 3A
Week 1 Monday Comprehension 1

Original plan copyright Hamilton Trust, who give permission for it to be adapted as wished by individual users.
Y5/6 Spr F Plan 3A
 Features of Horror Stories
These are stories which are intended to be a bit scary but still be fun.
- sometimes obviously spooky: haunted house, graveyard, old building,
anywhere isolated
Setting
- sometimes everyday location which feels safe, then it all goes wrong: shops,
home, party
- main character: vulnerable, often careless or curious, not able to get help
Character easily
s - scary characters: ghosts, monsters, witches, vampires, werewolves, 2-
dimensional villains
- main character gets into danger and must escape or perish!
- main character experiences something strange and investigatesthen must
Plot escape or perish!
- an everyday situation becomes increasingly scary until a danger is revealed
and must be escaped
- Opening: character(s) introduced, hints at the problem (dialogue, action or
description)
- Build up: problem/danger occurs; scary character reveals themselves or gets
closer
Structure
- Climax: moment of greatest danger, secrets uncovered, battle or escape
attempt
- Resolution: main character escapes or meets a sticky end (not too sticky!)
may be a final twist

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 - descriptive language to build suspense (including relative clauses and
Language adverbials of manner)
Features - short sentences for impact
- adverbials of time, place and number for cohesion

Week 1 Tuesday Comprehension 2/Spoken Language 1/Wednesday Word Reading 1

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Y5/6 Spr F Plan 3A
 Room for One More
(from Short! By Kevin Crossley-Holland)

How difficult it was to sleep in that strange bed! She wrestled

with the duvet and thumped the pillow; she turned her back
on the flimsy curtains; she wished she had never come up to
London.

At midnight she heard the grandfather clock whirr and strike;

and then she heard the gravel in the driveway crunch. At
once she jumped out of bed and crossed the room and just
peeped between the curtains.

What she could see was a gleaming black hearse. But there
was no coffin in it, and no flowers. No, the hearse was packed
out with living people: a crush of talking, laughing, living
people.

Then the driver of the hearse looked straight up at her, as

she peeped between the curtains.

Theres room for one more. Thats what he said. She could
hear his voice quite clearly. Then she tugged the curtains so
they crossed over, and ran back across the room, and
jumped into bed, and pulled the duvet up over the head. And
when she woke up next morning, she really wasnt sure
whether it was all a dream or not.

What do you think happened next? Write your prediction

here.

Original plan copyright Hamilton Trust, who give permission for it to be adapted as wished by individual users.
Y5/6 Spr F Plan 3A
Week 1 Tuesday Comprehension 2/Spoken Language 1/Wednesday Word Reading 1

Original plan copyright Hamilton Trust, who give permission for it to be adapted as wished by individual users.
Y5/6 Spr F Plan 3A
 Word List
Work with a partner

1. Choose a word from the list. know

2. Identify the silent letter. comb
half
3. Find/think of 3 more words write
which have the same silent thistle
column
letter and write them down. gnome
4. Use each new word to write talk
guest
a different sentence. island*
5. Now, choose a different word
from the list and repeat steps 2 and 3.

*You only need to think of one other word!

Challenge: Can you find a pattern in any of the

words with the same silent letter?

Display or print Word Hunt below for chn to refer to

Week 1 Wednesday Word Reading 1

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Y5/6 Spr F Plan 3A
 Word Hunt

Scan down this table to find three more examples of

words with the same silent letter

known sword ghastly knowledge

wrinkle thistle nestle debris
guide half rustle psalm
listen knife wrestle wrench
whistle wrong damn honest
knight castle tongue rhyme
would guess knee guarantee
thumb lamb autumn knuckle
guard should aisle could
ghost written gnarled knead
writer knocked gnash ballet
design rhythm comb subtle
hymn resign gnaw doubt
sign solemn honour isle

Week 1 Wednesday Word Reading 1

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Y5/6 Spr F Plan 3A
 Spelling lists - Adult reference

k know, knight, knife, knowledge, knee, knocked, knuckle,

knead

w write, wrestle, wrinkle, wrong, sword, answer, two,

wrench

g gnome, gnat, gnaw, gnarled, gnash, sign, foreign, resign,

champagne, design

t thistle, whistle, castle, butcher, mortgage, listen, nestle,

ballet, match

b doubt, comb, lamb, thumb, plumber, debtor, subtle

n solemn, autumn, damn, column, hymn

h ghost, white, rhythm, hour, honest, honour, heir,

gherkin, myrrh, rhyme

s island, aisle, isle, viscount, debris

l talk, half, calm, salmon, should, could, psalm

u guest, guess, guard, tongue, guitar, guarantee

Week 1 Wednesday Word Reading 1

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Y5/6 Spr F Plan 3A
 Spelling lists in order of difficulty Left to Right

knee knuckle knead

wrong answer wrench
sign resign foreign
castle whistle mortgage
calm salmon psalm
autumn hymn solemn
ghost honour rhythm
isle aisle viscount
comb doubt debtor
guard guitar guarantee

knee knuckle knead

wrong answer wrench
sign resign foreign
castle whistle mortgage
calm salmon psalm
autumn hymn solemn
ghost honour rhythm
isle aisle viscount
comb doubt debtor
guard guitar guarantee

knee knuckle knead

wrong answer wrench
sign resign foreign
castle whistle mortgage
calm salmon psalm
autumn hymn solemn
ghost honour rhythm
isle aisle viscount
comb doubt debtor
guard guitar guarantee

Week 1 Wednesday Word Reading 1

Original plan copyright Hamilton Trust, who give permission for it to be adapted as wished by individual users.
Y5/6 Spr F Plan 3A
 Adverbials 1

Add an adverbial to modify the verb in each sentence.

The adverbial can tell the reader when, where or in what order the
verb happened.

For example, for

The city was empty.
you could choose one of these:

At dawn, the city was empty.

The city was empty where the wolves had taken over.
First, the city was empty.

The driver got out of his truck.

The lift in the big store dropped.

She went shopping.

The girl got ready to go to school.

Sam walked.

She opened her homework book.

The hook was swinging.

The butterflies flew.

Week 1 Thursday Grammar 1/Composition 1

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Y5/6 Spr F Plan 3A
 Adverbials 2
With each sentence, extend it in three different ways using an
adverbial.
The adverbial can tell the reader when, where or in what order the
verb happened.
Try placing the adverbial at the beginning or end to achieve the best
effect.

For example,

The city was empty.

At dawn, the city was empty.

The city was empty where the wolves had taken over.
First, the city was empty.

The driver got out of his truck.

The lift in the big store dropped.

She went shopping.

The girl got ready to go to school.

Sam jumped up and walked.

She opened her homework book.

The hook was swinging.

The butterflies flew.

Week 1 Thursday Grammar 1/Composition 1

Original plan copyright Hamilton Trust, who give permission for it to be adapted as wished by individual users.
Y5/6 Spr F Plan 3A
 Adverbials 3
Extend each sentence three different ways by adding an adverbial
(word, phrase or clause to modify the verb.
The adverbial can tell the reader when, where or in what order the
verb happened.
Try placing the adverbial at the beginning or end to achieve the best
effect.

For example,

The city was empty.

First, the city was empty.

At dawn, the city was empty.
The city was empty where the wolves had taken over.

The driver got out of his truck.

The lift in the big store dropped.

She went shopping.

The girl got ready to go to school.

Sam jumped up and walked.

She opened her homework book.

The hook was swinging.

The butterflies flew.

Week 1 Thursday Grammar 1/Composition 1

Original plan copyright Hamilton Trust, who give permission for it to be adapted as wished by individual users.
Y5/6 Spr F Plan 3A
 Hunted

He was running and running, crashing through the branches

and tripping over the tree roots. The mice and the shrews
were rushing out of his way, the heavy footfalls warning
them, scuttling under cover amongst the dead leaves and
moss of the forest floor. A badger, lolloping slowly along the
edge of the trees, turned sharply to hide in the ditch at the
far end of the meadow adjoining the wood. And an owl,
swooping and soaring low over the bracken, wheeled around
and screeched a warning to the other animals, Skee-at,
skee-at.

The mans breath was coming in short sharps bursts. He was

bending over as he ran, almost crouching and keeping his
head down, clutching his side. He cared not at all as the
brambles scratched his coat, legs and face, and the low-lying
branches of the smaller trees slapped him as he passed. He
was running blindly, dashing hither and thither through the
forest. But he was also searching, desperately seeking
something, a sign, a small indication.

And then, suddenly, the reason for the mans panic became
apparent to the watching stoats and weasels, sitting on their
hind-legs, front paws in the air, ready to run if need be.
Behind the trees, marching down across the meadow and
heading rapidly towards the wood, were five soldiers. They
were jogging, holding their guns, great grey coats flapping
around their dark boots, chains clinking at their waists. The
badger, too frightened to move, crouching stock-still in the
ditch between the meadow and the wood, could still hear the
crashing sounds of the mans wild, erratic race through the
trees.

One of the soldiers gave a quick shout, Hoy! He jumped

smartly over the ditch, and the others followed, leaping after
him, narrowly missing the badgers broad, grey, striped back.
At the sound of the soldiers bark, the running sounds in the
forest ceased abruptly. The soldiers halted at the edge of the
Original plan copyright Hamilton Trust, who give permission for it to be adapted as wished by individual users.
Y5/6 Spr F Plan 3A
trees. They listened. There was silence. A soft scurrying
sound told the stoats and weasels that the badger had gone
to earth. An owl passed screeching overhead. The branches
of the trees creaked gently, and the leaves whispered
amongst themselves, as they painted the night sky an ever
darker velvet blue. The moon had long since set, and a few
stars were twinkling overhead. It was the hour before dawn,
the dead time of the night, when only the hunted and the
hunter are awake.

The man stood, poised for flight, beside a large oak tree. He
tried to control his gasping breaths, holding his mouth open
and drawing in the air in great silent gulps. His heart was
pounding so loudly he thought it affected the entire forest,
creating a deep thumping beat, which seemed to vibrate
through the trees. As he stood, frozen in time and space, it
seemed to him that all the animals were similarly petrified.
Nothing moved. Not even a mouse stirred on the leaf-strewn
floor. A fox stood at the edge of the clearing, a dead rabbit at
its feet, and a deer paused, head lowered, eyes wide, as it
listened for danger.

Suddenly the soldiers moved. This way! the captain called,

and he pushed the bracken aside and started running in
great bounding steps towards the centre of the wood. At the
same moment, the man saw it. There it was. The sign for
which he had been searching. He ran forward, past the
petrified deer, and to the side of the clearing. There was a
glint of metal, a gleam of gold beneath the leaves. The
hunted man scrambled and pulled. A trap door sprang open
and, in the nick of time, he slithered inside and pulled it shut
behind him. There was a soft click, and the leaves stirred.

The soldiers came crashing into the clearing. Just as they

skidded to a halt, right beside the oak tree where the hunted
man had stood not a minute earlier, the deer shifted. Quietly,
and with slow steps, it turned and moved, coming to stand
right over the trap door, and completely covering the flat
golden handle once more with leaves and earth. The deer
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Y5/6 Spr F Plan 3A
stood there. The soldiers stared at it. They peered around the
clearing and then shone torches into all the dark corners.
Finally, holding their torches high, they turned and started
searching further along the other side of the trees.

The deer quivered. Hunter or hunted. It knew the score. It

took a side. After a while, it turned and leapt effortlessly
away, out of the trees and across the meadow. It had saved a
mans life.

Week 1 Friday Comprehension 3/Spoken Language 2

Questions about Hunted

1. What sort of opening does the story have? Dialogue,

action or description?

2. After the second paragraph pause & take it in turns to

predict what you think the man is looking for.

3. Find and note one or more examples of alliteration that

the writer has used for effect.

4. Underline any adverbials that you identify. Use one

colour for those at the start of a paragraph or sentence
and another colour for those placed elsewhere in the
sentence.

5. What do you notice about the length of the sentences?

When does the writer use long sentences? Short
sentences?

6. Give a reason why the writer began a new paragraph on

each occasion.

7. What does petrified mean?

8. List the verbs that the writer used when the man or the
animals moved.
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Y5/6 Spr F Plan 3A
Week 1 Friday Comprehension 3/Spoken Language 2

Story Pegs
Hunted

1. Man running through the forest where

there was a badger & owl

2. The way man is running & looking

3. Soldiers appear in nearby field badger

frightened

4. Soldiers reach edge of forest only

sounds are owl & badger

5. Man by oak tree & deer (mouse & fox)

6. Soldiers move - man spots sign & hides

under door

7. Soldiers reach clearing - deer stands on

handle
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Y5/6 Spr F Plan 3A
Week 1 Friday Comprehension 3/Spoken Language 2

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Y5/6 Spr F Plan 3A
 Useful Adverbials
Indicate time, place, number (other linking adverbials)

Later Early next morning Next day

During the night

In the following week Two hours later

Later that evening

The following day In the meantime Suddenly

Then

Afterwards Before As soon as

Earlier

At the weekend Every other day Yesterday

At last

In the cupboard Under the bed On top of

the shelves

In the middle of town Beside the bookcase

Along the road

In the vase By the telephone In front of the

bank

Firstly Secondly Thirdly

Finally

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 Once Twice Lastly

(Meanwhile) (On the other hand) (Besides) (Anyway)

(However)

Week 2 Monday Grammar 2

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Y5/6 Spr F Plan 3A
 Two paragraphs from Room for One More
taken from Short! by Kevin Crossley-Holland

Opening paragraph
How difficult it was to sleep in that strange bed! She
wrestled with the duvet and thumped the pillow; she
turned her back on the flimsy curtains; she wished she
had never come up to London.

Sixth paragraph
That day, she went shopping. In the big store, she did
Levis Jeanswear on the fifth floor; she did Adidas
Sportswear and that was on the sixth floor; and then
she did cosmetics and that was on the seventh floor.
Carrying two bags in each hand, she walked over to
the lift. But when the bell pinged and the doors
opened, she saw the lift was already jammed full with
people.

Week 2 Thursday Grammar 4/Composition 4/Word Reading 4

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Y5/6 Spr F Plan 3A