On Tuesday 7th July, as a reward for their dedication and enthusiasm throughout the KS3 Reading Challenge, twenty Year 7 students enjoyed a special creative writing workshop with our Patron of Reading, Jennifer Burkinshaw.

During the session, students explored descriptive writing by creating vivid pieces based on their own "happy places". Using an extract from Jennifer's young adult novel Igloo as inspiration, they discovered how writers use carefully chosen language to create atmosphere, bring settings to life and evoke emotion.

The workshop provided a fantastic opportunity for students to develop their creative writing skills, learn from a published author and share their ideas in a fun, supportive and encouraging environment.

It was a pleasure to hear students read their finished work aloud, demonstrating the imagination, creativity and enthusiasm they had shown throughout the session. Jennifer was impressed by their ideas and thoughtful use of descriptive language. The workshop concluded with a lively question-and-answer session, giving students the opportunity to find out more about Jennifer's journey to becoming an author, the writing process and the inspiration behind her books.

The workshop was a wonderful way to celebrate our students' enthusiasm for reading and writing, and we look forward to more inspiring events with Jennifer throughout the coming year.

The workshop was a fantastic example of how reading and writing can inspire creativity, confidence and imagination across the College.

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the 7th of July, I participated in a wonderful creative writing workshop with an engaging author called Jennifer Burkinshaw. We began our session by telling everyone what our happy spaces are, which allowed us to work together as a community. We read her immersive book (Igloo), which inspired us to incorporate her method of writing in our English lessons.

The techniques she used also let us expand our knowledge of literacy. Everyone was really enthusiastic to know what happens next in her book. Shortly after we had a discussion and brainstormed on our happy spaces, the author effectively conveyed how a narrative piece should be clearly written. She managed to inspire us as young women in creating a positive environment to learn in.

We ended our session by writing our own piece of writing about our happy space, where we were able to show our talents through this workshop. We had an opportunity to read out our pieces and to get a book signed by this supportive author. To conclude, I am most grateful for participating and having a great experience (I have learnt a lot). Thank you for this opportunity!

Thijani 7A