Thursday 20th June: LI: We are learning how to structure an informational text.
SC: I can correctly structure an informational text.
Warm Up: Let’s watch this Informational Writing video on YouTube. After we finish watching, I want you to think about: • What is the purpose of informative writing? • What is a 'reliable source' of information? • What text features might you find in an informative text? Explicit Teaching: (Slide 6-10) While we look at slides 9 and 10, I want you to suggest possible subheadings for each paragraph within the description sections. Where is the factual content of the two texts? Can you point it out? Can you see any opinions in either of the texts?
Student Learning Task: I will now provide you with a copy of the Informative Text Structure - Sorting Task. I am going to read through the instructions for the task and answer any questions the you may have about it. You will work through the sorting task in small groups or pairs.
Reflection: As a class, discuss the correct sequence of the informative text. Discuss any techniques used by the students to help them sequence the text e.g. topic sentences at the beginning of each paragraph.
Warm up: The purpose of an informative text is to provide information about a particular topic using facts. • What are some types of informative texts? • How do informative texts differ from imaginary texts?
Now we will watch this Fact or Opinion for Kidsvideo on YouTube. After we finish watching, I want you to think about: • What is a fact? • Where can we find facts? • What is an opinion?
Tuesday 19th June: LI: We are learning to identify the difference between a narrative text and an informational text SC: I can explain the similarities and differences of both narrative and informational texts
Warm up: In the next few weeks we will be looking at the informative text type and how to write a really well structured informative text. We will read the The Midnight Thunderstorm, as a class. After we finish reading, I want you to think about: • What type of text is this? • How do you know? • What is the text about? Now what would you need to do to transform an imaginative text about thunderstorms into an informative text about thunderstorms?
You can now work independently or in small groups (3 maximum) to brainstorm and record your ideas. Explicit Teaching: We will now read the informative text, All About Thunderstorms.
After we have finished reading, I will draw a Venn Diagram on the board. As a class, we are going to complete the Venn Diagram by comparing the imaginary text about thunderstorms to the informative text about thunderstorms. I want you to think about: · What do the imaginary text and the informative text have in common? · What is different about the two texts? · When might an informative text about a topic be more useful than an imaginary text? Slide 5 Below
I want you to think about some people, places, animals, objects, events and phenomena that an informative text could be written about. Let’s list them on the board.
Student Learning Task:
Now I will place you into pairs. You need to select one of the people, places, animals, objects, events or phenomena suggested in the previous activity.
Each pair will need to list as many facts as possible that could be included in an informative text about this topic. Challenge the students to classify their facts in categories e.g. physical appearance.
Reflection: • Allow each pair to share their list of facts and categories with the rest of the class.
• Ask the students to start collecting examples of informative texts e.g. newspaper articles, brochures, posters. Dedicate a space in the classroom to displaying the students' example texts
Week Eight- Direct Speech
Wednesday 12th June: LI: We are learning to use worked examples to help guide our writing SC: I have taken tips from the worked examples and have applied them to my own writing
Today there will be three separate groups. I will be working with one group to begin with, but I will get to spend time with all three groups today. If you are in group 2 or 3, you are going to be working on an independent writing piece until you have worked with me, and I have given you a task.
Lesson 2: Learning Intention: We are learning to use direct speech in narrative writing. Success Criteria: I can use more precise verbs than said, and can use correct punctuation including:
quotation marks around direct speech.
punctuation at the end of the direct speech, inside the quotation marks.
punctuation at the end of each sentence.
a comma after the "saying" verb, if it is not at the end of the sentence.
Warm Up: We are going to re-watch the book 'Good Dog, Carl'. As we watch you are going to write a script of what the Carl and the baby could be saying to each other (Be creative, but appropriate). e.g. Carl: Hop on my back, Baby. We’re going for a ride. Baby: .........
Who would like to share their conversation that they wrote today? We are now going to try to add words around the dialogue, with a focus on using a variety of precise verbs.
Explicit Teaching: Punctuation Rules From Slide 8
Student Learning Task: Now you are going to re-write your own conversation that you completed in the warm up.
This time though, it will be written like a narrative, not a script. Focus on:
Using more precise verbs for said. (But remember: a few is ok! Said is not completely dead!)
Using the punctuation rules! Make sure quotation marks are around each piece of direct speech, and remember:
Week Seven
Lesson 1: LI: We are learning to write direct speech SC: I can explain the difference between writing direct and indirect speech
Let's now have a look at the Anchor chart about Dialogue and see what synonyms we can think of for the word 'said'.
Student Learning Task: Student Learning Task: In small groups, I want you to read and respond to all of the student models that are pictured below. Your group will certainly talk about the conventions (punctuation), since that's the focus of this lesson, but you also should be discussing each model's word choice as well.
Reflection: As a reflection get the class to share the responses they wrote down.
Warm up: There are many reasons why good writers use dialogue in their writing. Some reasons we use dialogue in our writing are to add detail, to re-live a scene, or to reveal more information to the reader about a character’s personality traits.
Explicit Teaching: The next two weeks we are going to look at adding and editing dialogue in our writing. This means that we will need to focus on not only punctuating your dialogue, but also varying their dialogue tags. A dialogue tag is narrator's words after dialogue is used in a book, it usually will look something like this. “Do you feel like getting out of that jail?” asked Dog. You might have heard of the saying “said is dead” when writing to try and think you need to completely get rid of the word “said”. But, I think it’s important to not actually kill said. The word said is important and should be used in your writing. Without it, dialogue tags may make your writing a bit too wordy, so it is perfectly acceptable to use it every so often. Inspiration: We are going to use Alexandra Day’s book Good Dog, Carl as our inspiration for our writing the next two weeks. The book is about a dog who acts as a babysitter for a baby. The only pages which have any writing on them are the first and last pages where the mother speaks to the dog, Carl, telling him that he is to mind the baby. After exploring the book together, you will be expected to take on the role of either the dog or the baby and talk to one another on paper using the pictures as guidelines.
Okay now I am going to give you all a number, either 1 or 2; all the 1’s will be the dog, and all the 2’s will be the baby.
Each pair will need a piece of paper and an Ipad with the link to the book. Once the writing begins, all talking stops. The dogs begin the writing, using theater format: Dog: Hop on my back, Baby. We’re going for a ride.
When dog has completed his writing, he passes the paper to baby who reads what was written, looks again at the picture from the book, and writes a response.
Keep going until you are happy with the amount written or they finish the pages of the book.
Reflection: When all teams have completed their pieces, they share them with the whole group.
WEEK SIX
Lesson 1: LI: We are learning to use found objects to provide strong ideas for our writing. SC: I can draft a writing piece using a found object as inspiration.
Warm up: As a warm up you have 5 minutes to come up with as many words as you can where two or more letters in the word are in alphabetical order. For example Abbey, Defy, Hijack. 2 letters = 2 points 3 letters = 3 points Explicit Teaching: Found word or object writing is where we scavenge words or objects from a source and use these to inspire our writing.
For example, we could cut out all the words that capture our attention from the headlines of a newspaper, and use these to construct a poem.
Alternatively, we could pick up a shoe that had been washed up on the beach and imagine who owned it, how it got to be there and build a story around this.
GroceryLists.org is an ideal source for found object writing. People send in the shopping lists they find dropped on the ground or left behind somewhere like this one below:
Student Learning Task: Your task is to. · Pretend that you live on a quiet street, where only five other people/families live. · The street you live on is an avenue, so there’s not much passing traffic. Walking home from school one day, you find this list blowing along the ground. It’s a pretty strange list. · Who does it belong to? The likelihood is that it hasn’t been dropped by someone passing by, as I said, it’s a quiet street. It must belong to someone who lives on the street. But who?
In your story, you should describe picking up the list, your reaction when you first read it, who on the street they first think it might belong to and why, what are the other possibilities and all the wild scenarios that go through your head?
WEEK FOUR
Introduction: Yesterday we analysed Rick Riordan's writing from 'The Lightning Thief', what can you remember that he did well and what did you find interesting about his writing? Read the three student examples usingthis link
Task 1:
Using Popplet, you are going to decide on the who, what, when, and where of your scenes.
You may also include other characters, if it is suitable for your piece.
You will then create a web-like brainstorm for each bubble, identifying descriptive words you might use to set the scene for their piece. Select descriptive words with great care.
It would be great for you to create your own ideas, however if you are finding it difficult you may use this link to help you out.
Task 2: Today you will take your ideas from your brainstorming graphic organiser to begin composing basic sentence on thispre-writing worskheet; the scene the pre-write for here is centred around the action of your key characters (the who from their brainstorm). The checklist on the right-hand side should guide you to check your writing for good use of sentence fluency characteristics. Student Learning Task: When you complete this sheet you can now draft your scene. Reflection: Share with another student a sentence that you think demonstrates good sentence fluency
Lesson 2: LI: We are learning to create a short piece of writing using excellent sentence fluency and interesting word choice, modelled after Riordan's writing style. SC: I am able to analyse and respond to student writing samples and comment on their sentence fluency and word choice.
Introduction: Let's take a look at a small snippet of text from the mentor text 'The Lightning Thief' by Rick Riordan and analyse what he has done well.
Student Learning Task A Hurricane Blowing In- mentor text, ‘The Lightning Thief’ by Rick Riordan. What did you notice about this text? What did the author do well? Annotate as a whole class. You are now going to work in small groups, and read and respond to all of thestudent models that come with this lesson. Think about the sentence fluency and the word choice in their writing.
Groups: 1. Em. B, Jack & Aiden 2. Matilda, Josh & Tahlia 3. Jess, Daniel & Sarah 4. Em. F, Jayda, Erika & Owen 5. Connor, Cam & James 6. Kya, Logan & Jarvis 7. Jade, Nakita & Paddy
Let’s get back together as group and discuss what we feel the students did well. What did you find interesting about the students writing?
Using thisbrainstorming graphic organizer, you are going to decide on the who, what, when, and where of your scenes. You may also include other characters, if it is suitable for their piece. You will then create a web-like brainstorm for each starburst, identifying descriptive words you might use to set the scene for their piece. Select descriptive words with great care.
Reflection: I can improve on my sentence fluency by…….
Lesson 1: LI: We are learning to create a short piece of writing using excellent sentence fluency and interesting word choice, modelled after Riordan's writing style. SC: I am able to analyse and respond to student writing samples and comment on their sentence fluency and word choice.
INTRODUCTION Listen carefully to how easy it is to enjoy the sound of Riordan’s writing. His writing is to be read aloud, and that is something to work towards in your own writing. We are going to read pages 8-15 of Rick Riordan’s, ‘The Lightning Thief’. This selection begins at the second break in the first chapter and continues to the end of the chapter.
You will be writing a single scene that may later become a part of a longer story. For the purpose of this lesson, you will be creating a short piece of writing with excellent sentence fluency and interesting word choice, modelled after Riordan's writing style.
WEEK THREE
Lesson 3: LI: We are learning to improve our writing through using action chains. SC: I have completed an action chain in my group and by myself.
Lesson 2 LI: We are learning to use descriptive words and the five senses to create a strong description of a photo. SC: I can use adjectives and similes to create a descriptive paragraph on a photo .
Warm up: Ask students to write the letters of the alphabet down the side of a sheet of lined paper (Doesn't have to be the whole alphabet). Next, have them leave a blank space followed by a noun that begins with each letter. Finally, tell them to go back and add an adjective in front of each noun. If you want to give points, add an extra point for alliteration (using the letter of the alphabet for both the noun and the adjective).
A – _______ apple B – _______ beaver C – _______ cat
A – crunchy apple B – busy beaver (extra point for alliteration – b/b) C – purring cat
Explicit Teaching: As authors it is a super important skill to be able paint a clear picture in our reader's head. How can we paint clear pictures in our reader’s heads?
Using adjectives is a great way to create a picture in the reader's head. We can create an even clearer picture by adding an association to our adjective (e.g. The light was as bright as the sun) and explain that this is what we call a simile. Task: I want you to try and think of some statements (similes) for these items: § Kettle (was whistling like a steam train) § Ice (was as cold as an Arctic Winter) § Eyes (were as blue as the ocean)
We can create an amazing snapshot (or photo) of where we’re at by using these sorts of descriptions in our writing by trying to connect our readers to their senses. Let's have a chat about the different senses now and think about how we might be able to connect our readers to them. Have a look at this photo and we will try together to try and make a snapshot of this photo.
Student Learning Task: Now choose one of the below pictures to complete a snapshot of using adjectives and similes.
Reflection: For each sample, ask your class to provide: 3 Things that they feel the student has done well. (can link this back to your intention) 2 Things that the student can improve on.
Lesson 1 LI: We are learning to develop our ideas. SC: I can think about the before, now and after when developing my ideas for a given prompt.
Warm up: In groups of 4-6, each person begins with one of the 5-word prompts below and then adds exactly five words of his/her own. Pass papers in a circle. Each time the papers are passed, players add exactly five words to the story in front of them in round-robin style. When you’re ready to wrap things up, tell the kids to begin bringing their stories to a close. Finally, pass the papers one last time so players can add their last five words to the ending. · Once upon a time there . . . · The mystery began when the . . . · In a kingdom far away . . . · Once, long ago, a tiny . . . · Last week, while digging in . . . · Today was far from normal!
Explicit Teaching: Sometimes we can struggle to come up with an initial idea when faced with writing prompts such as “the box” or other picture prompts. One way to help you work on your ideas to make them stronger is to think about before, now and after your prompt. Before- What happened to get to this point? Now- What does the scene look like? What is happening? Who is involved? After- What happens next?
Student Task: For our task today, below is a picture that contains four different picture prompts. I want you to write a before, now and after for at least 2 of them. Now choose one of the pictures you have completed a before now and after for and write a short story 10-15 mins on it. Maybe you can just choose either the before, now or after to write about. It should be only a paragraph or two long and you should be thinking about how to make it exciting.
Reflection: Who would like to share their stories? While this person is sharing everyone else needs to write down in your book one piece of advice you would give them and also one thing you liked that they did that you could use in your own writing.
Lesson 3: LI: We are learning how to build a detailed character in a narrative story. SC: I have described my character through speech, thoughts, affect, actions and looks.
Warm up: Let’s watch the video excerpt Yes, Ms. Trunchbull... Sir!from the movie adaptation of Roald Dahl's Matilda on YouTube. How would you describe Miss Trunchbull's appearance? How would you describe Miss Trunchbull's personality? How do you think she feels about children? Her job? Her employees? Now let’s read Roahl Dahl’s description of Ms Trunchbull from the book. Do you think Miss Trunchbull was accurately portrayed in the movie adaptation of the book? Which words and phrases would have been most helpful for the actor playing this role? Why is a detailed description of characters important when writing a narrative?
Slide 12-15
Reflection: Allow each pair to share their character descriptions with the class. Encourage the students to identify uses of the STEAL technique in each description
Lesson 2: LI: We are learning how to build a setting for a narrative SC: I have used the five senses to build a strong setting for my narrative
Warm up Onomatopoeia is a word that imitates a sound.
What different sounds can water make? Waterfall? Rainfall? Puddles or Oceans? Little creeks or rushing rivers? plop drip and gurgle.
Talk about water in its many forms and the different sounds water can make. What sounds would you hear from rainfall or waterfalls? Puddles or oceans? Little creeks or rushing rivers? plop, drip, and gurgle Activity 1: Write down as many words as you can in one minute that represent a water sound.
Now have a go at writing words down that represent loud sounds. Explicit Teaching:
Student Learning Task: You will be working in pairs to complete the activity on slide 8/9. Five Senses Graphic Organiser. Reflection: Encourage each pair to share their setting descriptions with the class.
Lesson 1: LI: We are learning about what makes a good story. SC: I can create a character, personal problem and problem in my short story.
Warm up you are going to have a go at writing 2-line, 6-word poems using active, descriptive words. Here are three examples:
Climbed the tree,
Skinned my knee.
Stormy sea!
Crashing waves frighten me.
Baby shakes toys,
Rattles make noise.
Explicit Teaching: Good stories usually include a character & a problem
Eg A Firefighter has to save a kitten trapped high in a tree.
What makes a story really interesting is when there is both a personal problem as well as a problem in the story.
Eg A Firefighter who is scared of heights has to save a kitten trapped high in a tree. Firefighter- Character Scared of heights- Personal problem Saving a kitten- Problem in the story
A detective who is……. has to…… A doctor who is…. has to…..
I want you to come up with at least 4? different character and problem scenarios.
Student Learning Task: Your task now is to choose one of the scenarios you have made and write a short story 15-20 mins on it. It doesn't have to be long, only 3 paragraphs at most. Just make sure it has lots of action! Try and pack in detail and description.
Reflection: As a reflection try to think about how you can expand your short story into a larger story. What extra characters would you add? What about the setting? What could you expand on in the personal problem or problem in the story?