LITERACY / UNIT PLANNER

Topic: My Place: Sarah 1808 Episode 21: Sarahs life

Year Level: 5

GRAMMAR FOCUS: (levels)

Text type and mode

1. Whole text structure of an Information Narrative

Orientation (introduction) in which the characters, setting and time of the story are
established. Usually the answers for who, when and where are provided in this part
of the narrative.
Complication and a series of events (middle) in which the situations, activities and
events involving the main character are expanded upon. These events are written in
a fluent and cohesive sequence.
Resolution (ending) in which the complication is resolved satisfactorily but not
necessarily happily.
Some narratives may include a reorientation in which either the characters or their
lives are described after the complication is resolved or the events of the narrative
are drawn together and a moral or message may be included.

Language features for the text-type:

2. Sentence level

Identifying the subject and the predicate in sentences

Independent or main clauses
Subordinate or dependent clauses
Adverbial phrases
Adverbial clauses
Adjectival phrases
Adjectival clauses

Term: 2 Weeks: 1-2

Listened to
X

Spoken
X

Read
X

Date:

Written

Viewed

Produced
X

Steps in Teaching and Learning Cycle: (adapted Derewianka, 1990/2007)

1. Building topic knowledge
2. Building text knowledge/Model the genre
3. Guided activities to develop vocabulary and text knowledge
4. Joint construction of text
5. Independent construction of text
6. Reflecting on language choices
Frequently used Literacy Instructional Strategies: Gradual Release of Responsibility Model
Language Experience Approach (R/W)
Picture Chat Read to Shared R/W
Guided R/W
Modelled writing Interactive writing Independent R/W Literature Circles Reciprocal Teaching
Mini lesson Roving conferences
Teaching techniques: Think Aloud, Text analysis, Cloze exercises, Note-taking,
Graphic Organisers: T-chart, Y-chart; Venn diagram, Data grid, Sunshine wheel, KWL chart, Flow
chart, Story map, templates for text-types for planning,

3. Word level

Verbs
Adjectives
Adverbs
Conjunctions

(Wing Jan, 2009, pp. 235-236).

CONTEXT: Overview of series of lessons and background information
This unit is an effort to teach students the important aspects of information narratives, and how they
different from regular narratives.

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Pre-assessment of students skills and knowledge:

Standardized tests for reading/writing/ NAPLAN
Profile of Data Progression of Reading Development
Conferences/interviews
Student written work samples
Self-assessments
Literacy Learning intention: We are learning to create information narratives
Learning behaviours: I need to understand how authentic characters and settings
make a good information narrative
Success criteria: I know Im doing well if I can create characters which fit into the
historical world

Four resource model (Freebody & Luke, 1990/1999): Code Breaker; Text Participant/Meaning
Maker; Text User; Text Analyst
Comprehension Strategies: Predicting; Visualising; Making connections; Questioning; Inferring;
Determining important ideas; Summarising; Finding evidence in the text; Understanding new
vocabulary; Synthesising; Comparing and contrasting; Paraphrasing; Recognising cause and effect;
Skimming and scanning; Five semiotic systems: linguistics, visual, auditory, spatial, gestural.
Question types: self-questioning; 3 levels; (literal, inferential, evaluative); QAR
Thinking Routines: See, Think, Wonder; Headlines; +1, Three word summary, 5VIPs, Give One,
Get One (refer Ritchhart, R., Church, M., & amp; Morrison, K. (2011). Making Thinking Visible:
How to Promote Engagement, Understanding, and Independence for All Learners. eBook online)

Topic-specific vocabulary for the unit of work:

Resources:

Maam (madam), superiors, servant, mucking out, convict, orphan, jail (goal),
aboriginal, slave.

Wing Jan, L. (2009). Write ways. South Melbourne: OUP.pp. 235-236; EPISODE 21 English teaching resources
downloaded from www.myplace.edu.au/. My Place website www.myplace.edu.au Video clip Episode 21; ABC3 MyPlace
http://www.abc.net.au/abc3/myplace/

Analysing
Checking
Classifying
Cooperating
Considering options
Designing
Elaborating

Estimating
Explaining
Generalising
Hypothesising
Inferring
Interpreting
Justifying

Listening
Locating information
Making choices
Note taking
Observing
Ordering events
Organising

Performing
Persuading
Planning
Predicting
Presenting
Providing feedback
Questioning

Reading
Recognising bias
Reflecting
Reporting
Responding
Restating
Revising

Seeing patterns
Selecting information
Self-assessing
Sharing ideas
Summarising
Synthesising

Testing
Viewing
Visually representing
Working independently
Working to a timetable

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TEACHING & LEARNING CYCLE

(Identify step in the T & L cycle and
the literacy learning intention or
sessions focus )

WHOLE CLASS
Hook or Tuning In
(Identify a strategy or a tool to help
activate prior knowledge and/or to
introduce the topic.)

We are learning to ...

1. Building topic
knowledge
We are learning to
compare the life of a
child in different times

Picture Chat
Show the students
some pictures of
different children
from My Place
episodes.
Focus questions
What do you think a
childs life was like in
1808?
How is it different
from yours?

MINI LESSON
(Explicitly model the use of a new strategy or a
tool to assist with the literacy learning
intention or focus of the session and to
prepare students for successful completion of
the set task. Reference to Wing Jan include
page details)

As a class, watch Episode

21 Sarahs Life.
Ask the students to
describe the type of life
the two children live.
Guide the dialogue to
issues such as class and
education.
Create a T-chart on the
whiteboard which
compares a childs life in
the 19th Century, to a
Childs life in the present.
Verbally give a couple
examples, and write one
down on the chart to
model how to correctly
use it.

Brief Lesson Summary 1

We are learning to wonder
about what life was like in

INDEPENDENT
LEARNING
(Extended opportunity for students to work in
pairs, small groups or individually on a set
task. Time for teacher to probe students
thinking or work with a small group for part of
the time. Reference to Wing Jan include page
details)

Think-Pair-Share
After rewatching the clip,
students are to, in pairs,
complete a T-chart that
focuses on the differences
between their current life,
and the life of a child in
the 19th Century (See
Appendix 1).

SHARE TIME AND

TEACHER SUMMARY
(Focussed teacher questions and summary to
draw out the knowledge, skills and processes
used in the session)
Link back to literacy learning intention and
key points of effective reading/writing,
speaking, listening and viewing.

ASSESSMENT
STRATEGIES
(should relate to literacy learning intention
or focus of the session. Includes how &
what you will use to make a judgment on
students attempt/work)
Success criteria written for students to
know what the minimum expectation is.

After bringing the class

back together, the teacher
will ask the T-chart
children to share some of
their findings.

The teacher can assess

the students through an
anecdotal record by
observing the students
and their work.
Students can be assess
on:
- Working well in
pairs
- Generating topical
and meaningful
dialogue
- Creating links
between their life
and the life of a
1800s child
- Providing adequate
justifications and
reasoning to their
answers.

Probe the students into

elaborating their answers
if they are too closed.

Small teaching group:

Following this, I will

display a completed venn
diagram.

Students will be given a

sheet of paper with
pictures of childrens toys
from different eras (See
Appendix 2).

I will ask the focus group

students to explain their
findings with the class.

In pairs, they will discuss

where each object
belongs, either in past,
present, or both.

For the final time, ask the

class what they think are
the biggest differences
between a childs life then
and now.

They will cut and paste

these pictures into a venn
diagram (See Appendix 3).
In this lesson, students will begin to wonder about the life of a child in the 1800s. After rewatching the Sarahs Life clip, the class will
go over and discuss resources generated in the previous lesson (t-chart and venn diagram). Students will write their wonderings on
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the 1800s.

green paper and cut them into the shape of gum leaves. The students will share their wonderings in pairs, and then to the classroom,
with the teacher guiding dialogue to assess deeper thinking. These gum leaves will be then added to the classrooms new Narrative
Gum Tree, which will be a useful resource from here onwards. [The class will contribute to the tree in each lesson, and students are encouraged to think of
things to add to the tree outside of literacy lessons. The branches of the tree will be key aspects of narrative (structure, setting, types of language used), and each branch will house
individual leaves (leaves on the language branch will have descriptive language, different types of tense, etc.).]

Brief Lesson Summary 2

We are learning about life in
1800s Australia.

2. Building text
knowledge/Model
the genre
We are learning to
deconstruct a narrative

\We will conduct a Dictogloss activity, using the first two paragraphs of My Place Convict Children page (See Appendix 5) as the text
(Some words can be altered, such as herdsmen to farmers). Upon the second listen through, students will write down key words, and
then reconstruct their own summary sentences. These will be shared with the class, and the class can discuss any differences between
summaries.
Briefly mention the
clips we have
watched.
Focus questions:
Are the clips weve
been watching fiction
or non-fiction?
What is a narrative?
(students will have
prior knowledge)
What must a
narrative include?

Present them with a book

they will be familiar with
(in this case, The Very
Hungry Caterpillar
(Carle, 1994).
As a class, go through the
text structure on the
whiteboard, modelling
how to deconstruct a
narrative.
Next, the class can come
up with their own
narrative, with the teacher
being the scribe.
The content of the
narrative will be up to the
students, but guide it
towards being something
to do with the school, such
as about the principal.

When finished, students

will complete a
comparison matrix sheet,
where they will
deconstruct The Very
Hungry Caterpillar, the
story we just wrote, and
the last book they read
(See appendix 4)
Small teaching group:
As a group, we will go
over the story we just
wrote.

As a class, we will
discuss the structure of a
narrative, using explicit
examples as evidence.
Some students will be
asked to share their
independent narrative
deconstruction with the
class.
The focus group will
share their text innovation
with the class.

The teacher can assess a

students understanding
of the structure of
narrative texts by
collecting a sample of
their work.
Furthermore, creating
an anecdotal record of
student contribution
during group
discussions is possible.

We will discuss how

changing the
The students will be asked complication forces us to
to have a discussion, are to change the resolution.
change the complication
and resolution of the story.
This will be a
collaborative effort, with
the teacher acting as the
scribe on a piece of A3
paper.
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Brief Lesson Summary 3

We are learning to analyse
what makes a narrative.

Brief Lesson Summary 4

We are learning to find what
makes an information
narrative.
3.

Guided activities to
develop vocabulary or
specific language
feature
We are learning to describe
characters with adjectives.

Using a class set of texts, students will be assigned to analyse and explain different aspects of a narrative. These aspects include the
structure, the characters, and the setting. Students assigned to the same aspect of narrative can form groups to discuss what they think.
After a classroom discussion, the students will independently write or draw (or both) their ideas.
This work will be put on display on our Narrative Gum Tree.
To determine what makes an information narrative, students will be read both a narrative and information narrative. They are to
determine what the distinction is between the two. In pairs, students will complete a t-chart to note the characteristics of both narratives
and information narratives.
Generate discussion
on what makes a
narrative, leaning
towards descriptive
language.
Focus questions
Why are characters
important?
What can the author
do to help us imagine
the character?

Watch clip 2 again.

Ask the students to think
of some adjectives to
describe the characters we
meet.
Interactive Writing
Once the video is finished,
the students can share
some adjectives with the
person next to them.
I will write the names of
the characters on the
board, and write my own
adjective for one
character.
Ask some students to
write adjectives under the
remaining characters.

In small groups (4-5),

students will use a +1
routine to record their
adjectives on provided
pieces of paper.

As a class, we will
discuss the adjectives we
have used, as well as
compare our observations
with other students.

Once the routine is

complete, the groups are
to discuss their
observations.

Make sure to ask

questions which
encourage children to
show evidence of their
claim.
Why do you think shes
mean?

Small teaching group:

Students will be
completing a cloze
activity, where the deleted
words are adjectives.

Students understanding
of narratives, in
particular, characters
and adjectives used to
describe them, will be
assessed through
observation and work
samples.

These pieces of paper can

be saved to be added to
our Narrative Gum Tree
later on.

Once completed, we will

have a discussion about
the types of words that
were blank, linking it to
adjectives.
They are then to create
their own cloze sentences,
swap it with the person
next to them, then
complete it.
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Guided
activities to
develop
vocabulary or
specific language
feature
We are learning to
strengthen our
understanding of
information narratives.

Ask students what an

information narrative
may be (they should
remember from a
couple of lessons
ago).
Create a brainstorm
on the whiteboard.
Focus questions
How does an
information
narrative differ from
a narrative?
What information are
we talking about?
What type of
language is used?

Go through the My Place

website on the interactive
whiteboard.
Ask students if they can
see anything that links
with information
narratives. Guide
conversation towards
dates, historical accuracy.

In pairs, students are to

think of the positives and
limitations of information
narratives. They can
present this information as
a table, graph, or in simple
sentences.
They are to explain
Small teaching group:

Students will share their

findings with the class.
Answer probing questions
to gauge the thinking put
into their answers
Ask them to think about
how they can put
historical detail into their
work in future lessons.

An anecdotal record
will be used when
assessing the creativity
of the focus group.
Furthermore, the
teacher can also assess
the level of thinking put
into the pros and cons
of information
narrative,

Ill read out brief

descriptions of different
people who lived in the
1800s.
While they are being read
to, the students will have
their eyes closed and will
visualise the character.
After each description, I
will ask the students
questions about the person
they visualised. These
questions will relate to
information I didnt
include, such as hair
colour.
Students are to share their
visualisations with a
buddy, and then with the
group.
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Brief Lesson Summary

We are learning
the importance of
tense in
narratives.
4. Joint construction of
text
We are learning to create
our own endings to an
information narrative.

In a collaborative lesson, the teacher will scribe any sentence the child wants on the board. As a class, we will go through and change
the tense to present or past. This is to get the students ready for when they write their narrative. We are aiming for the spoken portions
of the text to be in present tense, and the remaining text to be in past tense.
Briefly discuss the
structure of a
narrative, focussing
on the resolution.
Focus questions
What is a resolution?
Does it have to be
happy?
What should a
resolution include?

Brief Lesson Summary 5

We are learning to

5. Independent
construction of
text

Students will watch the

last clip of the episode,
which doesnt have a
resolution (the episode
may).
As a class, we will discuss
the possibilities of what
could happen.
Collaboratively, we will
create a satisfying ending
in dot points.

In table groups, students

are to come up with their
own ending.
These endings should
build upon the story we
have been presented thus
far (in terms of characters,
motives, setting).
Small teaching group:
This group will be
performing the same task
as the others, but they will
be assisted by the teacher,
who will take a largely
passive role, guiding only
when necessary.

Each group will present

their ending.
Groups are encouraged to
act out, or read in an
emotive fashion.
Once all endings have
shared, we will discuss
why we thought these
endings made sense in the
world.
It is important to iterate
that there is a cause an
effect in narratives, and
that the resolution must
be believable, especially
in information narratives.

The teacher can collect

samples of work in
order to assess their
students.
Teachers can focus on
how accurately
characters and settings
are represented, and
how likely the ending
would have happened,
historically.
The teacher can also
observe how well
students worked
together.

Students are to think of

their own resolution to the
story, discuss it with the
person next to them, and
share it with the class.
The teacher will write
down short summaries of
the appropriated (?)
endings.
Students will be working in groups creating their own information narrative plan. They will be original characters, but they must be
based in a historical context. They are to storyboard the orientation, complication, and resolution.

With their understanding of what means an information narrative, students will be planning their own information narrative set in 19th
Century Australia. Students will be writing brief character profiles, using their knowledge of the era to create believable scenarios.

Brief Lesson Summary 6

We are learning to plan an
information narrative

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Brief Lesson Summary 6

We are writing an
information narrative.

Using all of their knowledge of the text structure and features of information narratives, alongside their narrative plans from the
previous lesson, students will draft, edit, and hopefully complete their own information narrative.

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Appendices
Appendix 1

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Appendix 2

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Appendix 3

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Appendix 4
Text 1

Text 2

Text 3

Setting

Characters

Orientation

Complication

Resolution

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Appendix 5

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