Year 5 Horowitz Class.

Dear Year 5,

Here is your home learning in English for this week. If you prefer this format to the previous
one let me know. Or likewise, if you prefer the format I did before half term let me know.

I’d like you to be doing yellow spellings but there are other options. You know
what words are suitable for you.

English

Here are 5 tasks we would like you to complete. I recommend you do one a
day; however, please do the work as you see fit.

Task 1 - The main features of an autobiography

An autobiography is the true story of a person's life when it is written by that person. The
author writes about him- or herself in an autobiography. Autobiographies are typically
written in the first person because of this.

Like a biography, an autobiography usually tells about the important events in a person's life
in chronological order. Important details can include places where the author has lived,
important people in the author's life, and life-changing events that the author experienced.
When an autobiography is told in chronological order, the author usually writes about the
circumstances of their birth, childhood experiences, and educational background.
Anecdotes about these life stages and experiences are common. Autobiographies are often
about people who have achieved some level of fame. In this case, parts of the
autobiography would explain the author's rise or journey to fame.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FKr_fcPJY8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=la33tw5otM0

1
‘Auto’ means ‘self’ therefore an autobiography is
self-written. It is an account of someone’s life, written by the person
themselves, in chronological order. An autobiography is different to a
biography because it is written in the first person, explaining important events
in their life. The subject may write about what has influenced them and include
details of their feelings during different experiences they have had.

Autobiographies are primary historical sources of information whereas

biographies are secondary sources.

To remember the difference … auto = self.

2
 ➢ Here is a good example of what an autobiography should look like.
➢ Looking at the main features mat, please annotate the text below. Then, list the
key features of an autobiography. How many can you list?

Roald Dahl: this is my life story

I was born in Wales on 13th September 1916 to Norwegian parents.
My father died when he was 3 years old and I was raised by my
mother. As a pupil, I had a fairly unhappy time at boarding school
which provided some of the inspiration for my later stories.

After leaving school, I worked for the Shell Oil Company based in
Africa until the outbreak of World War II, when I signed up with
the Royal Air Force. Unfortunately, I was injured
in action and eventually returned home as an
invalid. Shortly afterwards, I was then sent to
Washington DC to work as an attaché where,
almost by accident, I started my writing career.
When I was interviewed for an article about my
time in action, I offered to write about my
experiences. My piece was published in the
Saturday Evening Post, who signed me up to write
more articles.

In 1943, I wrote my first children’s book, The

Gremlins, which was originally intended to be made
into an animated film by Walt Disney. The film was

3
not made and instead I turned to writing adult fiction, not writing
another children’s story until the 1960s.

By this time I was a father myself and had started making up stories
to entertain my own children. From this came the stories of James
and the Giant Peach and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I went
on to write 21 children’s books including Charlie and The Chocolate
Factory, The BFG, Matilda, and The Witches, all of which have been
made into films.

I need you to write your key features only.

The main features of an autobiography are:

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

4
Task 2 - Prepositions

Prepositions
A preposition is a word that tells you where or when something is in relation
to something else.

Examples of prepositions include words like after, before, on, under, inside
and outside.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zwwp8mn/articles/zw38srd

➢ Look at the picture and write 5 prepositional phrases about

it. Underline the preposition in your sentence.

For example: The guitar is on the floor.

5
 ➢ Add a prepositional phrase to the end of these sentences to show
where the events happened.

a) The boy climbed over the fence.

b) The man was standing …

c) The girl jumped …

d) The dog ran …

➢ Add a prepositional phrase that tells us when each of these events

happened.

a) Sally went for a run before she went to work.

b) James knocked on his friends door …
c) It began to rain …
d) We went to the cinema …

Although they are only little words, prepositions are very important.
Changing the preposition can totally change the meaning of a sentence.
For example: The car drove through the water.
The car drove by the water.
The car drove under the water.

➢ 4. Change the meaning of each of these sentences by changing the

preposition.

a) The cat was sitting by the box.

b) The path went behind the woods.
c) The boy scrambled through the hedge.
d) Sophie walked by the river.
e) George was hiding in the bin.

6
Task 3 Comprehension skills
Here is an example of a biography.

https://www.twinkl.co.uk/resource/t2-e-1324-autobiography-and-biography-powerpoint

A biography gives facts about a person’s life. It is not written by the subject of
the book but by an author who has done their research and knows a great deal
about that person. Biographies are written in the third person and can be
written about someone who is no longer alive.

A biography is a life story written in chronological order.

It can include information about when and where the subject was born, their
childhood, important events in their lives including information about what
they did or achieved.
If the person is no longer alive, it may include information about when and
how they died.
The biography may also include direct quotes from the subject or quotes from
others about the subject.

Please read the text that follows and answer the comprehension questions
linked to the text.

7
Task 3 – Comprehension skills

8
9
Task 4 – Planning and writing your autobiography
PUPIL’S CHOICE

Here is my example of an autobiography and I focused on one specific event

from my childhood. You can focus on your whole life or choose one event. It is
entirely up to you but please follow the checklist.

10
 When I
was a
very little boy, my mum and dad used to take me to stay with my Aunty
Thelma. She lived in a detached house in Oxwich on the Gower - called Lilac
Cottage- which was near the sea and we spent days on the sandy beach,
having picnics and swimming.

The house was small with a white gate and a big back garden containing a
fragrant lilac tree. I remember this event as it was yesterday.

When I was six, my Auntie Thelma gave me the most beautiful Easter egg I had
ever seen. It seemed enormous. The egg was covered with shiny paper and
was placed inside a special box. There was a hole cut out in the side of the box
and through it, you could see the curve of the egg shining in its silver paper.
Seeing it shine through the hole in the box was like looking through a window
and seeing the moon.

It was still a week to go to Easter Sunday so I put the box on the high shelf in
my bedroom and every morning and every night I looked up at the egg and
dreamed of how good it was going to taste. On Easter Sunday morning, I woke
up really early and the first thing I did was to stand on my bed and reach for
my egg.

As I picked it up, something felt a bit strange; the box wasn’t as heavy as I
remembered it. But you could still see the shape of the egg in its wrapping
inside the box so I wasn’t worried. But when I pulled open the lid of the box
and looked inside, I couldn’t believe my eyes.

11
It was empty! Whoever had taken the egg had been really cunning – they had
put the silver paper wrapping back in the box and pressed it into the shape of
the egg, as though it was still inside. I didn’t have to wait to find out who the
thief was. I heard laughing behind me and when I turned around there was my
brother Andrew standing in the doorway and laughing at me. I knew then who
had played that terrible trick on me and who had eaten my Easter egg.

12