DEAR AND DEAW time at Roding Valley High School, Loughton, Essex, IG10 3JA. Information on our reading and writing programme across the school

2. Drop Everything And Write
What is it?
• 20 minutes of independent writing every Friday. This will be on the same timetable as DEAR time.
• Each week, your tasks will alternate between fiction and non-fiction writing.
• The questions have the same format as the questions you will complete for your English GCSE.
• Every DEAW session will be linked with the ‘Theme of the Week’ and the ‘Word of the Week’
Why are we doing it?
• To improve your writing. Statistically, students that are better writers get better results in their
GCSE’s!
• To improve your stamina to write for long periods of time without getting distracted. You will have
a lot of lengthy exams in the future and this will prepare you for that.
• To practice the writing tasks you will have to complete in your English GCSE. This type of question
would be worth 40 marks! (50%) of your grade.
• To broaden your vocabulary- use the word of the week and other challenging words from your
subjects.

3. TASK
Either:
Write a description
suggested by this
picture.
Or
Write a story with the
title ‘The Competition’
You should aim to
include:
 An ellipses …
 A one line paragraph.
 A simile
 The word
‘Fellowship’
Fellowship: friendly
association, especially
with people who share
one's interests.
Theme of the week: School Houses 20/09/19

4. “Student attendance to school should not be
compulsory- parents should be able to make their own
decisions about how their children spend the day”.
Write a persuasive letter to the Minister of Education
explaining your view on this statement.
Theme of the week: Attendance
Punctual: happening or doing something at the
agreed or proper time.
You should aim to
include:
 A colon :
 A list
 A rhetorical question
 The word ‘Punctual’
27/09/19

5. TASK
Either:
Write a description
suggested by this
picture
Or
Write a story about
exploring a new city.
You should aim to
include:
 A semi colon ;
 A minor sentence
 Personification
 The word
‘multilingual’
Multilingual: using or
able to use several
languages especially
with equal fluency
Theme of the week: Language appreciation 27/09/19

6. “One language sets you in a corridor for life. Two languages
open every door along the way.”.
Write a Newspaper article explaining your view on this
statement
Theme of the week: Language
Appreciation
You should aim to include:
 “Speech marks”
 A one line paragraph
 Alliteration
 The word ‘Multilingual’
04/10/19
Multilingual: using or able to use several
languages especially with equal fluency

7. TASK
Either:
Write a story about a
camping trip, as
suggested by this
picture
Or
Write a story about
loneliness.
You should aim to
include:
 (Brackets)
 Alliteration
 A cliff hanger
 The word ‘Solitary’
Solitary: done or
existing alone.
Theme of the week: Mental health and wellbeing 11/10/19

8. “The royal family are pointless. They are costly
irrelevant to modern society”.
Write a newspaper article in which you explain your
point of view on this statement.
Theme of the week: Cultural history
Heritage: features belonging to the culture of a
particular society, such as traditions, languages,
or buildings, which come from the past and are
still important:
You should aim to include:
 A question mark?
 An imperative
 Exaggeration
 The word ‘Heritage’
18/10/19

9. TASK
Either:
Write a story, set near a
lake, as suggested by this
picture.
Or
Write a story with the title
‘An independent journey’
You should aim to include:
 A verb sentence starter
 A minor sentence.
 Onomatopoeia
 The word ‘Audacious’
Audacious: showing a
willingness to take
surprisingly bold risks.
Theme of the week: Independence 25/10/19

10. “British soldiers are underpaid, overworked and taken
for granted by our politicians
Unless they are paid more and listened to, they will
leave the Army”.
Write an opinion article in which you explain your
point of view on this statement.
Theme of the week: Remembrance
Veneration: great
respect; reverence.
You should aim to include:
 “Speech marks”
 Alliteration
 A fact
 The word ‘Veneration’
08/11/19

11. TASK
Either:
Write a description of
London, as suggested by
this picture.
Or
Write a story about
kindness.
You should aim to include:
 A hyphen -
 A flashback
 Pathetic fallacy
 The word ‘Benevolent’
Benevolent: well
meaning and kindly.
Theme of the week: Kindness 15/11/19

12. “Drivers should have to re-take their driving test at the
age of 70. Older drivers pose the greatest risk to road
safety” .
Write a letter to the minister of transport explaining
your point of view on this statement.
Theme of the week: Personal Safety
Perilous: full of danger or
risk.
You should aim to include:
 An exclamation mark!
 Personal pronouns
 A triplet (list of 3 things)
 The word ‘Perilous’
22/11/19

13. TASK
Either:
Write a description
suggested by this
picture.
Or
Write a story about a
dream job.
You should aim to include:
 A semi colon;
 A cyclical structure
 A detailed description
 The word ‘Fervour’
Fervour: intense and
passionate feeling.
Theme of the week: Careers 29/11/19

14. “Many students would rather volunteer in the local
community than sit in a classroom all day. Allowing
students to do this would benefit both students and the
local community” .
Write a persuasive speech explaining your point of
view on this statement.
Theme of the week: Service Learning
Philanthropist: A person who
donates time, money,
experience, skills or talent to
help create a better world.
You should aim to include:
 A colon:
 An anecdote
 Repetition
 The word ‘Philanthropist’
06/12/19

15. TASK
Either:
Write a description of a
protest, as suggested by
this picture.
Or
Write a story about
standing up for what’s
right.
You should aim to include:
 A question mark?
 personification
 An adverb sentence
starter.
 The word ‘Expostulate’
Expostulate: express
strong disapproval or
disagreement.
Theme of the week: Human Rights 13/12/19

16. “Children should not be rewarded for good behaviour.
Good behaviour should be an expectation” .
Write a newspaper article explaining your point of
view on this statement.
Theme of the week: Rewards
Exemplary: serving as a
desirable model; very good.
You should aim to include:
 An exclamation mark!
 A one line paragraph.
 Statistics
 The word ‘Exemplary’
20/12/19