After reading an extract from a book by Chris Yates, describing in detail the writer's great love for a river that he's fished in all his life, students were asked to write a detailed description about a different natural feature.  This is one of my favourites ( I especially love the phrase "yearning for affection from the sun" ):

The tree is majestic in size, towering above the clouds and overseeing the plain greenness  below; but to know its beginnings can be a humbling experience.  Its starts off as a helpless shoot, yawning, stretching and yearning for affection from the sun.  Steadily growing and enduring winter's strangling whips as it eagerly awaits spring's tender touch once again.  Over the years, it spreads out its foliage like a magnificent peacock, only to recoil at the start of every winter.  After many springs and winters, and with its roots grasped deep within the soil's richness, it finally reaches its maturity.  However, it continues to grow, wrinkles forming as rings deep in its aged heart, until finally it touches the clouds and wisdom fills its leaves.
Yet century after century its growth seems to diminish, and at the end, after seeing generation after generation grow alike, it sighs a breath of approval and returns back to mother nature, providing nutrients to newborns that will eventually repeat the never-ending process of the cycle of trees.

The Silver Powder Dish - describing old and precious objects

Dear Headteacher...

A great letter from one of our Intermediate Writing students!
Please click on the image to enlarge it :-)

Astonishingly good....

.... is what I think of this piece of descriptive writing from one of our senior students.  It was inspired by the picture below, and includes some incredible metaphors, such as "...the waves' desperate grab at the sand...", or "the enchanting ocean breathed on me".  Read and enjoy!

A blissful reassuring warmth gently caressed my skin as the sun peeked out from behind the clouds, every so often drawing back its curtains in privacy.  As the breeze kicked up the leaves and swayed the hammock, I dreamily set my gaze upon the mysterious azure ocean and watched the waves' desperate grab at the sand, only to withdraw.  I felt my hand instinctively smoothen the creases and sweep out the sand that found its way onto the hammock.  It's such a lovely day, I thought to myself as I gave in to a soft sigh and watched the waves play about at a lovely sailboat, only to slowly shift my thoughts and gaze over to the horizon, where deep inside me I felt bewitched by what lay beyond.  I paused and took a deep breath, filling and invigorating my emotions.  A cooling sensation overtook my emptiness as the enchanting ocean breathed on me, sending ripples of soft and salty breeze that left an aftertaste in my mouth.  Serenity was my true friend, taking up different forms every now and then, first in the rustling leaves of the palm tree, then into the never-ending deep blue sky, and so on.  But as I fixed my eyes to the right, towards the solitary stilt-house that held its ground against the racing currents, I somehow felt that it peered inside my soul and saw my loneliness.

Ticket to the moon

Here's an article written by one of our writing class students to be included in a brochure advertising moon travel:

Dawn breaks over the lunar landscape, radiant coppery rays of sunlight pierce the darkness to illuminate a beautiful monochrome landscape, filled with deep, dark craters, reflecting off the coarse lunar dust to reveal shadowy figures.  Bulbous gold-coloured domes mask their identities, all of them wearing the same stark white spacesuit, like some kind of sinister -------

Wait, we’re talking about astronauts aren’t we?… Well, anyways, blah blah blah, more epic spooky stuff, let’s get to the point. You can be one of those astronauts. And, I know what you’re thinking: “But random brochure guy, I’m just an average Joe!  I’m not qualified for space!”  Well, with our moon-training programme, you can be! In just three weeks, you’ll be ready to go to the moon!  Experience zero-gravity!  Play space golf! How about leaving footprints that won’t erode?  Or maybe jump twice your normal jumping height?