Module24 The haunted mansion -...
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The haunted mansion For this activity you will need to print out the game board provided (see last page). Before you begin: ? Decide how many characters will explore the Haunted Mansion. Three or four work best. Each character must be represented by a player. ? Have an idea of how your characters might behave; their strengths and weaknesses. ? Have a pen(cil) and paper ready to make notes for the short writing tasks you will be asked to do. ? Only do the bits of writing you want to or that you think will be useful. (Don’t tell your teacher I said this!) ? Each character begins with 5 survival points. Characters can lend each other points if necessary. If any character runs out of points they have fallen victim to the horrors of the Haunted Mansion and will be out of the game. But you can star t again! 1 Enter the Haunted Mansion. Roll dice. All characters move forward by that number. 2 Bat attack! Each character must write a short action scene about their experience. Gain 10 survival points per character. 3/4 If you land on either square you fall into the pumpkin trap. Each character loses 5 survival points. Each character rolls dice to see how many squares you tumble forward. 5 You find a candle and gain 5 survival points. By the candle’s flickering light you notice a spooky tunnel, which you think might be a shortcut. You can take it if you want to. Each character makes their own decision. ? If you take the shortcut follow the instruction for square 18. ? If you choose not to take the shortcut roll the dice and move on. 6 Oh no! You’ve stumbled across a nest of Big Toothed Meenies. They eat paranormal investigators for breakfast. There are 4 Meenies in the nest. Roll the dice for each Meenie. If you roll an even number (2, 4,or 6) you’ve succeeded in squishing it and you gain 2 survival points. If you roll an odd number (1, 3, or 5) the Big Toothed Meenie bites you and you lose 2 survival points. When you’ve done 4 dice rolls get out of there! Roll the dice once more and move on. 1 From: the companion website to Countdown to Creative Writing, Routledge © Steve Bowkett 2009 A BAGFUL OF GAMES Module 24
Transcript of Module24 The haunted mansion -...
The haunted mansion ����
For this activity you will need to print out the game board provided (see last page).
Before you begin:
? Decide how many characters will explore the Haunted Mansion. Three or four workbest. Each character must be represented by a player.
? Have an idea of how your characters might behave; their strengths and weaknesses.
? Have a pen(cil) and paper ready to make notes for the short writing tasks you willbe asked to do.
? Only do the bits of writing you want to or that you think will be useful. (Don’t tellyour teacher I said this!)
? Each character begins with 5 survival points. Characters can lend each other pointsif necessary. If any character runs out of points they have fallen victim to thehorrors of the Haunted Mansion and will be out of the game. But you can startagain!
1 Enter the Haunted Mansion. Roll dice. All characters move forward by that number.
2 Bat attack! Each character must write a short action scene about their experience.Gain 10 survival points per character.
3/4 If you land on either square you fall into the pumpkin trap. Each character loses 5survival points. Each character rolls dice to see how many squares you tumbleforward.
5 You find a candle and gain 5 survival points. By the candle’s flickering light younotice a spooky tunnel, which you think might be a shortcut. You can take it if youwant to. Each character makes their own decision.
? If you take the shortcut follow the instruction for square 18.
? If you choose not to take the shortcut roll the dice and move on.
6 Oh no! You’ve stumbled across a nest of Big Toothed Meenies. They eat paranormalinvestigators for breakfast. There are 4 Meenies in the nest. Roll the dice for eachMeenie. If you roll an even number (2, 4,or 6) you’ve succeeded in squishing it andyou gain 2 survival points. If you roll an odd number (1, 3, or 5) the Big ToothedMeenie bites you and you lose 2 survival points. When you’ve done 4 dice rolls getout of there! Roll the dice once more and move on.
1From: the companion website to Countdown to Creative Writing, Routledge © Steve Bowkett 2009
A BAGFUL OF GAMES
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7 You find a Book of Smells (yes that’s what I said – ‘smells’ not ‘spells’). As you turnthe pages a different aroma fills the air. Here are the smells you notice:
a firework smoke
b Christmas pudding
c freshly mown grass
d a brand new book.
Pick one of these and pretend that I had never smelt it before. Write a fewsentences describing that smell to me. Remember you must make me smell thatsmell in my imagination. When you’ve written your sentences add 5 survival pointsto your total.
8 The Guardian Mummy blocks your way. To get past you must answer this riddle …
‘Police Inspector Broom of the Yard has a tip-off that an international criminalis gambling at a local casino. The informant tells Inspector Broom that thecriminal, who is in disguise and going by the name of John Smith, is playingpoker in a private room. Broom and his men raid the casino and enter theprivate room. There they find someone dressed as a plumber, someonedressed as a doctor, someone dressed as a lawyer and someone dressed as anelectrician. Inspector Broom immediately arrests the lawyer. But how did heknow that was John Smith?’
9 You stumble into a spider’sweb. You can escape andearn yourself 10 survivalpoints by creating a wordweb on a topic of yourchoice. A word web is akind of map of linkedideas.
The figure on the rightshows you a word webthat I’ve started – you canfinish it off if you want to.Put your starter word inthe middle and workoutwards from there.
Ask your friends and yourteacher to help you ifneeded (not that yourteacher isn’t also yourfriend of course …).
2From: the companion website to Countdown to Creative Writing, Routledge © Steve Bowkett 2009
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10 The face in the wallpaper challenges you to think of 20 words linked to any genre
of your choice in 1 minute. Gain 1 survival point for each word you think of (share
them if more than 1 character takes part). But if you fail to think of 20 words you
must give up all survival points earned on this square.
11 The beckoning hand in the darkness tempts you. As you enter the shadows a
gloomy voice says ‘I am the hand that grasps but there is no eye that sees. Tell me
what you look like and you shall live …’
Your task is to write a short descriptive paragraph of your character’s appearance.
Just a few lines will do. Read your description to another person in the class. If that
person can imagine your character you gain 5 survival points and move on. If your
description is unclear you must sacrifice 5 survival points before rolling the dice
again.
12 OK this time we really have got a book of spells. Your task is to finish off this
rhyming spell. You can do this on your own or with a friend, if you like. If you are
successful you gain 5 survival points …
Splintered bone and rusty spike
Thunder’s boom and lightning’s ?
Spider’s web and Full Moon’s glare
Rhyme these verses if you ?
Wing of bat and eye of frog
______ of cat and claw of ______
Wand of wizard, blade of _______
Complete this spell and you shall ______
13 Here’s a test of nerves and quick thinking. You can do this on your own or with a
friend, if you like. Look at the maze on the next page.
You have thirty seconds to trace a path through the maze. Get a friend to time you.
If you succeed pick up 5 survival points. If you fail lose survival 5 points.
3From: the companion website to Countdown to Creative Writing, Routledge © Steve Bowkett 2009
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4From: the companion website to Countdown to Creative Writing, Routledge © Steve Bowkett 2009
A BAGFUL OF GAMES
14 The evil-faced joker blocks your way. You must either tell a joke to your teacherthat’s funny enough to make him/her laugh or answer the following riddles. If yousucceed in either task gain 10 survival points. If you fail you lose 10 survival points.Then roll the dice and move on. Here are the riddles …
? A lady on a broomstick rescues 5 of her friends and then rescues another 4 just before they were about to be vaporized by a magic spell. What well-known proverb (with a slight twist) sums up her actions? [Clue – this is ‘sew’ easy.]
? What makes a skeleton laugh a lot?
? What would you get if you crossed a vampire and a teacher?
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5From: the companion website to Countdown to Creative Writing, Routledge © Steve Bowkett 2009
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15 How many smaller words can you make from the word
PRESTIDIGITATION(it means juggling or conjuring) in 1 minute? Score 1 survival point for eachcorrectly spelled word you make.
16 What are the 3 errors? Score 1 survival point for each error you spot. Lose 5survival points if you don’t spot them all!
17 Make 1 change each time in the word haunt to create a word that means thefollowing … (Note: the change each time might involve more than one letter.) Gain 1 survival point for each answer you get right.
? To catch prey.
? To tease or jeer at.
? Your uncle’s wife.
? To show off or parade.
? A scurrying insect.
? Thin and ill-looking.
18 Think of 4 different ways of using the word bad (for example bad weather, a badhair day – although now you can’t use these!). Explain to your teacher in moredetail what ‘bad’ means. Gain 1 survival point for each explanation.
19 You meet the Howler. He loves to write Horror stories and asks you for three ideasfor plots.
This is how you can think of them. Look at the grid on the next page. It shows 36things you might find in a Horror story. Pick any 2 and put them together: this willgive you an idea.
For example, if I choose Mark (coordinates 1/5) and a spider’s web (coordinates 3/4)my story can be about a man called Mark who’s exploring a creepy house and getscaught in giant spiders’ webs. Then he hears or sees something huge coming out ofthe shadows …
See, it’s easy. Select 3 pairs of words/pictures to give the Howler the 3 plots hewants. Gain 5 survival points and move on.
20 How many words can you make in one minute that contain the smaller word ‘rat’?Score 1 survival point for each.
21 You have successfully made your way through the Haunted Mansion. But to escapecompletely you must leave behind a creepy creature that no one has ever seenbefore. Your task is to invent an original monster and describe it in a single shortparagraph.
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6From: the companion website to Countdown to Creative Writing, Routledge © Steve Bowkett 2009
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7From: the companion website to Countdown to Creative Writing, Routledge © Steve Bowkett 2009
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THE HAUNTED MANSION GAME BOARD
A BAGFUL OF GAMES
