Y8 Short Story Writing Pack

English Remote Learning

This booklet contains a number of different tasks to help you explore

short stories and narrative writing. If possible, you should aim to complete at least 3 hours of English a week.

“It's like everyone tells a story about themselves inside their own head. Always. All the time.

That story makes you what you are. We build ourselves out of that story.”

― Patrick Rothfuss

“After nourishment, shelter and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the

world.”

― Philip Pullman

“Most of the basic material a writer works with is acquired before the age of fifteen.”

― Willa Cather

“Artists use lies to tell the truth. Yes, I created a lie. But because you believed it, you found

something true about yourself.”

― Alan Moore

Lesson 1

What Makes an Interesting Story?

Take another look at the quotations on the front page of the booklet. What do they tell us

about telling tales? Why do you think stories are important?

Task One: What are the different elements needed to create an interesting short story?

Complete the mind map below with your ideas:

Task Two: Now read the three short stories on the following pages. Underline/highlight

features that you think make an effective short story. If you find something you haven’t

yet considered, add it to your mind map.

What makes an

interesting

short story?

Moving On

I can see her from my window. In her bedroom titivating herself and getting ready to go out.

She was my best friend. But not anymore.

I can't help but think back to how different things used to be between us, just a few

years ago. I remember the first day I met her, when she burst into my world like a ray of

sunshine exclaiming "We will be best friends forever!" A promise she failed to keep.

At first we did everything together - went shopping, ate in restaurants, went for drives

in the car, and every year she insisted I went on holiday with her and her family. Always to a

beach. I never told her but I hated the way the sand never seemed to wash out of my hair.

She introduced me to my first ever boyfriend. He was called Ken and was the love of

my life. He was so handsome and well dressed and she always said we belonged together. That

was until... That year we went to Menorca - another beach holiday - but the first time Ken and

I had been away as a couple. We all had a great time! But two days before we came home, I

stayed at the hotel while the rest of them went on a boat trip. They were gone for ages, but I

enjoyed the peace and quiet. When she came back I could tell she had been crying. She hugged

me close and sobbed. There had been an accident on the boat and my Ken was lost forever -

presumed drowned.

When we got back home things were never the same again. I was just numb, but she

cried a river. She sobbed when she saw his car in the driveway, when she opened the wardrobe

and saw his clothes, and when she stepped on his surfboard - his pride and joy - and broke it. I

just smiled at her and hoped in my eyes she could see I forgave her. She tried at the start to

make everything better, taking me out, buying me new clothes and even introducing me to a

new man.

I don't know exactly when we started to drift apart. Her visits dwindled and I saw her

less and less. She has a new friend now, called Sarah, who is beginning to take my place. I met

Sarah once briefly, and she laughed at me. I looked at my best friend and could see how

embarrassed she was with me. I knew then our time was over.

She is still fixing her hair, music blaring through the open window. Suddenly her

bedroom door opens. "Turn that music down Lucy!" her mum yells, "Have you decided what

things you are giving to the charity shop yet? I'm going now!" She looked over - directly at me.

"Yeah mum, I think the dolls house and Barbie can go." And my world went black as the plastic

bag was placed over my home.

Find Me

The boy caressed the rusty key in his palm. Hours had passed, scouring this unknown territory:

a waste of time until he found this reward, this trophy. With the eagerness of an archaeologist

he rubbed away at the encrusted dirt until his grimy fingers revealed two words, inscribed on

the key's shaft - "Find Me".

The instant he stepped foot into the house again, all his senses marvelled at the

uniqueness of the Manor. The sinewy fingers of stale pipe tobacco smoke crawled up into his

nostrils, and the irritating sound of creaking chafed at his eardrums as he pounded the wooden

floorboards searching for hidden curiosities.

His mother had sunk into poverty since her husband had died in The Great War. A

hardworking and trustworthy woman, she was fortunate to have been given the position of

housekeeper by the owners of Pensfort Manor whilst they were travelling. Her son, an

exuberant nine year old, short for his age but fearless nonetheless, was delirious to find himself

free to roam the many formal gardens, orchards and wildernesses surrounding the Manor and

play to his heart's content within the walls of the ambling house.

Nimbly traversing the many corridors, the boy wandered into a room, yet undiscovered,

and pondered over its impressive paintings with elaborate gilt frames which looked to him

centuries old. Someone tapped him on the back - it was a delicate touch, more that of a child

than an adult, but surely not his mother's. There it was again, a gentle prod, undoubtedly real,

for he felt fingernails pierce his shirt.

He wove around to face a life sized portrait of a girl - she had flowing golden locks,

peaceful blue eyes but a sad pale face full of longing and loneliness. In the background of the

painting was a decaying oak door with a rusting lock...

The girl moved! He could swear on it. She seemed to be clawing at his hand - why? He

spread out his palm: of course, the key! She smiled but her eyes were bulging with hunger as

she beckoned him hypnotically to come forward. The girl pointed eagerly to the lock in the

door behind her; as he slid the key into it, a huge wave of light flooded out of the painting,

engulfing him and his screams for help.

"Son?" his mother called to him. No response. "Son?" All day she had searched every

inch of the house in vain desperation before she remembered the deserted corridor of rooms

the owners of the house had told her not to disturb. Her heart pounded as she retraced the boy's

boot prints on the dusty floorboards. On entering the room, her eyes followed the footprints

leading curiously up to the gloomy picture of the girl; she recoiled in horror as her eyes took

in the scene before her: the girl's pale hand rested on the shoulder of a new companion, one

that was not meant to be there...her son.

Umbrella

It was a cloudy night; the darkness covered the city like a thick blanket. The wind blew gusts

of air smelling of car fumes through the streets; it sneaked under the cracks of doors and

whispered down sooty chimneys.

Mr Bell hurried down a dark street, holding onto his bowler hat so that the harsh breeze

couldn't steal it. The wind blew harder, almost blowing the short, stout man off-course. Eyes

narrowed, Mr Bell tried again to walk into the path of the determined gale. A hazy drizzle of

misty rain drifted down in sheets, making him shiver and cough. Cursing the cold, he drew his

coat tighter around his large figure. As he made to clamp his hat to his head again, he spotted

something black and flapping on the pavement. An umbrella!

His heart leapt; the umbrella would be perfect! Feeling pleased with himself, Mr Bell

ran towards it and snatched it up. The handle was smooth and glossy, and the waterproof dome

was black and very large.

As Mr Bell raised it above his head, something remarkable happened. He began to feel

lighter as he ran over the cobbled street, holding tight. Lighter and lighter. With a gasp, he

realised that his leather shoes were no longer making contact with the pavement. He was flying!

The wind lifted him up like hundreds of hands, all pushing upwards. With a delighted and

shocked shout, Mr Bell gazed down at the sprawling city below him. The street lamps looked

like beautiful, luminous flowers reaching up to him. Cars reminded him of jewel-coloured

beetles crawling through the concrete maze.

The wind led him towards the park; it was the only splash of green in a grey ocean of

buildings and roads. Clutching the umbrella tightly, he drifted towards two bronze statues of

lions guarding the park entrance. Mr Bell outstretched his free hand and reached towards one.

As he passed, he patted it on its cold head. The lion roared deeply and shook its impressive

mane, whilst watching the small man float past. Wide-eyed, Mr Bell swung himself away. The

umbrella swayed dangerously and as he grasped the handle harder, he waited dizzily for the

world to stop spinning.

Still the wind carried him on. He glanced back at the now still statues. The trees swayed

in time with the umbrella as he drifted higher again. A white barn owl flew past Mr Bell like a

winged ghost. As he rose, he scanned the sprawling city for his house. There. He gently coaxed

the umbrella down towards his street. The wind rushed down and with a bump, Mr Bell landed

outside his house. He looked around to check that nobody had noticed him disembarking,

before making his way up the garden path. The promise of light and warmth beckoned him

inside. As he stood on the front porch, he folded the umbrella up and smiled as he thought

about what an exciting bedtime story his daughters would have that night.

Now you have read the 3 short stories pick your favourite. Explain what is good about it

and how you would change it if it was your own story.

WWW-

EBI-

Lesson 2-

Story Openings

Below are the very first sentences from various children’s novels. Look at each example of an

opening sentence and discuss whether or not it would interest you as a reader. Then think about

what the author has done to ‘hook’ you into his/her book.

What makes the openings inviting to a reader?

Why would a reader want to continue reading after reading these openings?

Which interests you the most?

‘Yes,’ said Tom bluntly, on

opening the front door.

‘What d’you want?’

Not for the first time, an argument

had broken out over breakfast at

number four, Privet Drive.

Once, there were four

children whose names were

Peter, Susan, Edmund and

Lucy.

It was a dark, blustery afternoon in

spring, and the city of London was

chasing a small mining town across

the dried-out bed of the North Sea.

Once I was living in an

orphanage in the mountains

and I almost caused a riot.

It was 7 minutes after midnight.

Sentence Openings

One of the most common ways to start a sentence is to begin with the thing being described

as subject (first word). So we start with ‘the...’, or ‘she/he/it...’, followed by the verb (action).

For example: The lanky, unkempt fellow slinked down the canal path...

This can become boring. Instead try the following to vary your sentence openings:

✓ Use an ‘-ly’ (adverb) opening word: Unsteadily, the lanky, unkempt fellow slinked

down the alleyway...

✓ Open using a word ending in ‘-ed’: Terrified, the girl darted out of the path of her

pursuer...

✓ Start the sentence using a word ending in ‘-ing’: Ambling along the canal tow path,

the intoxicated thief spied his victim...

Good

Beginnings

Talk to the reader – use first person narrative

Shock your

reader

Create a

tense atmosphere

Create a very clear picture

Start with something

odd

Use direct

speech

Start in the middle of something

Make your

reader laugh

Sentence Lengths

Read the following extract:

The attic door creaked open. Something rustled in the darkness. I stared, but could see nothing

beyond the vague shapes of old suitcases and trunks piled high. It smelt damp. I struggled up

into the attic and wedged the door open. Light poured into darkness. The darkness in the head

of the house. I balanced carefully upon the floor beams. I knew that if I stepped onto plaster I

could fall straight through into the room below. A cobweb brushed my face and I felt the sudden

tickle of a spider crawl across my cheek. As I made my way forwards, it grew darker and

colder. I was blocking the light from the attic door. There were piles of old newspapers, brown

bags tied with string cardboard boxes and ancient, moth eaten rugs that smelt of mothballs.

Thick dust powdered every surface. I kept thinking that I could slip and put my foot through

the floor. I stopped at a pile of old camping equipment. It was a jumble of guy ropes, torn

canvas, poles, wooden pegs, metal skewers and a mallet. It was there that I saw the hand. It

was quite still and white, like a marble. But then it moved.

1. What do you notice about the sentence lengths? Why are they important?

2. What atmosphere is created in the passage? How does the writer build tension?

3. What other techniques does the writer use to create the atmosphere?

Choose an appropriate hook from the ‘good beginnings’ wheel and write the opening of a story below:

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Lesson 3

Practice Titles Now it’s time to use the skills you have learnt so far. Choose a title from one of the five

below:

➢ The Hidden Book

➢ The Accident

➢ The Broken Mirror

➢ The Secret Door

➢ The Unexpected Guest

Elements to consider when planning your story:

● First person or third person narrative?

● Choose one or two main characters

● Choose one setting

● Consider how much time can take place in the story?

● Consider the time sequence? Does your story take place in chronological order?

● Your story MUST be closely related to your title

● Your story MUST be original and interesting

Task: Plan your story using the mind map and table below. Resolve the ideas above in your

plan.

Structure of a Short Story First Sentence: direct speech, exclamation,

question …

Beginning (Exposition):

What do you need to tell your reader about

the characters, setting and plot to keep them

engaged?

Middle (Problem):

What do you need to add to keep your reader

interested? How can you build

suspense/tension?

Climax:

What is the event that occurs before the

problem is solved and the readers’ questions

are answered?

Ending (Resolution):

How will you end so that the problem is

resolved and satisfy the reader? Will you

create an unexpected ending?

Characterisation

One way of making your writing more interesting is to SHOW rather than TELL.

For example:

Telling:

She was frightened.

Showin

Remember to use:

• Interesting verbs - 'doing' words or 'being' words. E.g. 'walk',

‘feel’

• Adverbs – words that add information to the verb.

• Adjectives - describing words that tell you more about nouns.

Task

Create a character using the ‘show, don’t tell’ rule. He or she should express an emotion.

Goosebumps travelled up her fair skin and her mouth

went horribly dry. Her hands began to shake

uncontrollably but her feet became lead weights that

refused to move.

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Lesson 4/5 Varied Vocabulary – Synonyms

Task One: Using a thesaurus, create a vocabulary list for the following words. The first one

has been done for you.

1. Slim: thin, trim, slender, lean, wiry.

2. Cold:

3. Hot:

4. Happy:

5. Sad:

Task Two: Use the new words from your vocabulary list in a sentence. The first one has

been done for you.

1. Slim: The teenage girl was very slender.

2. Cold:

3. Hot:

4. Happy:

5. Sad:

Task Three: Make these sentences more interesting by using similes, metaphors,

personification, adjectives and adverbs. The first one has been done for you.

1. I was very sad.

Tears of sorrow streaked my face.

2. He was proud.

3. The wind was strong.

4. I was excited.

Using your planning spider diagram, complete a draft of your story below.

Title-……………………………………….

Ensure your story has the following…

❑ Exciting opening paragraph using dialogue OR action OR description

❑ Short sentences to build tension

❑ Varied sentence starters (use your sheet e.g. adverbs, ing words)

❑ Ambitious vocabulary (use a dictionary if you are unsure of spelling)

❑ At least four types of punctuation

❑ Description of the scene using plenty of adjectives

❑ SHOW not tell the characters through actions and dialogue

❑ Some dialogue between characters

❑ A crisis or dilemma – an exciting event

❑ A resolution to the dilemma to end

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Lesson 6

Check your story has the following, if you are missing something go back to your story to try

adding it in. Use below as a tick list.

❑ Exciting opening paragraph using dialogue OR action OR description

❑ Short sentences to build tension

❑ Varied sentence starters (use your sheet e.g. adverbs, ing words)

❑ Ambitious vocabulary (use a dictionary if you are unsure of spelling)

❑ At least four types of punctuation

❑ Description of the scene using plenty of adjectives

❑ SHOW not tell the characters through actions and dialogue

❑ Some dialogue between characters

❑ A crisis or dilemma – an exciting event

❑ A resolution to the dilemma to end

Get someone in your household to give you a WWW and EBI.

WWW-

EBI-

Read the following story and answer the questions.

Lamb to the Slaughter by Roald Dahl

LAMB TO THE SLAUGHTER by ROALD DAHL

The room was warm, the curtains were closed, the two table lamps were lit. On the cupboard behind her

there were two glasses and some drinks. Mary Maloney was waiting for her husband to come home from

work.

Now and again she glanced at the clock, but without anxiety: She merely wanted to satisfy herself that

each minute that went by made it nearer the time when he would come home. As she bent over her sewing,

she was curiously peaceful. This was her sixth month expecting a child. Her mouth and her eyes, with their

new calm look, seemed larger and darker than before.

When the clock said ten minutes to five, she began to listen, and a few moments later, punctually as

always, she heard the car tires on the stones outside, the car door closing, footsteps passing the window,

the key turning in the lock. She stood up and went forward to kiss him as he entered.

"Hello, darling," she said. "Hello," he answered.

She took his coat and hung it up. Then she made the drinks, a strong one for him and a weak one for

herself; and soon she was back again in her chair with the sewing, and he was in the other chair, holding

the tall glass, rolling it gently so that the ice knocked musically against the side of the glass.

For her, this was always a wonderful time of day. She knew he didn't want to speak much until the first

drink was finished, and she was satisfied to sit quietly, enjoying his company after the long hours alone in

the house. She loved the warmth that came out of him when they were alone together. She loved the shape

of his mouth, and she especially liked the way he didn't complain about being tired.

"Tired, darling?"

"Yes," he sighed. "I'm thoroughly exhausted. And as he spoke, he did an unusual thing. He lifted his glass

and drank it down in one swallow although there was still half of it left. He got up and went slowly to get

himself another drink.

"I'll get it!" she cried, jumping up. "Sit down," he said.

When he came back, she noticed that the new drink was a very strong one. She watched him as he began to

drink.

"I think it's a shame," she said, "that when someone's been a policeman as long as you have, he still has to

walk around all day long." He didn't answer. "Darling," she said," If you're too tired to eat out tonight, as

we had planned, I can fix you something. There's plenty of meat and stuff in the freezer." Her eyes waited

to an answer, a smile, a nod, but he made no sign.

"Anyway," she went on. "I'll get you some bread and cheese." "I don't want it," he said.

She moved uneasily in her chair. "But you have to have supper. I can easily fix you something. I'd like to

do it. We can have lamb. Anything you want. Everything's in the freezer."

"Forget it," he said.

"But, darling, you have to eat! I'll do it anyway, and then you can have it or not, as you like."

She stood up and put placed her sewing on the table by the lamp. "Sit down," he said. "Just for a minute,

sit down." It wasn't until then that she began to get frightened.

"Go on," he said. "Sit down." She lowered herself into the chair, watching him all the time with large,

puzzled eyes. He had finished his second drink and was staring into the glass.

"Listen," he said. "I've got something to tell you." "What is it, darling? What's the matter?"

He became absolutely motionless, and he kept his head down.

"This is going to be a big shock to you, I'm afraid," he said. "But I've thought about it a good deal and I've

decided that the only thing to do is to tell you immediately." And he told her. It didn't take long, four or

five minutes at most, and she sat still through it all, watching him with puzzled horror.

"So there it is," he added. "And I know it's a tough time to be telling you this, but there simply wasn't any

other way. Of course, I'll give you money and see that you're taken care of. But there really shouldn't be

any problem. I hope not, in any case. It wouldn't be very good for my job."

Her first instinct was not to believe any of it. She thought that perhaps she'd imagined the whole thing.

Perhaps, if she acted as though she had not heard him, she would find out that none of it had ever

happened.

"I'll fix some supper," she whispered. When she walked across the room, she couldn't feel her feet touching

the floor. She couldn't feel anything except a slight sickness. She did everything without thinking. She

went downstairs to the freezer and took hold of the first object she found. She lifted it out, and looked at it.

It was wrapped in paper, so she took off the paper and looked at again --- a leg of lamb.

All right, then, they would have lamb for supper. She carried it upstairs, held the thin end with both her

hands. She went into the living room, saw him standing by the window with his back to her, and stopped.

"I've already told you," he said. "Don't make supper for me. I'm going out."

At that point, Mary Maloney simply walked up behind him and without any pause, she swung the big

frozen leg of lamb high in the air and brought it down as hard as she could on the back of his head. She

might as well have hit him with a steel bar.

She stepped back, waiting, and the strange thing was that he remained standing there for at least four or

five seconds. Then he crashed onto the carpet.

The violence of the crash, the noise, the small table overturning, helped to bring her out of the shock. She

came out slowly, feeling cold and surprised, and she stood for a few minutes, looking at the body, still

holding the piece of meat tightly with both hands.

All right, she told herself. So I've killed him.

It was extraordinary, now, how clear her mind became all of a sudden. She began thinking very fast. As

the wife of a detective, she knew what the punishment would be. It made no difference to her. In fact, it

would be a relief. On the other hand, what about the baby? What were the laws about murderers with

unborn children? Did they kill them both -- mother and child? Did they wait until the baby was born?

What did they do? Mary Maloney didn't know and she wasn't prepared to take a chance.

She carried the meat into the kitchen, put it into a pan, turned on the oven, and put the pan inside. Then she

washed her hands, ran upstairs, sat down in front of the mirror, fixed her makeup, and tried to smile.

The smile was rather peculiar. She tried again. "Hello, Sam" she said brightly, aloud. The voice sounded

peculiar, too. "I want some potatoes, Sam. Yes, and perhaps a can of bean.s." That was better. Both the

smile and the voice sounded better now. She practiced them several times more. Then she ran downstairs,

took her coat, and went out the back door, through the garden into the street.

It wasn't six o'clock yet and the lights were still on in the neighborhood grocery. "Hello, Sam," she said

brightly, smiling at the man in the shop.

"Good evening, Mrs. Maloney. How are you?"

"I want some potatoes, please, Sam. Yes, and perhaps a can of beans, too. Patrick's decided he's tired and

he doesn't want to eat out tonight," she told him. "We usually go out on Thursdays, you know, and now I

don't have any vegetables in the house."

"Then how about some meat, Mrs. Maloney?" asked the grocer.

"No, I've got meat, thanks, I've got a nice leg of lamb, from the freezer."

"Do you want these potatoes, Mrs. Maloney?

"Oh, yes, they'll be fine. Two pounds, please."

"Anything else?" The grocer turned his head to one side, looking at her. "How about dessert? What are you

going to give him for dessert? How about a nice piece of cake? I know he likes cake."

"Perfect," she said. "He loves it."

And when she had bought and paid for everything, she gave her brightest smile and said, "Thank you,

Sam. Good night."

And now, she told herself as she hurried back home, she was returning to her husband and he was waiting

for his supper. She had to cook it well and make it taste as good as possible, because the poor man was

tired; and if she found anything unusual or terrible when she got home, then it would be a shock and she

would have to react with grief and horror. Of course, she was not expecting to find anything unusual at

home. She was just going home with the vegetables on Thursday evening to cook dinner for husband.

That's the way, she told herself. Do everything normally. Keep things absolutely natural and there'll be no

need for acting at all. As she entered the kitchen by the back door, she was quietly singing to herself.

"Patrick!" she called. "How are you, darling?"

She put the package on the table and went into the living room; and when she saw him lying there on the

floor, it really was a shock. All the old love for him came back to her, and she ran over to him, knelt down

beside him, and began to cry hard. It was easy. No acting was necessary.

A few minutes later, she got up and went to the phone. She knew the number of the police station, and

when the man at the other end answered, she cried to him. "Quick! Come quickly! Patrick's dead."

"Who's speaking?"

"Mrs. Maloney. Mrs. Patrick Maloney."

"Do you mean that Patrick's dead?"

"I think so, " she cried. "He's lying on the floor and I think he's dead." "We'll be there immediately," the

man said.

The car came very quickly, and when she opened the front door, two policemen walked in. She knew them

both. She knew nearly all the men at the police station. She fell into Jack Noonan's arms, crying

uncontrollably. He put her gently into a chair.

"Is he dead?" she cried.

"I'm afraid he is. What happened?"

In a few words she told her story about going to the grocer and coming back, when she found him on the

floor. While she was crying and talking, Noonan found some dried blood on the dead man's head. He

hurried to the phone.

Some other men began to arrive -- a doctor, two detectives, a police photographer, and a man who knew

about fingerprints. The

detectives kept asking her a lot of questions. They always treated her kindly. She told them how she'd put

the meat into the overn -- "it's there now"--and how she had gone to the grocer's for vegetables and how

she came back to find him lying on the floor.

The two detectives were exceptionally nice to her. They searched the house. Sometimes Jack Noonan

spoke to her gently. He told her that her husband had been killed by a blow to the back of the head. They

were looking for the weapon. The murderer might have taken it with him, but he might have thrown it

away or hidden it. --- "It's the old story," he said. "Get the weapon, and you've got the murderer."

Later, one of the detectives sat down beside her. Did she know, he asked, of anything in the house that

could have been used as a weapon? Would she look around to see if anything was missing.

The search went on. It began to get late -- it was nearly nine o'clock. The men searching the rooms were

getting tired. "Jack," she said, "Would you like a drink? You must be extremely tired."

"Well," he answered. "It's not allowed by police rules, but since you're a friend."

They stood around with drinks in their hands. The detectives were uncomfortable with her and they tried to

say cheering things to her. Jack Noonan walked into the kitchen, came out quickly, and said, "Look, Mrs.

Maloney. Did you know that your oven is still on, and the meat is still inside?"

"Oh," she said. "So it is! I'd better turn it off." She returned with tearful eyes. "Would you do me a favor?

Here you all are, all good friends of Patrick's, and you're helping to catch the man who killed him. You

must be very hungry by now because it's long past your supper time, and I know that Patrick would never

forgive me if I let you stay in the house without offering you anything to eat. Why don't you eat up the

lamb in the oven?"

"I wouldn't dream of it," Noonan said.

"Please," she begged. "Personally, I couldn't eat a thing, but it'd be a favor to me if you ate it up. Then you

can go on with your work."

The detectives hesitated, but they were hungry, and in the end, they went into the kitchen and helped

themselves to supper. The woman stayed where she was and listened to them through the open door. She

could hear them speaking among themselves, and their voices were thick because their mouths were full of

meat.

"Have some more, Charlie."

"No, we'd better not finish it."

"She wants us to finish it. She said we ought to eat it up."

"That's a big bar the murderer must have used to hit poor Patrick. The doctor says the back of his head was

broken to pieces. "That's why the weapon should be easy to find."

"Exactly what I say."

"Whoever did it, he can't carry a weapon that big around with him."

"Personally, I think the weapon is somewhere near the house."

"It's probably right under our noses. What do you think, Jack?"

And in the other room, Mary Maloney began to laugh.

Summarise the story in your own words-

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Lesson 7-

Information Retrieval: Can you answer these questions correctly?

1- What does Mary do when her husband arrives home from work?

2- What do Mary and Patrick normally do on a Thursday evening?

3- What surprising news does Patrick tell Mary?

4- What is Patrick’s job?

5- What does Mary do with the leg of lamb after she has hit Patrick?

6- Why does Mary go to the grocery store?

7- What story does Mary tell the police?

8- How does Mary persuade the policemen to eat the lamb?

9- What does the doctor say about Patrick’s head?

10- How does Mary react when the policemen eat the leg of lamb?

Answers at the end of this booklet.

Challenge: Can you complete the tasks below?

- Make a list of adjectives you would use to describe Mary.

- Identify at least three quotes which you believe show the traits of her

character, link to the adjectives you’ve picked and explain what each quotation

shows. E.g. the quotation ‘There was a slow smiling air about her, and about

everything she did’ suggests she is a calm and passive person with the word ‘slow’

showing a lack of energy, while ‘smiling’ suggests she is content and happy.

- Think about what makes a good story: intriguing or tense plot, interesting

characters, a problem/dilemma to solve.

- Consider who we feel sympathy for. Is it Mary or Patrick? Why?

- Consider the ending of the story. Are we satisfied by this ending as a reader? Do

we find it clever, amusing or something else?

- Did you like this story? Why or why not? Make a list of things you liked and

disliked.

- Identify the part of the story you enjoyed the most.

If you are struggling try this website - https://www.litcharts.com/lit/lamb-to-the-slaughter

Lesson 8/9-

Complete the four tasks below, you can pick which order you complete them-

1- Question time!

What is this place?

How has it changed over the years?

What used to happen here?

What happens here now?

Why has it changed so much?

Will it ever be the same again?

Have you ever been to a stadium?

What did you see happening there?

Why are stadiums like this built?

2- Story starter!

Continue the story…

This place had once been filled with

noise, thousands upon thousands of

excited fans cheering as they

applauded ‘the beautiful game’

being played in front of them.

Now, all that remained were

memories. Would this place ever be

restored to its former glory?

3- Sentence challenge!

Can you make a list of adjectives to describe the stadium as it looks today?

Can you make a list of adjectives to describe what it used to look like?

Can you write a short paragraph to describe the stadium as it used to look, and another to describe how it looks now?

4- Sick sentences!

These sentences are ‘sick’ and need help to get better. Can you help?

The stadium was horrible. The seats were horrible. The pitch was horrible. The grass had all gone. Nobody went there anymore.

Answers – Lamb to the Slaughter

1- What does Mary do when her husband arrives home from work? Mary took his coat

and hung it up. Then she made the drinks, a strong one for him and a weak one for

herself.

2- What do Mary and Patrick normally do on a Thursday evening? Mary and Patrick

usually go out to eat on a Thursday.

3- What surprising news does Patrick tell Mary? Patrick is leaving Mary. He is not

happy in their marriage.

4- What is Patrick’s job? He is a Senior Police Officer.

5- What does Mary do with the leg of lamb after she has hit Patrick? Mary puts the

leg of lamb in the oven.

6- Why does Mary go to the grocery store? Mary goes to the shop to buy the

groceries for dinner. It also gives her somewhere to be at the time of the murder.

7- What story does Mary tell the police? Mary told her story about going out to the

grocer and coming back to find him on the floor.

8- How does Mary persuade the policemen to eat the lamb? She told the policemen she

couldn’t eat and thing and it would be a favour to her if they ate the lamb she had

prepared for Patrick.

9- What does the doctor say about Patrick’s head? The Doctor told her had been

“killed by a blow on the back of the head administered with a heavy blunt

instrument, almost certainly a large piece of metal”.

10- How does Mary react to the policemen eating the leg of lamb? Listening to the

policemen talk about the murder weapon, Mary begins to giggle.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAPw-uFhqjA – This is a short film version of the story.

Well done! You have completed this workbook, if you need/want more work use the link below and complete the task.

Go to https://theshortstory.co.uk/resources/free-short-stories/ and

choose a short story of your own to read. When you’ve finished, write a

review covering the information below and stating whether you’d recommend

the story to others or not.

You should try to include:

o A brief summary of the story (without giving away the ending or

anything else important!)

o A description of the key characters, the hero/villain, etc (without

giving away any surprises!)

o Some information about the themes and messages (again without

giving away…you know!)

o How you reacted to this book (your thoughts and feelings about it)

and why you reacted this way

o Whether you’d recommend this story to others and why