VCOP: Boudicca

In our VCOP sessions this week we have been writing about Boudicca. The children started with three simple sentences, without any punctuation:

boudicca wanted revenge

she got an army

they marched on camulodunum londinium and verulamium

During the week the children focused on a different element of writing each day: 

• firstly adding more interesting vocabulary (V)
• then joining sentences with connectives (C)
• varying the start of their sentences by using openers (O) 
• finally ensuring that they had used a range of punctuation (P).

Here are two of the resulting pieces of writing, which I think are just fantastic.

Boudicca greatly desired revenge, and she longed for it more than life itself. This was because, when the Romans came to collect the taxes that the Iceni were paying, Boudicca refused. Violently, they assaulted her daughters, and whipped and beat her until her tribe paid the taxes. However, although she was a fierce and powerful woman, I believe she was probably one of the greatest of the few Celtic queens.

Soon after, she created a strong army of Celtic soldiers and warriors, carefully selected from the Iceni tribe, of which Boudicca was queen. She became queen after her husband (Prasutagus) died from an unknown illness. Eventually, they started heading towards three of the many major Roman cities: Camolodunum, Londinium, and Verulamium, seeking   violent revenge every step of the way...

But, unfortunately, when they were marching, they met a legion of Roman soldiers. Seeing that her army were greatly outnumbered, Boudicca drank deadly poison to avoid suffering the pain that the Romans would inflict upon her.

By Jasmine


After the sad death of Prasutagus (Boudicca’s husband) Boudicca refused to pay the taxes to the Romans. Boudicca got humiliated in front of her tribe, so she demanded a violent revenge on the Roman army.

Insulted, she recruited an army of powerful Celtic warriors to vanquish the Roman foe.

Fearsomely, they marched on the following cities: Camulodunom, Londinium and Veralamium (also know as Colchester, London and St Albans).

Boudicca’s reign of terror ended when her diminished army met a large legion of Roman soldiers. She knew that she would be beaten, so she killed herself by drinking some deadly poison meaning that the Romans wouldn't have the pleasure of killing her.

By William