I meant to put this on a while ago, but typically, I was ill as soon as the holidays began and then distracted....by books, magazines, alcohol, tidying cupboards.
This is our class story with ideas bounced off Willy the Wizard in shared writing sessions. The kids really felt for poor old Jake even though they knew I'd just made him up. Check out Pie Corbett's Talk for Writing. The 5 year old kids wrote some fantasic stories from it, which I would be proud to have written as a (kind of) grown up. I would add their stories too but feel I would be taking advantage of their lack of knowledge of copyright.
GOOD JAKE BAD JAKE
Jake was late for school again because he wouldn’t get up. Within minutes of arriving, Jake was sent to the back corner again. He wanted to be good but he was always bad. He tried to be good. But he never was. ‘I just can’t do it!’ he said to himself. Everyone called him Bad Jake but all he wanted in the world was to be good.
At school, he wanted to get a sticker BUT he kept chatting. He wanted to get a certificate in assembly BUT he kept fidgeting. He wanted to be Star of the Day BUT he never got picked. ‘I just can’t do it!’ he said to himself and nobody wanted to play with him.
At home, he wanted pocket money BUT his room was too messy. He wanted his mum to read him stories BUT he wouldn’t go to bed when he was asked. He wanted sweets BUT he wouldn’t brush his teeth. ‘I just can’t do it!’ he said to himself and then he thought, ‘But I really want to be good. I’m just not’
That night Jake had a wonderful dream imagining he was good.
The next morning, he woke up smiling and leapt out of bed. When he arrived at school, there was a new boy sat in his seat. The new boy was smartly dressed and already had a sticker on his jumper. ‘He must be good,’ thought Jake. ‘I wish I was like him.’ The new boy said that his name was Good Jake and he wanted to be friends with Bad Jake. Bad Jake couldn’t believe it! He was so excited to have a friend. Good Jake told Bad Jake that he was going to teach him how to be good. Bad Jake told Good Jake that he couldn’t be good. ‘You can do it!’ said Good Jake.
That day, Bad Jake didn’t chat or fidget and he got a sticker, then a certificate and then a merit point. He was getting better and better. When he got home, he couldn’t wait to tell his parents about his new friend. His mum and dad winked at each other. ‘I used to have a friend called Clever Jean,’ said his mum.
‘And I had a friend called Sporty John,’ said his dad. They grinned.
That night Jake fell asleep whilst his mum read him one of his favourite stories.
The next morning, he was excited to get to school and see his new friend. But when he got there, Good Jake wasn’t there. He cried, and cried and cried... ‘What’s wrong, Jake?’ asked Mr Spook, his teacher.
‘W, w, where’s Good Jake? I can’t be good without him,’ Jake whimpered.
‘You can do it!’ said Mr Spook and smiled.
And to Jake’s greatest amazement he could! He got sticker after sticker...until it was almost impossible to see the colour of his jumper. Then something terrible happened....
Jake got caught chatting.
‘I just can’t be good! I am so sorry!’ wept Jake.
‘Don’t be,’ said Mr Spook ‘Give up trying to be perfect. You can do it!’
‘I can!’ said Jake.
Jake got sticker after sticker, day after day, until it was the end of the week. Jake didn’t get Star of the Day like he wanted....BUT he was picked for Star of the Week! Jake smiled. Mr Spook smiled. Jake’s mum and dad smiled. Everybody smiled.
That night, as Jake was brushing his teeth, he looked in the mirror, Good Jake smiled back and winked at him.
Laters xx
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