Wolf Brother - Text Analysis: Ticking Clock

When getting children to write, it is important (if not critical) to give them a high-quality text that the children can:

• pull vocabulary from
• study setting/character descriptions
• get a sense of mood
• learn about suspense
• etc.

With this text analysis, I have written a 2 page document which sets up a ticking clock element in a suspense narrative. In this document, Wolf has been caught in a snare and Torak wakes up from a ROAR in the forest. Soon the forest explodes and Torak realises that he must save Wolf before the Demon Bear reaches him. He must also escape with Wolf, which as his father told him, “You cannot outrun a bear.” Does he free Wolf in time? Does Torak escape? Of course he does. Let’s not traumatise the children…

Seriously, each year I read this Text Analysis to the children, I receive applause. The children love stories and this provides the children with a solid example of high-quality writing for a purpose.

INCLUDED:

• 1 print out for the children
• 1 print out for the teacher with highlights to show ticking clock elements. I think a few modal verbs are also highlighted, but honestly, you won’t need the teacher’s version once you use this resource to plan your own lesson. It just is there in case you are unsure.

Note:
I attended Pie Corbett’s writing training a few years ago. As far as I know, Pie Corbett doesn’t have a plot pattern or box it up resource called “ticking clock.”