I. B.

I. BLAKE

Constructive ideas for

Journal
WRITING
IAN BLAKE
FOR THE YEAR 7
TEAM
January 2006
I. B.
 LITERACY

I I. B.

D
E
The idea of this project is that the words
and/or pictures might give students starting
points for journal writing.
JOURNAL
The words and pictures have come from various
sources. The photographs come from Encarta and
efforts were taken to leave their attributions
S
visible/legible. There is some Clip Art but all of the
‘paint’ drawings are mine so there’s no breach of
copyright. Unless someone rips me off!
Many of the Creative/Imaginative ‘topics’ are also mine
but other people also had input. But in some cases
just which ideas are whose are hard to know now. So
thanks, people…
The exact origins of all of the Opinionative/Reflective
topics are also uncertain as they too were acquired
over years. Apologies to anyone who thinks I’ve
stolen any ideas.
IB, January 2006

• PART ONE
• CREATIVE / IMAGINATIVE
• Section One: Pictures & Words
• Section Two: Words
• PART TWO
• OPINIONATIVE / REFLECTIVE
• Section One: Words
• Section Two: Random Images

Constructive Ideas for Journal Writing 2

 You take a trip back in time to ancient
Rome. A centurion and his soldiers are
marching into the Forum. Caesar
addresses them and tells them that they
are about to head off to Gaul to attack the
barbarians.
Continue the story…

A story about a horse, a

drover and a windmill.

The day you

won the game.

•Professor Festy was

squinting into the eyepiece
of the microscope. “You’d
better come and see this”,
he gasped.

I love aerobics…
Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain
in my left leg.

Constructive Ideas for Journal Writing 3

 I. BLAKE

In a run-down part of town, in an old industrial estate there

was an abandoned factory building.

I. BLAKE

Looking out at the street beyond the factory…

Meanwhile, further
down the corridor… I. BLAKE

Constructive Ideas for Journal Writing 4

 You and your best friend
climb the highest peak of
Devil’s Mountain.

The forest was full of evil

creatures. I felt a thousand eyes
watching my every step.

With a slash of his machete,

the explorer cut through the
wall of thick jungle creepers.
Suddenly, as the creepers fell
away, his eyes opened wide
with surprise.
An ancient
temple.
Huge carved
statues.

Constructive Ideas for Journal Writing 5

A haunted mansion.
Some portraits of
creepy old folks…the
eyes follow you around
the room.

A room full of
crazy mirrors.

A city street
A jungle clearing

Constructive Ideas for Journal Writing 6

 Creative/Imaginative
Ideas presented to you in words:
Use them as ideas starters.
You could use them as a starting sentence, an
ending sentence or somewhere in between.
You could even combine sentences…

• Looking out of the window in the high tower, I could see that
the drawbridge had been lowered. Suddenly the trumpets
sounded and a knight in full armour rode into the courtyard.

• Suddenly, just behind my left ear, I heard a metallic click.

• You and your football/netball team turn up to the first match

against the new team in the competition. To your horror, you
find that they have extraordinary powers. What do you find?
What happens?

• “You spend way too much time on the internet”, she snapped.
“I do not”, I replied, “ It’s only three o’clock…in the morning”.

Constructive Ideas for Journal Writing 7

• One night when the moon rode high over the trees, I
looked out my window and saw a shadowy shape.

• I slotted it into second gear and hit the pedal.

• One day when I was cooking, I turned on the blender –

but I hadn’t put the lid on it. Here’s what happened next:

• You and your crew of astronauts land on the surface of

Mars. To your horror, you find that the surface crust is
not strong enough to hold your weight and you fall
through to the Martian underworld. What do you find/
What happens?

• Ingredients: You, the Soccer World Cup Final, a

determined defender, a greasy soccer ball and a yellow
card.

• The hands of the clock ticked away the seconds. Each

one felt like an hour. What happened next?

• The new computer game was the greatest thing I had

ever seen. Let me tell you about it.

• Smoke was drifting in under the door.

• There it was, smashed at the bottom of the cliff.

Constructive Ideas for Journal Writing 8

• My fabulous weekend (no, it doesn’t have to be true).

• The day I drove a V8 Super car at Bathurst.

• The day I was accepted as a Crusty Demon.

• Dirt Bike Disaster.

• The best pizza I ever ate.

• My favourite pet.

• Twang! The line snapped…

• Suddenly, I heard a noise…

• As I ran onto the M.C.G. to start the grand final, the crowd
went wild.

• Slowly, the snake slid up towards my bare foot. I stopped

when its head was just millimetres from my toe.

• Careful with that axe, Eugene. (words of a Pink Floyd

song)

Constructive Ideas for Journal Writing 9

• Food-fight at the OK Corral.

• As I fell, I felt a sudden pain in my side.

• I didn’t know I had super powers until the day I put my

head in the microwave oven.

• Suddenly, a gorilla came in through the window.

• The rain was falling. The large flat leaves of the jungle
trees were twisting in the wind.

• You and your crew of pirates land on a desert island.

To your horror, you find that you are not the only ones
there. What do you find? What happens?

• Slowly, with an ear-splitting creak, the door of the crypt

opened and Dracula rose from his coffin.

• “You idiot”, she screamed, “Give me that gun!”

• The great wooden ship rolled slowly to starboard and

the waves broke over the rigging.

• The roller coaster was going faster and faster.

Constructive Ideas for Journal Writing 10

• I grabbed the control column and the plane banked
sharply to the left.

• The police car screamed around the corner.

• The dragon raised its scaly head and, puffing smoke

from its nostrils and sent a flame crackling across the
floor of the cave.

• His final instructions had been, “Whatever you do, don’t

touch that switch”. I couldn’t help myself. I just had to
see what would happen.

• Deep underground, the old miner was setting the

explosives into the holes in the rock. The timbers over
his head groaned and cracked. Dust and small stones
fell through the gaps between the wooden beams. “It’s
time we weren’t here”, he told the other miners.

• I looked out the plexiglass porthole of the space shuttle.

The lunar station was coming into view. Everything
seemed to be going well but I wasn’t prepared for what I
saw next.

Constructive Ideas for Journal Writing 11

 Opinionative and/or
Reflective
• If I was Prime Minister, I would…

• If you could look like anyone famous, who would it be and why?

• Five good reasons to abolish television are… You may also

“argue” the opposite; that there are five good reasons that
television is valuable to society…

• My favourite sports are….because

• Are dogs really human-kind’s best friend? Why?

• Write about someone you admire.

• True bravery is…

• My best memory of primary school is…

Constructive Ideas for Journal Writing 12

• Debate topics: You may also “argue” for or against:

• That all advertisements for alcohol should be banned.

• That attendance at school should be voluntary.

• That bullying can never be stopped.

• That boys and girls should be educated separately.

• That city living is better than country living.

• That good guys always come last.

• That mobile phone should be totally banned from schools.

• That money is the root of all evil.

• That no one can truly be an individual in today’s society.

Constructive Ideas for Journal Writing 13

• That alcoholic drinks should be banned.

• That it is no good fighting a battle you cannot win.

• That the private lives of our sporting heroes should be

private.

• That there is too much violence on television.

• That Bendigo is a wonderful place to grow up.

• That good manners are a thing of the past.

• That more is achieved through co-operation than through

competition.

• That computers are taking over our lives.

• That sometimes capital punishment should be used.

• That it is better to be one of the crowd.

• That reality TV teaches us nothing of importance.

Constructive Ideas for Journal Writing 14

 Reflective
• Thinking about yourself:
• I often think about…

• I can be very helpful at…

• Things that make me laugh are…

• What my friends like most about me is…

• Things that make me sad are…

• I am sometimes praised for…

• Something that makes me happy is…

• Something that makes me sad is…

• Something that makes me angry is…

Constructive Ideas for Journal Writing 15

On this page and the following pages are some pictures. Who? What? When?
Where? Why? How?
Use the ideas to make up stories or to voice opinions or knowledge.

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I. BLAKE

I. BLAKE

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