Teaching and Learning Sequence – Think of an Eel by Karen Wallace Y2

Curricular target:

Y2 Strand 9: Make adventurous word and language choices appropriate to the style and purpose of the text.

Teaching Guided Work linked to sequence

(speaking & listening; reading, planning, writing)

Indicate group and focus for session and link to pupil

targets)

Learning (I can … / I know… / I

understand…)

Familiarisation/ Immersion in text/Analysis

Activating prior knowledge: Discuss what they know of eels– have they read or seen anything which they can talk about? What can we expect from a picture book in the way the story is told? How do we read this particular book? Dual text idea. What name would you give to this type of book?

First hand experiences in order to make connections with the text: Watch film of eels?

Introducing and reading the core text: Put images and non-fiction sentences into Powerpoint, with narrative element recorded as a sound file, or read to the children while that slide is showing.

Model book talk using Likes, Dislikes Puzzles and Patterns. Also focus on the effect the fiction and non fiction elements have on the reader.

Discuss the technical language of the eel book. Eg ‘glass elver.’ Record on working wall.

Play alliteration games which focus on the appearance and movement of the eels eg slippery, slidey, slinky. Warming up the word

Play ‘Paint the Picture’ to support imaging of the eels’ watery world. Warming up the word

Model writer talk: Fiction - rhythms of language, alliteration and repeated phrases, similies and metaphors, extended sentences. Non fiction :specialist vocabulary, adverbials for precision, short sentences, effect of present tense.

Watch BBC DVD (Nature’s Great Events) of the Salmon’s journey in sections. Map bare bones and parts of life cycle in groups.

Draw out how the salmon journey is similar to that of the eel. Make connections and discuss key aspects.

Look at pictures which depict the lifecycle of a salmon. Fact finding about the salmon’s life. Have you found any new words

about salmon you might want to use? Save/ record.

Purposeful Sentence Level Work (Teach, practise and apply related sentence level objectives)

Sentences which start with the subject in the non-fiction, e.g. Baby eels are born in early spring. Discuss differences between the sentence starts in the non-fiction part and the fiction sections. Collect and sort in groups of 4. Make 2 lists, one fiction one non fiction. Eg repeated sentence starters. ‘Imagine….’

Use pages 6/7 and 20/21 to write non-fiction sentences for the images and narrative on those pages, thinking about how the picture gives you the information. Keep to the non-fiction style.

Finding and writing similes to describe. Use a model from the book eg He looks like a willow leaf.’

Focus on the time subordination in the text: when, while, as, after.

Learning and Remembering Texts

Speaking and listening, reading, planning, writing. Indicate group and focus for session and link to pupil targets.

I can re tell my version of the Eel text

Success Criteria: I know and can

talk about the structure, language and features of ‘Think of an eel’

Text:The text is cyclical, following the life cycle of an eel.

Sentence/ Word :Text has these language features:

Simile

Alliteration

Present tense

Third person

Technical language

Simple, compound and complex sentences.

Non-fiction: predominantly subject/verb – simple noun phrase

Blueprint:• Birth• Changing and

growth• A challenging

journey they have to make

• Reach the end and lay eggs

• Death

Everyone learns the whole non fiction eel text.

• Learn the bare bones of the whole text by learning all the non chron text (map it, step and say)

• Learn section of the literacy non fiction in groups and then put the whole together. Need to hear the two texts together

• (page 8/9 split into 2 sections, p9/10, p11/12 4 groups)

• Map the section

• Add actions

• Step it

• Say it

Map the text in a circle and model starting the story at different points.

Generate success criteria for this type of story with the children. Record on the working wall. Make sure the children know the blueprint for the Eel story.

Capturing Ideas

Capturing Content Gathering Ideas, expanding ideas, selection of contentOral rehearsal of both the narrative information and the non-fiction element for the salmon.Draw own map for whole of the salmon story.

Warming up the Word: Usual words in unusual combinationsWatch clip. The watch it again and generate vocabulary as a brainstorm (record as they watch the second time). Record the words into three columns electronically (think about sound/colour etc)

Capturing structure and language featuresSequencing of content, refining language

Sequencing activity to get the order of the life cycle right Plan structure of writing, around a life cycle format.

Planning for the readerNon fiction focusModel first then children work in pairs.Oral activity :Watch the section of DVD with no sound and orally generate a caption for the section. Repeat and orally generate the literary non fiction.

Buddy up with another pair: tell your page and give/receive feedback.

Learning and Remembering Texts:

Pair children up to tell their own Salmon text using their map as a prompt.

Group children together who need to work on similar aspects of capturing content, structure and language features.

I know which kind of book I am going to make and know how to make it

I can talk about the changed setting for my story

I have made a plan/map which sticks to the pattern of the story (see blueprint in success criteria)

I can use my map to tell my story to a partner before I write it

Shared Writing

Brisk pace and clearly focused on the key elements from the blueprint and the language features. Talking aloud, decision making, referring to a plan, handing over to the children at key points, reflecting on the model Eel text, don’t take the first idea. ‘Its my writing!’ Really emphasise that the writer is in charge of the ideas chosen and how they are used.

Toolkit:Literary NF•Simile•Alliteration•Strong verb•Adverbials•Extended sentences/variation of sentence length•Power of 3

Caption:

•Impersonal•Generic•Short sentences

Model parts of the Salmon text

Scaffolding Independent writing

An important scaffold when the children are writing independently is the working wall, which will have been built up throughout the sequence.

Plan/map will be a useful prompt while writing but they will need to stick to it!

Personal spelling journal and word banks and magpie book available

‘Tense detectives’ buddy work to check for present tense consistency.

Key learning Outcome

Work in pairs to write a collaborative version of the story of a salmon innovating on the eel text. Two children write the non fiction and two write the fiction. (mixed ability)

All children must… Most children should… Some children could…

Apply the voice of think of an eel to their own writing about a salmon.

Make some attempt to vary sentence openings

Write in the correct voice for the text they are writing.

Vary sentence openings appropriately

Show some apt vocabulary choices

Use imaginative and adventurous language in literary non fiction

Use precise, clear language for captions

Use a wider range of sentence openings