Blurbs

Blurbs

Pencil and paperOnline interactive
Overview
Using this Resource
Connecting to the Curriculum
Marking Student Responses
Further Resources
This task is about writing a blurb.
Many books have a 'blurb'. 
Below is the 'blurb' from the book 'Give It Hoops' by David Hill (text abridged), published by Scholastic NZ Ltd. 
 
'Give It Hoops' by David Hill.
 
There were a few calls of "Waste them!" and "She's a bloody cripple!" from the Bank Street benches. Bank Street tried to speed up their game as they drove hard for a lay-up under the basket. They tried to dominate down court and attack St Andrews with their sheer size. Amber's eyes were blazing like Chuckie the Killer Doll. Hamish gasped ...
 
St Andrews have to make the Top 4. They need the money to upgrade their basketball court. But first they have to beat Bank Street - the team with the crude on-court tactics. Ethan, the best St Andrews player, gets an elbow jabbed in his ribs and his legs turn to jelly. Without their star player, how can they shoot a hoop to win the game?

 

 
Write a 'blurb' for any book you have read.

Question 1Change answer

Your blurb should include:

  • the title and author
  • the type of book
  • details of either plot or content, and
  • a persuasive approach to encourage the target audience to read the book
Title      By 
 
Blurb
Task administration: 
This task can be completed with pencil and paper or online.
Level:
5
Curriculum info: 
English, Creating meaning, Writing
Key Competencies: 
Thinking, Using language, symbols, and texts
Keywords: 
persuasion, structure and language, ideas
Description of task: 
Students use a given example of a blurb about a book to create their own blurb for a book of their choice.
Curriculum Links: 
Links to the Literacy Learning Progressions for Writing:
This resource helps to identify students’ ability to:
  • choose effective content, language, and text structure
as described in the Literacy Learning Progressions for Writing at: http://www.literacyprogressions.tki.org.nz/The-Structure-of-the-Progressions.
Learning Progression Frameworks
This resource can provide evidence of learning associated with
Creating texts to influence others, sets 4-5
Writing meaningful text: text features, sets 5-7
within the Writing Learning Progressions Frameworks.
Read more about the Learning Progressions Frameworks.
Answers/responses: 
  

Y10 (03/1999)
  • Author and title mentioned.
  • Type of book stated or implied.
  • Plot/content briefly sketched (without giving away resolution, if fiction text.)
  • Persuasive tone evident.
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