This week have been reading the opening chapters of Floodland, predicting, questioning, clarifying and answering a range of comprehension questions. 

For our writing tasks this week, we wrote a  letter to Natasha as Zoe apologising for leaving her on the Island and then responded as Natasha expressing how we felt when she left us behind. Our key skill this week was to use modal verbs, but we also included emotive language and inferring how the character was feeling by showing not telling.  Have a read of some of our letters below. 

Dear Natasha,                                                                               

                       I hope you are okay and well. I'm so sorry that I did not say goodbye but I had to get  away from this treacherous place when I had the chance. You are the closest company that I had on the island it broke my heart that I had to leave you behind on the small island. I will always remember our quick snappy chats at the allotments they always warmed up my insides.

 I only found my escape route a few weeks ago and I have spent most of my time fixing it up and storing it in one of the last decent sheds. When I was running away from the angry mob    my heart was pounding rapidly, I could feel the hatred that the survivors had inside them.   As I was rowing continuously, I realised I should have retreated back and taken you with me but it was too risky to turn back. It broke my heart to leave you behind, the pain that you had I could see in your eyes and it broke my heart to tiny shards. Would you have done the same to me if this case was in your hands?

If you could write back it would fill me with joy and hope. I'll have to wait for you to reply but in the meantime I will just hope you give me some sort of contact. If you forgive me it will release some of this weight on my back, but for now I will stay here alone.

Your friend,

Zoe

Dear Natasha,

I cannot possibly describe how utterly sorry I am for everything I have done to you, because it would just fill up several pages of hurt. I seriously had no choice, the mob behind me made me even more certain that there was no way you could join me, although, for a moment I was considering it! It just would have been way too dangerous and close.

I found the boat a couple of weeks ago and I was just postponing the opportunities to use it, because I wasn’t one hundred percent sure if I should get away! I have no idea how the mob found out about it, but I swear that I would have told you if I had the chance to. Why did things have to end up this way!? If anything happened to you then I would blame myself entirely, but honestly, there is a very little chance that I will find something survivable and decent after Norwich! I am as scared as I ever have been and honestly, if you were with me then you would make me a whole lot more relaxed. Things are so complicated now that I’ve left everyone. Your sorrow and my departure is a couple of the most painful things to ever happen to me since I lost my mum and dad, but hopefully my journey will lead me to them and back to you, I really hope you understand,

Your Best Friend

Zoe

 

Dear Zoe,

Why did I have too goodbye? Why did leave me on the island. These questions float around my head but I know I'm important to you anymore. Just why I ask as I cry myself to sleep. Why did you have row away? I am wounded internally by the things that you didn’t say to me. The cuts in my soul are deep and sore they hurt more that on the ones on the outside. Your excuses are weak. You used to tell your deepest sorrows when your parents sailed away. Now you repeat your greatest loss and don’t even think about me. The way expect fawn back into your lap shows the person that you truly are, you think you're a cut above the rest. For every action there is an opposite reaction, you don’t care about my feelings. I was ready to sail the world. I guess I am not worthy of that.  Your shallow words are not a strong enough to stop my heart bleeding. Not once did ever give a thought. I know you waited for months as I kept going without fail. Can’t you tell I'm not okay but my health is none of your concern. You trying to get to run after you so that I face the danger instead. I used to be your right-hand girl, your wingman into trouble. Your own your own, I will not risk my life to save you this time. You were using me when you finished you me away. Your fake smile shines through your inky lies. Honestly, I pity you......

 I was defending you among the raging crowd. Don’t say you didn’t see me as I saw our eyes connect. In the true story you are the villain, you know that you are. You lie, you sneak and leave madness. You’re a one girl hurricane.  Your fantasy of escaping just became real and it will not include me. 

Natasha

Dear Zoe,

Before I begin, please do not take this note as an apology, I am merely trying to comprehend that you have done.

How. How after all of the times we spent together, could you leave me? You used me, like a plaster, to heal your sorrow, and when your sorrow had sealed you picked me off and flicked me away into the bin like you didn’t need me anymore. You know, when a piece of paper has been crumpled into a ball, it will never be perfect again, no matter how hard to try to straighten it out with your words, that is how I feel at the moment, you only cared about yourself.  Not even an apology is strong enough to heal these cuts, they will forever stay as scars in my memory, ill never be able to get this out of my mind...

From Natasha