I enjoy writing for children. As a teacher I often had to improvise if I could not find the right piece of text for my English lessons. I have written both fictional and factual genres for all the junior age range.
28th May 2017 Here are two cat poems which may be of use to you if you decide to write a poem about a cat or if you use my,'Writing about cats,' idea suggested on the ideas page for children.
ALISON’S KITTENS CAME TO STAY.
Their sleek, sinuous bodies,
Deadly graceful
With muscles strong
Pace;
Always
Alert.
Keen eyes shine
With, bright intelligence.
Whiskers white
Protrude like spikes.
These miniature panthers
Black
Darker than ebony, coal and jet.
So dark they blend
Into the background.
A pair of perfectly proportioned
Camouflage.
In repose white flashes from their fur
Soften their appearance.
However, they prowl
Around the house
Staring!
Searching!
Stalking!
Holding statue still.
Suddenly... a knife sharp movement
And they pounce
With lethal, powerful strikes
And the feathery, rubbery mouse
Is captured!
Tormented!
By playful padded paws.
SEE THE CAT!
See the cat
with sleek black fur.
See the cat
And listen to it purr.
See the cat
With eyes so bright.
See the cat's
Spiked whiskers, white.
See the cat
On the prowl.
See the cat
And hear it howl.
See the cat
All warm and fed.
See the cat
Lie cosy on its bed.
See the cat
Happy, fast asleep
See the cat
You decide to keep!
Sue Westcott (C.)2017
ALISON’S KITTENS CAME TO STAY.
Their sleek, sinuous bodies,
Deadly graceful
With muscles strong
Pace;
Always
Alert.
Keen eyes shine
With, bright intelligence.
Whiskers white
Protrude like spikes.
These miniature panthers
Black
Darker than ebony, coal and jet.
So dark they blend
Into the background.
A pair of perfectly proportioned
Camouflage.
In repose white flashes from their fur
Soften their appearance.
However, they prowl
Around the house
Staring!
Searching!
Stalking!
Holding statue still.
Suddenly... a knife sharp movement
And they pounce
With lethal, powerful strikes
And the feathery, rubbery mouse
Is captured!
Tormented!
By playful padded paws.
SEE THE CAT!
See the cat
with sleek black fur.
See the cat
And listen to it purr.
See the cat
With eyes so bright.
See the cat's
Spiked whiskers, white.
See the cat
On the prowl.
See the cat
And hear it howl.
See the cat
All warm and fed.
See the cat
Lie cosy on its bed.
See the cat
Happy, fast asleep
See the cat
You decide to keep!
Sue Westcott (C.)2017
Newspaper reports can be fun to write. This is another historical one which I think brings the period to life.
ROMANS INVADE!
Disaster strikes Celtic Britain as a huge Roman army
lands on the Kentish coast!
On Friday 27th August AD43, 4 legions of the Roman army led by Aulus Plautius attacked the settlements of the Celtic tribes in the area of Richbrough. Emperor Claudius of Rome had decided that the invasion of Britain was in the best interest of enlarging the Roman Empire. He said, “Britain is a wealthy land with gold and silver mines. They have good craftsmen and men who would make excellent slaves.”
The 4 legions set sail at dawn from Gaul and crossed the English Channel. The task of getting this invasion force ready was a tremendous undertaking and took many months to prepare. The Centurion of the II Augusta legion said that, in all 45-50,000 men together with vast amount of supplies as well as ancillary workers were transported on over 1,000 ships.
The ships landed and did not meet any resistance from the local tribes. However, a vicious battle took place at nearby Medway when many of the local tribes surrendered to the Roman leader.
Celtic Chief Carodoc said, “There were too many of them. They were dressed in armour which our spears could not penetrate! They were so well trained that we could not fight them.” Another warrior added,” There were dead bodies piling up. They were too strong for us!”
General Aulus Plautius followed two Celtic chiefs who fled to their stronghold in Camulodunum. He said, “I decided to wait for the Emperor to bring reinforcements.” Emperor Claudius brought with him elephants and many more soldiers. Carodoc, one of the fiercest leaders of the Celts fought outside the hillside fort and managed to escape.
The arrival of the Emperor’s elephants played a significant part in the final defeat of Camulodunum. One Roman soldier said that the Celts were terrified of these mighty beasts and they panicked when they saw them.
Emperor Claudius was delighted with his victory. He has decided to stay in Britain for 16 more days and then he will leave for Rome. He leaves General Aulus Plautius in charge as the new Governor General of Britain.
Sue Westcott (C.) 2016
ROMANS INVADE!
Disaster strikes Celtic Britain as a huge Roman army
lands on the Kentish coast!
On Friday 27th August AD43, 4 legions of the Roman army led by Aulus Plautius attacked the settlements of the Celtic tribes in the area of Richbrough. Emperor Claudius of Rome had decided that the invasion of Britain was in the best interest of enlarging the Roman Empire. He said, “Britain is a wealthy land with gold and silver mines. They have good craftsmen and men who would make excellent slaves.”
The 4 legions set sail at dawn from Gaul and crossed the English Channel. The task of getting this invasion force ready was a tremendous undertaking and took many months to prepare. The Centurion of the II Augusta legion said that, in all 45-50,000 men together with vast amount of supplies as well as ancillary workers were transported on over 1,000 ships.
The ships landed and did not meet any resistance from the local tribes. However, a vicious battle took place at nearby Medway when many of the local tribes surrendered to the Roman leader.
Celtic Chief Carodoc said, “There were too many of them. They were dressed in armour which our spears could not penetrate! They were so well trained that we could not fight them.” Another warrior added,” There were dead bodies piling up. They were too strong for us!”
General Aulus Plautius followed two Celtic chiefs who fled to their stronghold in Camulodunum. He said, “I decided to wait for the Emperor to bring reinforcements.” Emperor Claudius brought with him elephants and many more soldiers. Carodoc, one of the fiercest leaders of the Celts fought outside the hillside fort and managed to escape.
The arrival of the Emperor’s elephants played a significant part in the final defeat of Camulodunum. One Roman soldier said that the Celts were terrified of these mighty beasts and they panicked when they saw them.
Emperor Claudius was delighted with his victory. He has decided to stay in Britain for 16 more days and then he will leave for Rome. He leaves General Aulus Plautius in charge as the new Governor General of Britain.
Sue Westcott (C.) 2016
This biography was written as part of a history topic on the Celts and Boudicca. I wrote three versions for the different abilities in my class. I have chosen to publish just one of the written pieces.
A Biography of Boudica.
Boudica was a famous Celtic warrior Queen who led a rebellion against the Roman army in AD 60. She was born in AD30 in the South East of Britain and died in AD62. She was 13 when the Romans invaded Britain in AD 43 and when the Celts finally made peace with the Romans she was brought up to be a loyal servant of Rome.
In AD 48, when she was 18, she married Prasutagus, King of the Iceni tribe. They lived in Norfolk and had two daughters and she was happy. However it wasn’t until Prasutagus died that matters changed for Boudicca.
Unfortunately, when Prasutagus died all his land and wealth were taken by the Romans. Boudica, who was now the Iceni Queen, visited the Roman Governor Suetonious to explain that she would rule the Iceni tribe instead of her husband. Cassius Dio, a Roman writer said that she was a tall proud woman who had a fierce stare that stabbed at you. Her voice was harsh and she had long, flowing red hair. She always dressed in a tartan cloak tied with a brooch and wore a golden torc around her neck. She must have been an impressive sight!
She left her village with her two daughters to visit the Governor. Suetonius, the Roman General in charge, was not pleased with this visit and angry words were spoken on both sides. Boudica and her daughters were badly beaten by the Romans for daring to challenge their authority. She returned back to her village and the warriors of the Iceni tribe were furious that this had happened to their Queen. Boudica vowed to take her revenge for this monstrous deed as soon as she was well enough.
Whilst Boudica recuperated Suetonius and the main Roman army were sent to Wales to sort out some problems with the tribes there. Once they had left, Boudica put a plan of action into place; she would take her Iceni warriors to Colchester and attack the town.
Riding in a chariot with her two daughters, she led the Iceni to Colchester. As Colchester was defended by only old soldiers and women and children, the Iceni soon defeated them and Colchester was theirs. When the other local tribes heard of their success they joined Boudica, who then led them to London. Taking the town by surprise, Boudica was again successful in defeating the Roman garrison. Cassius Dio said that the Celts showed no mercy to anyone who was in the town.
Some soldiers, who escaped the massacre at London, fled to Wales to inform Suetonius of what was happening. He turned his army round and marched quickly back and met Boudica outside St. Albans. Tacticus reported that the Celts had approximately 100,000 warriors. Although the Romans were outnumbered, they were more organised and managed to defeat the Celts in a terrible battle.
Boudica watched the battle and sent her daughters away so that they would not be caught. She decided to poison herself rather than be taken prisoner again by the Romans. She died in AD62 somewhere outside of St. Albans and no one knows where her body was buried.
Boudica’s story was a famous one and it has been passed down from generation to generation. Statues have been erected in her honour as she was considered to have qualities that all Britons hold in high regard; bravery, integrity, and honour.
Sue Westcott (C.) 2016 ( Boudica can be spelt with a double c as well.as with one c Boudicca.)
This explanation was written after the children had watched a video of a cake making machine.
The GLOP MACHINE
First the slimy grey glop is squeezed from the GLOP receptacle.
As it lands onto the top conveyor belt, a pink puff of magic powder is squirted onto it; turning the glop a beautiful rose pink.
It continues on its amazing journey through the kennel cooker where the pink glop is heated by fiery flames until it has risen to a nice cloud consistency.
Next a metallic robotic arm delicately places a juicy red cheery kissed by the Mediterranean sun out on top of the fluffy cupcake.
After this amazing cupcake glides along the conveyor belt then it is sprinkled with fairy glitter frosting. This magical ingredient when mixed with the cupcake creates a sunburst of flavours that are incredible and set off tiny tingly bubbles of delight when eaten.
Finally the yummy confectionary is boxed up into a fruity taste sensation packaging and skates effortlessly into the waiting crate to be delivered to bakers across the world.
Sue Westcott.(C.) 2016
The GLOP MACHINE
First the slimy grey glop is squeezed from the GLOP receptacle.
As it lands onto the top conveyor belt, a pink puff of magic powder is squirted onto it; turning the glop a beautiful rose pink.
It continues on its amazing journey through the kennel cooker where the pink glop is heated by fiery flames until it has risen to a nice cloud consistency.
Next a metallic robotic arm delicately places a juicy red cheery kissed by the Mediterranean sun out on top of the fluffy cupcake.
After this amazing cupcake glides along the conveyor belt then it is sprinkled with fairy glitter frosting. This magical ingredient when mixed with the cupcake creates a sunburst of flavours that are incredible and set off tiny tingly bubbles of delight when eaten.
Finally the yummy confectionary is boxed up into a fruity taste sensation packaging and skates effortlessly into the waiting crate to be delivered to bakers across the world.
Sue Westcott.(C.) 2016
My first contribution is a character description.
Robin - The Boy Wonder.
With his boyish good looks and trim athletic figure, Robin, “The Boy Wonder” is the perfect sidekick assistant for Batman. Being naturally fit and healthy comes in handy when he has to chase and capture evil villains.
After having intensive martial art and boxing tuition, Robin can hold his own in any fight situation. Supporting Batman in the fight against crime is one of Robin’s greatest achievements!
Robin is extremely proud of his role as Batman’s assistant and his exemplary polite manners and easy going nature have made him popular with the public. However, he can become angry very quickly when he sees the destruction that many of his adversaries do in their criminal activities. He particularly hates any harmful move that can be made against the young, the poor and the defenceless.
Wearing an easily recognisable costume has helped Robin to become famous. His green and red superhero suit fits his lean, muscular body perfectly and the stretchy material allows him lots of freedom of movement especially when fighting criminals.
Behind the black eye mask, his piercing, green eyes often sparkle with amusement. When training in the gym, his sense of humour often leads him into trouble with his more serious minded mentor, Batman, especially as he likes to make sound effects such as ‘Kapow!’ ‘Klunk!’ ‘Bam’ and ‘Wham!’
Although he is young, in his early twenties, he does have a mature, serious nature which can be seen over and over again when he changes into superhero mode. When he does that master criminals everywhere need to watch out! ‘Kaboom!’
Sue Westcott.2016 (C.)
Robin - The Boy Wonder.
With his boyish good looks and trim athletic figure, Robin, “The Boy Wonder” is the perfect sidekick assistant for Batman. Being naturally fit and healthy comes in handy when he has to chase and capture evil villains.
After having intensive martial art and boxing tuition, Robin can hold his own in any fight situation. Supporting Batman in the fight against crime is one of Robin’s greatest achievements!
Robin is extremely proud of his role as Batman’s assistant and his exemplary polite manners and easy going nature have made him popular with the public. However, he can become angry very quickly when he sees the destruction that many of his adversaries do in their criminal activities. He particularly hates any harmful move that can be made against the young, the poor and the defenceless.
Wearing an easily recognisable costume has helped Robin to become famous. His green and red superhero suit fits his lean, muscular body perfectly and the stretchy material allows him lots of freedom of movement especially when fighting criminals.
Behind the black eye mask, his piercing, green eyes often sparkle with amusement. When training in the gym, his sense of humour often leads him into trouble with his more serious minded mentor, Batman, especially as he likes to make sound effects such as ‘Kapow!’ ‘Klunk!’ ‘Bam’ and ‘Wham!’
Although he is young, in his early twenties, he does have a mature, serious nature which can be seen over and over again when he changes into superhero mode. When he does that master criminals everywhere need to watch out! ‘Kaboom!’
Sue Westcott.2016 (C.)