SUMMER TASKS

It is clear from Transition Week that we have a highly motivated and creative Year 7 to look forward to, so let’s keep up that momentum throughout the summer holidays and have an OUTSTANDING start to the new term! Have a go at some of these fun Literacy Tasks - your new English teachers are really excited about hearing all your wonderful ideas! Please send any completed work to the following email address: smlit@st-marys.hull.sch.uk and remember to check back soon for your teacher’s reply! Alternatively you can post them to the main school address; just write ‘Summer Tasks’ on the envelope and don’t forget to include your name and form!

Summer Task 1 – The World Cup

• This year’s World Cup was based in South Africa but you also represented a certain country during Transition Week. How much do you know about these countries? Find out as much as you can and produce a fact-sheet / holiday brochure aimed at teenagers. You need to make sure you hold your reader’s interest as much as possible.
• Why not produce a crossword or word-search based around the World Cup: the players, the countries, football terminology, etc, etc.
• Imagine you have been asked to host a quiz based around the World Cup, past and present. Write twenty questions (with the answers!). These will need to entertain your guests and also challenge them.
• If you could put together your own ‘Dream Team’, who would it contain? Produce an information booklet outlining the players (and why you have chosen them!), team name, logo, kit design, training ground, etc, etc.
• The national anthems are always played for the winner of the World Cup. If you had to write an anthem for St Mary’s Transition Week, what would it be? Remember, often anthems have a repeated chorus! We will publish the best ones on the school website (so let us know if you don’t want us to!)
• Pretend you are the Spanish goal-scorer Andres Iniesta. Write your diary entry the night before the World Cup final and the night after! You must give lots of detail – the weather, the noise of the crowd, how you felt, etc, etc.

Summer Task 2 – Gez Walsh

You will have been lucky enough to hear Gez Walsh reading some of his amazing poetry during Transition Week. Wasn’t he fantastic! Just to keep that excitement alive, why not have a go at some of the tasks below. You can complete one task, a few, or all… it’s entirely up to you.

• Remind yourself of some of Gez’s best poems in his books or on his website www.pottypoets.com. Try to write a poem, in the same style, all about the World Cup or even the things you did during Transition Week! If it’s really good, we might even publish it on St Mary’s website (so please let us know if you don’t want us to!).
• Gez Walsh always publishes his poems in collections, and even illustrates the books himself. Why not produce your own collection of poems and illustrate them? You can copy out other people’s poems or even use some of your own – maybe linked by the theme of sport. Try to think of a funny title for your book!
• Why not write a ‘Who Wants To Be A Millionaire’ style quiz based on some of Gez’s poems. You can also ask questions based on the poet himself, such as the year he was born. Remember to check you have the answers though!
• Most good poems use special devices such as alliteration, onomatopoeia, personification or simile to help the reader build a picture in their mind. Choose one of these poetic devices and design a poster for it, copying out examples from Gez’s poems. You could even add a few more examples of your own!
• And if you like drawing, why not draw one of the characters from one of Gez’s poems? Try to add quotes from the poem to show what gave you the ideas!
• Write a pretend letter to Gez Walsh on behalf of St Mary’s College, to thank him for his visit. Tell him what part of his visit you enjoyed the most. Remember to set it out correctly and use a formal (polite) tone as it’s somebody that you don’t know personally. We will even pass the letters on to Gez if you like!

Summer Task 3 – using BBC Skillswise

• Have a look at the BBC Skillswise Website to revise skills of summarising: http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/words/reading/summarising/index.shtml and have a go at summarising a World Cup related article or report from a website or newspaper.
• Remind yourself of the difference between Fact & Opinion at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/words/reading/fact_and_opinion/index.shtml and then look at different websites and newspapers to find 10 facts and 10 opinions about the World Cup!
• Finally, revise all different types of texts at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/words/reading/typesoftext/factsheet.shtml. Have a go at writing an example of each text type, but related to the World Cup, for example:

An advert to persuade people to visit South Africa on holiday.
A letter from FIFA to inform Fabio Capello which England players received yellow cards.
A diary entry to describe what it was like watching a World Cup match.
A factsheet to instruct people how to play football.

Summer Task 4  – Rachael Mackenzie

Wow! Wasn’t it fascinating hearing from a real-life sports-person! Even though this year’s Transition Week focus was the World Cup, there are many important characteristics that are shared by all sporting heroes!

• Compile a factsheet of advice for people who want to get fit. Aim for 8 points – don’t forget to mention the importance of healthy eating!
• Keep your own sports diary during the summer holidays – detailing the events you have watched, either in real life or on TV, as well as everything you have participated in (even swimming in the pool on holiday!) and how it made you feel.   
• Invent a super-hero whose special power is Thai-Boxing. Think of a good super-hero name and design a suitable outfit for them to wear, labelled with lots of special features such as rocket launchers for extra high kicks! For an extra challenge, expand your ideas into a full comic strip story!
• Think of 10 questions you would like to ask Rachael Mackenzie and write them out neatly. Make sure you check your spellings! For an extra challenge, take it in turns to ‘hot-seat’ these questions with a friend, which means pretending to answer them in character!
• For the budding journalists amongst you, imagine you are working on the Transition Week newspaper, Goal Post.  Your editor, Matt Stephenson, has asked you to research Rachael Mackenzie and report on her appearance at Transition Week. Find out as much as you can and write the article! Add photos if you can!
• Write a pretend letter to Rachael Mackenzie on behalf of St Mary’s College, to thank her for her visit. Tell her what part of her visit you enjoyed the most. Remember to set it out correctly and use a formal (polite) tone as it’s somebody that you don’t know personally. We will even pass the letters on to Rachael if you like!

Summer Task 5 – Summer Reads!

We hope you are enjoying your free Booked Up book. Booked Up is a national charity that aims to give a free book to every child starting secondary school in England, to encourage reading for pleasure and independent choice.

• Once you have finished your book, write a list of the main characters. Then compile a fantasy cast-list of any famous actors/actresses from television programmes or films who could play each part – don’t forget to explain your answer! For an even bigger challenge, invent a new character altogether and explain how they would fit in with the story. Draw a picture to illustrate if you like.
• Write the continuing chapter of the novel. Try a happy ending then a contrasting sad ending!
• Write a full length book review using one of the guidance sheets attached below - just click on the link and print it out!
• A good story always depends on an interesting setting. What better setting than an exciting sporting event. You could be an athlete or a spectator – have a go at writing the opening chapter. If you feel you want to write the whole short story … why not give it a go and send it in!
• Go and research your local library. Design a poster that informs people about the opening times and all the facilities they offer. If you ask nicely, you could even interview the librarian and write up the answers!
• Finally, don’t forget St Mary’s Reading Journal! Your challenge is to read as many books as you can throughout the summer holidays – as well as the book you were given at St Mary’s College, you can borrow library books or even swap with all your new friends! Parents and carers must sign your journal and add any comments – there will be a Bronze Certificate awarded for reading 4 books, Silver Certificate for reading 10 books and Gold Certificate for reading 20 books. Your journal must then be handed in to your new English Teacher in September when we will launch a competition to see which tutor group can read the most books during the whole of Year 7!
• Happy Reading Year 7! Have a lovely summer holiday!

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