Good Morning Year 2!
Click here for a printable version of this blog post: English Thursday printable
I’m so excited for your writing today! I love reading all your writing as you come up with very funny ideas!
Today you are going to write a letter to either the red or purple crayon. You should read their letters again so that you remember what they wrote and then you can decide: printable The Day the Crayons Quit extract
Remember that today is for practise, so don’t write your whole letter on the blog! Just your first few sentences so that I can check them, you can make improvements and then finish it off for tomorrow.
If you have the book, and can read the other letters, you could write to a different coloured crayon if you would rather.
Use the points above to help you structure your letter and know what to include. Like I do at school, I have written my own version which you can look at to give you some ideas (but don’t copy them all..!). Check the green boxes for the order and the other colours for things to include in your writing:
If you want to use more exciting adjectives, then use this picture which has lots of better words you can use. It is good to be adventurous with the words with use, but sometimes they can mean different things, so make sure you double check the meaning with an adult or a dictionary.
Dear Miss Carruthers,
All done. Here is my start.
Dear purple crayon,
I try to colour inside the lines but I cannot. Sorry! But…. DO NOT SHOUT AT ME!!!!!!!!!! It is rude and makes me angry. Try to be more polite. I will keep practising colouring inside the lines if you promise to stop giving out.
Well done Nadine!
🙂 I can tell that Duncan feels very stressed after being told off by purple crayon.
T) In the next part of your letter, use some adjectives to give more description.
Dear Red ?Crayon,
You shouldn’t be writing me ✉️letters. You’re a ?crayon! The letter you wrote to me was crazy. You didn’t write inside the lines, your handwriting wasn’t neat and all because you are a ?crayon!!
I am ?angry because you’re in my ?house and you could have had a conversation with me because you live in my ?house! If you were not a ?crayon then I would give you a big, long holiday and then we would become friends again?.But no??♀️ because, as I said, you are a ?crayon!!
From,
Duncan!
Well done Luisa!
🙂 You’ve written well to show how angry Duncan is feeling.
T) Is Duncan going to change anything for red crayon? Or leave him colouring lots?
Dear Red Crayon
I fully understand that letter and I promise I will only colour things in on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Fridays from now on (but you won’t work AT ALL on the other days, or in the holidays). If you are happy then send me something… it can even just be a blank piece of paper! All that’ll start next week (it’s a Tuesday today in case you didn’t know) and until then I won’t use any of you at all!
Hope all that’s cheered you up a little.
Duncan xxx
Excellent Rex!
🙂 You’ve come up with a good solution and explained it clearly to red crayon.
T) Can you think of a question you could ask him in your letter?
Dear red crayon,
I was so happy? to receive your letter but I am sad☹️ that you feel overwhelm and mad? with me.
I understand you need holidays. I promise I will do my best to use you less.
I love the colour red and I can’t mix other colours to make red. I am sure you know you are a primary colour so I can’t replace you. Do you have an idea ???❓ When do you want to take your break??❓ What about taking it during the spring half term ??❓ I hope it is OK for you.
Love from
Duncan
Great work Adrien!
🙂 Explaining your points clearly to red crayon.
🙂 Asking questions.
T) Try to write some longer sentences. You have used ‘and’ and ‘but’, see if you can use a ‘because’ or’when’.
Dear red crayon,
I know you need to do lots of work but maybe tell Duncan again and then see if he will let you have a little holiday. I do feel bad for you red crayon because all he has done is colouring red things. You can be friends with red Santa because then on Christmas night you can help Santa give all the presents out.
Well done Layla!
🙂 Giving solutions to red crayon.
T) Remember that your letter is from Duncan to the red crayon. So you first line about ‘telling Duncan’ isn’t needed as you have already told him. You shouldn’t have any ‘he’ in your letter, only me (Duncan) or you (red crayon).
Dear red crayon,
I feel sad that you’re going to leave and I’m worried. Maybe we can work something out if you don’t go to Scotland.
[we’ve continued from our red crayon letter of last week]
Brilliant Finley!
🙂 I love that you have been extending your sentences with ‘and; and ‘if’.
T) When describing things in the rest of your letter, try to include some adjectives.
Dear Red crayon
Duncan here I received your letter and I am very sorry to here that you haven’t had a break I feel very upset.
I am going to let you have a break for a whole year and tell me if it is not and please let me know if it will help you.
Excellent Marisa!
🙂 Responding to his feelings.
T) Re-read your first sentence – it is very long and hard to read without taking a breath! Read it aloud and see if you can notice where there is a pause in your speaking. There should probably be a full stop or conjunction there.
Dear red crayon,
I am sorry to hear that you get used so much but I have got a solution. My solution is that I wil try to use the other crayons. I think you deserve some rest. My other idea is……..
Brilliant Bo!
🙂 Great opening sentence, showing that you are listening to his problems.
T) Try to give me details to your ideas. How could you use the other crayons more if the picture needs to be coloured red?
Dear Red Crayon,
I know you need to do lots of work but maybe tell me again and then I will see if you can have a little holiday. I do feel bad for you red crayon because all I have done is colour red things. You can be friends with red Santa because then on Christmas night you can help Santa give all the presents out.
Wonderful Layla!
🙂 Responding to his letter and using ‘because’ to explain your reasons.
T) Try and use some more adjectives to make your letter more descriptive.
Dear White crayon,
I am deeply sorry ? that you feel empty and you think ? nobody else can see you without a black outline. I just want to let you know that you are a very important colour because without you the other colours will not be the same! Here is why……
A wonderful start Isabella!
🙂 Using conjunctions to write longer sentences that give more information.
T) Use some adjectives in the rest of your letter to add more detail.
Excellent work Sophia B!
🙂 Great use of conjunctions and some exciting word choices (tremendous)
T) Give examples to purple crayon of the things that you could colour in neatly.
Dear Red crayon,
I’ve read your letter. Thank you for the letter and expressing how you feel. It’s unfortunate you feel this way but I think you are right. I’m sorry and should give you more of a break. You are my favourite colour and it feels jolly good when I use you to colour objects.
Wonderful Catherine!
🙂 Responding clearly to how red crayon feels.
T) You have used ‘and’ as a conjunction, can you try and use some different ones in the rest of your letter?
Fantastic writing Jack!
🙂 Well done for using conjunctions to explain why you are feeling things.
T) Can you ask red crayon a question?
Dear Blue Crayon,
I know that I use you a lot as you are my favourite colour. I’m sorry that you are very short because I colour the seas, rivers and oceans with you. If I were you, I would want to take a rest too. …
Great work John!
🙂 You’ve really explained his feelings carefully. I love your phrase “If I were you…”
T) Try and use some more adjectives to describe what you are drawing.
Dear Grey Crayon,
I know that you are very tired of colouring lots of big elephants and rhinos, but it is fun. I want to keep colouring with you but you deserve a break. There are smaller grey things I could use you to colour. …
Fantastic Rebecca!
🙂 Using ‘but’ as a conjunction to add more to your sentences.
T) Can you use some more adjectives in the rest of your letter?
Dear Yellow crayon,
I’m extremely happy ? you wrote to me but I’m really sorry that you are no longer speaking to your friend Orange crayon because both of you are fighting over which one of you is the colour of the sun ☀️ .
You MUST go back to be friends again because I need you both TOGETHER to colour in my beautiful sunset ?! Here is how I will help you……
Wonderful Emilia!
🙂 Using conjunctions to explain yours and their feelings.
T) Continue to use adjectives in the rest of your letter.
Dear red crayon,
Thank you for the letter you sent to me. I am so sorry to hear that you have been overworked and feel unpleasant. I will try and give you more breaks and a holiday like the others.
TO BE CONTINUED…
Love from Duncan
Fantastic Sophie
? Well done for recognising his feelings.
T) Try and use a range of conjunctions to give the sentences more detail.
Dear red crayon,
I am sorry that you feel overworked.Please don’t go away I will give you a holiday so you can have a rest. We can read, play, swim in the sea ? and sleep ?…
Great work Marie!
? You have shown that you understand his feelings.
T) Check after “Please don’t go away”. Do you need some punctuation or a conjunction?
Dear red crayon
I am very sorry for making you work very harder than other crayon.
I am very sorry for making you colour the fire engines, all the apples, strawberries and everything that is red as there are tones of red stuff. I am very sorry I didn’t give you a break.
Lots of love from: Duncan
Brilliant Gabi
🙂 You’ve used capital letters and full stops in all your sentences.
T) Can you think of a solution, a way of making the red crayon happy again?