You searched for "500 words"
(27 results found)
Looking for an eBook? Browse our eBook library here >
Looking for print books? Explore our bookshop here >
500 Words: Black Lives Matter – how are British children responding to the emerging themes and issues in their writing?
Almost 6,000 children entered the writing competition in July 2020 and Oxford University Press' analysis shines a light on children’s insight, empathy, and imagination when writing about race. Find out more.
How to plan your 500 Words story
Author Christopher Edge shares his top tips on for planning a top-tier tale for the BBC 500 Words short story competition.
How to edit your 500 Words story
Finished a first draft of your short story and not sure what to do next? Read Christopher Edge's top tips for polishing your story to perfection.
How to write your 500 Words story
So you’ve got your idea, and you’ve planned the plot. Now comes the hardest (but most rewarding) part – actually writing your story. Here are Christopher Edge's top tips on how to get started.
BBC 500 Words Report 2023
Inspire your child's imagination with the BBC 500 Words competition 2023 – a creative writing competition for 5 to 11 year olds, run in association with Oxford University Press.
Inspire your child’s creative side with the BBC 500 Words Competition 2023!
Inspire your child's imagination with the BBC 500 Words competition 2023 – a creative writing competition for 5 to 11 year olds, run in association with Oxford University Press.
My Best Short Story in 500 Words
A must-have write-in book for kids to put down their ideas, set the scene, choose their characters and craft their best short story in 500 words. With colourful illustrations throughout, it has prompts and ideas for building plot, action, characters and scenes. It also has suggestions for beginnings and endings to help children who are looking for a starting point. View product
BBC 500 Words: Story mountain
Complete the story mountain to plan out the plot of your story. Start at the bottom with a dramatic opening and then work out the different twists and turns your plot will take until you reach the end!
BBC 500 Words: Story idea generator
Pick a type or genre of story, character and setting and put them together to think up a story idea. You can pick and mix from every category or even throw your own ideas into the mix.
BBC 500 Words: Character profile
Complete this character profile to collect ideas about the lead character in your story. Try to answer every question to find out what makes your character tick.
BBC 500 Words: Striking similies
Complete the examples below to create your own striking similes. Try to choose unexpected words that will create an original picture in the reader’s mind. Then create your own similes from scratch!
BBC 500 Words: Story buddies
Sometimes a fresh pair of eyes can help you to spot how to make your story even more awesome! Team up with a friend to swap your stories. Use the checklist to note down your thoughts about their story and suggest any improvements.
BBC 500 Words: Action and emotion
Can you show how you’re feeling without saying a word? Pick an emotion from the list below and then mime an action that shows how you’re feeling. Can the rest of the class guess the right feeling?
‘Trump’ revealed as Children’s Word of the Year 2017
The team at Oxford Children’s Dictionaries have been poring through all 131,798 entries to identify the Children’s Word of the Year 2017 as 'trump'.
2020 Oxford Children’s Word of the Year: Coronavirus
Coronavirus is the 2020 Oxford Children’s Word of the Year. Find out about children’s evolving use of language from analysis of stories from BBC 500 Words 2020.