Blue Sky Thinking 1

Blue-Sky Thinking 1
“A proverb is a short sentence based on long experience”. That statement is an old American
proverb. This book contains lots of proverbs. It is hoped that at least a few will chime with
you, the student. Each one, hopefully, contains a wisdom that can be discussed by the class.
The book starts with a pyramid of needs that all students feel they must meet before they
reach the top of the summit. The top of the summit may not necessarily be wealth, a dream
job or a beautiful partner, even if that is what you may feel about it now. If you and your
class, with the help of your teacher, can crack what true happiness is, then you are already
ahead in the game of life.Start by filling the pyramid below with the basic human needs.
Maybe you can look at Maslow’s pyramid of needs and take it from there. Not all of them
apply to the life of a young, pre-adolescent student. Perhaps you can take some out and put
your own ideas in there. For example, Maslow includes breathing, but not meditation. He
includes sleep, but doesn’t specify that the best time for the teenage brain to go to school is
11 a.m. It has the making of a good research project and maybe, just maybe, you can
convince your school to open two hours later! The back of the book has a pyramid you can
add to or subtract from.
I hope you enjoy the book as much as I enjoyed writing it. At the moment, there are three key
words in your life: education, education and education. After that, you will have the skills to
negotiate life’s choppy waters. So listen, question, learn and most of all: enjoy!
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Blue-Sky Thinking 1
EDUCATION IS A LIFELONG JOURNEY, NOT A DESTINATION.

Date:__/__/______ Title: DESCRIBING SUMMER Lesson Number:
Quote: Wisdom is to live in the present, plan for the future and profit from the past.
Meaning: _________________________________________________________________
Spelling revision New words Dictionary definitions and corrections

ultra
pneumono
microscopic
silico
volcano
coniosis
elixir A potion for the soul
1 POINT 2 POINTS 3 POINTS 5 POINTS
BROWN TREE
bark
mink
rust
conker
kelp
russet
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GREEN LEAF
mint
sage
carnival
juicy
postcard
Amazon
SOUNDS
buzzing
trembling
cheeping
humming
droning
snipping
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SMELLS
woody
earthy
mulchy
oaken
organic
seasoned
TASTES
rich
lush
divine
sweet
luscious
delicious
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POINTS SCORE
0-9 good first try

10-29 v.good
30-59 excellent
60-139 super
140+ genius!
Date:__/__/______ Title:DESCRIBING SUMMER Lesson Number:
Quote/Proverb: Nothing is impossible to the willing mind. (Books of the Han Dynasty)
Meaning: _________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
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YELLOW HAY
lemon
mustard
yam
melon
daffodil
yeast
FIELD SOUND
hushed
swaying
rustling
sighing
swishing
whirring
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SMELLS
dewy sweet
blossom
confectionary
pollen sweet
meadow
tutti-fruity
SMELLS
puffed
drifted
sailed
carried
glided
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Blue-Sky Thinking 1
ghosted
SENSATIONS
soul lifting
raising
lulling
soul boosting
refreshing
renewing
POINTS SCORE
0-9 good first try

10-29 v.good
30-59 excellent
60-139 super
140+ genius!
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Blue-Sky Thinking 1
WALKING FROM A FOREST TO A MEADOW: FILL IN THE IMAGES
lambs gamboling
USE THE IMAGES IN THE GRIDS TO MAKE SENTENCES

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
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Blue-Sky Thinking 1
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
Student Tip: For a full list of smells, go to flavornet.org and type in: ‘The complete list of
known odours.’
A full stop closes a sentence. This means readers can understand your sentences properly.
Do you think this a good idea? List three reasons why below:
1. I should use full stops because _______________________________________________.
2. I should use full stops because________________________________________________.
3. I should use full stops because________________________________________________.
RULES FOR FULL STOPS
a) Use a full stop at the end of a sentence.
b) Use a full stop for some abbreviations (i.e. a word that is shortened by using letters).
Rewrite the following sentences by putting in a full stop in each:

1.The mink-brown trees looked like the castles of the forest
2. Their sage-green leaves whispered in the wind
3. The droning of a bees’ nest came to my ears
4. I let the woody scent of the forest wash over me
5. It was a soul lulling experience
Underneath is a grid with a list of abbreviations. See how many you can get with your
classmate. Try to spell them correctly. Use a dictionary afterwards to confirm the correct
spelling. Your teacher should give homework off if you get between 18 and 24 spelt right.
Abbr. Your spelling Correct spelling Abbr. Your spelling Correct spelling
Acad. Inc.
A.D. Jr.
alt. Lt.
Ave. Ltd.
B.C. Mr.
c. Mrs.
Capt. Oct.
cent. pop.
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co. Sgt.
dept. S.O.S
Dr. Sr.
est. U.S.
Feb. U.S.A
.
Gen. vs.
i.e. wt.
1-8 with spellings 9-17 with spellings 18-24 with spellings 25+ with spellings
Excellent Very impressive Homework off Genius and H/O!
Date:__/__/______ Title: DESCRIBING SUMMER Lesson Number:
Quote/Saying:Mistakes are doorways to discovery. (Unknown)

Meaning: _________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
PURPLE SKY
plum
lilac
peacock
royal
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lavender
mulberry
SOUNDS
crunching
grazing
cropping
chewing
munching
champing
STREAMS
crystal-blue
cocktail
butterfly
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kingfisher-blue
chemical
brochure
SOUNDS
splashing
bubbling
murmuring
trickling
babbling
thrumming
SMELLS
a stew of
a brew of
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Blue-Sky Thinking 1
a buffet of
a soup of
a broth of
a barbecue of
POINTS SCORE
0-9 good first try

10-29 v.good
30-59 excellent
60-139 super
140+ genius!
Date:__/__/______ Title:MORE IDEAS FROM STUDENTS Lesson Number:
Proverb/Gnome:The truly rich are those who enjoy what they have. (Yiddish Proverb)
Meaning: _________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
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Blue-Sky Thinking 1
SIGHTS
SIGHTS
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WOW WORDS
SOUNDS
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SOUNDS
POINTS SCORE
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Blue-Sky Thinking 1
0-9 good first try

10-29 v.good
30-59 excellent
60-139 super
140+ genius!
Date:__/__/______ Title: WHAT IS A METAPHOR? Lesson Number:
Quote: “Don’t tell me the moon is shining: show me the glint of light on broken glass.”
(Chekhov)
Meaning: _________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
A metaphor compares two things without using ‘as’or ‘like’ in the sentence.
1. An easy way to remember it is that metaphors are MEAT PHOR the bones of English!
2. It adds delicious, red meat to the skeleton of a sentence.
The 1st sentence is a metaphor because metaphors are being compared to ________________.
The 2nd sentence is a metaphor because a sentence is compared to a __________.
bark mink rust

conker kelp russet
mint sage carnival
juicy postcard Amazon
lemon mustard yam
melon daffodil yeast
dewy blossom tutti-fruity
pollen meadow confectionary
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a stew of a brew of a buffet of

a soup of a broth of a barbecue of
Some examples of metaphors have already been used in the grids. For every sentence
underneath, write in another one underneath it.
1. The timeworn trees were bark-brown.
Example: The hoary trees were conker-brown.
This is a metaphor because the trees are being compared to the colour of conkers.
2. The faraway fields were mint-green.
Example: The distant fields were juicy-green.
This is a metaphor because the trees are being compared to juice.
3. The hayfields were lemon-yellow.
Example: The cornfields were melon-yellow.
This is a metaphor because the cornfields are being compared to melons.
4.
This is a metaphor because
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
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13.
14.
15.
Student tip: Some of the more interesting websites on the net include:
1. Your life on earth calendar: bbc.co.uk
2. 3,000 astounding quotes: books.google.ie
3. Best descriptive writing sites: www.descriptivewriting.wordpress.com
4. Poetry competitions and visiting poets: poetryireland.ie
Why do we use metaphors?
A metaphor can add richness to a sentence. It can help you to describe things that don’t have
any other way to describe them.
Let us take the example of the word ‘mountain’. There is no other word for ‘mountain’ in
English, which is extraordinary. If you were writing a book about a mountain, the reader
might get pretty bored with the word. Instead, you can use a metaphor for its shape, its height
or its appearance. See if you can compose some metaphors for the shape of a mountain range:
“To have another language is to possess a second soul.” (Charlemagne)
dragonfly-blue river Mohican haircut a marble jaw

arrow-shaped beard bumblebee waist megawatt smile
veins of the forest forehead of the mountain diamond clear
monk hum of bees dewpond silver moss-veiled trail
a foghorn voice Cupid’s bow lips hag toothed mountains
ribbons of mist reed fringed island a half-moon beach
moonshadow black hair Babylon-blue sky wizard white
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pearls of rain sunless forest nature’s loom (waterfall)

Zen quiet cedar sweet scents gaslight gold lightning
forked lightning eternity pool the cologne of the forest
a platoon of flies tundra pure water a fountain of blood
weeping waterfall perma-tanned face vow silent lake
seashell ears whiskey brown river gammon pink
pools of dark light sleeping souls of the forest a galaxy of stars
earthlight-gold glucose sweet Eden sweet
Cossack-cold wind dwarf dust doe eyed
a necklace of snow lichen-encrusted rocks parchment faded face
peaches and cream skin silky waterfall heaven leaking light
Jurassic ferns Noah’s ark rain Popeye biceps
womb silent rapture red doom black clouds
Write out your favourite 3 metaphors from the grid above. Explain why. Then pick out your
15 favourite metaphors. Write them out by putting them into a sentence. Create a story using
any combination of the metaphors in the grid. Use at least 10 and plan your story first.
“Language is the blood of the soul into which thoughts run and out of which they
grow.” (Oliver Wendell Holmes)
“Children screamed and ran for home. Women gathered their long skirts and hurried
for the shelter of stores. Horses bolted. A few people mumbled frightened words about
the approach of the millennium, and several people dropped on their knees and
prayed”.
This quote is based on a true story. The full story will be revealed later in the book. In the
meantime, answer these questions. They will require imagination and creativity, and perhaps
some of the key words in the text will give you clues. Do not be afraid to be wrong. Not in
your wildest dreams could you imagine what took place on that strange, strange day............
1) What do you suspect might have caused such panic that day? Think about it for 5-10
minutes and write down 10 possibilities. The best, imaginative answers, as agreed by
the class, should get homework off.
2) What country did this event take place in?
3) What year and century did this event take place in?
4) Write a story based on this event starting with the passage at the top of the place.
Include some of the vocabulary you have learned from the book already. Make sure to
use paragraphs in order to give your story structure.
5) Can you quickly write a paragraph on the strangest story you’ve ever heard? Then be
able to relate the story to the class tomorrow as the narrator. A narrator is a storyteller.
Maybe you could use ideas from this template to help you structure your essay:
Introduction: Describe the scene in the town or village. What are the buildings made of?
How many people are there? What century is it? What type of clothes are people wearing?
Can you describe some of the activities in the town or village?
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Blue-Sky Thinking 1
Paragraph 1: Add a splash of colour and the clang of sound. What is the colour of the fields
surrounding the town? Is there a meadow or mountains in the distance? Can you picture a
forest in your mind’s eye?
Paragraph 2: Describe what you think made all these people run for their lives. Your
imagination is limitless so any answer you come up with is bound to be great. Make sure you
take your time planning the best answer and writing down ideas about how your story will
unfold. Was it a man or a group of men? Did it come from the sky or was it some type of
unknown monster? Was it a weather event? Whatever it was, describe it well and in detail.
Paragraph 3: Describe the panic in the town. What was the expression on people’s faces?
Where did everyone run to? Did anyone save the town? Were you there? If so, you will be
writing in the first person, which is you. If you take a ‘bird’s eye view’ of the story unfolding,
it is in the third person.
Conclusion: Did someone or something save these people? Did they all die? Wrap up your
story with an interesting twist for the reader if you can.
1st person storyteller: Uses the words ‘I’ and ‘me’ in a story.
2nd person storyteller: Uses the words ‘you’ in a story.
3rd person storyteller: Uses the words ‘he/she’ or ‘they’ in a story.
Date:__/__/______ Title:DESCRIBING SUMMER Lesson Number:
Quote:Laugh, and the world laughs with you: weep, and you weep alone. (Ella Wheeler
Wilcox)
Meaning: _________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
THE SUN
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a fiery ball
a golden globe
Titan’s wheel
the daystar
a medallion
a golden eye
SUN LINES
old gold
syrup
treacle
flax gold
nectar
harpstring
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BIRD SOUNDS
cooing
croaking
chattering
cawing
crooning
carolling
SMELLS
scent
waft
perfume
aroma
whiff
cologne
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PINK SKY
dawn
prawn
salmon
diamond
petal
candyfloss
POINTS SCORE
0-9 good first try

10-29 v.good
30-59 excellent
60-139 super
140+ genius!
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Blue-Sky Thinking 1
“Children screamed and ran for home. Women gathered their long skirts and hurried for…...”
This is an account of a flock of passenger pigeons who flew overhead. It happened in 1855 in
Columbus, Ohio, in the United States of America. The flock was described as a “feathered
tempest” and a “growing cloud” that blotted out the sun as it approached.
To fully understand the impact these huge flocks had on the people below, and the wonder
and awe they inspired, let us look at some of their features. A French soldier who explored
America in the 17th century said: “The Bishop has been forc’d to excommunicate them
oftner than once, upon the account of the Damage they do to the Product of the Earth.”
This quote refers to the pigeons eating the crops of the early settlers in America. They even
attacked the fields of one of the first English colonies in America 100 years later, nearly
causing the colonisers to starve. This colony was called the Plymouth colony.
The American Indians had always hunted the passenger pigeons when they could. They
would use the flesh as food and burn the squabs (young pigeons) for their oil. The oil was
then used as butter. They could never depend on the pigeon arriving, however. Each year,
they moved to a different part of America, depending on where the most food was.
The pigeon was a truly remarkable bird. It’s average flight speed over huge distances was 62
miles per hour if there was no wind. It could have flown from America to Europe in 3 days if
it was a migratory bird. Putting it in simpler terms, the island of Ireland is 302 miles long.
They could have overflown it in 5 hours.Today, only the great snipe, who migrates from
Sweden to Central Africa, can match their speed and endurance.
These pigeons had huge roosts, or nesting sites. Their chief source of food were chestnuts,
acorns from the oak tree and beech nuts (called beech mast). They had great eyesight, so they
could spot if a forest was bountiful or not from the air. If it was, they would swoop down
with a frightening sound, terrifying the wild boar and birds and animals that fed on them.
The pigeons could eat about 100 grams of acorns or nuts in a day. After eating their fill, they
could store at least 17 acorns or 34 beech nuts in their crop, a sort of pouch in their throat.
Much like the way cows have four stomachs to digest their food, the pigeon would let it
digest in its crop over the next 12 hours. If they were nesting, they would feed it to their
young. It came out as a sort of paste, like toothpaste, even though it is called ‘pigeon milk’.
A roosting tree averaged 80 nests in each. One tree was counted and held 317 nests. Tree
branches cracked and entire trees crashed to the ground with the weight of the birds. One
roosting site measured 850 square miles and held 136,000,00 nests. That’s bigger than the
county of Kilkenny. It’s also bigger than any of the smallest 18 counties in Ireland.
In 1860, a flock estimated at 3,700,000,000 flew over Wisconsin. In 1866, a flock 300 miles
long and 1-mile-wide, took 14 hours to pass. By 1878, only one large nesting site was left.
By 1890, they were rare. By 1900, the passenger pigeon was extinct in the wild.
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Martha, the last one in the world, died in Cincinnati zoo in 1914.In her final days, she lived
alone. Her wings drooped and she trembled. Visitors kept throwing sand at her to make her
move. Her keepers had to rope off her cage to stop them.
The most plentiful bird in the world was gone forever and would never return.
1. “Believe none of what you hear, and only half of what you see.” Benjamin Franklin
Based on that proverb, do you think all of this story is true? Why? Why not?
2. What surprised you the most about the information in this passage? Explain why.
3. What happened to eliminate the passenger pigeon so quickly? How long did it take?
4. Are there any lessons for the future to be learned from the passenger pigeon?
DESCRIPTIONS OF A PASSENGER PIGEON FLOCK
John James Audobon, naturalist, autumn 1813:
“The air was literally filled with Pigeons. The light of noon-day was obscured as by an
eclipse, the dung fell in spots, not unlike melting flakes of snow; and the continued buzz
of the wings had a tendency to lull my soul to repose.”
3 days later, the pigeons were still flying past John James Audobon.
Simon Pokagon, a tribal leader, May 1850 (writing in 1895)

“… an army of horses laden with sleigh bells was advancing through the forest towards
me. As I listened more intently, I concluded that instead of the tramping of horses, it
was distant thunder; and yet the morning was clear, calm and beautiful. It came nearer
and nearer. While I gazed in wonder and astonishment, I beheld moving towards me, in
an unbroken front, millions of pigeons, the first I had seen that season.”
He described how the flock would swoop and plummet to avoid hawks and “pour its living
mass” hundreds of feet into a downward plunge.
“I have stood by the grandest waterfall in America, yet never have my astonishment,
wonder and admiration been so stirred as when I have witnessed these birds drop from
their course like meteors from heaven.”
The Commonwealth newspaper, reporting the experience of a group of hunters in Wisconsin

in 1871. The hunters came upon the pigeons leaving their nests in the morning to seek food.
The noise was so loud, most of them dropped their guns.
“Imagine a thousand threshing machines running under full headway, accompanied by
as many steamboats groaning off steam, with an equal quota of trains passing through
covered bridges- imagine these massed into a single flock, and you possibly have a faint
conception of the terrific roar.”
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Aldo Leopold, ‘On a Monument to the Pigeon’, 1945.

“Men still live who, in their youth, remember pigeons: trees still live, who, in their
youth, were shaken by a living wind. But a few decades hence, only the oldest oaks will
remember, and at long last only the hills will know.”
SUMMER ON THE BEACH: LOOK UP, LOOK DOWN AND LOOK AROUND.
THE SUN CLOUDS BIRDS COLOURS
coin wool rolling
disc pillows diving
orb lambs’ wool gliding
arrows blankets looping
spears fleece scything
GOLD SAND TEXTURE ROCK POOL SOUNDS

melted gold puffy
liquid gold fluffy
melted treasure powdery
a sheet of crumbly
earthshine-gold feathery
WHITE SAND THE HORIZON BARBECUE ACTIVITY
STORY FIZZERS TO MAKE YOUR WRITING INTERESTING

What is a ‘story-fizzer’? A story-fizzer is an object that you find, a fascinating person you
meet, or a dangerous situation you find yourself in. It becomes the centre point of the story.
By using it, you will leave the reader curious as to what is going to happen. Then they will
want to read on and finish the story. Using descriptive writing phrases is a great way to draw
the reader into your story. Having a story-fizzer keeps them reading it. If you have a
computer in the classroom, look up the myths and legends surrounding the objects in the
grids. Pick one after you are finished and use it in your homework story.
USING STORY-FIZZERS
An unusual find a silver bullet cold iron ark of the covenant
Life-changing finds philosopher’s stone ambrosia elixir of life
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“If you think education is expensive, try ignorance”. Derek Bok, Harvard chancellor.
Pick one of the ‘story-fizzers’ and write down what the legends say about them. Answer the
questions at the bottom of the page when you are finished:
1. A silver bullet;
2. Cold iron:
3. The Ark of the Covenant:
4. The Philosopher’s Stone:
5. Ambrosia:
6. The Elixir of Life:
1. Do you think this myth could be true or not?

2. When did the myth about it start? What was the exact time period?
3. What does your research say about the times these people lived in? Was it dangerous, in
your opinion? Would you prefer to live back then rather than now?
4. Write down the 3 most interesting ideas or facts you came across in your research.
5. What could you do with this object if you found it? List 3 good and 3 bad possibilities.
Someone from the class will volunteer to read out their answers until the 6 objects are
explained to the class. Knowing the power that each contains, write out which one you would
like to find and why. Then write a fantasy story about the day you found it and what
happened afterwards. Make sure to include some of the descriptions (colours, sounds, images
etc.) on summer. If you are stuck, use the following questions to help you:
1. Where? Did it happen?

2. When? Did it occur?
3. Who? Were the people involved?
4. What? Was the outcome of the story?
5. How? Do you put yourself in the story?
6. Why? Would such an object be dangerous or helpful in today’s world?
Before you write this story, make sure you have a detailed plan. Use word grids or spider
maps for ideas. Ensure that you have 5/6 paragraphs planned before you start. You will find
that the quality of your writing is greatly improved. You can be the hero or the narrator
(storyteller) of your great adventure.
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“He who has a why to live can bear almost any how”. Friedrich Nietzsche, philosopher,
(1844-1900).
A capital letter starts a new sentence. This means readers know where one sentence starts and
another begins.
Do you think you should use capital letters in your writing? Give two other reasons why.
1. I should use capital letters because____________________________________________.
2. I should use capital letters because____________________________________________.
5 guidelines for capital letters

1. use a capital letter for the first word of a sentence. change both these sentences!
2. Use a capital for the pronoun ‘I’ as you are the most important person in the world!
3. Use a capital for proper nouns (i.e. Christian names and surnames, characters in books
and films et cetera and organisations). Capitalise the following if you think it necessary:
a) my neighbours are nice
b) there, but for the grace of god, go i
c) my favourite book is harry potter
4. Use a capital for days, months and holidays but not seasons (e.g. autumn).
5. Use a capital for all nationalities, languages, ethnic groups and religions (e.g. Irish).
Punctuate the following and correct the 10 misspellings by rewriting it in a copy book.
If you have food in your frige, clothes on your back, a roof over your head and a place to
sleep, you are richer than 75% of the world if you have money in the bank, money in your
walet and some spare change, you are among the top 8% of the worlds’ welthy if you woke
up this morning with more helth than illness, you are more blessed than the milion people
who will not survive this week If you have never experinced the danger of battle, the agany
of imprisonment or torthure or the horrible pangs of starvation, you are luckier than 500
million people alive and suffering if you can read this mesage, you are more fortinate than the
3 billion people in the world today who cannot read at all
Questions:
1. Do you think all of this is true or just some of it? Why? Why not?
2. Does anything about this surprise or shock you? Why? Why not?
3. If you could help with one of the problems above, what would it be, and why?
4. Can you think of anyone in your community who might have some of these problems?
How can you help that person or is it someone else’s responsibility?
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5. How important is it to appreciate a good education?

When the going gets tough, toughen. (Paídí Ó Sé)
SAMPLE STORY
The best day of my summer was the day I went for a ( ) in the forest. The trees were
( ) brown and the leaves were ( ) green. Birds ( ) in the trees and the
( ) smell of the woods drifted to my nose. I gathered some wild fruit and nuts and ate
them. They tasted ( ).
I broke through the forest and came upon a ( ). The hay fields were ( ) yellow
and ( ) in the wind. The ( ) aromas of the meadow ( ) towards me and it
was ( ).
Sheep were ( ) the grass in a nearby field under the ( ) sky. I made my way
towards the sound of ( ) coming from a deep river. It was ( ) blue and I felt that
I was in paradise. The sun was a ( ) in the sky and beams of ( ) gold arrowed
onto the water.
I sat under the cool shade of a bridge and listened to the steady ( ) of the water. Then I
felt the hairs rise on the back of my neck. Something was wrong.
DESCRIBING THE MONSTER(S)
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________.
THE ACTION
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________.
THE AFTERMATH
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________.
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The best day of my summer had nearly turned out to be the worst. It didn’t matter, though,
because now I was rich.
“Winners focus on winning and losers focus on winners.” Conor McGregor, after
defeating Jose Aldo, who hadn’t lost a title fight in 10 years.
Reasons for the Extinction of the Passenger Pigeon
The history of slaughter doesn’t explain it: In 1771, 50,000 pigeons were shipped from a
town in one day. They may have been used for human food or pig fodder. In 1822, one
family killed 4,000 pigeons in one day. The feathers were valued for pillows and bedding.
Big tunnel nets could take 3,500 at a time. Even gun clubs got in on the act. They were
trapped and shipped live. Perhaps this is where the term ‘clay pigeon’ comes from. One
competition for shooting released pigeons took 30,000 kills to win the 1st prize! Even still,
there could have been as many as 10 billion left by the 1850’s. The pigeons could double
their numbers even in a bad year.
The way they flied: Sometimes the passenger pigeons flew just 3 feet above the ground. This
might be because they were flying over a river or because there was no wind above. People
would use clubs, poles, rocks and nets to catch them. These ‘super flocks’ hardly noticed the
people trying to kill them as they were all massed together.
The way they nested: The passenger pigeon nested in ‘super roosts’, as we have seen. In the
1878 roost, 50,000 birds were killed every day for 5 months. One shotgun blast into a tree
killed 61 birds. The trees were burned down to make the young birds fall out of their nests.
Burning sulphur was used to choke them and they would fall to the ground with a fizzling
sound and crack open.
The population boom in America: For centuries, people from around the world had been
emigrating to America. From Ireland alone, there could have been as many as 2 million in the
time of the Great Famine and its aftermath, 1845-1855. People fled religious persecution,
wars, overpopulated countries, and to live a better life. This meant that isolated areas the
pigeons depended on for food were being cleared for farmland. The era of the ‘super roost’
was nearly over.
The railroad: The first railroad opened in America was in 1830, from Baltimore to Ohio. By
1861, there were very few parts of America that people couldn’t reach by rail. The amount of
timber required to build the lines, melt the iron, house the workers and set up new towns was
staggering. Whole forests were burned to feed the need for progress and civilisation.
The telegraph: The first commercial telegraph was established by 1845. It was called the
Electric Telegraph Company. By 1861, a network stretching from the East coast to the West
coast was complete. Professional hunters, as many as 3,000 of them, now followed the super
flocks wherever they went. They would get a telegraph telling them where the pigeons were
and descend on the roosts. In the last great roost, 50,000 pigeons were killed every day for 5
months. Technology was killing the pigeon. Combined with human greed, it was a lethal mix.
Other reasons: By the mid-90’s, a few small flocks remained. Maybe it was the stress of
being constantly hunted and witnessing their chicks burned out every year that finally did it.
There was still plenty of food. Perhaps a disease not known to us helped to kill them off also.
No-one to this day can be certain how a breed of bird with one flock numbering 3.7 billion
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Blue-Sky Thinking 1
could be extinct in the wild within 40 years. Maybe mankind finally put paid to them. The
passenger pigeon is a valuable metaphor for how we look after the planet and its species.
Whether we like to think about it or not, we are the caretakers of this magnificent planet of
ours. Nature will have its revenge on us if we keep destroying it. TI: ‘Why the Passenger
Pigeon went Extinct’ to Audubon.com and look at the comments for more information.
Description of a Passenger Pigeon Flock by an Eyewitness: 1st person narration
They say they are gone now, the flying ants of the air. They say there was a time when they
could block out the sun and send men and women screaming for the Lord to save them. They
say they killed them with pitchforks and potatoes and poisoned them with whiskey-soaked
corn until none were left. I can’t comment on such things but I can, in the winter of my life,
tell you about the day I saw it for myself.
I could never forget that day. Even now, with the brain fog swirling in me, and my loved ones
long passed away, I can never forget. It is burned in my mind’s eye the same way the autumn
sun shone that day. I remember it so well for I have never seen a sun like it, since or before. It
hung like a pale globe in the sky, giving off ore-gold lines of light. The very air shone like
earthlight and I felt like I had stepped into the pages of a fairytale.
The forest was full of sound when I entered it. Far away, I could hear wild boar munching
and champing on the seasonal feast of acorns and beech mast. There was an opera of
birdsong coming from the tree’s canopy. It was an old, old forest, a sleeping soul long before
man had first stepped onto its soil. The trees were rust-brown and spread their arms high into
the Babylon-blue sky. The once-green leaves had all burned into hot-oranges and bonfire-
reds. There was a carpet of mulch on the floor and it smelled organic and musty. When
fingers of light poked through the trees and hit it, it sent a phantom-grey mist up in the air.
I inhaled deeply, enjoying the earthy cologne of the forest. My lungs were young and mint
fresh back then. I could sniff out a crop of acorns or a blueberry bush from quite a way out.
The forest was full of such scents, even though the first thumbs of frost hung in the lightless
shadows. Sitting on a log by the river bank, I let the tutti-fruity smalls wash over me. The
river chattered in its ancient tongue, the voice of bells and water. Scooping a handful of its
bounty, my teeth tingled with its tundra-cold taste. I lay back, enjoying the melody of the
river.
I must have fallen asleep, for when I awoke, the forest was womb-silent. Nothing stirred,
nothing sang, nothing sounded. Then I heard a trembling in the air. The last of the leaves
fluttered and flapped to the ground, as if an unseen hand had pushed them there. A whirring
sound came to my ears and the droning of a million bees’ nests filled the forest. Deer, boar
and bears ran past me, in fear of their lives. I heard a flapping sound then. If I was asked later,
I described it as the sound of a winter wind chasing a bird down a chimney, but loud enough
to make me cover my ears. It came in a mighty rush and I thought it must be either a forest
fire or the End of days.
Then the fingers of light disappeared and a mighty cloud plunged the forest into darkness. I
heard a pok-pok-pok sound and my head was hit twice by unknown objects. When I reached
up and felt for it, I thought I was indeed injured. There was a mercury-red stain, but it was
white also. When the first pigeon came into my sight, he was followed by a hundred of his
fellows, then a thousand. They filled my vision, more of them than the stars in the night sky,
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Blue-Sky Thinking 1
blotting out the world as I knew it. The sound was worse than the greatest hurricane I have
ever walked through and my eardrums were ready to burst. They cooed and flapped, purred
and pooped, gorging on the acorns and beech nuts.
Never considered a wise man, this day I believe I was. I ran. Like the boar and the bears, I ran
through a blizzard of poop and the world’s greatest legion of pigeons.
They didn’t even move while I dashed through them. I couldn’t hear the sound of their wings
snapping or their necks cracking. I felt it through my moccasins, though, and the feeling
sickens me to this day. Feathers flew in front of my face and I lost all sense of direction as the
sky was no longer a compass for me. There was no sky! The only sensations I had were the
splatter of poop on my face and how it burned my skin. I know not for how long I ran, but it
was the longest race of my life.
Finally, I made it to the fringe of the forest and burst into a clearing. I could see the foreheads
of the mountains in the distance and how they were creased with snow. My lungs were still
heaving like a bellows and my face felt like there was a layer of lava on it. I rubbed off the
grime with water from my canteen and kept moving. The noise from the forest was still a
crescendo and it was not until I had raced a mile away that I felt comfortable.
Looking back, I saw that they had taken their fill from the forest. Rising into the air like the
breath of a dragon, they wheeled and looped in the sky. Then they straightened and flew over
my head at an astonishing pace. I could see that they had slate-blue bodies and a coppery
underside, for many dropped to my feet if I but lifted my arms. I stood there for hours,
marvelling at their numbers. Never have I felt so alive as in that moment, with the thrumming
of wings washing over me like the rumbling of thunder.
A thought came to me then that if the End of Days really did arrive, these would be the last
creatures left alive on God’s great earth. Such were their numbers. Such was their power.
1. Looking back at the full module on the passenger pigeon, what are your thoughts on it?
2. Did you think this was an accurate recreation of what it might have been like to see them?
What do you think the passage might have missed in its description?
3. Write down your favourite 5 sentences from the passage and say why you liked them.
4. There are attempts to bring back the passenger pigeon through genetics. Would you
support such attempts or do you think it is ‘playing God’ like Jurassic Park?
5. In the 1st column below, write in the rarest birds, animals or amphibians in your country.
Did you know that 13% of birds, 25% of mammals and 41% of amphibians are under threat
of extinction worldwide? If they are under threat, put them down as human failures.
6. Write out a list of ideas (with your partner) that might help save endangered species.
7. Are there any success stories about saving or re-introducing animals in your country?
Write them into the 2nd column. The 3rd column is for alien species that destroy the
environment. The 4th is for a list of animals you would like to see re-introduced (re-wilding).
FAILURES SUCCESSES ALIEN SPECIES RE-WILDING
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REVISION CROSSWORD
K E L P S A G E
L
T H R U M M I N G
M U M
L U L L I N G I
B C N
U H K
D F Y E A S T
A F A
W E I G
N T L H
T R E A C L E O
D S
D I V I N E T
R E
O S E A S O N E D
N Y F
I R O T T E N
N U
G P P O L L E N
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WORDSEARCH
d e w y c o
o a a
n r w k
k n i e
e d i v i n e
r v e
w a
p h l i l a c
e i e
t r o y a l m
a r b l o s s o m
l i r g n
n o y
r g t s e
u h a r o m a
s l l s
s m d t
e y o
t p r a w n
d i a m o n d
MENTAL CHALLENGE FOR END OF MODULE

Give the definition of the following words:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
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Blue-Sky Thinking 1
8.
9.
10.
“The winner is the loser who evaluates defeat properly.”
Colm O’ Connell, Irish athletics coach.
Date:__/__/______ Title: WHAT IS A SIMILE? Lesson Number:
A simile compares two things using ‘as’ or ‘like’. A good way to remember it is to think of a
simile for a smile.
For example: 1) His smile was as________________________________________________.
2) Her smile was like______________________________________________.
Underneath are a list of similes. Your job is to write in what each of them refers to. The first
two in grid one are done for you as an example. Then make up your own similes in the
second grid on the same topic.
sparkling like a million fallen moons-grass sparkling like a million fallen stars-grass
as clear as moonshine- a lake as silver and shiny as a mirror- a lake
like a winding, blue ribbon
kissing the clouds with their snowy peaks
was as soft and bright as earthlight
flowed like a neon-blue chute
like luminous snowflakes of silver
hung like beards from the trees
glowed like a golden coin
as freshly minted as a silver coin
as cold as a zombie’s tooth
it was like a carnival of sound from the trees
moaned and wailed like a banshee’s funeral
as hot as a witch’s cauldron
as cold and thick as pea soup
as bright as the cracks on stained glass
spitting like silver nails
sleeping as if it was wearing a blue robe
like it tattooed its colours onto the land
were like silent sentries staring at us
Which of these similes on smiles is the best, in your opinion? Say why in your copybook.
“Smiles and tears, like sunshine and rain, are necessary for the development of life.”
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Blue-Sky Thinking 1
“She smiled like the bloom of morning.”

“Smiles as thick on rosy lips as ripples on the sea.”
“Her smile- it was like the golden wine, poured in the spirit, as in a cup.”
“Her smile is like the noon-splendor of a day in June.”
Your job is to find 10 more similes on smiles by looking up bartleby.com. Pick the best ones
you can find by typing in: best similes for smiles. Find out who wrote the quotes above also.
DESCRIBING SUMMER USING THE GRIDS
Summer is my favourite time of the year. I love to see the conker-brown trees grow a shaggy
head of hair once again. The treetops explode into carnival-green for a short time and the
birds sing their summer carols between the branches.
In the gardens, the snipping of shears and the hum of lawnmowers can be heard. Pollen drifts
through the air like invisible stardust and the sweet taste of ripe fruit can be plucked from
salad bowls. Lemon-yellow hay swishes and sways in the meadows. Plum-purple skies kiss
the day away. It can be soul raising to sit down and watch the golden eye of dusk turn to rose-
gold, blink and disappear.
The dawn chorus announces itself before the rising sun. A ballad of birdsong cuts through the
cold, crystal air. The skies are diamond-pink and ring with the joy our feathered friends feel.
Then Titan’s wheel peeps over the horizon, throwing down spears of nectar-gold. The dewy
ground steams and the burned-earth perfume of the meadow ghosts upwards. Chemical-blue
streams babble over rocks and lazy trout drift in moonshine-clear waters.
As the day goes on, clouds as fine as llamas’ wool sail in the sky. Under them, flocks of
crows roll and loop like storm-tossed gunpowder, happy to be alive. Their caws echo as if
they are in a dome of glass and the world is happy.
In a few short months, autumn will be upon us. Shadows will creep across the land and
raindrops will drip from deep caves. The summer leaves will change their cloaks to lava-red
and blazing-oranges. Bat-light replaces daylight and the first fires will crackle and splutter in
cold grates.
The autumn winds will appear and creaking trees become wailing banshees. The rivers will
swell and burst, flooding the once-golden meadows. God’s nightstar, the moon, throws down
splinters of weak light and phantom-eyed owls hoot and haunt the night. Doom-black clouds
shall roll in, pregnant with rain. Great forks of lightning will fizzle and siss in the sky,
flashing like a witches’ whip.
Then, when Hallowe’en and the horror is over, a great dread shall settle over the land. The
white skies strangle all the light. Snow will fall. A tomb-like stillness will be broken only by
the muffled-grenade sound of boots crunching through snow. Ponds will freeze like silver
dishes and whiskey-nosed children will break the silence with their laughter.
Christmas Day is here. Frost-fingers hang from the window sills. Turkeys sizzle on oven foil
and crackers snap and burst. The pine sweet smell of the tree fills the house and ribbons of
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Blue-Sky Thinking 1
fire chases the burglar-black shadows away. The angel looks down on the house while the
star-flash of tinsel glitters and reminds us of the past.
Enjoy summer while you can. It is a long way to Christmas.
1. Did you like this passage? Explain why or why not. Pick your 5 favourite lines from the
passage and explain why you liked them.
2. Does this passage show how you can write better? Explain why or why not.
3. Write out a passage using autumn and winter colours, sounds, images etc. Use your own
words. Before attempting this, plan the passage with a spider map or by using word grids.
Title: _____________________________________________ Year written: ________
‘Tis moonlight, summer moonlight,

All soft and still and fair;
The solemn hour of midnight
Breathes sweet thoughts everywhere,
But most where trees are sending

Their breezy boughs on high,
Or stooping low are lending
A shelter from the sky.
And there in those wild bowers

A lovely form is laid;
Green grass and dew-steeped flowers
Wave gently round her head.
QUESTIONS:
1.
2.
3.
RHYMING GRID
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Blue-Sky Thinking 1
light day bees sun moon star

night hay trees
bright ray peas
flight gray breeze
HALF-RHYME GRID
shore song moon soul home bridge
poor young run all none grudge
When on a summer’s morn I wake,

And open my two eyes,
Out to the clear, born-singing rills
My bird-like spirit flies.
To hear the Blackbird, Cuckoo, Thrush,

Or any bird in song;
And common leaves that hum all day
Without a throat or tongue.
And when Time strikes the hour for sleep,

Back in my room alone,
My heart has many a sweet bird’s song-
And one that’s all my own.
QUESTIONS:
1.
2.
3.
RHYMING GRID
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Blue-Sky Thinking 1
HALF-RHYME GRID
‘Tis the last rose of summer

Left blooming alone;
All her lovely companions
Are faded and gone:
No flower of her kindred,
No rose-bud is nigh,
To reflect back her blushes,
Or give sigh for sigh.
I’ll not leave thee, thou lone one!

To pine on the stem;
Since the lovely are sleeping,
Go, sleep thou with them.
Thus kindly I scatter
Thy leaves o’er the bed,
Where thy mates of the garden
Lie scentless and dead.
So soon may I follow,

When friendships decay,
And from Love’s shining circle
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Blue-Sky Thinking 1
The gems drop away.

When true hearts lie wither’d,
And fond ones are flown,
Oh! Who would inhabit
This bleak world alone?
RHYMING GRIDS
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Blue-Sky Thinking 1
“Pressure makes diamonds and stressed spelt backwards is just desserts.” Two popular
proverbs rolled into one.
Date:__/__/______ Title: DESCRIBING FEMALES Lesson Number:
Quote/Adage:Success has many fathers but failure is an orphan. (Tacitus. 98 A.D.)

Meaning: _________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
1 POINT 2 POINTS3 POINTS 5 POINTS
BLACK HAIR
raven
cellar
thundercloud
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Blue-Sky Thinking 1
coral
cobra
feather
BRIGHT EYES
dazzling
gleaming
flashing
sparkling
glittering
flickering
BLUE EYES
gem blue
sapphire blue
moonstone blue
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Blue-Sky Thinking 1
jewel blue
aquamarine
birthstone blue
NOSE
button
hooked
imp’s
dainty
pointy
pixie’s
PERSONALITY
bubbly
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Blue-Sky Thinking 1
sunny
good-humoured
joyful
breezy
extroverted
POINTS SCORE
0-9 good first try

10-29 v.good
30-59 excellent
60-139 super
140+ genius!
Date:__/__/______ Title: PERSONALITY Lesson Number:
Quote/Saying: Necessity is the mother of invention. (Plato)

Meaning: _________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
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1 POINT 2 POINTS 3 POINTS 4 POINTS 5 POINTS

merry chirpy carefree
cheerful gleeful joie de vivre
seemed down glum dejected

out of sorts wretched sorrowful
steady reliable true-blue

stable dependable trustworthy
looked cross furious irate

looked narky livid vexed
private withdrawn brooding

distant distant introvert
POINTS SCORE
0-9 good first try 10-29 v.good 30-59 excellent 60-139 super 140+ genius!
Using the words in the grids below, write out 5 physical features of a woman and 5 different
types of personality.
PHYSICAL FEATURES:
1.
2.
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3.
4.
5.
PERSONALITY:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Now use 5 different sets of words for each.
PHYSICAL FEATURES:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
PERSONALITY:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
“The world suffers a bit.
Not because of the violence of bad people.
But because of the silence of good people.” NAPOLEON
What do you think Napoleon meant by this?
Date:__/__/______ Title: DESCRIBING FEMALES Lesson Number:
Quote/Proverb: We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.

(Martin Luther King)
Meaning: _________________________________________________________________
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___________________________________________________________________________
BROWN HAIR
mousy brown
copper brown
caramel brown
wafer brown
coconut brown
autumn brown
TEXTURE
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Blue-Sky Thinking 1
silk
suede
velvet
satin
fleece
velour
GREEN EYES
jade
milky
forest
emerald
meadow
Eden
TEETH
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angel white
polar white
pearly
Arctic white
iceberg white
piano key
OTHERS
trendy clothes
a long neck
arched eyebrows
Gothic clothes
a swan’s neck
sliver-of-moon
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POINTS SCORE
0-9 good first try

10-29 v.good
30-59 excellent
60-139 super
140+ genius!
Now describe a woman using 10 sentences under the following headings.

BLACK/BROWN HAIR:
BLUE/GREEN EYES:
BRIGHT EYES:
NOSE:
PERSONALITY:
PHYSICAL ACTION REFLECTING PERSONALITY:
TEXTURE OF HAIR:
TEETH:
OTHERS:
YOUR OWN IDEAS:
Try to fill in this colour chart with your dictionary when you are finished:
BLACK WHITE RED
cellar snowcloud claret
voodoo orchid firefly
scarecrow hailstone Titian (pronounced Tyshen)
GREEN BROWN BLUE
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cyan stew galaxy

moss mahogany Siberian
peppermint scorched earth constellation
SILVER PURPLE PINK
polished heather salmon
glitter bird of paradise pilgrim
skyline monarchy calamine
Underneath are some magical words that can be used in any descriptive essay. Fill them in.
tinkling plush stardust lapping
fragrance cloudberry infinity lavish
sleek shimmering a-flash a-gleam
owl light glamour quivering moonbeams
angel fire Halleluiah moment chiming unearthly
sorcery pixie dust vista manna
rapture toothsome willowy vapour
elf light sizzling burbling whirring
serene glassy fluting paradise
0-8 Excellent 9-20 Impressive 21-28 Homework off! 29+ Genius and H/O!
Date:__/__/______ Title:DESCRIBING FEMALES Lesson Number:
Quote/Old chestnut:The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the
strong. (Mahatma Ghandi)
Meaning: _________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
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GOLD HAIR
sunset
ore
beeswax
sunrise
molten
honeycomb
WAIST/BODY
wasp waisted
hour glass
shapely body
bumblebee waist
goblet
willowy body
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BROWN EYES
coffee brown
deer brown
bamboo brown
mocha brown
otter brown
biscuit brown
LIPS
berry red
strawberry red
oxblood red
cherry red
raspberry red
dragonblood red
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CHEEKBONES
high
half-moon
mountain peak
oval
domed
pinched-in
POINTS SCORE
0-9 good first try

10-29 v.good
30-59 excellent
60-139 super
140+ genius!
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Quote/Adage: If you seek revenge, dig two graves. (Confucius)

Meaning: _________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
RED HAIR
rose red
claret red
lava red
ruby red
crimson red
magma red
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MOVEMENT
flowed
tumbled
crashed
plunged
toppled
cascaded
FINGERNAILS
shiny
varnished
film star
polished
manicured
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pendant shaped
LIPSHAPE
puffy
heart shaped
oxbow
pouting
bee stung
Cupid’s bow
VOICE
honey
sugary
nectar sweet
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mead
syrupy
a songbird’s
POINTS SCORE
0-9 good first try

10-29 v.good
30-59 excellent
60-139 super
140+ genius!
WHAT IS A NOUN?
A noun is a person, idea, place or thing. A good way to remember it is to use the mnemonic
PIPIT. A pipit is a songbird. A mnemonic is a ‘mental hook’. Any technique that makes it
easier for you to remember something is a mnemonic.
These days, students around the world use mental maps to help them remember information.
Underneath is a simple mental map (mnemonic) you can use for nouns.
NOUN: PIPIT is a noun.
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THING PERSON
PLACE IDEA
In the grid are 10 words. Tick each one if you think it is a noun. Put an x if you think it isn’t.
James loyalty
love USA
Navan book
cupboard it
Jackie everyone
Look around the classroom. Write down a list of 20 things in the room that are nouns. The
first two to finish get homework off- if they are correct!
1. 11.
2. 12.
3. 13.
4. 14.
5. 15.
6. 16.
7. 17.
8. 18.
9. 19.
10. 20.
Quote/Gnome:Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.
(Benjamin Franklin, 1735, but 1st published in 1639)
Meaning: _________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
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BRUNETTE
chocolate brown
walnut brown
tannin brown
cocoa brown
chestnut brown
sable brown
EARS
delicate
sea nymph
seashell
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elfin
scrolled
periwinkle
EYELASHES
long
sweeping
spider’s leg
silky
fine-spun
beetle leg
SMILES
dazzling
megastar
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angelic
electric
megawatt
terawatt
COMPLEXION
glossy
bronzed
apricot
glowing
nut brown
peach and cream
POINTS SCORE
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0-9 good first try

10-29 v.good
30-59 excellent
60-139 super
140+ genius!
REVIEW OF FEMALE DESCRIPTION

For every description here, put your own one in the brackets. Then write the 20 sentences into
your copybook and admire your work. You should have a great character description.
1.She had coral-black hair. ( )
2. Her eyes were flashing with humour. ( )
3. They were aquamarine blue. ( )
4. She had a pixie’s nose. ( )
5. I loved her sunny outlook on life. ( )
6. She seemed a carefree character. ( )
7. Her teeth were iceberg white. ( )
8. She had a long neck. ( )
9. Her dress hugged a shapely body. ( )
10. She had berry-red lips. ( )
11. Her half-moon cheekbones suited her face. ( )
12. Lush hair crashed over her shoulders. ( )
13. Film star fingernails ended her dainty hands. ( )
14. Her lips were heart shaped. ( )
15. Her sugary voice was a joy to behold. ( )
16. She had sea nymph ears. ( )
17. Her sweeping eyelashes were kohl black. ( )
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18. She could light up the room with her dazzling smile. ( )
19. Everyone commented on her apricot complexion. ( )
20. She was truly ……………
“Don’t ever criticize yourself. Don’t go around all day long thinking: “I’m unattractive,
I’m slow; I’m not as smart as my brother.” God wasn’t having a bad day when he made
you……If you can’t love yourself in the right way, you can’t love your neighbour. You
can’t be as good as your supposed to be.”
Joel Olsteen
This is a quote taken from brainyquote.com. Do you think he makes sense? Write down why
you think he may be right or if there’s more that you can add. Then type in ‘Most
inspirational long quotes’ and go to brainyquote.com. Pick out what you think are the best 10
quotes and give a reason why you picked them. The class can vote on the best three.
WHAT IS A VERB?
A verb is an action word. Verbs add energy to a piece of writing. A good mnemonic for them
is VIBRANT VERBS. Repeat it ten times and you’ll never forget it.
The most powerful forces in nature are storms, earthquakes and tsunamis. Try to get the verbs
you would use for each in the grid below. Can you think of 5 more for each grid? Each new
word you get is worth double (2 points).
STORM EARTHQUAKE TSUNAMI

bashed cleaved bombarded
battered cracked clattered
belted crushed clobbered
boomed fractured clubbed
clapped ripped hurtled
growled ruptured pummelled
lashed snapped slapped
slashed splintered smacked
pounded split smashed
roared sundered surged
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Blue-Sky Thinking 1
0-19 excellent 20-34 Impressive 35-46 Homework off 46+ Genius and H/O
These words are also called ECHOISM as the meaning of the word is obvious from its sound.
See if you can win homework off. Fill in 15 words below that echo the sound of water or
wind. You are very impressive students if you can.
1. 6. 11.
2. 7. 12.
3. 8. 13.
4. 9. 14.
5. 10. 15.
REVISION CROSSWORD
C L A R E T G E M
A P O
R R O V A L
A I T
M O C H A J A D E
E O N
L T A N N I N S
U Y
B T R
I M P U
R P
T P E A R L Y
H E R
S N E C T A R
T D H N
O A E G C
N N D E O
E T L C
O
B E E S T U N G A
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WORDSEARCH REVISION
p o l a r
u
d l
o x b l o d
i m i w
c e d e n a
e d g h o u l
b k n
e m e r a l d u
r d i e t
g e s e
n r o s e
m e r m
e l s u e d e
a b b g
d a i n t y y a
s r s
o a r c t i c t
r t a
e e l f i n r

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Blue-Sky Thinking 1
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
“Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will get you everywhere.”Albert Einstein
MORE STORY FIZZERS
Mysterious finds seal of Solomon sword of Peleus a time machine

Dangerous finds the spear of destiny Pandora’s box Aladdin’s lamp
More myths
More myths
1. Do you think this myth could be true or not?

2. When did the myth about it start? What was the exact time period?
3. What does your research say about the times these people lived in? Was it dangerous, in
your opinion? Would you prefer to live back then rather than now?
4. Write down the 3 most interesting ideas or facts you came across in your research.
5. What could you do with this object if you found it? List 3 good and 3 bad possibilities.
Someone from the class will volunteer to read out their answers until the 6 objects are
explained to the class. Knowing the power that each contains, write out which one you would
like to find and why. Then write a fantasy story about the day you found it and what
happened afterwards. Make sure to include some of the descriptions (colours, sounds, images
etc.) on summer and describing females. If you are stuck, use the following questions to help
you:
1. Where?
2. When?
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Blue-Sky Thinking 1
3. Who?
4. What?
5. How?
6. Why?
For homework, research some more myths about objects from history. What was the legend
of King Arthur’s sword? There are some great stories with colour pictures in the National
Geographic Kids website. Why not start there and move on to other websites as you get more
interested.
“Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the
truth.”
“Very little is needed to make a happy life. It is all within yourself, in your way of
thinking.”
“You have power over your mind-not outside events.” 3 quotes from Marcus Aurelius
CLEOPATRA
There has been much debate as to whether Cleopatra was beautiful or not. The answer is yes;
by the standards of the time, she was very pleasing to the eye. There are a couple of busts in
existence where her features can be seen. There are also coins with her image from that time.
Whatever about being beautiful, Cleopatra was one of the most powerful women in the
Roman Empire. She was in Rome the day Julius Caesar died. A lot of historians believe that
her presence in the city was the final straw for the senators who assassinated Julius Caesar.
Who was Cleopatra? Fill in 10 facts about her below:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
A description of Cleopatra by her servant
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I worked in the palace of Cleopatra for 15 years. In that time, no woman ever walked through
the golden gates who could compare with her beauty. I saw Roman Emperors fall at her feet
and saw many suitors turned away with that tinkling laugh of hers. When I am asked to
describe her, I start with her eyes.
They were moonstone-blue and sparkling, like two jewels melted into snow. She had sleek,
coral-black hair that crashed over her shoulders. Her voice was as sweet as a songbird’s and
she had a carefree and joyous personality. When she smiled with those pearly teeth, the spirit
of the whole palace was lifted.
I saw her write the book on cosmetics so that others could be healed. The kohl-black
eyeshadow, mixed with moss-green, was used by all her subjects. It helped to heal infections
because of the lead content in it. She was also a brilliant mathematician, chemist and
philosopher, something she is not given enough credit for. I saw her meet every week with a
team of scientists and she helped to build the Lighthouse of Alexandria, one of the seven
wonders of the ancient world. She also made sure that a huge lens was built into it so that she
could destroy the ships of her enemies.
Although she is known for her pinched-in cheekbones and oxblood-red lips, she was one of
the cleverest women who ever lived. Long after her famous, hooked nose and ringlets of hair
are talked about, she will be remembered as the last of the Pharaohs, a line 3,000 years old.
WRITING A LETTER
There are two types of letter, formal and informal.
A formal letter is to someone you don’t know very well.
An informal (personal) letter is to someone you know for a long time or are very familiar
with. To remember this, think of your in-laws. These are relatives by marriage.
Pretend that you are married (yikes!) and that you have a brother-in-law, a sister-in-law and a
mother-in-law. You don’t have to know them very well or for very long, but they are still
family. You would send these people an informal (in-laws’) letter.
Other people you might send an informal letter to include: a friend, a brother, an old
classmate, your girlfriend/boyfriend etc.
One of the most famous, recent letters are the letters between Barbara Bush, the former First
Lady, and Marge Simpson. In 1990, Barbara Bush said in a magazine interview that the
Simpsons: “was the dumbest thing I have ever seen.”
A furious Marge Simpson wrote to her expressing her concerns. This is her formal letter:
September 28th 1990
Mrs. Barbara Bush
The First Lady
The White House
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1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

Washington, D.C.
Dear First Lady:
I recently read your criticism of my family. I was deeply hurt. Heaven knows
we’re far from perfect, and, if truth be known, a wee bit short of normal; but, as Dr. Seuss
says; “a person is a person.”
I try to teach my children Bart, Lisa, and even little Maggie, always to give somebody the
benefit of the doubt and not talk badly about them, even if they’re rich. It’s hard to get them
to understand this advice when the very First Lady in the country calls us not only dumb, but
“the dumbest thing” she ever saw. Ma’am, if we’re the dumbest thing you ever saw,
Washington must be a good deal different than what they teach me at the current events
group at the church.
I always believed in my heart that we had a great deal in common. Each of us living our lives
to serve an exceptional man. I hope there is some way out of this controversy. I thought,
perhaps, it would be a good start to just speak my mind.
With great respect,
Marge Simpson.
Barbara Bush wrote a formal letter back to Marge. Here is what she wrote:
Dear Marge:
How kind of you to write. I’m glad you spoke your mind. I foolishly didn’t know
you had one.
I am looking at a picture of you, depicted on a plastic cup, with your blue hair filled with pink
birds peeking out all over. Evidently, you and your charming family- Lisa, Homer, Bart and
Maggie- are camping out. It’s a nice family scene. Clearly you are setting a good example for
the rest of the country.
Please forgive a loose tongue.
Yours warmly,
Barbara Bush.
P.S. Homer looks like a handsome fella!
1. Did you find these letters humorous? Why? Why not?

2. Why do you think Barbara Bush wrote back to Marge? Do you believe she regretted what
she had said about the Simpsons?
3. Which of the two wrote the best letter, in your opinion? Give at least 3 reasons.
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4. Write the letter Marge may have written back to her in response.
Hirotsugu Kawaguchi, writing in his notebook on board Japan Airlines flight 123 from Tokyo
to Osaka, August 12, 1985.
Mariko, Tsuyoshi, Chiyoko,
Be good to each other and work hard.
Help your mother.
It’s sad, but I’m sure I won’t make it.
I don’t know the cause.
It’s been five minutes now.
I don’t want to take any more planes.
Please kami- sama help me.
To think that our dinner last night was the last time.
There was some sort of explosion in the cabin.
There was smoke and we started to descend.
Where are we going, what will happen?
Tsuyoshi, I’m counting on you.
Darling, it’s too bad that this has happened.
Goodbye
Please take good care of the children
Its 6.30 now.
The plane is descending rapidly.
I am grateful for the truly happy life I have lived until now.
The crippled plane crashed into a mountain. He was not among the four survivors.
Michelangelo to his brother Giovan Simone, who had threatened their father, writing in June
1509:
I have gone about these twelve years past drudging about through Italy, borne every shame,
suffered every hardship, worn my body out in every toil, and risked life itself a thousand
times for the single purpose of assisting my family. Now that I have begun to raise it up a
little, it is thou, and thou alone, who desirest in a single hour to destroy and pull down all that
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I have spent so many years and so much labour in building up. By the body of Christ, this
shall not be! I am ready to wipe away ten thousand men such as thou art whenever it be
necessary. And now, be wise, and vex not to wrath one who has other causes for anxiety.
1. Which of the two letters is the saddest, in your opinion? Give at least 3 reasons for your
answer.
2. If you had a choice, which family, or neither, would you want to live with?
3. What can of a man do you think Hirotsugu Kawaguchi was? Can you think of 10
adjectives?
4. What kind of man do you think Michelangelo was? Can you think of 10 adjectives or
more?
5. Write a letter to either of the two men. You may say what you want in this letter.
“A person who has good thoughts cannot ever be ugly. You can have a wonky nose and
a crooked mouth and a double chin and stick-out teeth, but if you have good thoughts
they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely.”
(Roald Dahl)
The letter from Michelangelo above was only his Post Script (known as P.S. in a letter).
A Post Script means ‘after writing’ or an afterthought that you put in because you forgot to
put it in the main text of the letter.
Post= After Script= Writing
This is the full text of the letter he wrote to Simone, giving out to him about the treatment of
his father.
Giovan Simone, “They say that he who does good to a good man makes him better, and that
he who does good to a rogue makes him worse.
For many years past I have striven, by dint of good words and kind actions, to lead thee to
live a virtuous life in peace with thy father and the rest of us, but each day thou growest more
unworthy. I will not say thou art a rogue, but thy conduct is such that it gives satisfaction
neither to me nor to the rest of the family. There is much I might write to thee concerning thy
manner of life, but it would only be the same waste of words as on former occasions. And so,
to be brief, I tell thee as a truth that thou possessest nothing whatsoever in this world, that thy
maintenance and lodging are at my expense, and that for the love of God I have entirely
supported thee in the past, believing that thou wert my own brother, as the others are. But
now of a surety I know thou art no brother of mine, else thou wouldvst not have threatened
my father “indeed, thou art no more than a beast, and as a beast I will treat thee.”
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Learn from me that he who sees his father threatened or abused is bound to risk his own life
in his defence; and let this suffice.
I repeat, thou hast nothing in the world: and if I hear the least complaint against thy conduct I
will come to Florence post haste, to show thee the extent of thine error, and to teach thee not
to waste thy substance nor to set fire to houses and farms thou hast not earned. Thou art not
yet where thouthinkest thyself to be. If I am obliged to come I will show thee something that
will make thee weep hot tears and cause thee to recognise the false foundations of thine
arrogance.
This further I have to add: if thou wilt give thyself to honest living and wilt honour and
reverence thy father, I will help thee as I am helping the others, and before long I will
establish thee in a suitable shop. If thou wilt not conduct thyself as I have said, I will come
and settle thy business in such a manner that thou shalt know thyself better than ever thou
didst before, and thou shalt learn what it is thou canst call thine own, and wilt have it
proclaimed wherever thou goest. No more. Where words fail me I will make up with deeds.”
An archaic word is a word that is no longer commonly used. For example, we use the word
‘go’, while Michelangelo uses ‘goest’ most of the time. ‘Goest’ is an archaic word.
1. Do you find the style of writing difficult? Pick 10 sentences at random and change them
into modern English.
2. How many archaic words can you spot in the letter? Write them down in a list.
WRITING A DIARY ENTRY
The diary is your dog.
You can tell your dog your innermost secrets, your darkest fears, and your most precious
hopes for the future. He will never speak of it to anyone. He will never betray you. That is
why you should tell your diary everything. Use the K.I.S.S motto also-Keep It Simple,
Student! There are two golden rules for a diary (i.e. as well as keeping it locked away).
RULE 1: Always picture yourself writing at your desk at night. You are writing about events
of the past day and your emotional reaction to those events. The emotions you felt are as
important as what happened that day.
RULE 2: You are writing to yourself. Never forget that. The language register should be
simple, honest and direct.
Underneath are a list of ‘do’s’ and ‘don’ts’ for a diary entry.
DO DON’T
use the past tense. It’s a diary of the day just use the present tense unless you need to.
gone and you usually write it at night.
use short sentences. complicate the syntax (i.e. sentences).
explore many of your emotions. list emotions. Explain why you felt them.
write it as you felt it that day. ramble or use stuffy language.
use it to get things off your mind. ever think you are being over dramatic.
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use descriptions but use them sparingly. take up too much time describing
use humour as a writing technique. put in words you wouldn’t use with friends.
rhetorical questions. put in direct speech or quote anyone.
look forward with hope for tomorrow. use the past continuous tense.
sign in with ‘Dear diary’ forget to sign off! ‘Till tomorrow!
JUMBLE BOX OF EMOTIONS TO USE IN A DIARY

HAPPINESS ANGER SADNESS A.N OTHER
LONELINESS SHAME FEAR A.N OTHER
To fill in these boxes, ask yourself how you felt when you woke up this morning. You were
going to school. Did that make you feel happy or sad? What is the greatest memory in your
life? How did you feel? What has been the worst experience you’ve ever had? What were
your emotions at the time? Then put them into the boxes and write an entry based on them.
“It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves.” William Shakespeare
Some diary ‘snapshots’ from famous people.
Ernest Hemingway, writer:
My name is Ernest Miller Hemingway I was born on July 21 1899. My favourite authors are
Kipling, O. Henry and Steuart Edward White. My favourite flower is Lady Slipper andTiger
Lily. My favourite sports are Trout fishing, Hiking, shooting, football and boxing. My
favourite studies are English, Zoology and chemistry. I intend to travel and write.
Ernest Hemingway did indeed travel the world and wrote some of literature’s greatest books.
He also became a great fisherman and hunter. Unfortunately, he lost his lifelong battle with
alcohol and died at age 61.
What age do you think he was when he wrote this?
Captain Robert Scott, polar explorer, March 29th, 1912.

Since the 21st we have had a continuous gale from W.S.W and S.W. We had fuel to make two
cups of tea apiece and bare food for two days on the 20th. Every day we have been ready to
start for our depot two miles away, but outside the door of the tent it remains a scene of
whirling drift. I do not think we can hope for any better things now. We shall stick it out to
the end, but we are getting weaker, of course, and the end cannot be far.
It is now debated whether Captain Lawrence Oates used these famous words on March 17th:
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“I am just going outside and may be some time.”

This refers to the fact that Oates had gangrene in his leg and was holding up the rest of the
men. Because of that, he stepped out of the tent into a -40º degree snowstorm, hoping that his
actions would save the others. It didn’t make a difference. The three men left from the 5-man
party died just 11 miles short of a depot with food supplies. Write the final entry of your
diary if you were one of the 3 men left in the tent.
Joseph Goebbels, Minister for Propaganda for the Nazi party, November 6th, 1925.
We drive to Hitler. He is having his meal. He jumps to his feet, there he is. Shakes my hand.
Like an old friend. And those big blue eyes. Like stars. He is glad to see me. I am in heaven.
That man has got everything to be a king. A born tribune. The coming dictator.
This was Goebbels’ first time meeting Hitler. He was fascinated with him. In April, 1945,
one day after Hitler’s death, Goebbels killed himself, along with his wife and children. He
decided there was no future “without their leader and Fuehrer to guide them.”
Harry Truman, President, United States of America, who gave the order to drop the atom
bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This is his entry 12 days before the bombs were dropped.
We met at 11 a.m. today. That is Churchill, Stalin, and the U.S. President. But I had a most
important session with Lord Mountbatten and General Marshall before that.
We have discovered the most terrible bomb in the history of the world. It may be the fire
destruction prophesied in the Euphrates Valley Era, after Noah and his fabulous Ark.
Anyway we “think” we have found the way to cause a disintegration of the atom. An
experiment in the New Mexico desert was startling — to put it mildly. Thirteen pounds of the
explosive caused the complete disintegration of a steel tower 60 feet high, created a
crater6feet deep and 1,200 feet in diameter, knocked over a steel tower 1/2 mile away and
knocked men down 10,000 yards away. The explosion was visible for more than 200 miles
and audible for 40 miles and more.
This weapon is to be used against Japan between now and August 10th. I have told the Sec.
of War, Mr. Stimson, to use it so that military objectives and soldiers and sailors are the
target and not women and children. Even if the Japs are savages, ruthless, merciless and
fanatic, we as the leader of the world for the common welfare cannot drop that terrible bomb
on the old capital or the new.
He and I are in accord. The target will be a purely military one and we will issue a warning
statement asking the Japs to surrender and save lives. I’m sure they will not do that, but we
will have given them the chance. It is certainly a good thing for the world that Hitler’s crowd
or Stalin’s did not discover this atomic bomb. It seems to be the most terrible thing ever
discovered, but it can be made the most useful...
What are your thoughts on Harry Truman? Is it right to kill so many people to end a war? An
estimated 120,000 people were killed immediately from the two bombs, 80,000 in Hiroshima
and 40,000 in Nagasaki.
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Albert Einstein, creator of the equation E=mc². His friend and fellow scientist, Linus
Pauling, used to write down notes on the conversations he had with Einstein. This is one:
On 16 November, 1954, I talked with Albert Einstein at his home in Princeton, for a couple
of hours, about various matters, scientific in part, but especially about the world as a whole.
When I said goodbye, and left the house, I stopped on the sidewalk and wrote two sentences
in my notebook, in order that I would not forget just what he had said to me. One statement
that he made that I noted is the following:
“Oxenstierna said to his son: ‘You would be astonished to know with how little wisdom the
world is governed.’”
The other sentence about which I made a note is the following:
“I made one great mistake in my life- when I signed the letter to President Roosevelt
recommending that atom bombs be made; but there was some justification-the danger that
the Germans would make them.”
As we can see, Einstein felt bad about his small part in the atom bomb. Do you think it
haunted him for the rest of his life? Pick out the best diary entry from the ones above and say
why you found it interesting. Then write out a diary entry for today, using your thoughts from
when you woke up.
Date:__/__/______ Title: DESCRIBING AUTUMN Lesson Number:
Quote/Proverb:Living well is the best revenge. (George Herbert)

Meaning: _________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
WEAK SUN
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pale
wan
bloodless
ghostly
chalky
pallid
SOUNDS
crunching
crispy
crackly
crackling
creaking
phut-phut of nuts
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MIST
ghost-grey
spooky-grey
wraith-grey
ghoul-grey
spectre-grey
phantom-grey
PINE SMELLS
minty
gummy
amber
sap sweet
resin
thyme
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FRUIT TASTE
pear sweet
citrus taste
orchard sweet
peachy
plummy
windfall sweet
POINTS SCORE
0-9 good first try

10-29 v.good
30-59 excellent
60-139 super
140+ genius!
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REPLACING ONE VIBRANT VERB WITH ANOTHER

Example:
The (pale ) moon was asleep ( dozing)over the trees.
1. The (g ) moon was hanging ( ) in the sky.
2. The (w ) moon threw( ) weak spears of light on the forest’s floor.
3. The (c ) moon peeped ( ) through the trees.
4. The (b ) moon drifted ( ) up above us.
5. The (p ) moon was shaped ( ) in a perfect circle.
6. The crisp leavescrunched( ) as we walked.
7. The nuts phut-phutted( ) onto the leafy carpet of the forest.
8. The ( ) mist crept ( ) over the ground.
9. The ( ) mist clung to ( ) the trees.
10. The ( ) fog seemed to stare ( ) back at us.
11. The ( ) fog was ripped ( ) apart by the morning sun.
12. The ( ) sweet smell of the forest drifted ( ) in the air.
13. The scent of wild ( ) looped ( ) around the forest.
14. ( ) ripe apples thumped ( ) to the ground.
15. The ( ) smell of the forest swirled ( ) through the air.
PUT YOUR OWN VERBS IN THE SENTENCE

1. The moonbeams were flashing( ) through the knotty trees.
2. The moonbeams toppled( ) through the leafy canopy.
3. The satiny( ) moonbeams touched the forest’s blanket of leaves.
4. We screamed( ) as we saw a dark shadow move through the trees.
5. Tree boughs clattered( ) to the ground as the storm worsened.
6. The thunder clapped( ) as the lightning hissed ( ).
7. John said( ) not to worry.
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8. We dashed( ) for the safety of the cave.

9. We lit( ) a fire to keep warm.
10. Our clothes were drenched( ) but we were thrilled ( ) with the fire.
Quote/Proverb:To educate a person in the mind but not in morals is to educate a menace
to society. (Theodore Roosevelt)
Meaning: _________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
RED LEAVES
blood-red
hogsblood
inferno
bonfire-red
firespark
hellhound
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SOUNDS
howling
moaning
sobbing
yowling
groaning
squealing
MIST
rags of mist
fingers
ribbons
shreds of mist
scarves
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tentacles
MIST
voiceless
lifeless
soundless
heartless
noiseless
rootless
RAIN
airy
pearls of
dewdrops
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sprinkling
droplets of
teardrops
POINTS SCORE
0-9 good first try

10-29 v.good
30-59 excellent
60-139 super
140+ genius!
You are the world’s greatest detective. Your name is Sherlock Holmes the 4thand you’ve
never failed to solve a case. The strangest case you’ve ever solved was called ‘The Frogman
in the Forest’.
A man in full scuba diving gear was heard crashing through the trees from a mile away and
hit the ground with a sickening splat. Two married witnesses, John Doe and Jane Doe, heard
the noise and came running to his assistance. They had never seen the man before, they
claimed, and he was found 500 yards from the nearest lake. John and Mary Doe were wearing
raingear, not surprisingly as it was autumn and it was a cloudy day. Your job as a student is
to make up a mystery that you solve yourself. Use some of the words in the grid below and
use the prompt questions underneath if you wish. They might help to make it an imaginative
case.
teardrops stuffy pearls wretched
fingers sapphire toppled lifeless
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ghost oxblood finespun Arctic

resin bloodless arched oval
sunless sugary beeswax gothic
carefree goblet lava pregnant
rags coffee cellar moonstone
sap sunset yowling biscuit
1. What did the frogman work at?

2. How exactly did he get to the forest?
3. What is the oval shaped mark on his jaw?
4. Are there any legends surrounding the lake or the forest?
5. Are there any abandoned cars or jeeps nearby?
6. Who exactly are John and Jane Doe? What do they do and what were they doing in the
forest?
7. Do they have any marks on them or their clothes?
8. Are they reliable witnesses?
9. Is there any blood around the body of the frogman?
10. Is there anything under his fingernails?
11. Are there any marks leading from the body to the lake?
12. Are there any footprints leading from the body to the lake?
13. Were there any other witnesses nearby?
14. Did they hear anything?
15. “When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable,
must be the truth.”(Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of Sherlock Holmes)
Quote/Proverb:Keep your eyes on the stars and your feet on the ground. (Theodore
Roosevelt)
Meaning: _________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
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ORANGE
hot-orange
fiery
glowing
ember-orange
feverish
scorching
SHADOWS
blackened
gloomy
dusky
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sooty
murky
sunless
STALE AIR
damp
musty
dank
stuffy
mouldy
clammy
EDIBLES
nuts
berries
nettles
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mushrooms
wild garlic
woodsorrel
HEAVY RAIN
plump drops
swollen
nails of
ploppy drops
pregnant
bullets of
POINTS SCORE
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0-9 good first try

10-29 v.good
30-59 excellent
60-139 super
140+ genius!
Date:__/__/______
Title: MORE IDEAS FROM STUDENTS
Lesson Number:
Quote/Proverb:The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do.
(Walter Bagehot)
Meaning: _________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
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Harvest moon
pumpkins
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Jack-o-Lantern
equinox
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scarecrows
POINTS SCORE
0-9 good first try

10-29 v.good
30-59 excellent
60-139 super
140+ genius!
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REVISION: WHAT IS AN ADJECTIVE?

An adjective is a word that describes a noun. Try to place the best adjective you can before
the nouns in the sentences.
1. One of our teachers has a ( ) smile.
2. I always liked people who have a ( ) nose.
3. The autumn fire burned ( ) bright.
4. The deepest part of the forest is a ( ) place.
5. I love it when the summer sun is ( ) gold.
6. My favourite smell is the ( ) aroma of a hayfield.
7. Raindrops are the ( ) tears of the sky.
8. My friends hair is ( ) black.
9. The spring brings clear, ( ) streams.
10. My favourite sky is the ( ) purple sky of summer.
11. John always has a ( ) personality.
12. The summer seas are like blankets of ( ) blue.
13. Mist can sometimes look like ( ) scarves floating in the air.
14. My favourite sentence is the ( ) fog.
15. My cup of tea is ( ) brown.
16. The ( ) sunsets of Africa are a joy to behold.
17.The sun lanced the water in lines of ( ) gold.
18. The ( ) perfume of the forest is always intoxicating.
19. The ( ) birds woke me up this morning. They call it the dawn chorus.
20. People who are tanned are said to have ( ) bodies.
21. The ( ) vale of my hometown is my favourite place on earth.
22. My neighbour is a soldier and has ( ) hair.
23. He also has ( ) stubble.
24. He has a ( ) physique and ( ) shoulders.
25. This was a very ( ) exercise.
Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water.
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After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. (HsinHsin Ming)

TI: ‘Four confusing Zen quotes’ to lifehacker.com for a full explanation if you require one.
REVISION CROSSWORD
P A L L I D S A P
E P L
A S E O
R I B B O N C P
L O T P
S H O T R Y
W Y E
A
I N F E R N O
A
H G H O S T
W O O D S O R R E L
I W E I
N L S F
D I I E
F N D N L
A G H O U L E
L S S
L M U S K S
Y O W L
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WORDSEARCH REVISION
a c r a c k l y
i m s
r b l o o d
t h y m e o
e r t
w a n y
s r o o t l e s s
a t h d h r
p l y a r a
p e a r m e g
s a p e d s
s e s
m g u m m y d
u h b a
s o e n
t e m b e r k
y
d r o p l e t s
c i t r u s

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
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I CRIED over beautiful things knowing no beautiful thing lasts.

The field of cornflower yellow is a scarf at the neck of the copper sunburned woman, the
mother of the year, the taker of seeds.
The northwest wind comes and the yellow is torn full of holes, new beautiful things come in
the first spit of snow on the northwest wind, and the old things go, not one lasts.
Autumn moonlight-
a worm digs silently
into the chestnut.
October- and the skies are cool and gray

O’er stubbles emptied of their latest sheaf,
Bare meadow, and the slowly falling leaf.
The dignity of woods in rich decay
Accords full well with this majestic grief
That clothes our solemn purple hills to-day,
Whose afternoon is hushed, and wintry brief
Only a robin sings from any spray.
And night sends up her pale cold moon, and spills

White mist around the hollow of the hills,
Phantoms of firth or lake; the peasant sees
His cot and stockyard, with the homestead trees,
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Islanded; but no foolish terror thrills

His perfect harvesting; he sleeps at ease.
When the frosty kiss of Autumn in the dark

Makes its mark
On the flowers, and the misty morning grieves
Over fallen leaves;
Then my olden garden, where the golden soil
Through the toil
Of a hundred years is mellow, rich and deep,
Whispers in its sleep.
‘Mid the crumpled beds of marigold and phlox,

Where the box
Borders with its glossy green the ancient walks,
There’s a voice that talks
Of the human hopes that bloomed and withered here
Year by year-
Dreams of joy, that brightened all the labouring hours,
Fading as the flowers.
Yet the whispered story does not deepen grief

But relief
For the loneliness of sorrow seems to flow
From the Long-Ago,
When I think of other lives that learned, like mine,
To resign,
And remember that the sadness of the fall
Comes alike to all.
What regrets, what longings for the lost were theirs!

And what prayers,
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For the silent strength that nerves us to endure

Things we cannot cure!
Pacing up and down the garden where they paced,
I have traced
All their well-worn paths of patience, till I find
Comfort in my mind.
Faint and far away their ancient griefs appear.
Yet how near
Is the tender voice, the careworn, kindly face

Of the human race!
Let us walk together in the garden, dearest heart,
Not apart!
They who know the sorrows other lives have known
Never walk alone.
QUESTIONS:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
RHYMING GRID
RHYMING GRID
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“Look within. Within is the fountain of good, and it will ever bubble up if thou wilt ever
dig.” Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor, 161-180 A.D, the last of the 5 Good Emperors.
DESCRIBING AUTUMN
Many people have a dislike for autumn. They see it as a gateway to a darker world. The hour
goes back, the shadows close in and stories of hobgoblins and spooksare told around fires
again. September can be the most beautiful month of the year, however. Although the schools
are back, the weekends still see lines of cars heading for the beach.
God’s daystar still burns bright, dancing on the ocean like faerie-fire. The sea sighs and
sleeps in its blue robe before the late, autumn winds lashes it in anger. Barbecues sizzle and
the smell of charcoal and burnt meat is mouth-watering. The days unfold slowly before the
night throws up a galaxy of stars. They glitter and gleam like diamond dust in the velvet-
black sky.
AUTUMN IN SEPTEMBER
The September mornings are bright and airy. Horses and cattle still munch and graze the
fields. The horses snort and toss their heads, glad to be alive. Then they break into a gallop,
their hooves thrumming across the soft, turfy ground. Some of the dawns are beautiful and
you can see the mist rising like a bull’s breath. It drifts up, circling the trees with
itsghostlytentacles.
In the forest, the leaves are still spring-green and lush. The first dark spots appear on some of
them as a warning that the summer is fading. Winter buds poke through the hazel and walnut
trees. There is an opera of birdsong tumbling through the air and the world is a happy place.
In the distance, you might hear the witch-wail of a jay, a type of coloured magpie. Because of
the jay and the screech-owl, Celtic people in olden times believed that the souls of the dead
returned on October 31st. We will come back to that later.
For now, the rivers run joyfully. They are neon-blue and bounce over the rocks, throwing up
spray that looks like lemonade. The rivers are the highways of the forests and fishermen stand
in them, hoping to pick up a plump trout. The trout can be seen in the gin-clear water, their
speckledbellies heaving up and down. Their spots are the colours of the rainbow: yolk-
yellow, bilberry-blue and plum-purple. Sometimes they break the surface, leaping into the air
and landing again with a watery splash.
The mountains in the distance are not yet snow-cloaked. They are old and tired and punch the
sky wearily. In a few weeks, a ring of snow will appear on the highest peak. An Alaskan-cold
wind shall sweep in from the north and the first frosts shall crisp and shrink the juicy grass.
Every animal that can harvest, hide or hibernate shall disappear for the year. They will escape
the sharpfangs of Jack Frost and re-emerge in the cold, ancient light of spring.
Winter is coming and there will be a Reckoning.
1. Which of the six paragraphs did you enjoy the most? Say why you thought it was the best.
2. Give an example of five metaphors in the passage. Then try to replace them with 5
different metaphors.
3. Write out your own story about why September is special to you.
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4. Replace all the underlined words with a different word or phrase. This exercise should be
done in pairs.
AUTUMN IN OCTOBER
October is the month of fire. The leaves turn to magma-reds, hot-oranges and fever-yellows.
The forest becomes a riot of colour and hard nuts thunk-thunk-thunk to the ground. Squirrels
scrabble and claw through the crackly leaves, hoping to get one last bounty.
The sun is cold and pale, throwing down weak lances of light. The sun-spears do not reach
the sooty heart of the forest, which is rayless and eerie. The moon comes out and creates a
dome of soft light over the trees. It is a moth-moon and it hangs in the sky, as bloodless as a
glowing pearl. Behind it, the sky is inky and the stars flash silver like ice-sparks.
When the squirrels go to their mossy beds, there is no sound in the forest. There is no insect-
hum, no leaf-rustle,no wind-music. Instead, strange shapes appear, dancing in and out of
focus. The sound of human voices breaks through the quiet glade. They carry torches which
look like a row of fireflies. Bulls bellow, sheep bleat and dogs bark. It is October 31st, 500
B.C. in a forest in Wicklow.
The men are wearing the heads of deer, wolves and bear. Their voices are low and hushed
and are grit-and-gravel deep. They do not shout as the souls of their ancestors are returning to
the forest for this one night. Halloween is the night when the door to the Otherworld is open
and evil spirits can be seen by the human eye. It is the only night where the Celts are afraid of
the dark. A huge bonfire is lit and the struggling animals are sacrificed.
Three cups are passed around. One contains wine, one contains apple cider and one contains
wheat beer with honey. Each Celt takes a mouthful and their voices rise higher and higher
until the druid tells them to be quiet. He chants some spells and he banishes the fairies, the
banshees and the shape shifters from the forest. Now they celebrate the end of the harvest and
feast the night away. For in their calendar, tomorrow is the first day of winter, and tough
times are ahead.
AUTUMN IN NOVEMBER
The leaf-stripping winds pass through the forest. They shriek and moan, making the branches
creak and crack. The trees look like skeletons and the forest floor is covered in piles of
mulch. The bitter winds are an omen for an even deadlier enemy coming to the forest.
Jack Frost’s glassy fingers are beginning to creep across the land. The first signs can be seen
on the meadow grass. Dawn frost carpets the grass like frozen pixie-dust. It gleams like a
million fallen stars. The trees are leaking orange blood and the scent of amber hangs in the
air. Pine sap and wood gum ooze from the bark and the forest fills with its minty smell.
The lonely mountains are weighed down by a sky-bucket of snow. Smoke rises from sleepy
villages and the sky turns a grim, ash-grey. Only the Jesus bird, the robin, wants to sing any
more. He flies onto the highest branch and opens his beak, flooding the forest with his music.
Although the winter will be tough, he knows that spring is only a short hop away. The forest
goes to sleep for the winter, shrinking and tucking itself in. Only the robin is left to witness
its cruelty.
1. Which of the 3 monthly descriptions did you enjoy the most? Explain why.
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2. Try to replace the underlined words with a different word or phrase. Do this in pairs.
ANIMAL SOUNDS OF AN IRISH FOREST
Ice Age mammals Introduced since Now extinct
bat bank vole wild boar
red deer sika deer giant deer/elk
Irish hare brown hare brown bear-1,000 B.C.
red fox fallow deer reindeer
pine marten sika deer roe deer
otter rabbit wolf-1786
Irish stoat American mink wild cat
red squirrel grey squirrel wild pig (greyhound pig)
field mouse black rat muskrat
house mouse brown rat woolly mammoth
pygmy shrew muntjac deer spotted hyena
hedgehog wild boar? (rewilding) lemmings
badger black panther? (escapes) lynx
white-toothed shrew Siberian chipmunks lake monsters
NOW PUT IN THE SOUND EACH ANIMAL WOULD MAKE

bat-squeaking bank vole-rustling wild boar-snorting
There are 26 land mammals in Ireland. A land mammal is taken to be any animal that has
existed in the country since 1500 A.D. The animals on the left MAY have been in Ireland
during or before the Ice Age. Write in true or false on the right if you think they were.
polar bears (bred with Irish brown bears)
wild horses
Arctic foxes
beavers
Aurochs (huge wild bulls)
Saiga antelopes
wolverines
woolly rhinoceroses
cave lions
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great auks
Timeline for the First People to inhabit Britain and Ireland

2 million years ago: The first humans appeared in Africa.
800,000 years ago: Humans entered Europe, probably from Africa. England is connected to
Europe by a land bridge and a footprint dating to this time is found in Norfolk.
700,000 years ago: 32 flints are found in Suffolk. Early man is successfully living in Britain.
480,000 years ago: The earliest bone found in Britain, a shinbone, is found in Suffolk.
250,000 years ago: The Neanderthals leave evidence of their migration into Jersey island.
They are the most successful species in Europe at this time. They go extinct circa 30,000 B.C.
40,000 years ago: The first modern man, Cro-Magnon, arrive in Europe. They are one of the
reasons the Neanderthals go extinct. There was probably inter-breeding between the two
races at some stage. Cro-Magnon man came from the region of Lebanon/Palestine/Israel
originally, spread to Siberia and made their way to France. They followed mammoth and
reindeer herds in order to survive. They played music (with bone flutes), drew cave art and
made tools and weapons from bones, flint and antlers.
33,000 years ago: Cro-Magnon man arrives in Britain.
26,000- 19,000 B.C: An Ice Age hits Britain and Ireland, Northern Europe and as far south as
Northern France. All these areas become no-go zones for humans. They may have ventured
in to hunt for mammoths and reindeer but the snow and ice are too hostile to live there.
15,000-14,500 B.C: Humans return to Britain and Ireland. There may have been as few as
3,000 people hunting in Britain at this time but 80% of the DNA of British people comes
from these hardy few. Ireland may have had as little as 500 people in the same period. Ireland
is still connected to Britain by a ‘land bridge’ from Cornwall to Waterford.
11,000 B.C: The juniper tree is the first tree to colonise Ireland after the Ice Age. Giant deer
and Aurochs may have crossed into Ireland at this time. Look at the last grid to see the list of
animals who may have crossed over at this time. Ireland at this time is a land of open
meadows, lakes and sparkling chalk rivers.
10,000 B.C: The land bridge disappears with rising sea levels. Ireland is cut off from Britain
forever. Britain today has 43 land mammals. Ireland has 26, as the south of England was
always much warmer, enabling animals to survive. Agriculture reaches Europe from the
Middle East. There are no wild cattle in Ireland or England and no-one is able to farm.
9,000 B.C: The climate warms rapidly. Birch, willow, pine, hazel, elm, oak, beech, alder and
lime trees colonize Ireland. It becomes a land of vast forests. These forests are now bogs.
8,100 B.C: Evidence of the 1st humans in Ireland is found at Fermoy, Co. Cork. They are
hunter-gatherers and they burn forests to clear the way for small, temporary shelters. Their
huts were made of sticks and clay (i.e. wattle and daub) and covered with animal skins. These
people may have brought animals like the brown bear with them. They kept dogs for hunting
and protection. They tended to hug the coasts and fished for salmon, trout and eels in the
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rivers. They ate lots of shellfish and crabs and hunted flounder and bass from the sea. They
ate wild boar and deer and set fish traps in every location. A full list is on the next page.
hazelnuts honey crabs salmon
beechnuts seaweed lobster trout
acorns capercaillie clams fish eggs
mushrooms pigeons barnacles animal fat cakes
blackberries ducks periwinkles crab apples
blueberries herons wild horse nettle soup
watercress bear razor fish beaver
wild garlic wild boar flounder Irish hare
hen eggs wild pig bass great auk
goose eggs muskrat mackerel red squirrel
elderberries fox and otter stew white carrot wild cherries
cormorant sloe berries rose hips cabbage
poppy seeds fennel badger wild strawberries
black mustard turnip wild celery wild peas
These foods are the best guess from researching more than 30 websites on prehistoric Ireland.
One example is the nettle. Who knows if it existed in Ireland back then? The Ice Age wiped
away a lot of evidence and information is hard to come by. If it did, it is a certainty that they
made soup from it in February or March when the leaves were green and without the barbs.
These would have been extremely resourceful people, probably a lot cleverer than us. The
ancestors of these people were making bone flutes 10,000 years before this and drawing
magnificent cave art in France and the Czech Republic. It is very likely that this wave came
from France and Spain, in particular the Basque country. To this day, people in the fishing
village of Bermeo in the Basque country look very like the Irish themselves. Some have red
hair and freckles.
6000 B.C: The first pike colonize Irish rivers.
5600 B.C: Britain gets separated from mainland Europe due to rising sea levels.
4300 B.C: The first cattle arrive in Ireland. The new wave of immigrants are farmers. They
are very religious and seem to worship the sun, the moon and the stars.
4000 B.C: The first dolmen is built in Ireland.
3100 B.C: Newgrange is built 1,000 years before the Great Pyramids of Egypt. Newgrange
may have been built as an exact replica of the galaxy as it was back then. It may have been
strictly for religious festivals. It was probably a form of communication and social control
with other counties also.
1. Make a list of the foods you would and would not eat from the grid above. Is there any
food you would not eat under any circumstances? Explain your reasons for this.
2. How would early man have brought bears over to Ireland?
3. Describe Ireland as you imagine it in this time. Would you like to have lived back then?
What do you think the average age and height of males and females would have been?
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4. How many areas of the world are still unexplored? Can Google provide the answer?TI: ‘5
of the most crucial skills for surviving the Stone Age’. Take a look at the foods and skills
they needed to survive and make a mini-project on it.
Tribal Thoughts
When first we gained this sleepless shore
the rimmed sky and the land was poured
with perfumed air and powdered sand
in gentler times, by gentler hand.
The waves were creased in sparkling hues

of swan-wing whites and hoopoe-blues
a music kindling symphony
of ringlet kink and rolling sea.
That night under the stars we lay

and laughed to hear the forest pray
as monk hummed bees and murmured breeze
swept through the moon-splashed canopies.
The lusher light of early morn

cracked the dark and chinked the dawn
while sweet-songed birds in lilting ring
with fluty throat fanfared the spring.
We heard the heartland call to us

above the breathless morning’s hush
and walked through sappy grass thigh high
in meadowed air and minty sigh.
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Ah! To be the first to see

a country in its infancy
where ice-skimmed waters full of trout
and salmon loll in thick-lipped pout.
And every hill you crest you view

a land of lake and fern and dew
where mighty oak and ramrod pine
in amber leak their blood like wine.
And bogs that stretch for endless mile

stare up at you in peaty smile
where limestone rivers lazy run
under a golden arch of sun.
The happy days and noons we spent

hunting vast herds of deer and elk
gave us the time at night to pray
and dance and laugh and sing and play.
The world was so much quieter then

before the sleepless shore brought men
but as the wolf-howls pierced the breeze
we saw the axe-marks on the trees.
1) What is the poem about, in your opinion? What century B.C in Ireland is it?
2) Say why you did or didn’t like this poem in more than 20 sentences.
3) What images did you prefer the most? Say why and pick at least 3.
4) How many metaphors can you pick out from this poem? The winning pair get
homework off.
5) Do you think these people or their descendants were religious? Is there anything in the
poem that may give hints?
6) What does the last sentence mean for these people?
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7) What was the best verse, in your opinion? Explain your answer.
8) Would you like to have lived back then? Make a list of the luxuries they wouldn’t
have had that we have today. Does it make you feel lucky to be alive in this century?
Men of Eireann
When the world was young with grace
and wolf paws clawed the wooded space
‘cross the copper-bottomed sea
the men of Eireann came for me.
Faces pale as chilling mist

oar-clapping waves with iron wrists.
Moon-bows shone like coldest steel
the night the Eireann came for me.
Lips that dripped in conquest-red

for wolves need bone and blood not bread.
Forge-glowed by an old-gold moon
both lips and teeth shone out our ruin.
Gleaming in their icy eyes

anvil-sparked from starry skies.
Witch-lights danced the swelling sea
the night the Eireann came for me.
Scraping on the shingled sands

they launched from harder heathen hands
boar-spears, whale-fire, moon-gold knives
cast with the hate of pagan tribes.
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We bled them on the bladder-wrack.

The bladder-wrack bled red then black.
Fought their clan until the time
a thousand oar-slaps more hit brine.
Eireann men killed us that night

to rule under the dark starlight.
Now the nights the blood moon shines
the waves drip red with our blood-lines.
The wolf now skulks in wooded space

and I am cursed, last of my race.
Doomed to wander this strange land
I’m cursed by voice, cursed by hand.
‘Top sunless root, ‘neath rayless sweep

under an iron sky I creep.
With ashen mouth and leaden soul
I roam the wildest woods alone.
On the nights the blood moon shines

the waves drip red with our bloodlines.
And we who lived like wolves so free
like them must pass to memory.
1) This is the sequel to the previous poem. What has happened in this poem? Explain
your answer. Was Ireland/Britain a violent place to live in this era, in your opinion?
2) Did you like this poem? Say why or why not.
3) Compare the 2 poems. Which is better, in your opinion?
4) Do you feel sorry for the people who were invaded?
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5) What was the best image in the poem, in your opinion?

6) Make a list of the metaphors. The winning pair get homework off.
7) How many basic needs do humans have (i.e. things we cannot do without)? List them.
Describing Ireland 8000 B.C: The First Humans Arrive
When we first arrived, the first thing we noticed was the clean air. It smelled of peppermint
and fresh herbs. Vast forests of jade-green covered the land yet there were plenty of lush
meadows too. The trees were tall and rod-straight and cast a lake of crab-claw shadows onto
the ground. In the dark depths of these lonely forests, wolves howled and pigs grunted and
snuffled. They were places of great danger if you ventured in too far so we always brought
our hunting dogs with us.
The most dangerous creatures were not what you would expect. Only the largest hunting
parties could go in search of the Giant Deer. Not being used to humans, it would attack us on
sight. I have seen six dogs and many spears hanging from its flesh and yet it would not go
down. I have seen men flee to the trees in fright when it charged and see the same men
getting impaled on its antlers as the deer butted them from their perches. And yet it was not
our greatest enemy.
We realised soon enough that we were on an island of sorts. We had crossed the small land
bridge during a drought and saw it close behind us with the first of the heavy rains. We could
not see a single footprint or trace of a fire, and after the first few years, we knew that we were
alone. It was both a blessing and a curse. There were only 48 of us and we longed to see
others join us so that our tribe could multiply and prosper. There was so much food available
that, in those first few years, we never felt the hunger cramps in our stomach. We were happy
and content except for our two greatest foes: the weather and the bears.
It was a damp climate and many times we were forced to seek shelter in caves. Imagine the
night closing in with clouds of tar-black boiling in the sky above. Sheets of lightning flashed
in the sky and the noise was like a dragon’s cough repeating over and over again. We would
send the dogs into the cave and wait outside with our heavy bear-spears and heavier hearts.
Never have any of us felt closer to death than at that moment. Time and again, the most
dreadful howls and roars would come from the cave and a blur of brown would attack us with
fang and claw. We would always kill it, thanks to the dogs distracting it, but some of us
would never hunt again after. I tell you now that if ever a demon-creature of the forest was
created, it is the brown bear. May the curse of disease and starvation lay on its head forever.
You may ask, reader, why we felt the need to rest up in caves when we could have built
shelters and settled in one place. We tried it more than once but found that if we stayed, all
the big game left soon afterwards. The wild horses would roam far away, the deer would
retreat to the high ground and the boar would flee during the night while we slept. Trying to
feed a group as large as we were on a diet of nuts and fish proved impossible. We also took
care of our elderly as best we could and they needed to be out of the dampness. It may
surprise you, but you can’t light a fire in a shelter. The sparks can take hold and burn it down.
And so it was that we could rest up in summer and autumn, when the salmon and sea trout
filled the rivers in great shoals of silver. We made fishing nets from strips of bark, built great
fish traps with boulders and wooden stakes and the women and children used harpoons for
the fish that escaped us. We would even hang quartz rocks from the trees so that the fish
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would think it was the moon and gather around it. By day and by night, we hunted them
down. Those nights were the happiest, when we sang around the campfire with a steaming
fish stew packed with herbs. The stars would flash like water-fire and we would wonder if
they were the souls of our ancestors. We had no Gods but ourselves, we would laugh, and
think no more on it.
When we came at first, some of the herbs confused us as we had not seen them before. We
had a simple system for testing if they were poisonous. First we would place them under our
armpits and walk a while with them there. If there was a red rash, we threw them away. If
there was not, we would then place them on our lips for a short time. If our lips tingled, we
tossed them aside. Finally, we would chew them for about five minutes. If nothing else
happened, then they were safe to eat. Because of this, we discovered varieties of cabbage,
fennel and black mustard that we had not seen before.
When late autumn came, we would find ourselves once more patrolling the shores for razor
fish, edible seaweed, crabs, mussels and barnacles. The bravest of us would wade out into the
rocky parts and try to dig out the lobsters and octopus. The women and children would go
into the forests with the dogs and collect crab apples, hazelnuts, beechnuts and mushrooms.
The men built light rafts in case the mackerel decided to come into shore. When they did,
they broke the surface chasing small fish, and I have never seen such armies of fish. They
stretched to the line where the sea met the sky and made us feel good about being alive. They
were such a greedy fish, sometimes they jumped onto the rocks in their excitement and we
could scoop them up with our hands.
Winter was our most important time for hunting. It snowed nearly every year and turned the
ground into a carpet of snowcloud-white. The prints of the animals were easily followed and
we split into many parties to hunt the smaller game. This was the season of the fox and the
badger, the beaver and the stoat. We also pursued the hare, the otter, the pine marten and the
squirrel. We set game traps everywhere and waited for the arrival of the huge flocks of birds:
ducks, geese, swans, golden plovers, oystercatchers and the cormorants who would return to
the lakes and rivers. We hunted everything, we ate everything, but we always gave thanks for
what we received. When the dark nights closed in, we would sit in the caves, making
weapons from bone and flint. The women would scrape the blood and muscle from the
animal hides and the children would play at being great hunters.
I can’t remember any of us living past 40 winters. We picked up disease from the earth,
infections from animal bites, the lung-rot from caves and smoke and the laughing-cough from
the screeching winds. Our children died young from eating poisonous mushrooms and
sometimes they were born dead. We fought against the weather and the wolves, the boar and
the bears. We fought the rain, the snow, the lightning and the sun. The one thing we never
did, however, was fight each other. No matter what the problem, the tribe came first. No-one
would betray the tribe.
It was a tough life, but it was also an earthly paradise. The world was young and fresh and
many more beasts roamed the earth. We climbed snow-wreathed mountains, crossed Jurassic
meadows and heard the piano-key tinkle of a thousand rivers on our quest for food. We saw
blood moons and pale suns. We saw fire-rocks blazing across the sky and even saw days
where the whole world was plunged into darkness and we were afraid. We saw many things
when the world was young that can no longer be seen now. And though I am long gone, I
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urge you to enjoy the world for what it is. For one day, this world too will be gone. Someday
you shall look back and wonder at the innocence of it, this world of problems and conflict,
but a healthy and exciting world full of promise for its youth and peace for its elderly.
Archaic words were covered earlier in the book. They were in the letter from Michelangelo to
his brother. The first letter ever written in English used a lot of archaic words. It was written
in 1415 by king Henry the 5th. He wrote a letter to the City of London from France. He was
invading France as part of the Hundred Years’ War.
This is the letter he wrote, sentence by sentence.

Trusty and welbeloved, we grete you often times wel, doyng yow to understande for youre
comfort, that, by the grace of God, we ben savely arrived into ourelond of Normandie, with
alleouresubgitzordeyned to goo with us for the ferst passage;
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
and this day the even of seint Laurence, aboute midday, was yolden onto us the castell of
Touque, aboute the whiche our welbelovedcosyntherle of Huntyngdon, lay, and the keyes of
the said castell delivered unto us withouteshedyng of Cristen blood, or deffense mad by our
enemys.
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
The which castel is an honneur, and all the viscountie and lordship of Augeholden thereof, as
we ben enfourmed by such men as were theryn, wherof we thanke God lowely that hym lust
of high grace to showe unto us so faire begynnyng in our present voyage;
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
desiryng also that ye thanke God therof in the most bestwyss that ye can, and that ye send us
frotyme to tymesuchetydng be komerys (be thwens us as) ye have in that syde the see.
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
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Pick out all the words that are misspelt. Write them down and put the modern version next to
them with the correct spellings. How many did you get?
Yeven under our signet at our saydcastel of Touque, the ix day of aost.
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
A noztreschiers et foiaux les mair, visconntes, aldermans et bonnesgentz de notre cite de
Londres.
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
More of these letters can be seen by typing in: Memorials: 1417 British History online to:
britishhistory.ac.uk
1.
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Marvels, Mysteries, Monsters and Myths

COLUMN 1 COLUMN 2 COLUMN 3
William Crotty The Dancing Plague The Confederate Treasure
The Immortal Count The Sea Peoples Cicada 3301
The Lagarfljot Worm The Gippsland Cat The Pollock Twins
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle The Wedge of Aiud GobekliTepe
The Green Children The Loch Ness Monster Oak Island Money Pit
The Lost City of Atlantis Jack Sheppard-1st celebrity Bigfoot
Gustave the Crocodile The S.S Ourang Medan Area 51
The Wow! Signal Dyatlov Pass The Aztec/Inca Temples
Spring-Heeled Jack Thomas Edison The Baghdad Batteries
Antikythera Mechanism Under Stonehenge Cattle Mutilations U.S.A.
The Yeti Benjamin Kyle Mohammed Ali
Arthur Kavanagh The Mary Celeste The Babushka Lady
Kryptos Jordan’s AsraqOasis Lt. Col. John Patterson
The Voynich Manuscript Gandhi’s life and quotes Siberian Lake Devil
Jim Corbett The Beale Ciphers Michelangelo
Stephen King’s quotes The Nephilim The Taos or Beaufort Hums
The Lost Roman Legion Tom Crean Blackbeard’s Gold
African coins in Australia The Wisconsin Giants The Mothman
Flight MH370 William Shakespeare Roman coins in America
George Rushby Baalbek Trilithon Amelia Eckhart
The AramuMuru Gateway The Chupacabra Nuremberg 1561
Frederick Valentich/U.F.O’s Tanganyika laughing plague Geoffrey Chaucer
The Turin Shroud Leonardo da Vinci Petralona Cave
Julius Caesar Nostradamus The M.M.R. vaccine
Vatican Secret Archives The Spheres of Costa Rica Great Wall of Texas
Ogopogo Iron Pillar of Delhi Edgar Cayce
The Patomskiy Crater Hessdalen or Phoenix Lights Bimini Island Blocks
EileanMor Lighthouse The Spectre of Newby The Hollinwell Incident
The Cottingley Fairies The Man in the Iron Mask The Red Rain of Kerala
St. Elmo’s Fire Arizona Purple Spheres The Lost Nazi Gold
The Lost City of Cuba Pag Triangle USS Cyclops
The Gray Man The Foo Fighters The Guyra Ghost
The Tomb of Genghis Khan The Black Flash The Human Cork
Rasputin’s Life and Death
Roman coins in America can be seen by typing in: History Mystery: Ancients in America to:
paranormal.about.com
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Marvels, Mysteries, Monsters and Myths

COLUMN ONE
(Note: The underlined names and events are because they are in Columns 2 and 3.)
1. William Crotty, highwayman, lived in a cave in the Comeragh Mountains,
Waterford, Ireland. He was born in (?)and was executed in 1742. He enjoyed the
support of the locals as he was a Robin Hood figure. Recently, his buried treasure was
found by a group of schoolchildren. He was executed by the English and his head was
stuck on the gateway of Waterford Jail as a warning to others.
2. The Immortal Count told all who would listen that he was 500 years old. He is
always mentioned as being about 45 years of age, kings and queens were in awe of
him and he only ate oatmeal, apparently.He claimed to know the secret of the
Universal Medicine (i.e. the elixir of life), boasted he could make large diamonds
from small ones, and he spoke six languages. Was he a conman or a one-off wonder?
3. The Lagarfljot Worm(Iceland Worm Monster) legend has been around since 1345.
He is believed to live in a lake, be at least 39 feet long (i.e. longer than a bus), and has
been seen outside the water also. In 2012, a video appeared of him swimming in
snow-covered, icy water. An expert panel declared the video genuine.
4. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, 1859-1930, is the creator of the greatest detective of all
time. He led an interesting life outside of his written works, getting a convicted
murderer freed from jail in a baffling case, writing about the ‘Mary Celeste’ship and
declaring that The Cottingley Fairies’ photograph was real. His wife was a psychic
and he fell out Harry Houdini when Houdini tried to unmask her as a fraud. Research
the man who inspired Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Joseph Bell, if you choose this project.
5. The Green Children appeared in the village of Woolpit, Suffolk, in the 12th century.
The children, brother and sister, looked normal except that their skin was completely
green. They spoke in an unknown language and would only eat beans.
6. The Lost City of Atlantis could be just a fable or it may be lying under the sea
waiting to be discovered. It was supposed to exist around 10,000 B.C. and Plato, a
Greek philosopher, referred to it in his writings. Edgar Cayce, a man who predicted
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the future, said Atlantis would be found by the Bahamas in the 1960’s. In 1968, divers
found a ‘road’ of limestone blocks nearly a mile long. The ‘Bimini Road’ is still
unexplained. Others think Atlantis may be ‘The Lost City of Cuba’.
7. Gustave the Crocodile is the world’s greatest serial killer. He is believed to have
killed more than 300 people on the northern banks of Lake Tanganyika. A film was
made about him in 2004 called ‘Capturing the Killer Croc’. He could be more than 25
feet long and is between 60-100 years old. All attempts to capture him have failed.
8. The ‘Wow!’ signal was heard on August 11, 1977. A man named Jerry R. Ehman
was working on the SETI project in Ohio. SETI means the Search for Extra
Terrestrial Intelligence. The signal from outer space lasted for 72 seconds. Jerry was
so amazed, he wrote the word ‘Wow!’ into the margins of the computer-printed signal
sheet. To this day, it is the only definite signal that has come from outer space.
9. Spring-Heeled Jack terrorised London, starting in 1837. His name cropped up all
around England, frightening people and leaving large footprints on rooftops. His last
appearance was in Liverpool in 1904. He had a devil-like appearance, clammy, claw-
like hands and his eyes “were like red balls of fire.” He could breathe out blue and
white flames and, after his first attack, he escaped by jumping a 9-foot wall.
10. The Antikythera Mechanism is known as the world’s first computer. It was
discovered in 1900 in 150 feet of water off the Greek Island of Antikythera. Other
valuables had been found with it so it wasn’t dated until 1951 (50-200 B.C.). It was
possibly part of a plunder ship going to Rome for a Julius Caesar victory parade. It is
described as “being more valuable than the Mona Lisa.” Although only made of
copper, tin and wood, its technology would not be matched for another 1,600 years!
11. The Yeti (abominable snowman) legend was made popular in 1921. That year, a
British expedition to Mount Everest found footprints in the snow. The Sherpas said
they could have been made by ‘the wild man of the snow’. Many different cultures,
from India to Russia and America to Bhutan, claim to have legends of hairy, ape-like
creatures handed down to them by their ancestors. Type in ‘Mystery of the Yeti
Deepens’ and look up the Daily Mail article. It may have the most scientific evidence.
12. Arthur Kavanagh, ‘the limbless landlord’,was born in Co. Carlow, Ireland, in 1831.
His family were one of the wealthiest in Ireland and one of the ‘Five Bloods’, the
remains of the ancient Irish nobility. Arthur was born without feet or hands. He went
on to become an expert horseman, a noted yachtsman, a first class shot and an M.P.
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What is most interesting about Kavanagh is how far he travelled in his lifetime and
the adventures he had. At no time did he ever consider his condition a disability or use
it to look for special treatment.
13. Kryptos is a sculpture by the American artist Jim Sanborn. It is situated in Langley,
Virginia, home of the Central Intelligence Agency, and has been there since 1990.
Only three of its cryptic clues have been solved so far. Even supercomputers cannot
decode the 4th message, although two clues have been given by Jim Sanborn.
14. The Voynich Manuscript is named after Wilfrid Voynich, a Polish book dealer. He
purchased the book in 1912. The book is 240 pages long, with some pages missing. It
contains a language no-one has ever been able to identify. It shows drawings of
strange plants and animals that cannot be identified, even though others can be. It has
been radiocarbon dated to 1404-1448 and King Rudolf 2nd once gave 4.5 lbs of gold to
buy it around 1600. The greatest minds in history, including WW1 and WW2
cryptographers and the NSA, haven’t been able to decipher it.
15. Jim Corbett, 1875-1955, was born in India, one of 16 children. His father died when
Jim was just 4, so he learned to fend for himself. He taught himself to hunt and to
recognise the calls of the ‘forest folk’, as he called them. Just as well, because there
was an explosion of man-eating tigers and leopards in India at that time. One tiger
was so terrifying, the Nepal Army was called in to kill it. They couldn’t, so Jim
Corbett was called in to kill the greatest man-eater in history, the Champawat Tiger…
16. Stephen King, born 1947, is one of the best-selling writers of all time. He wrote a
book giving advice to writers called ‘On Writing’. It is now considered to be the best
book on the subject by many. His core advice is: “Read and write for four to six hours
a day. If you cannot find the time for that, you can’t expect to become a good writer.”
His advice seems to be the same as the famous ‘Outliers’ theory. Check both out.
17. The Lost Roman Legion legend. Julius Caesar lived from 100 B.C to 44 B.C. At one
stage, he shared power with Pompeii, a famous general, and Magnus Crassus, the
richest man in Rome and the killer of Spartacus. Crassus wanted to expand into
Parthia (now Iran). In 53 B.C., he took a force of 50,000 men and fought the Parthian
Army in Harran, Turkey. After the massacre, Crassus and his son were beheaded.
20,000 Romans were killed, some escaped and 10,000 were captured. They were sent
to guard the border of Turkmenistan. They lost to the Huns and the Huns recruited
them to fight against the Chinese. The Chinese defeated them in 36 B.C. and showed
them mercy as they were so brave. The Chinese called their style of fighting a ‘fish-
scale formation’. The 1,000 remaining after 17 years of fighting were sent to guard
the border of Tibet for the Chinese. To this day, a village called ‘Liqian’, which is
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pronounced ‘Legion’, has a 56% DNA mix of Caucasian genes. Most of the villagers
have blue or green eyes, long noses, and some have fair hair.
18. African coins in Australia. Everyone has been told the story of how Captain James
Cook ‘discovered’ Australia in 1770. Unfortunately for the history books, we now
know that at least 50 ships landed on Australia between 1606 (a ship under Willem
Janzsoon) and Cook’s date of 1770. At the time, there were about 250 Aboriginal
tribes living there. In 1944, 9 coins were discovered that blows all these ‘who
discovered Australia?’ theories to bits. They were found in the Wessels Islands just
off Australia. 5 of the coins were from a now-extinct Tanzanian kingdom and the
coins were only in circulation for 200 years. The only other countries they have
surfaced in were Zimbabwe and Oman (as part of a trade route). Puzzling indeed.
19. Flight MH370 disappeared on 8 March 2014 while flying from Kuala Lumpur,
Indonesia to Beijing, China. There were 12 crew members and 229 passengers on
board. The search for it has been the most expensive in aviation history, costing over
$80 dollars. A massive air, sea and underwater effort has so far failed to find the
plane. The only real evidence found was a flaperon from the plane washed upon a
beach on Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean.
20. George Rushby was born in England in 1900 and died in Africa in 1968. The website
smithsonian.mag goes through the worst of the man-eaters in Africa, including many
recent ones. What George Rushby had to face on his own, however, was incredible. A
whole pack of lions turned into man-eaters from1932 to 1947 in southern Tanzania.
One lion can be more than ten foot long. To take on a pack of cunning lions on your
own takes great courage as man-eaters become almost supernatural in their ability to
kill. A BBC documentary was made on it called ‘The Man-Eating lions of Njombe’.
 Listverse.com has a hair-raising section called ‘Top 10 Worst Man-Eaters in
History’.
 There is a 1:30 min clip on YouTube called ‘Lion attack hunting safari’.
21. The AramuMuru Gateway is located in ‘The Valley of the Spirits’ in southern Peru.
It’s a doorway carved into solid rock and has peculiar diagonal lines. It probably pre-
dates the Inca dynasty (circa 1200-1572 A.D.) so no-one is quite sure who built it.
The size of the gate is 7m ×7m. You cannot pass through the rock to the other side,
begging the question; what is it for? Legend has it that a priest disappeared through
the gate with a sun disc, leading some to believe it is a stargate to another universe.
22. FrederickValentich was a 20-year-old pilot when he disappeared above the Bass
Strait in Australia on 21 October 1978. He radioed to say that he was flying at 4,500
feet and that his engine was running roughly since something appeared above him.
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That ‘something’ he described as “orbiting” above him and that it had a shiny metal
surface and a green light. His last words were: “It isn’t an aircraft.” There were some
“metallic, scraping sounds” and Valentich disappeared from the face of the earth.
23. The Turin Shroud is a length of linen cloth believed by some to bear the image of
Jesus of Nazareth. It was radiocarbon dated in by 3 separate labs in Oxford, Arizona
and Switzerland. All 3 believe it comes from the period 1260-1390, the Medieval
period in Europe. This would make it 1,200-1,400 years after the death of Christ.
These findings are contested by some as the nature of the image and how it was fixed
on the cloth are just as unexplainable.
24. Julius Caesar, 100 B.C- 44 B.C. is one of history’s most famous characters. His
skills as a General were unmatched and he often threw himself into the thick of the
battle when all seemed lost. His relationship with Cleopatra and his eventual
assassination by his fellow Romans inspired William Shakespeare to write a play in
his honour. The month of July is named after him and he changed the old, Roman
calendar from 355 days to the 365 days we have now. He even put in the leap year
which we still use today. In his mid-20’s, after being released from captivity by
pirates who ransomed him, he returned to hunt them all down and executed them.
“Veni, vidi, vici” is his famous quote and sums him up: “I came, I saw, I conquered,”
25. The Vatican Secret Archives are located in Rome, Italy. The Vatican is considered
its own state, much like England or Russia. The Secret Archives were separated from
the main library in the 17th century. The shelves in it have 53 miles of documents,
letters and books. In 1881, Pope Leo XIII opened them up to researchers, more than a
thousand of whom now visit it each year. Conspiracy theorists believe great secrets
that could rock the world are contained in there. Others say that the oldest document
found there so far dates from 809 A.D. Research it yourself to find out more.
26. Ogopogois a lake monster from Okanagan Lake in British Columbia, Canada. It was
originally seen in the 19th century by the First Nations people. Rumoured to be 40-50-
feet-long, it may be a primitive type of whale. In 1926, 30 car loads of people claim to
have seen it. In 1968, National Geographic investigated some footage on a home
movie camera and in 2009, ‘Monster Quest’ investigated it, finding a badly
decomposed corpse. In 2011, a cell phone captured two dark shapes in the water.
27. The Patomskiy Crater is located deep in Siberia, Russia. It is 25 stories high and,
even after extensive tests, scientists can’t explain it. It constantly shifts, rising and
falling gradually, and the trees around it grow abnormally fast. Discovered in 1949 by
a Russian geologist, the locals warned him before going that it was an ‘evil’ place
where people disappear or get sick. 100-150 metres below the crater is believed to be
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a dense, iron object. Some believe the only explanation for the crater is that there is a
U.F.O under it. A good website to look at is mysteriousuniverse.org. In 2005, a
Russian expedition leader travelling to the site dropped to the ground, for no apparent
reason, and died on the spot.
28. EileanMor Lighthouse is a lighthouse in the Outer Hebrides off the coast of
Scotland. It was founded in the 6th century by an Irish priest, St. Flannan. For
centuries, local shepherds would bring over sheep to graze there but would never stay,
believing it to be haunted by evil spirits. On the 26th December, 1900, the replacement
lighthouse keeper, Joseph Moore, was taken by boat to the island by Captain William
Harvey. No-one answered their warning flare. Moore took a small boat to the island
but had a bad feeling as he went up the steps to the lighthouse. When he entered, 2 of
the 3 oilskin jackets were missing. The clocks had stopped and the 3 lighthouse
keepers were never seen again. The diary entry from the week before was the
strangest of all that he saw……. A good website to read this story is historic.co.uk.
29. The Cottingley Fairiesrefers to a series of 5 photographs taken in 1917. Two

cousins, Elsie Wright and Frances Griffiths, claimed that the fairies came to their
garden to play with them. Elsie was 16 and Frances was 9 at the time. When Sir
Arthur Conan Doyle declared them to be real, public interest was huge. A lot of
people believed them to be real, in line with the ‘old knowledge’ about fairies passed
down from generation to generation. Interest died out until 1966, when Elsie said she
believed that she had photographed her thoughts. Then the controversy raged again.
30. St. Elmo’s Fire is a curious phenomenon that keeps popping up in the voyages of
famous people. It is a bright blue or violet glow that can appear on the topmasts of
ships, the tips of airplanes or even over chimneys. When Ferdinand Magellan tried to
circumnavigate the globe, it appeared many times. When Charles Darwin tried to
understand how man came to be on the planet, it appeared over ‘The Beagle’, his ship.
Sailors believe that if it moves up, it is a sign of good weather and generally like to
see it. If it moves down, they believe another storm is coming.
31. The Lost City of Cuba was discovered in 2001 by a Canadian husband and wife
team, diving on behalf of the Cuban Government. It is about 700 metres under the sea,
much too far down for any city to realistically exist down there. Scientists have
estimated that it would have taken 50,000 years for a city to sink to that depth. And
yet, there are pyramids, huge granite boulders and smooth, perfectly-shaped circles of
rock down there. Scientists are working on unlocking its mysteries. If it is a city, it is
another example that the history we learn in school may be a bit behind the times……
32. The Gray Man. Five major hurricanes have battered South Carolina, U.S.A. in the
last 200 years. In each case, residents of Pawleys Island have claimed that a grey man
has appeared to warn them of the coming storm. The most curious thing about the
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people he warns is that their houses are untouched while everyone else’s lie in ruins.
Apparently, he raises his hand to warn people of the storm and, when they
acknowledge him, he disappears.
33. The Tomb of Genghis Khan is one of the greatest mysteries of them all. It was the
habit of the Mongol Emperors to be buried with enough gold to last them in the
afterlife. Legend has it that the soldiers who accompanied his body in 1227 A.D.
killed anyone who saw them pass. The slaves who built the underground tomb were
killed by the soldiers. The soldiers were then killed by other soldiers so that his grave
could never be found. Folklore says a river was diverted over it so that it could never
be located and dug up. MauryKravitz, an amateur archaeologist, spent 40 years
looking for it, but died in Mongolia, defeated. In 2004, a gleam of hope appeared
when the palace of Genghis Khan was discovered, and that may make it easier to find
his tomb.
a) Of the 33 mentioned above, list the ones that appealed to you and arose your interest.
You might pick 4,6 or 10, but keep the maximum at 10. Why did these particular
topics appeal to you?
b) Now pick your top 3 and write down why you would pick that as a research topic or
project. Why did it interest you? Is it a mystery, object or person? Do you think you
might solve a mystery that others can’t? Remember Occam’s Razor if you are
researching a mystery: You shouldn’t make assumptions that don’t exist and the
simplest answer is often the best answer.
c) You will be researching one topic in depth. You will have to decide what is a
reasonable time to finish it. The class might decide this with the teacher. You may
want to pick a partner or work alone. At the end of the project, you will be expected to
give a presentation to the class. Some websites were listed above as they contain the
simplest language. Always search for the easiest site to read.
d) Anyone exploring a topic should look at between 8 and 20 sites quickly. If the
language is too difficult, move on to the next one. Even Wikipedia can get very
technical sometimes. Write down the sites you intend to go back to later. It is
important that you download the materials you need over the weekend or after school
so that you can work on them in class the next day.
e) You must also decide what type of extra sources you can provide. Are there YouTube
videos on it that you can download? Is there extra information in your local library?
Can you copy and paste newspaper articles on it? Could you organise a podcast
instead of a presentation? You must also write down any sources you researched and
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credit them at the end of the project. Your teacher can explain this to you. It shows
how much work you put into it.
f) When the class has finished the project, they may then do a 5-10 sentence ‘vox pop’
on the mysteries and marvels in Columns 2 and 3, much like it is done for Column 1.
Date:__/__/______ Title:DESCRIBING MALES Lesson Number:
Quote/Proverb: I am thankful to all those who said ‘No’ to me. It’s because of them I did
it myself. (Albert Einstein)
Meaning: _________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
GOLD HAIR
pirate gold
starflash gold
Apollo
Viking gold
moonbeam
Achilles
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SHORT HAIR
wiry
frizzy
crew cut
spiky
bristly
buzz-cut
BLUE EYES
sea dog
explorer
seagazer
drifter
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daredevil
rivergazer
SHOULDERS
Atlas
logger
ox-yoke
Samson
lumberjack
a wrestler’s
PHYSIQUE
hardy
beefy
burly
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powerful
bulky
brawny
POINTS SCORE
0-9 good first try

10-29 v.good
30-59 excellent
60-139 super
140+ genius!
Date:__/__/______
Title:DESCRIBING MALES
Lesson Number:
Quote/Proverb: A lie gets half way around the world while the truth has a chance to get
its pants on. (Winston Churchill)
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Meaning: _________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
BLACK HAIR
bat black
cave black
pagan black
cat black
cellar black
panther black
JAW
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square
teak
lantern
slate
oaken
ironwood
GREEN EYES
lake green
sizzling green
fairytale green
grape green
beryl green
peppermint
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STUBBLE
sandy
buckshot
salt and pepper
scratchy
gunpowder
5 o clock shadow
NOSE
hawk’s
falcon’s
Greek
hooked
kestrel’s
Roman
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POINTS SCORE
0-9 good first try

10-29 v.good
30-59 excellent
60-139 super
140+ genius!
Date:__/__/______
Title:DESCRIBING MALES
Lesson Number:
Quote/Proverb:In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king. (Erasmus)
Meaning: _________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
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BROWN HAIR
toast brown
monk brown
caramel brown
biscuit brown
almond brown
cinnamon
EYEBROWS
bushy
equinox black
sickle shaped
caterpillar
fire worshipper
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scythe shaped
GREY EYES
iron grey
smoky grey
flint grey
lead grey
spectre grey
shale grey
BEARD
circle
ducktail
French fork
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anchor
hillbilly
Mutton chop
HANDSOME
dishy
manly
dapper
hunky
striking
dashing
POINTS SCORE
0-9 good first try

10-29 v.good
30-59 excellent
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60-139 super
140+ genius!
REVISION CROSSWORD
r i v e r g a z e r s
o c
m o o n b e a m y
a x u a t
n y r n h
o l o l l e
p k y y s
e e h
p p a g a n
p i r a t e l
e e p e
r a a
m o a k e n
i t o a s t
n b h a
t u k e s t r e l
c r m
k o
d i s h y n
h h o o k e d
o
t l o g g e r
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
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6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
REVISION WORDSEARCH
h a r d y
s
a q s
t u e i
c e l l a r a r
r a r d o
e s l e a d o n
w g
c i n n a m o n
u f r i z z y b e
t r q
a u
f a l c o n w i
a s n n
h u n k y a y o
t m s x
e s h
g r a p e o a
m o n k n l
f l i n t e
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Date:__/__/______ Title: MORE IDEAS FROM STUDENTS Lesson Number:
Quote/Proverb: The best preparation for tomorrow is doing your best today. (H. Jackson
Brown Jr.)
Meaning: _________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
135
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136
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137
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POINTS SCORE
0-9 good first try

10-29 v.good
30-59 excellent
60-139 super
140+ genius!
TURNING METAPHORS INTO SIMILES AND VICE VERSA

In previous chapters, we have dealt with metaphors and similes. Now write the definition of
each into the space below:
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Metaphor:__________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Simile:_____________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Now turn each metaphor into a simile and make a sentence with them in it. The first 2
examples are done for you.
Example: Biblical rain.
Solution: The winter rain was like something from the bible.
OR
The winter rain was as bitter as the rain mentioned in the bible.
Example: A buffet of smells.
Solution: The aroma of the forest was like a buffet of smells.
OR
The forest smells were as rich as a buffet.
1) The face of the earth.
2) Sheets of rain.
3) Unicorn-white teeth.
4) A sentries’ stare.
5) Shreds of mist.
6) Hatchet hard hands.
7) Beefblood-red leaves.
8) A shrine-still silence.
9) Sky was a dome of plasma-blue.
10) Gleam-drops of silver.
11) Tongues of fire.
12) Armageddon-black clouds.
13) A patchwork quilt of fields.
14) A knuckle of snow on the mountain.
15) Spring is a fizzy tonic, a slowly overflowing bottle of bubbling joy.
16) Summer is a golden joy, a treasure of light and glow.
17) Autumn is a portal to a time of dread.
18) Winter brings the scavenging skies. Nothing sounds, nothing stirs, nothing sings.
19) The desert is a theatre of life and death.
20) A shrine like silence hung in the air.
Date:__/__/______ Title:DESCRIBING MONSTERS Lesson Number:
Quote/Proverb:A good conscience is a soft pillow. (Jonathan Mallory)
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Meaning: _________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
MONSTERS
troll
orc
Frankenstein
goblin
ogre
gargoyle
EYES
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windows to
pathways to
skylights to
mirrors of
gateways to
portals to
HAIR
hay-like
oily
limp
straw-like
greasy
lifeless
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ANGRY EYES
fiery
flaming
glinting
blazing
flashing
glittering
TEETH
fangs
canines
gnashers
tusks
molars
incisors
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POINTS SCORE
0-9 good first try

10-29 v.good
30-59 excellent
60-139 super
140+ genius!
Quote/Proverb:Wise men don’t need advice. Fools won’t take it. (Benjamin Franklin)
Meaning: _________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
143
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FLAT NOSE
mashed
cob-nosed
snub-nosed
squashed
pug-nosed
stub-nosed
STRENGTH
bull
gorilla
caveman
bullock
buffalo
titan
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LOUD VOICE
booming
gravelly
trumpet
deafening
thundering
trombone
COLD EYES
icy
frosty
polar
chilling
wintry
arctic
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WEAPONS
stick
club
bat
staff
cudgel
bludgeon
POINTS SCORE
0-9 good first try

10-29 v.good
30-59 excellent
60-139 super
140+ genius!
146
Blue-Sky Thinking 1
Quote/Proverb:Experience is the hardest kind of teacher. It gives you the test first, and
the lesson afterward. (Oscar Wilde)
Meaning: _________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
VOICE
blasted
bawled
bayed
bellowed
blared
brayed
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TOUGH SKIN
iron
gritty
tree bark
flinty
leather
dragon scales
OTHER EYES
glassy
dead fish
pitiless
ice pond
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frogspawn
soulless
REACTION
bone freezing
spine chilling
heart clamping
eye popping
skin crawling
marrow freezing
REACTION
hair stood up
heart racing
battle fever
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voice cracked
brain fog
bats in stomach
POINTS SCORE
0-9 good first try

10-29 v.good
30-59 excellent
60-139 super
140+ genius!
Date:__/__/______
Lesson Number:
Quote/Proverb: Mighty oaks from little acorns grow. (Geoffrey Chaucer)
150
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Meaning: _________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
151
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152
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153
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POINTS SCORE
0-9 good first try

10-29 v.good
30-59 excellent
60-139 super
140+ genius!
Date:__/__/______ Title:DESCRIBING A WITCH Lesson Number:
Quote/Proverb:There is no better looking-glass than an old friend. (Philip Armour)

Meaning: _________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
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SHE LOOKED
beastly
grisly
monstrous
hideous
ghastly
abominable
TEETH
buck-toothed
jagged
snaggle-toothed
tombstone
saw-toothed
serrated
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FACE
faded
world weary
time chiselled
careworn
seasoned
old leather
VOICE
cold
tomb-deep
raspy
cruel
cackling
wheezy
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OTHERS
bloodless lips
dead fish eyes
jeering voice
zombie-white
snake’s skin
spindly legs
POINTS SCORE
0-9 good first try

10-29 v.good
30-59 excellent
60-139 super
140+ genius!
157
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Quote/Proverb:Manners maketh man. (William Horman)

Meaning: _________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
158
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159
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160
Blue-Sky Thinking 1
POINTS SCORE
0-9 good first try

10-29 v.good
30-59 excellent
60-139 super
140+ genius!
Date:__/__/______ Title:DESCRIBING WINTER OUTSIDE Lesson Number:
Quote/Proverb:Talking comes by nature, silence by wisdom. (Book of Proverbs)

Meaning: _________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
161
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COLOUR
bleach-white
zombie
quicklime
marble-white
vampire
whalebone
PHRASES
icy breath of
Jack Frost
pearly moon
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the polished ice

glassy fingers
rayless skies
SILENCE
a quiet peace
deathly silence
serene
an awful shush
tomb-like hush
tranquil
SOUNDS
creaking
crackling
stomping
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crunching
hissing
detonating
SNOW FIELDS
snow veiled
carpeted
clad
snow draped
blanketed
wreathed
POINTS SCORE
0-9 good first try
164
Blue-Sky Thinking 1
10-29 v.good
30-59 excellent
60-139 super
140+ genius!
Date:__/__/______ Title:DESCRIBING WINTER OUTSIDE Lesson Number:
Quote/Proverb: Memory is the treasure house of the mind wherein the monuments
thereof are kept and preserved. (Thomas Fuller)
Meaning: _________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
GREY SKIES
grit-grey
lead
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shale
gravel-grey
flint
cinder
IMAGES
chimney smoke
holly boughs
wax candles
starlings
frozen ponds
Yuletide logs
IMAGES
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sleighs
angel-fire
orb-white moon
ghostly footprints
starry nights
watery light
SENSATIONS
sore limbs
freezing feet
whiskey nose
stiff joints
numb fingers
chilblains
SMELLS
167
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oven smells
herbs
spiced beef
citrus fruits
plum pudding
stuffed turkey
POINTS SCORE
0-9 good first try

10-29 v.good
30-59 excellent
60-139 super
140+ genius!
168
Blue-Sky Thinking 1
Date:__/__/______
Lesson Number:
Quote/Proverb:Experience is the father of wisdom. (Belgian Proverb)

Meaning: _________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
169
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170
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171
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POINTS SCORE
0-9 good first try

10-29 v.good
30-59 excellent
60-139 super
140+ genius!
Date:__/__/______ Title:WRITING A SPORTS ESSAY Lesson Number:
Quote/Proverb:God helps those that help themselves. (Benjamin Franklin)

Meaning: _________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Spelling revision
New words
Dictionary definitions and corrections
172
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STATE OF MIND BEFORE MATCH
unbeaten
confident
lords of universe
undefeated
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champions
masters of universe
RUMOURS ABOUT OPPONENTS

snail slow turtle slow cannon fodder
slug slow ants in treacle meat for grinder
THE NOISE IN THE STADIUM

a wall of noise a blizzard a cyclone
a wave of noise a tornado a hurricane
THE ATMOSPHERE AND NOISE

bangers flares rockets
crackers fireworks squibs
METAPHORS FOR THE NOISE

circus of funfair of riot of
carnival of festival of theatre of
Date:__/__/______ Title: WRITING A SPORTS ESSAY Lesson Number:
Quote/Proverb:Little thieves are hanged; great one’s escape. (English proverb, 1639)
Meaning: _________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Spelling revision
New words
174
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SMELLS OF THE DRESSING ROOM
stale air
smelly boots
armpits/body odour
old socks and sweat

sickly soup of
bandages and blood
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THE SPEECH GIVEN BY THE COACH

End of Days Judgement Day Armageddon
Days of Doom Cripple and maim The Apocalypse
RUNNING OUT OF THE TUNNEL

meadow-green valley-green baize-green
mamba-green vale-green goblin-green
YOUR OPPONENTS ARE FEARSOME

beards fists like hammers foaming at mouth
filed-down fangs knuckles scraping spittle-flecked lips
THE START OF THE ACTION

jet-heeled supersonic quicksilver
booster-heeled Warp 9 will-o’-the wisps
Date:__/__/______ Title: WRITING A SPORTS ESSAY Lesson Number:
Quote/Proverb:Never argue with an idiot. They will only drag you down to their level
and beat you with experience. (George Carlin)
Meaning: _________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Spelling revision
New words
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THE SHOCK AS THINGS GO WRONG
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SPEED OF THE BALL

whizzed turbo Mach 9
fizzed bullet supersonic
THE CROWD GO SILENT

tomb quiet church quiet vow silent
womb quiet convent quiet vigil silent
TASTE OF BLOOD FROM A THUMP

salty briny tart
saline coppery tangy
WAKING UP AFTER THE GAME

in dressing room beep-beep of tubes in arms
on a drip heart monitor defibrillator
Quote/Proverb: Little things please little minds. (Ovid)

Meaning: _________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
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179
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180
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POINTS SCORE
0-9 good first try

10-29 v.good
30-59 excellent
60-139 super
140+ genius!
181
Blue-Sky Thinking 1
Date:__/__/______ Title: DESCRIBING BATTLE SCENES Lesson Number:
Quote/Proverb: Laughter is sunshine. It chases winter from the human face. (Victor
Hugo)
Meaning: _________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
THUNDER
crashed
boomed
rumbled
clapped
blasted
growled
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SKY
boiling
churning
buckling
roiling
crumpling
rioting
LIGHTNING
branched
crooked
antlers of
forked
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veined
twisted veins
cat-o’-nine tails
LIGHTNING
buzzed
cackled
wriggled
hissed
crackled
squirmed
METAL
ringing
clinking
chiming
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jingling
chinking
jangling
POINTS SCORE
0-9 good first try

10-29 v.good
30-59 excellent
60-139 super
140+ genius!
Date:__/__/______
Title:DESCRIBING BATTLE SCENES
Lesson Number:
Quote/Proverb: Cheerfulness smooths the road of life. (Old Proverb)
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Meaning: _________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
BLACK
doom-black
cobra
maw
bat-black
casket
cauldron
RED
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rouge
squid
poppy
mercury
claret
phoenix
SILVER
ice
starspark
argent
surf
seacrest
chainmail
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FAST SOUNDS
buzzing
fizzing
whistling
fizzing
frizzling
whizzing
DEEP SOUNDS
clanging
thunking
clonking
clanking
plunking
clunking
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POINTS SCORE
0-9 good first try

10-29 v.good
30-59 excellent
60-139 super
140+ genius!
Date:__/__/______ Title:DESCRIBING BATTLE SCENES Lesson Number:
Quote/Proverb: A friend’s frown is better than a fool’s smile. (Danish proverb)

Meaning: _________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
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CRIES OF
screaming
snarling
wailing
screeching
squealing
yammering
SENSATIONS
bone chilling
heart thumping
head clasping
eye widening
heart pounding
blood curdling
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SMELLS
pong
sickly
vile
rotten
stench
noxious
BLOOD
a jet of
a torrent of
a spritz of
a stream of
a fountain of
a geyser of
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THEARMIES
a sea of
a flood
a host
a swarm of
a legion
a horde
POINTS SCORE
0-9 good first try

10-29 v.good
30-59 excellent
60-139 super
140+ genius!
192
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Date:__/__/______ Title:MORE IDEAS FROM STUDENTS Lesson Number:
Quote/Proverb: Grow angry slowly; there’s plenty of time. (Ralph Waldo Emerson)
Meaning: _________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
193
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194
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195
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POINTS SCORE
0-9 good first try

10-29 v.good
30-59 excellent
60-139 super
140+ genius!
Date:__/__/______ Title:DESCRIBING SPRING Lesson Number:
Quote/Proverb: A loveless life is a living death. (English proverb)

Meaning: _________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
196
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COLOUR
pinemint
storybook
paradise
woodpine
wonderland
enchantment
SOUND
humming
swishing
exhaling
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cheeping
bleating
whirring
SIGNS OF
SMELLS
caramel
manna
treacle
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glucose
marchpane
nougat
TASTES
stellar
astral
heavenly
galactic
cosmic
Arcadian
POINTS SCORE
0-9 good first try
199
Blue-Sky Thinking 1
10-29 v.good
30-59 excellent
60-139 super
140+ genius!
Date:__/__/______ Title:DESCRIBING SPRING Lesson Number:
Quote/Proverb: Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly
you are doing the impossible. (St. Francis of Assisi)
Meaning: _________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
COLOUR
200
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GROWTH
budding
unfolding
exploding
blooming
sprouting
detonating
RAIN
201
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spitting
torrential
pitter-patter
stinging
Noah’s-ark
Amazonian
STARS
petals
silver grains
jewel dust
snowflakes
silver sparks
angel fire
STREAMS
202
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sleepy
trembling
rippling
dozy
murmuring
whimpering
POINTS SCORE
0-9 good first try

10-29 v.good
30-59 excellent
60-139 super
140+ genius!
203
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Date:__/__/______
Lesson Number:
Quote/Proverb: I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to
always reach my destination. (Jimmy Dean)
Meaning: _________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
204
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205
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206
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POINTS SCORE
0-9 good first try

10-29 v.good
30-59 excellent
60-139 super
140+ genius!
Best quotes/proverbs/old chestnuts/gnomes

1.
2.
3.
4.
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5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19,
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20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
ECHOISM (ONOMATOPOEIA)
THE WIND WATER IMPACT WORDS
breathed oozing banged
exhaled sprinkling bashed
sighed dribbling battered
murmured dripping beat
puffed drizzling belted
panted drenching blasted
groaned trickling bombarded
moaned babbling boomed
shrieked burbling clattered
screeched bubbling crashed
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wailed squirting hurled

snarled splashing hurtled
whipped splattering lashed
lashed spraying pounded
screamed spurting smacked
roared showering smashed
howled surging thumped
blasted gurgling thudded
bellowed gushing walloped
caterwauled sluicing whacked
BIRDSONG SOFT RAIN HEAVY RAIN

carolling airy rain boiling
cheeping clinking drumming
chirring drizzling hammering
chirping pitter-patter hissing
chirruping ploppy drops saturating
chittering showering seething
fluting spraying sissing
piping sprinkling sizzling
trilling tinkling soaking
twittering thrumming spitting
The object of the grids is to take 3 words from each grid and write a story with them. You
should add colours and some sensations. Try to fill in the blank spaces in the grids also.
COLOURS: BLUE AND GREEN
BLUE USED FOR GREEN USED FOR
alpine-blue a river Amazon-green a forest
aquarium eyes that swum with Bethlehem a meadow
astral the sky carnival trees
bilberry a shirt celery leaves
brochure the sea Eden foliage
butterfly a lake fern eyes to get lost in
chemical forest
cocktail garnish
cosmic grape
crystal glade
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dragonfly jade
duck-egg jasper
electric Jerusalem
gasflame jewel
gemstone juicy
glacier lake
icemint marble
Jesus meadow
jewel milky
kingfisher mint
lagoon moss
luminous peppermint
moonstone pinemint
Persian postcard
plasma reed
Prussian sage
solar sap
teal sea
universe sizzling
woad velvet
On the grid that is spare, you should fill in what each blue could be used for. It could be the
sky, someone’s eyes, clothes, rivers and streams, waterfalls, lakes or the sea. The colours
must be filled in pairs and the winning group gets homework off. Throughout the year, the
students may come up with some wonderful colours. They can be filled into the blank spaces.
COLOURS: BLACK AND RED
BLACK DEFINITIONS RED DEFINITIONS
abyss berry
basalt blood
bat bonfire
cat claret
cave crimson
cellar devil
cobalt devil’s blood
cobra devil’s flame
coral dragonblood
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corbie dragonflame
coven ember
damnation fireball
devil’s cloak fireflame
devil’s heart hellhound
devil’s soul henna
doom hogsblood
ebony holly
gunpowder inferno
kohl lava
mamba magma
maw marrow
midnight mercury
raven molten
panther rockrose
sabre rouge
scarecrow ruby
tar rushlight
thundercloud sanguine
toad squid
velvet Titian
witch’s soul windfall
For these grids, you should fill in the definitions of any new words. For the ones you already
know, you can put in the context in which they can be used. For example, black can be used
for thunderclouds, hair, clothes and a dark forest. Can you think of any more examples?
COLOURS: WHITE AND BROWN
WHITE USES BROWN USES
angel-white almond-brown
Arctic autumn
bleach bamboo
bone bark
dough beer
dove biscuit
fang bog
flour caramel
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goose chestnut
hailstone cinnamon
halo coconut
lice conker
marble copper
orb desert
orchid fawn
oyster kelp
phantom mahogany
polar mink
porcelain monk
pristine mousy
putty nut
seashell otter
skull russet
snowcloud rust
snowdrop stew
unicorn tannin
vampire teak
wan toast
whalebone wafer
zombie walnut
GOLD DEFINITIONS GREY DEFINITIONS

Arc of Covenant ash
beeswax argil
flax cenotaph
harpstring cinder
honeycomb clay
honeydew flint
ingot goose
lightning grate
lustrous granite
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marble leaf gravel

molten gravestone
moonglow grit
moonlight grizzled
nectar hillmist
old loam
ore shale
starbeam spectre
starstreak tombstone
sunset Undead
valkeyrie wayfarer
Using your favourite gold or grey colours, fill the colours in a sentence you make up yourself.
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)
PURPLE DEFINITIONS PINK DEFINITIONS

amethyst-purple blossom-pink
bird of paradise a blushing, pilgrim
Byzantine calamine
grape candyfloss
heather cerise
indigo dawn
juniper diamond
lavender dusky
lilac flamingo
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magenta flesh
mauve fuchsia
monarchy peony
mulberry petal
orchid prawn
peacock rose
plum rosepetal
puce salmon
royal sorbet
twilight sunrise
Tyrian sorbet
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)
9)
10)
SILVER ORANGE
argent-silver amber
chainmail blazing
chrysalis blistering
dew boiling
dewgleam broiling
diamondflame burning
dragonsscale dawn
frazil ember
glitter glowing
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hoarfrost feverish
ice fiery
mere flushed
moonglow hot
nickle ochre
orris scorching
salmon smouldering
seacrest sunrise
skyline sunset
sylvan sweltering
yttrium vulpine
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)
9)
10)
THE HOBBIT by J.R.R Tolkien

The edition of ‘The Hobbit’ this book is using is the Ballantine Books/Del Rey version of
1982. The page numbers may change in other versions of ‘The Hobbit’. Each section will be
explained, however, with homework assignments given for each 1-class module.
Each class should start with the students looking up the 10 words in the grid. They should
give the simplest definition of the word possible. For example, the word ‘necromancer’ may
simply be described as a ‘dark wizard’ or ‘sorcerer’. These words will come up in the
passages the students study that day. Therefore, they are necessary. If you find that covering
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8-10 pages a day is too much for a class, why not just explain the words to them? The same is
true if the class does not have access to dictionaries. A good idea might be to pair them off,
whereas each student finds 5 words each. They then explain the words to each other and write
them into the grids.
The grids may also be used as a spelling test, or ‘mental challenge’ as I prefer to call it, for
homework. They may be expected to learn today’s words and definitions for the next day’s
class.
Chapter 1- An Unexpected Party
Chapter 2- Roast Mutton
Chapter 3- A Short Rest
Chapter 4- Over Hill and Under Hill
Chapter 5- Riddles in the Dark
Chapter 6- Out of the Frying-pan into the Fire
Chapter 7- Queer lodgings
Chapter 8- Flies and Spiders
Chapter 9- Barrels Out of Bond
Chapter 10- A Warm Welcome
Chapter 11- On the Doorstep
Chapter 12- Inside Information
Chapter 13- Not at Home
Chapter 14- Fire and Water
Chapter 15- The Gathering of the Clouds
Chapter 16- A Thief in the Night
Chapter 17- The Clouds Burst
Chapter 18- The Return Journey
Chapter 19- The Last Stage
Chapter 1- An Unexpected Party- pages 1-8.
Dictionary words Give a definition of the word and keep it as simple as possible.
porthole
pantries
blundering
discreetly
immovably
prosperous
laburnums
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scuttled
strode
flustered
NOTES AND EXERCISES

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SCRIBBLE BOX FOR IDEAS AND SPELLINGS

throng
depredations
ale
bewildered
haughty
larder
whisked
218
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sorcerous
conspirator
audacious
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exaggeration
expedition
parchment
heath
runes
obstinately
reverence
219
Blue-Sky Thinking 1
routed
singed
necromancer
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Chapter 2- Roast Mutton- pages 28-36.

trifle
defrayed
esteemed
repose
requisite
paraphernalia
quarrelling
220
Blue-Sky Thinking 1
inquisitive
spits
purloined
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Chapter 2- Roast Mutton- pages 36-44.

throttled
skewer
applicable
detest
bickering
suffocated
plunder
221
Blue-Sky Thinking 1
scabbards
hilts
provisions
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Chapter 3- A Short Rest- pages 45-54.

homely
heather
gullies
twilight
wondrous
parapet
bridle
222
Blue-Sky Thinking 1
midsummer
cleave
spidery
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Chapter 4- Over Hill and Under Hill- pages 55-64.

infested
shrill
boulder
uncanny
whinnying
nooks
yammering
223
Blue-Sky Thinking 1
bleating
whooped
ingenious
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Chapters 4 and 5- pages 65-73.

hordes
scurrying
shrieked
groped
breeches
fund
subterranean
224
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wade
flummoxed
slinking
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Chapter 5- Riddles in the Dark- pages 74-82.

hinges
chestnut
flustered
scrumptious
devours
ought
spluttered
225
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antiquity
ventured
brooded
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Chapter 5- Riddles in the Dark- pages 83-90.

peered
splayed
resolve
curdling
stubbed
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incline
226
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pang
hither
thither
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Chapter 6- Out of the Frying Pan into the Fire- pages 91-100.
glimpsed
dells
abominable
helter-skelter
benighted
sorrel
thyme
227
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sage
marjoram
plains
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Chapter 6- Out of the Frying Pan into the Fire- pages 101-111.
glade
snuffling
clamour
shaggy
commotion
pinnacle
bracken
228
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reek
shrivel
smote
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Chapter 7- Queer Lodgings- pages 112-119

twined
spirals
cropping
wholesome
carrock
ford
conies
229
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cape
drones
pastures
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Chapter 7- Queer Lodgings- pages 120-129

embroidered
trestle tables
rushes
beeswax
drowsy
smith-craft
rafters
230
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tassels
lair
mead
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Chapter 7- Queer Lodgings- pages 130-139.

afoot
chuckled
earthenware
murk
enchantment
steeds
impassable
231
Blue-Sky Thinking 1
glowered
harts
gnarled
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Chapter 8- Flies and Spiders- pages 140-149.

lichen
inquisitive
dense
pitch
venison
lamenting
baying
232
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hind
disquieting
grimed
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mirth
cinders
stealthily
wager
quoits
snares
spur
233
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scuttled
strands
froth
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goggling
prey
lingered
bold
gloaming
tilling
quarrel
234
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sternly
inclined
dungeon
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Chapter 9- Barrels Out of Bond- pages 171-179.

despairing
cavern
hewn
unbind
surly
dreariest
wretched
235
Blue-Sky Thinking 1
errand
portcullis
kinsfolk
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Chapter 9- Barrels Out of Bond- pages 180-188.

adjoining
stowed
stifling
muddled
casks
jostling
eddying
236
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stirrups
clammy
suppressed
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Chapter 10- A Warm Welcome- pages 189-201.

isles
dreary
bickering
alluding
receded
shingles
promontory
237
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shoreward
buffeted
solemn
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Chapter 11- On the Doorstep- pages 202-211.

grim
disembarked
desolate
laden
waning
ominous
reek
238
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marauding
threshold
lintel
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Chapter 12- Inside Information- pages 212-221.

thrumming
wrought
unwrought
ruddy
immeasurable
helms
cowered
239
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spout
wrath
smouldering
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Chapter 12- Inside Information- pages 222-231.

lore
calamities
infuriate
skulking
fortified
impenetrable
frizzled
240
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dubious
mythical
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Chapter 13-Not at Home- pages 234-246.

utter
stealth
stench
tinder
aloft
hoard
wavering
241
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pallid
mere
hoops
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Chapter 14- Fire and Water- pages 247-256.

forging
foreboding
foiled
quench
kindled
reckless
yew
242
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barb
glades
benefactor
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Chapter 15- The Gathering of the Clouds- pages 257-267.

unceasingly
coveted
decrepit
alighted
counsel
hasten
plight
243
Blue-Sky Thinking 1
foes
parley
sire
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Chapter 16- A Thief in the Night- pages 268-274.

avenged
oddments
besets
hastening
siege
sentinels
woven
244
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comely
forth
clambered
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Chapter 17- The Clouds Burst- pages 275-287.

embassy
tidings
banners
casket
bade
stricken
heirloom
245
Blue-Sky Thinking 1
league
mesh
mattocks
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Chapter 18- The Return Journey- pages 288-296.

gravely
rent
notched
mustering
dislodged
precipices
eyries
246
Blue-Sky Thinking 1
cheerless
Yule-tide
outstretched
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Chapter 19- The Last Stage- pages 297-305.

baggage
roaming
cherish
drowsy
hearth
sown
fleeting
247
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memoirs
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desolation
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PAGE FOR DRAWING BEST FOODS TRIANGLE
259
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260
261
security
gratitude,
friendship, of body,
sel f-es teem ,
breathing, water,
of educonfidence,
creativity,
cation, of
foo d,
family,
h ievement
sleep ,pect
pro
acresou
bl em rces,
solving,
,r esof
ofshel
lack ter, bodi ly
o ther
acceptance
morality,
of s,
p res pect
rejudice,
of th by
e
fun other
ction s s
family,
of forgiven of health
authority ess
Blue-Sky Thinking 1
Blue-Sky Thinking 1
Health, Mind and Body: Eating a Good Breakfast

In the left column is a list of 10 good and 10 not so good breakfasts and dinners. Re-arrange
them in the right hand column from the best to the worst as you see fit.
GOOD AND NOT SO GOOD RE-ARRANGE THE BREAKFASTS
Chocolate nut spread on white toast 1.
Porridge with honey and berries/lemon juice 2.
Cold muesli with milk and grapefruit slices 3.
Scrambled eggs with wholemeal toast 4.
Ready Brek with hot milk 5.
Peanut butter and banana/ wholemeal toast 6.
Fried eggs and beans on white toast 7.
Yoghurt with cereal and an apple 8.
Coco Pops with hot milk and an orange 9.
A fruit and Greek yoghurt smoothie 10.
A veggie omelette with a bran muffin 11.
Tuna and melted cheese on wholemeal toast 12.
Rice Krispies with hot milk and melon slice 13.
Instant oatmeal from a microwave 14.
Fried sausages with bacon and pudding 15.
Grilled sardines with tomatoes/ boiled eggs 16.
Pancakes made from powder with syrup 17.
White toast with jam and two eggs 18.
Frozen breakfast sandwich with eggs/bacon 19.
Wholemeal toast with almond butter/kiwis 20.
GOOD AND NOT SO GOOD RE-ARRANGE THE DINNERS
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Health, Mind and Body: The Mind: The 9 types of intelligence

These are the 8 types of intelligence in simple terms. The 9th intelligence is called ‘existential’
intelligence. It means that you know your place in the world and can adapt to its needs. In
simple terms, it means that if you have it, you are a happy soul and you are content.
1-Body smart 5-Word smart
2-Number smart 6-People smart
3-Myself smart 7-Music smart
4-Picture smart 8-Nature smart
Ask your teacher to discuss each of them separately. When you think you know what each
one is, list them in order of which is your strongest and weakest, starting with the strongest.
1- 5-
2- 6-
3- 7-
4- 8-
1. Body smart: You may be body smart. This means that you are excellent at sports and/or
eye-to-hand co-ordination. Any field or track sport is included in this category. It also
includes the martial arts.
2.Number smart: This means you enjoy working with numbers. You are also good at
solving problems and equations and you probably love playing chess and board games.
3. Myself smart:You are aware of your strengths and weaknesses as an individual. You
know what behaviour is destructive and what is positive. You work on your weaknesses and
try to improve your strengths.
4. Picture smart: You are good at art. You are also good at other activities like map reading,
graphs and orienteering. More importantly, you like to think in pictures (i.e. you visualize
your future) and you probably keep a diary or write motivational notes to yourself.
5. Word smart: Being word smart means you are good at reading, writing and talking about
different ideas. You would enjoy games of countdown and hangman in class.
6. People smart: You are excellent at talking to and listening to people. You love having a
group around you and sharing funny stories with them. You enjoy being centre stage.
7. Music smart: You have a great sense of rhythm and love singing and humming to
yourself. You may or may not play a musical instrument but you should. You appreciate a
wide variety of musical styles.
8. Nature smart:You love the great outdoors. Forests, mountains, beaches and remote places
appeal to you. You don’t mind camping in bad conditions and you love to know the names of
the birds and animals in your area. You want own a dog when you grow up.
The important thing to gain from this is that there is no such thing as a ‘swot’ or ‘thick’
people. Everyone is granted gifts. The intelligent part is using them properly.
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These are the technical terms for them. Number 4 is interesting, as all great sportsmen, actors
and actresses, businessmen and writers tend to use ‘visualisation’ in their work. Ambition,
hard work and talent are not enough. You have to think about how to achieve your dreams
every day. Then you will find that your mind will expand to fulfil your dream.
1-Kinaesthetic 5-Linguistic
2-Logical 6-Interpersonal
3-Intrapersonal 7-Musical
4-Visual/Spatial 8-Naturalistic
Write down the simple explanation for each intelligence in one word below.
1. Kinaesthetic- ( )
2. Logical- ( )
3. Intrapersonal- ( )
4. Visual- ( )
5. Linguistic- ( )
6. Interpersonal- ( )
7. Musical- ( )
8. Naturalistic- ( )
Now put in a list of jobs that might require the skills of each particular intelligence. The first
one is done to get you thinking.
BODY NUMBER MYSELF PICTURE
professional golfer engineer hypnotist comic book writer
WORD PEOPLE MUSIC NATURE

French teacher comedian singer wildlife ranger
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INTELLIGENCE A INTELLIGENCE B
Do you: Do you:
have excellent balance and ride a love groups of people and crowds?
bicycle easily?
use hand gestures a lot when talking enjoy teaching things to others?
to friends?
have problems sitting still for long have a lot of friends?
periods?
love to run and exercise whenever enjoy team sports?
you can?
like to try out new sports and find like to give others advice?
them easy?
move, tap or fidget when seated for a love meeting new people?
long time?
like to touch something rather than like to take part in group activities?
just look at it?
mimic other people sometimes with like to win over other people?
your voice and actions?
have different physical sensations like to solve other peoples’
when thinking or working? problems?
like to make or build things? have a talent for judging the mood
of other people?
Score Score
INTELLIGENCE C Y/N/S INTELLIGENCE D Y/N/S

Do you: Do you:
like to work alone? like word games?
like to write in diaries or journals? like puns and riddles?
think you are a perfectionist? enjoy writing more than most?
think you are very independent? love English class?
like to think about where life will enjoy the sounds and words of
lead you? foreign languages?
see yourself working for yourself in like to read about and use famous
the future? quotes and sayings?
like to spend time thinking and like the sound and rhythm of words?
reflecting?
like to discover new things about notice spelling and grammar
yourself and your personality? mistakes better than others?
like to set personal targets and goals? like to talk about the things you
read?
know your own strengths and like to use words that others think
weaknesses as a person? are fancy?
Score Score
Use the scoring system above with 5 points from 1-5.

1= Never 3= Sometimes 5=Always
2= Rarely 4= A lot
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INTELLIGENCE E Y/N/S INTELLIGENCE F Y/N/S

Do you: Do you:
easily do maths in your head? easily memorise songs?
like science experiments? have a good sense of rhythm?
like strategy games? often hum or sing?
wonder how things work? love Music class?
enjoy working with numbers? notice and enjoy different sounds?
organise things by category? feel you have a talent for singing?
love Maths class? feel you have a talent or love for a
musical instrument?
have a mind like a computer? like to tap out the rhythm of a song?
look for rational explanations for often have a song running through
things? your head?
see connections that maybe others easily notice when a note is off-key?
don’t?
Score Score
INTELLIGENCE G Y/N/S INTELLIGENCE H Y/N/S

love the idea of having pets? love to solve visual puzzles?
like to learn about nature? enjoy geometry at school?
enjoy the idea of gardening? remember places vividly?
appreciate beautiful, scenic places? enjoy photography?
think about pollution and get angry? have a great sense of direction?
feel more alive and at peace when love to look at books with pictures
you are in contact with nature? or photographs?
like to camp outdoors, go for long think in 3-dimensional terms
nature walks and climb? sometimes?
notice nature above all other things? notice shapes, colours and textures
more than most people?
love to read National Geographic and think you are above average at
nature books? drawing?
like to classify and categorise things like to visualise pictures in your
and models of things? head quite often?
Score Score
Use the scoring system above with 5 points from 1-5.

1= Never
2= Rarely
3= Sometimes
4= A lot
5= Always
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INTELLIGENCE A learns best through: INTELLIGENCE B learns best through:

hands-on learning and physical activity. interaction with others and dialogue.
Being allowed to teach the class. Being allowed to teach the class.
Team-building and paired work. Team-building and paired work.
Speech and drama activities. Speech and drama activities.
Communicating with another class via the Communicating with another class via the
net net
Participating in a storychain. Participating in a storychain.
Making a podcast or giving a presentation. Making a podcast or giving a presentation.
Dialogue such as conducting interviews. Dialogue such as conducting interviews.
Making and building/creating anything. Making and building posters/word grids.
Personal space attention from the teacher. Regular dialogue with the teacher.
Building a blog/any physical activity. Writing stories/Wordsearches/crosswords.
10 possible career choices: 10 possible career choices:
Army Administrator
Athlete Charity work
Builder/carpenter/plumber Consultant of some sort
Dancer/Pilates Instructor Doctor
Forest ranger Human resources manager
Jeweller Nurse
Martial Arts instructor Politician
Mechanic Psychiatrist/Psychologist
P.E teacher Public Relations
Physical therapist Teacher
INTELLIGENCE C learns best through: INTELLIGENCE D learns best through:
independent study and introspection. analysing and studying words.
10 examples of facilitative learning: 10 examples of facilitative learning:
Writing diaries and journals. Writing diaries and journals.
Goal–setting activities such as life maps. Goal–setting activities such as life maps.
Reading books of relevance to their future. Reading books of interest to their hobbies.
‘On task activities’ such as wordsearches. Any wordsearches/crosswords/word games.
Computer-related solo activities and tasks. Computer word games and English tasks.
Studying creative materials. Actively being creative with materials.
Reflection and time to study. Paired study may be more advantageous.
Likes to be set attainable challenges. Will attempt even the unrealistic challenges.
Could be averse to paired/team work. Will enjoy multimedia work.
May be averse to class discussions. Will enjoy music linked to lessons.
Counsellor Blogger
Entrepreneur Journalist
Inventor Lawyer
Planner of some sort Librarian
Psychologist Salesperson
Religious leader Playwright/Poet
Social worker Radio/TV work
Small business owner Tele-sales
Therapist Translator
Writer Writer
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INTELLIGENCE E learns best through: INTELLIGENCE F learns best through:

concepts before dealing with detail. the use of sounds and rhythm.
Seeing and learning patterns. Seeing and learning patterns.
Using mind maps as a visual aid. Using mind maps as a visual aid.
Experiments of all types. Studying with music in the background.
Attempting and solving puzzles and riddles. Tapping out the rhythm to poems etc.
Attempting and solving logic games. Speaking rhythmically when learning.
Being encouraged to solve mysteries. Using the radio/CD-ROM as a learning tool.
Presenting a task as an investigation. Using musical instruments to aid learning.
Solving problems with a maths slant. Singing the words to poems as a memory
tool
Interpreting texts in a logical manner. Chanting the words to something.
Detective stories and whodunits. Using multimedia as a learning tool.
Accountant Actor/Actress
Actuary Composer
Auditor Conductor
Computer programmer Dance Instructor
Detective Drama Teacher
Engineer Music Technician
Inventor Music Teacher
Mathematician Music Therapist
Researcher Pop Star
Scientist Songwriter
INTELLIGENCE G learns best through: INTELLIGENCE H learns best through:
bundling images/words into categories. thinking in terms of physical space.
10 examples of facilitative learning: 10 examples of facilitative learning:
Open-air learning. Open-air learning.
Map work and nature walks. Making maps and diagrams.
Making posters. Making posters/charts/graphs/grids.
Comparing and contrasting sets of things. Daydreaming.
Organising an activity for the class. Drawing and illustrating books.
Reading nature articles. Using photography as a learning tool.
Writing about the environment. Jigsaw puzzles and Lego.
Writing about favourite animal or pet. Using multimedia such as videoconference.
Solving mysteries. Physical imagery/3-D models.
Cleaning and organising the classroom. Receiving and using verbal imagery.
Astronomer Architect
Botanist Artist
Chef Engineer
Fisherman/Forest Ranger Graphic Artist
Gardener Interior Decorator
Geologist Inventor
Meteorologist Photographer
Survivalist Pilot
Wildlife Guide Quantity Surveyor
Wildlife Illustrator Urban Planner
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Health, Mind and Body: Getting more sleep.

This first section is completed for you. It will give you ideas on how to fill in the other blank
sections on ‘Health, Mind and Body’.
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THE 7 CYCLES OF LIFE
INFANCY AND IMPRINTING- 0-3 years
IMPRESSIONS- 4-7 years
INDIVIDUALITY- 7-14 years
INDEPENDENCE- 14-21 years
INSIGHT- 21-45 years
THE INQUEST- 45-70 years
INFIRMITY AND INSCAPE- 70+ years
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Health, Mind and Body: A Blank Section to fill in Ideas
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Blue-Sky Thinking 1

EDUCATION IS A LIFELONG JOURNEY, NOT A DESTINATION.

Spelling revision New words Dictionary definitions and corrections

1 POINT 2 POINTS 3 POINTS 5 POINTS

0-9 good first try

Date:__/__/______ Title:DESCRIBING SUMMER Lesson Number:

Spelling revision New words Dictionary definitions and corrections

1 POINT 2 POINTS 3 POINTS 5 POINTS

0-9 good first try

WALKING FROM A FOREST TO A MEADOW: FILL IN THE IMAGES

USE THE IMAGES IN THE GRIDS TO MAKE SENTENCES

Rewrite the following sentences by putting in a full stop in each:

Quote/Saying:Mistakes are doorways to discovery. (Unknown)

Spelling revision New words Dictionary definitions and corrections

1 POINT 2 POINTS 3 POINTS 5 POINTS

0-9 good first try

Date:__/__/______ Title:MORE IDEAS FROM STUDENTS Lesson Number:

Spelling revision New words Dictionary definitions and corrections

1 POINT 2 POINTS 3 POINTS 5 POINTS

0-9 good first try

Date:__/__/______ Title: WHAT IS A METAPHOR? Lesson Number:

bark mink rust

a stew of a brew of a buffet of

This is a metaphor because

dragonfly-blue river Mohican haircut a marble jaw

pearls of rain sunless forest nature’s loom (waterfall)

Spelling revision New words Dictionary definitions and corrections

1 POINT 2 POINTS 3 POINTS 5 POINTS

0-9 good first try

Simon Pokagon, a tribal leader, May 1850 (writing in 1895)

The Commonwealth newspaper, reporting the experience of a group of hunters in Wisconsin

Aldo Leopold, ‘On a Monument to the Pigeon’, 1945.

GOLD SAND TEXTURE ROCK POOL SOUNDS

WHITE SAND THE HORIZON BARBECUE ACTIVITY

STORY FIZZERS TO MAKE YOUR WRITING INTERESTING

1. Do you think this myth could be true or not?

1. Where? Did it happen?

5 guidelines for capital letters

5. How important is it to appreciate a good education?

MENTAL CHALLENGE FOR END OF MODULE

“She smiled like the bloom of morning.”

‘Tis moonlight, summer moonlight,

But most where trees are sending

And there in those wild bowers

light day bees sun moon star

Title: _____________________________________________ Year written: ________

When on a summer’s morn I wake,

To hear the Blackbird, Cuckoo, Thrush,

And when Time strikes the hour for sleep,

Title: _____________________________________________ Year written: ________

‘Tis the last rose of summer

I’ll not leave thee, thou lone one!

So soon may I follow,

The gems drop away.

Quote/Adage:Success has many fathers but failure is an orphan. (Tacitus. 98 A.D.)

Spelling revision New words Dictionary definitions and corrections

1 POINT 2 POINTS3 POINTS 5 POINTS

0-9 good first try

Date:__/__/______ Title: PERSONALITY Lesson Number:

Quote/Saying: Necessity is the mother of invention. (Plato)

1 POINT 2 POINTS 3 POINTS 4 POINTS 5 POINTS

seemed down glum dejected

steady reliable true-blue

Date://______ Title:DESCRIBING SUMMER Lesson Number:

Date://______ Title:MORE IDEAS FROM STUDENTS Lesson Number:

Date://______ Title: WHAT IS A METAPHOR? Lesson Number:

Title: _____________________________________ Year written:

Title: _____________________________________ Year written:

Date://______ Title: PERSONALITY Lesson Number:

Date://______ Title:DESCRIBING FEMALES Lesson Number:

Date://______ Title:DESCRIBING FEMALES Lesson Number:

Title: _____________________________________ Year written:

Title: _____________________________________ Year written:

Title: _____________________________________ Year written: