1

ENGLISH UNIT PLAN

Topic or Theme: ‘What makes a good story?’ Unit structure: 5 x 50 min lessons, and 2 x 100 min lessons

Literature or text type/s: Narrative Year level: 4

Year 4 English Achievement Standard (receptive and/or productive modes): (Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA), 2010)
Receptive modes (listening, reading and viewing)

By the end of Year 4, students understand that texts have different text structures depending on purpose and context. They explain how language features, images and
vocabulary are used to engage the interest of audiences. They describe literal and implied meaning connecting ideas in different texts.

They fluently read texts that include varied sentence structures, unfamiliar vocabulary including multisyllabic words. They express preferences for particular types of texts, and
respond to others’ viewpoints. They listen for and share key points in discussions.

Productive modes (speaking, writing and creating)

Students use language features to create coherence and add detail to their texts. They understand how to express an opinion based on information in a text. They create
texts that show understanding of how images and detail can be used to extend key ideas.

Students create structured texts to explain ideas for different audiences. They make presentations and contribute actively to class and group discussions, varying language
according to context. They demonstrate understanding of grammar, select vocabulary from a range of resources and use accurate spelling and punctuation, re-reading and
editing their work to improve meaning.

Learning Objectives: Australian Curriculum Content Descriptors: English, Year 4

Language
 Text Structure & Organisation:
o Understand how texts vary in complexity and technicality depending on the approach to the topic, the purpose and the intended audience (ACELA1490)
 Expressing & Developing Ideas:
o Understand that the meaning of sentences can be enriched through the use of noun groups/phrases and verb groups/phrases and prepositional phrases
(ACELA1493)
o Understand how adverb groups/phrases and prepositional phrases work in different ways to provide circumstantial details about an activity (ACELA1495)
Literature
 Responding to Literature
o Use metalanguage to describe the effects of ideas, text structures and language features of literary texts (ACELT1604)
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 Creating Literature
o Create literary texts by developing storylines, characters and settings (ACELT1794)

Literacy
 Creating Texts
o Plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative and persuasive texts containing key information and supporting details for a widening range of audiences,
demonstrating increasing control over text structures and language features (ACELY1694)

Learning intentions

Unit inquiry question: What makes a good story?

As a result of engaging with the unit, students will:

Understand that:

1. Narratives have a general structure, which helps to make the text accessible to the intended reader.
2. Authors of narratives use different language features, to assist readers to develop a rich mental picture of what is happening in the text.
Know: Be able to (do): (Skills, processes)

1. The purpose of narratives: a text used to tell a story, which could be either factual
or fictional. The writer usually aims to entertain their chosen readers, and
occasionally also embeds moral messages.
2. The structure of a simple narrative, and the elements within this structure, such as
the orientation, complication/s, and resolution/s.
3. What are language features such as noun groups (descriptions of who/what),
adverb (descriptions of how) groups, and similes and metaphors, and that they help
add detail to stories and build clearer images in the mind of the reader.
4. The metalanguage terms for the above concepts (adverb, quotation marks,
orientation, etc.).
1. Use appropriate metalanguage to describe the structure of a narrative and the language
features, such as noun and adverb groups, and their impacts.
2. Identify the elements of a narrative, and give increasingly complex examples of these
over the unit.
3. Develop simple noun groups, adverb groups, and similes and metaphors to add detail
and build imagery for their readers.
4. With rubric and drafting support, write a narrative, with clear attempts made at using the
simple narrative structure and incorporating some language features to entertain their
chosen audience.
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WEEKLY TIMETABLE: Indicate teaching times for English activity i.e. talking, reading, drawing, spelling and writing For example, many Junior
Primary classes dedicate mornings to literacy activities, but Mi/ddle Primary (6/7s) integrate across other subject areas.

Time Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

STEM Problem
Meeting and Maths Computer Room Assembly / Buddy Class
9:00-9.50 Solving and
Organisation Skills (R2) Activity
investigations
STEM Problem
9:50- Science Health Technology STEM Problem
Solving and
10.40 (NIT) (NIT) - Computer Room Solving and investigations
investigations
Recess Time
11:00- English Skills STEM Problem
English Skills English Skills English Skills
11.50 (EALD support) Solving and investigations
11:50- English Skills / Inquiry Drama
Computer Room English Skills English Skills
12.40 (EALD support) (NIT)
Lunch Time
Drama
1:20-2.10 Inquiry Learning Inquiry Learning Inquiry Learning Finish Off
(NIT)
PE
2:10-3.00 Maths Skills Library Inquiry Learning Success Play
(NIT)
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SEQUENCING lessons
Unit AC: English LINKS:
Week Flow General Capabilities
Lesson Focus and Activity Resources to
Cross-curriculum Priorities
be used Curriculum Integration
Lesson 1: (50 minutes) Interactive English, Year 4
1 Learning intentions Whiteboard Language
Students will: (IWB), to display  Text Structure & Organisation:
 Understand: questions and o Understand how texts vary in
o Authors of narratives use different language features, to assist readers to watch video. complexity and technicality
develop a rich mental picture of what is happening in the text. depending on the approach to
 Know Mini the topic, the purpose and the
o The structure of a simple narrative, and the elements within this structure, whiteboards and intended audience (ACELA1490)
such as the orientation, complication/s, and resolution/s. whiteboard Literature
 Be able to do: markers for  Responding to Literature
o Identify the uses of, and structural elements of, a narrative, using the each student. o Use metalanguage to describe
appropriate metalanguage. the effects of ideas, text
Video link: structures and language features
Teaching and Learning Cycle stage ‘Tiddalick the of literary texts (ACELT1604)
 Building the Field – Narrative Structure Frog’ -
https://youtu.be/ HASS, Year 4
Four Resources Model Focus: 0y3Ta5xcKV4 Knowledge and Understanding
 Code Breaker – Parts of Stories & What Stories are for  History
 Text Analyst – Cultural and Contextual Purpose of ‘Tiddalick the Frog’ text o The diversity of Australia's first
peoples and the long and
continuous connection of
Assessment: Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Diagnostic assessment – Photos taken of responses to questions on mini whiteboards Islander Peoples to
during stage 2 below. Country/Place (land, sea,
waterways and skies)
▼
T Teaching strategies (ACHASSK083)
E
A 1. The teacher will open with the unit inquiry question ‘What makes a good story?’, Cross Curriculum Priorities, Level 3
C
H and gives students a minute to consider the answer.  Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
2. To assess for prior knowledge, and build the field of knowledge (Derewianka & Histories and Cultures
Jones, 2016), students will be broken into groups of 2-3, and each group will o OI.3 Aboriginal and Torres Strait
discuss one of the following questions: ‘What is a story?’, ‘What are stories for?’, Islander Peoples have holistic
‘Who tells stories?’, ‘Who are stories for?’, and ‘Do you know of another name for belief systems and are spiritually
stories?’ Students will write down their responses on personal mini whiteboards, and intellectually connected to
and share with the class. Photos to be taken of whiteboards for assessment. the land, sea, sky and
3. The students will watch a video retelling of the Indigenous story ‘Tiddalick the waterways.
Frog’.
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4. The students will be challenged to think of where this narrative has come from, who
it might be for, and what the purpose of this story is (connection to land, belief
systems, oral teaching traditions a link to HASS curriculum – experiences of
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples prior to European arrival).
5. They will be asked to retell the narrative in their own words, identifying where the
story took place, and what happened within the narrative. Through this guided
categorisation of information (Derewianka & Jones, 2016), students will have their
attention drawn to the three elements of a narrative – orientation, complication, and
solution.
Lesson 2: (50 minutes) Narrative English, Year 4
2 Learning intentions examples Language
Students will: puzzle activity  Expressing & Developing Ideas:
 Understand: cards o Understand that the meaning of
o Narratives have an orientation, which gives the reader some information sentences can be enriched
about the characters and the setting. Book: Amber on through the use of noun
 Know: the Mountain, by groups/phrases and verb
o The structure of a simple narrative, and the elements within this structure, Tony Johnston groups/phrases and prepositional
such as the orientation, complication/s, and resolution/s. phrases (ACELA1493)
o What language features such as noun groups (descriptions of who/what) ‘Adjectives Add Literature
are, and that they help add detail to stories and build clearer images in the Interest’  Responding to Literature
mind of the reader. exemplar o Use metalanguage to describe
 Be able to do: (K12Reader, the effects of ideas, text
o Identify the structural elements of a narrative, using the appropriate 2011). structures and language features
metalanguage. of literary texts (ACELT1604)
o Begin to form noun groups with appropriate adjectives, in order to add Sketch books  Creating Literature
detail to their narratives. o Create literary texts by
Pencils developing storylines, characters
Teaching and Learning Cycle stage and settings (ACELT1794)
 Building the Field – Noun Groups Narrative
 (some) Supported Reading scaffolding General Capabilities
 (some) Modelling & Joint Construction prompts Literacy, Level 3
(Harrison, 2013) Text Knowledge
Four Resources Model Focus:  Use knowledge of text structures
 Code Breaker – Parts of Stories Draft books o Use growing knowledge of the
 Text Participant – Imagining the Story through Noun Groups structure and features of learning
area texts to comprehend and
Assessment: compose an increasing number
Formative assessment – Checklist of (1) attempt to use, and (2) appropriate use of, noun and range of texts
groups with adjectives to provide detail to narrative characters and setting. Written
feedback given.

Teaching strategies
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1. For a warm up activity, students will revise the previous lesson’s learning by
completing a puzzle activity, where they identify the orientation, complication, and
resolution of four well known books or films. They will share their completed
↕ stories, justifying why they labelled the elements in this way.
2. Again, the teacher will issue the inquiry question to the students: ‘What makes a
E good story?’, in preparation for the next activity.
X
P
3. Through teacher-led supported reading (Derewianka & Jones, 2016), the teacher
L will read the orientation of two different narratives to the students – one with noun
O groups (Amber on the Mountain, by Tony Johnston), and the other without (an
R exemplar written without adjectives) (K12Reader, 2011). Students will use their
E
sketch books and a pencil to draw what they see as the texts are read.
4. Students will engage in a short think-pair-share activity, and discuss their
experiences drawing whilst listening to the two orientations. Questions to answer
will include: ‘What did you imagine the characters to look like or be like?’, ‘Was it
easier to draw the scene from one narrative over the other?’, or What made it
easier to draw this one?’ Links will be made between noun groups and imagery
through added description, with examples highlighted in the text.
5. Students will practice writing an orientation, creating descriptive noun groups in
their draft book as part of a narrative element portfolio. They will particularly focus
on the participants in the story; the who and what. They will be given options for
creating their own characters and setting, or can be given ideas to function as
scaffolding (Harrison, 2013).
6. As an exit card, students will present their best character or setting description to
the class, and explain why they chose these words to represent their characters in
this way.
3 Lesson 3: (50 minutes)
Learning intentions Interactive English, Year 4
Students will: Whiteboard Language
 Understand: (IWB)  Expressing & Developing Ideas:
o Narratives have an orientation, which gives the reader some information o Understand that the meaning of
about the characters and the setting. Google images sentences can be enriched
 Know: search a picture through the use of noun
o What language features such as similes and metaphors are, and that they of different dog groups/phrases and verb
help add detail to stories and build clearer images in the mind of the breeds as a groups/phrases and prepositional
reader. noun group phrases (ACELA1493)
 Be able to do: prompt Literature
o Begin to form similes and metaphors, to build imagery within their  Responding to Literature
narratives. Book: Amber on o Use metalanguage to describe
the Mountain, by the effects of ideas, text
Teaching and Learning Cycle stage Tony Johnston structures and language features
 Building the Field – Similes and Metaphors of literary texts (ACELT1604)
 (some) Supported Reading Book: My Dog is  Creating Literature
as Smelly as
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 (some) Modelling & Joint Construction Dirty Socks by o Create literary texts by
Hanoch Piven developing storylines, characters
Four Resources Model Focus: and settings (ACELT1794)
 Code Breaker – Meaning of Similes/Metaphors Simile and
 Text User – Creating Imagery via Similes/Metaphors Metaphor General Capabilities
prompt cards Critical and Creative Thinking, Level 3
Assessment: Generating Ideas, Possibilities, and Actions
Formative assessment – Self assessment of attempts to form descriptive similes and Draft books  Imagine Possibilities, and Connect Ideas
metaphors. o Expand on known ideas to create
new and imaginative
Teaching strategies combinations
1. The previous lesson will be revisited by putting up a picture of several breeds of
dogs. The students will be asked come up with a noun group (noun + adjectives) to
describe one of the dogs. Encourage their creativity!
2. The teacher will reread the orientation from the book Amber on the Mountain, by
Tony Johnston. Students will be encouraged to notice the types of descriptions the
author gives about the characters, and highlight any they cannot decode
(Derewianka & Jones, 2016), such as ‘crazy as a doodlebug’.
3. The teacher will use this unfamiliar term to introduce the concept of similes and
metaphors as another way of building imagery into the story. The teacher will
inquire what the students imagine when they hear these words, and why they think
the author chooses to describe the characters in this way. The teacher will also
read the book ‘My Dog is as Smelly as Dirty Socks’ by Hanoch Piven to offer some
more examples.
4. As a class, students will assist the teacher to play a game with prompt cards,
G asking them to create their own similes and metaphors as a joint construction
R (Derewianka & Jones, 2016). Prompts might include: ‘My dad is as…’, ‘The corner
O shop is…’, ‘The horse stood tall, a…’, ‘Sally danced as if…’, etc.
U 5. Students, in groups of 2-3, will play a game with more of the prompt cards, asking
P
them to create their own similes or metaphors. They will record these in their draft
books to add to their narrative portfolios.
6. Students will self assess their own simile and metaphor creation efforts, circling
their favourite creation in their draft book, and articulating why they chose this as
their best example to share with the class.
Lesson 4: (50 minutes) Mini English, Year 4
4 Learning intentions whiteboards and Literature
Students will: whiteboard  Responding to Literature
 Understand: markers for o Use metalanguage to describe
o Narratives have a complication, which excites the reader to find out about each student. the effects of ideas, text
what happens to the established characters. structures and language features
 Know: Book: Alexander of literary texts (ACELT1604)
and the Terrible,  Creating Literature
Horrible, No
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o The purpose of narratives: a text used to tell a story, which could be either Good, Very Bad o Create literary texts by
factual or fictional. The writer usually aims to entertain their chosen Day by Judith developing storylines, characters
readers. Viorst. and settings (ACELT1794)
 Be able to do:
o Identify the elements of a narrative’s complication, and begin to form their Draft books.
own complications for a simple narrative. General Capabilities
o Use appropriate metalanguage to describe the structure of a narrative and Peer feedback Personal and Social Capability, Level 3
the language features, such as noun and adverb groups, and their impacts. scaffolding Social Management
(Through the  Work Collaboratively
Teaching and Learning Cycle stage Classroom o Describe characteristics of
 Building the Field – Complications Door, 2017). cooperative behaviour and
 (some) Supported Reading identify evidence of these in
 (some) Modelling group activities.
 (Through good sport-like
 Joint Construction – Creating own Complications
participation in the ‘bad
Four Resources Model Focus: day tennis match’, and
provision of positive and
 Text Participant – Imagining types of challenge (complications)
constructive feedback in
 Text User – Creating Complications
the peer assessments).
Assessment:
Formative assessment – Peers assess each others’ complications, via the two stars and a
wish method.

Teaching strategies
1. Students will revise the previous lesson by coming up with one simile to describe a
character with messy hair, or a metaphor to describe someone as shy. They will
write their responses down on individual mini whiteboards, and share with the
class.
2. The teacher will ask the class the inquiry question again: ‘What makes a good
story?’. After being given the opportunity to reply, students will be asked to
consider ‘Why do narratives need complications?’ Some connections will be made
to complications providing suspense, and motivating readers to find out what
happens to the characters established in the orientation.
3. Students will be given the prompt that they wake up in the morning, get out of bed,
and get ready to go to school, and will be challenged to answer “What could
possibly go wrong?” “Who or what can provide complications?” Students share
their ideas with the class.
4. The teacher will read the book Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very
Bad Day, for further complication examples.
5. After this modelling of potential ideas, students will be challenged to play a “bad
day tennis match” game with a friend. They split into pairs, and the first partner
provides a brief orientation scenario, building on from prior orientation-forming
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experience. The second partner then offers a problem. The first partner adds to the
problem, saying how the situation improves. The second partner further worsens
the problem. This process continues until the partners are asked to swap roles,
understanding that each partner is playing a role, and not putting down ideas.
6. Students will complete a formative exit card in their draft book, detailing their best
complication examples from the ‘bad day tennis match’ game, forming yet another
element of their narrative portfolios. They will then swap their exit cards with a
▼ student from a different group, who will peer assess the attempt. The two stars
I (positive feedback) and a wish (constructive feedback) method will be used (AITSL,
N
D
n.d.), and students can utilise scaffolding where needed (Through the Classroom
I Door, 2017).
V Lesson 5: Double Lesson (100 minutes) Book: Amber on English, Year 4
5 D Learning intentions the Mountain, by Language
U
A
Students will: Tony Johnston  Expressing & Developing Ideas:
L  Understand: o Understand how adverb
o Narratives have a resolution, which solves some of the problems faced by Verb description groups/phrases and prepositional
the characters, and resolves some of the tension in the text. game cards – phrases work in different ways to
o Authors of narratives use adverbs and adverb groups, to assist readers to differentiated by provide circumstantial details
develop a rich mental picture of what is happening in the text. colour. about an activity (ACELA1495)
 Know: Literature
o What adverb (descriptions of how) groups are, and that they help add Draft books.  Creating Literature
detail to stories and build clearer images in the mind of the reader. o Create literary texts by
 Be able to do: developing storylines, characters
o Begin to form adverb groups, to build imagery within their narratives. and settings (ACELT1794)
o Identify the elements of a narrative’s resolution, and begin to form their
own resolutions for a simple narrative. General Capabilities
Critical and Creative Thinking, Level 3
Teaching and Learning Cycle stage Generating Ideas, Possibilities, and Actions
 Building the Field – Adverbs and Adverb Groups  Imagine Possibilities, and Connect Ideas
 (less) Supported Reading o Expand on known ideas to create
 (less) Modelling new and imaginative
 Joint Construction – Adverb creation combinations
 Independent Construction – Resolution creation

Four Resources Model Focus:

 Text Participant – Imagining effort in overcoming complications
 Text User – Creating imaginative actions to resolve issues

Assessment:
Formative assessment – Teacher assessment of student-developed resolution, marked
according to the rubric that was explained to the students prior to undertaking the activity.
Brief written feedback to be provided.
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Teaching strategies
1. The students will be offered an inquiry question for the day: ‘What happens before
a story ends?’
2. Students will complete a short think-pair-share of some of the ways familiar books
or films have been resolved. Are they happy endings? How did the characters
reach this ending? What actions had to be taken?
3. The teacher will read the ending of the book Amber on the Mountain. The students
will be asked how Amber managed to resolve her problem of not being able to
write back to Anna. How did the author describe the actions she took? E.g. “she
squeezed her pencil nearly to splinters”, “she fainted (in surprise) right through the
floor”. Students will be questioned why they think the author wrote her actions in
this way, and connection will be made to how the imagery helps the reader better
imagine the scene.
4. In groups of 4, students will play a game in the style of ‘Articulate’. They take turns
taking a card, and need to state adverbs to describe the verb on the card, for
example, run. Their partner will record their adverbs and adverb groups, scoring a
point for each attempt. Different colours will be assigned to different verbs,
denoting their difficulty level, and students can choose which level of challenge
they wish to take on.
5. Students will be offered a problem, and individually, they will need to come up with
resolution, using descriptive adverbs. Situation: a confident, 5 year old girl, and her
tall, but scared, 10 year old brother find themselves stuck in a garden maze. How
can they find their way out? This will be undertaken according to a rubric assessing
adverb/group use, and problem resolution, which the teacher explains to the
students prior to commencement.
6. The students will write their resolutions into their draft books, finishing off their
narrative structure draft portfolio.
Lesson 6 – Double Lesson (100 minutes) Narrative writing Literature
6 Learning intentions proformas (3,  Creating Literature
Students will: differentiated by o Create literary texts by
 Understand: readiness) developing storylines, characters
o Narratives have a general structure, which helps to make the text and settings (ACELT1794)
accessible to the intended reader. Narrative writing
o Authors of narratives use different language features, to assist readers to rubric Literacy
develop a rich mental picture of what is happening in the text.  Creating Texts
 Know: Computer, with o Plan, draft and publish
o What are language features such as noun groups (descriptions of access to imaginative, informative and
who/what), adverb (descriptions of how) groups, and similes and Scholastic’s persuasive texts containing key
metaphors, and that they help add detail to stories and build clearer online Story information and supporting
images in the mind of the reader. Starters site details for a widening range of
 Be able to do: (Scholastic, audiences, demonstrating
2018) increasing control over text
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o With rubric and drafting support, write a narrative, with clear attempts structures and language features
made at using the simple narrative structure and incorporating some (ACELY1694)
language features to entertain their chosen audience.
General Capabilities
Personal and Social Capability, Level 3
Teaching and Learning Cycle stage Self-Awareness
 (minimal) Modelling via rubric  Develop Reflective Practice
 Independent Construction – Narrative draft, with rubric support o Reflect on personal strengths
and achievements, based on
Four Resources Model Focus: self-assessment strategies and
 Text User – Manipulation of narrative genre and language features to create own teacher feedback
text

Assessment:
Formative assessment – Preliminary teacher assessment of independent narrative, marked
according to the rubric that was explained to the students prior to undertaking the activity.

Teaching strategies
1. For the final time in the unit, the teacher will ask the class to discuss the inquiry
question again: ‘What makes a good story?’ Expected shared answers include use
of imagery through noun groups, similes or metaphors, adverb groups,
development of characters in the orientation, tension established in the
complication, and/or descriptive resolutions.
2. The teacher will provide and explain a proforma for the lesson’s task –
independently writing a narrative draft. 3 proformas will be available, differentiated
by readiness to provide scaffolding for the structure (orientation, complication,
resolution). Students will have the option of choosing their own challenge level, but
guidance might be given to support their choice to stretch or support their
readiness.
3. The teacher will explain the rubric for the task, which demonstrates the expected
use of noun groups, similes/metaphors, adverb groups, and narrative structure
knowledge for each achievement level. Students will be encouraged to use this as
a guideline to extend themselves.
4. Students will be provided time to create their free-choice narratives. For any who
want ideas or support in developing character or situational ideas, they will be
supported to use an idea generator such as Scholastic’s online Story Starters site
(Scholastic, 2018).
5. Teacher will provide preliminary feedback by circling achievement levels for each
of the criteria.
7 Lesson 7: (50 minutes) Teacher-marked Literature
Learning intentions narrative writing  Creating Literature
Students will: rubrics
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 Understand: o Create literary texts by

o Narratives have a general structure, which helps to make the text developing storylines, characters
accessible to the intended reader. and settings (ACELT1794)
o Authors of narratives use different language features, to assist readers to  Responding to Literature
develop a rich mental picture of what is happening in the text. o Use metalanguage to describe
 Know: the effects of ideas, text
o What are language features such as noun groups (descriptions of structures and language features
who/what), adverb (descriptions of how) groups, and similes and of literary texts (ACELT1604)
metaphors, and that they help add detail to stories and build clearer
images in the mind of the reader. Literacy
 Be able to do:  Creating Texts
o With rubric and drafting support, write a narrative, with clear attempts o Plan, draft and publish
made at using the simple narrative structure and incorporating some imaginative, informative and
language features to entertain their chosen audience. persuasive texts containing key
information and supporting
Teaching and Learning Cycle stage details for a widening range of
 (minimal) Modelling via rubric audiences, demonstrating
 Independent Construction – Narrative final copy, with rubric and feedback support increasing control over text
structures and language features
Four Resources Model Focus: (ACELY1694)
 Text User – Manipulation of narrative genre and language features to create own
text General Capabilities
Personal and Social Capability, Level 3
Assessment: Self-Awareness
Formative assessment – Student self-assessment of their improved narrative  Develop Reflective Practice
Summative assessment – Teacher re-assessment of improved narrative, marked according o Reflect on personal strengths
to the rubric that was explained to the students prior to undertaking the activity. Written and achievements, based on
feedback to be provided. self-assessment strategies and
teacher feedback
Teaching strategies
1. Inquiry question: ‘How can I make a narrative better?’
The teacher will brief the students on how the class as a whole performed the
narrative writing task, and detail general strengths and areas for improvement.
2. Students will be introduced to the idea that they will take their individual feedback
and modify their draft to improve their assessment achievements. The teacher will
model an example, and then, as a whole class activity, students will suggest
possible improvements that could be made to imagined scenarios, using
appropriate metalanguage (e.g. not a lot of detail added to one character – could
use more descriptive noun groups to improve it).
3. Students will be provided with their rubrics for feedback, and told to focus on one or
two criteria only to try to make an improvement.
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4. After modifying their drafts, students will use a different coloured pen to self-assess
their improved narrative.
5. The teacher will then assess the improved narrative on the rubric, and provide
some detailed written feedback for future improvement.

LESSON PLAN (1)

BIG IDEA: “What makes a good story?” Literature or text type: Narrative Year Level: 4

Lesson Number: 2 Receptive or Productive modes Time: 50 minutes

AC: Year 4 English Standard:

Receptive modes (listening, reading and viewing)
By the end of Year 4, students understand that texts have different text structures depending on purpose and context. They explain how language features, images and
vocabulary are used to engage the interest of audiences. They describe literal and implied meaning connecting ideas in different texts.

Productive modes (speaking, writing and creating)

Students use language features to create coherence and add detail to their texts. They understand how to express an opinion based on information in a text. They create texts
that show understanding of how images and detail can be used to extend key ideas.
AC: English content descriptors and elaborations
Language
 Expressing & Developing Ideas:
o Understand that the meaning of sentences can be enriched through the use of noun groups/phrases and verb groups/phrases and prepositional phrases
(ACELA1493)
 AC Elaboration: “Creating richer, more specific descriptions through the use of noun groups/phrases (for example, in narrative texts, ‘their very old Siamese
cat’; in reports, 'its extremely high mountain ranges')”

Literature
 Responding to Literature
o Use metalanguage to describe the effects of ideas, text structures and language features of literary texts (ACELT1604)
 AC Elaboration: “Sharing views using appropriate metalanguage (for example ‘The use of the adjectives in describing the character really helps to create
images for the reader’)”
 Creating Literature
o Create literary texts by developing storylines, characters and settings (ACELT1794)
 AC Elaboration: “Collaboratively plan, compose, sequence and prepare a literary text along a familiar storyline, using film, sound and images to convey
setting, characters and points of drama in the plot”

General Capabilities
Literacy, Level 3
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Text Knowledge
 Use knowledge of text structures
o Use growing knowledge of the structure and features of learning area texts to comprehend and compose an increasing number and range of texts
Lesson Outcome/intentions:
Students will:
 Understand:
o Narratives have an orientation, which gives the reader some information about the characters and the setting.
 Know:
o The structure of a simple narrative, and the elements within this structure, such as the orientation, complication/s, and resolution/s.
o What language features such as noun groups (descriptions of who/what) are, and that they help add detail to stories and build clearer images in the mind of the
reader.
 Be able to do:
o Identify the structural elements of a narrative, using the appropriate metalanguage.
o Begin to form noun groups with appropriate adjectives, in order to add detail to their narratives.

What will students’ produce?

As part of a revision activity, students will attempt to correctly label the components of familiar stories according to which element of a narrative structure they correspond to; the
orientation, complication, or resolution.

After the guided exploration segment of this lesson, students will produce a first-attempt version of a narrative orientation, including character/s and a setting. Emphasis will be
placed on creating effective imagery to describe the narrative participants (the ‘who’ and ‘what’), through development of descriptive noun groups.
Code-breaker The emphasis is on decoding and encoding the codes, Text participant The emphasis is on comprehending and composing or making meaning from written,
symbols and conventions of written, spoken, visual and multimodal texts spoken, visual and multimodal texts
in response to contextual factors
Text user The emphasis is on understanding the purposes of different Text analyst The emphasis is on understanding that written, spoken, visual and multimodal texts are
written, spoken, visual and multimodal texts and using texts in different not neutral but represent particular points of view and silence others
ways for different cultural and social functions
Building the field: Lesson organisation Teaching Strategy/Learning Activity: Resources:
and introduction:
This lesson is the second in the unit, and it Revision – Student- Guided Discovery – Teacher-Directed (Mayer, 2004) Narrative
primarily is based around the ‘Building the Directed Teacher will: examples
Field’ and ‘Supported Reading’ stages of Students will: Assign students a partner, and, as part of a think-pair-share activity, use inquiry puzzle activity
the Teaching and Learning cycle, with Revise the learning about questioning to facilitate discussion about the students’ experiences in interpreting cards
occasional ‘Modelling’ and ‘Joint the 3 elements of a character and setting features in the two texts. Example questions will include:
Construction’ activities (Derewianka & narrative. They will ‘What did you imagine the characters to look like or be like?’, ‘Was it easier to Book: Amber on
Jones, 2016). complete a puzzle activity draw the scene from one narrative over the other?’, or What made it easier to the Mountain, by
in pairs, where they identify draw this one?’ Tony Johnston
For the revision component, students are the orientation,
engaging in ‘Joint Construction’. They complication, and As a result of the discussion, draw explicit links between noun groups and the ‘Adjectives Add
utilise their prior learning about the resolution of four well added description that they give, and assist students to recall (or explicitly Interest’
elements of a narrative and their known books or films. They highlight) examples of noun group derived imagery embedded in the text. exemplar

characteristics, and discuss these with their
partner to correctly identify and label the
elements. This identification of convention
connects to the ‘Code Breaker’ component
of the Four Resources model (Freebody &
Luke, 1990, as cited in Tompkins, 2010).
The inquiry question at the beginning of the
lesson, as well as the teacher-reading
activity, form the ‘Building the Field’ and
‘Supported Reading’ stages. Students are
exposed to differing examples of
orientations: one laden with imagery, and
the other plain and without embellishment.
Further questioning excavates students’
thoughts about which might be the better
story example by asking them to reflect on
their ability to develop physical drawings
and mental pictures to the told stories. This
activity helps them to notice the impact that
noun groups have on creating imagery, and
develops their appreciation for this
language feature (Derewianka & Jones,
2016). Students are also framed as ‘Text
Participants’ (Freebody & Luke, 1990, as
cited in Tompkins, 2010).
The teacher will engage in some student-
assisted ‘Deconstruction’ of the text by
highlighting examples effective noun group
imagery, and will ‘Model’ (Derewianka &
Jones, 2016) their formation.
Finally, the students experiment in groups
with creating their own noun group imagery
to describe imagined characters and
settings as ‘Text Users’ (Freebody & Luke,
1990, as cited in Tompkins, 2010),
constituting an early stage of ‘Joint
Construction’ (Derewianka & Jones, 2016).
Pre or post assessment strategies:
will share their completed
stories, justifying why they
labelled the elements in this
way.
Teacher will:
Monitor the students as
they complete the activity,
using questioning to
indirectly prompt students
where required.
Introduction – Teacher-
Directed
Teacher will:
Open with the unit inquiry
question to engage
students’ thinking.
Question: ‘What makes a
good story?’
Read the orientation
segment of two different
narratives: ‘Amber on the
Mountain’, by Tony
Johnston, and ‘Adjectives
Add Interest’, an exemplar
by K12 Reader. One of
these texts has a great deal
of descriptive noun groups,
whilst the other consists of
deliberately plain text
without detail.
Students will:
Draw into their sketch
books the mental pictures
of the settings and
characters that both of the
texts evoke as they are
read.
15
(K12Reader,
Students will: 2011).
In their pairs, discuss their responses to the inquiry questions, ideally noticing the
ease with which they should have found developing drawn and mental pictures for Sketch books
‘Amber on the Mountain’, but not for ‘Adjectives Add Interest’.
Pencils
Come up with suggestions as to why it might have been easier to imagine the
orientation in the first book over the second, by noting the amount of detail that Narrative
had been given. scaffolding
prompts
Exploration – Teacher-Directed to Student-Directed (Harrison, 2013)
Teacher will:
Using a textual example as a reference, model the creation of a noun group. E.g. Draft books
“The bristling trees of the mountain” example is used as a prompt to describe the
surroundings. A teacher-created example could include “the low hum of the busy
classroom”.
Ask students to make a whole group attempt at describing the oval during
lunchtime, pointing out things that could be referenced, such as the trains running
past the back fence, or the cricket players as they go about their game. Slowly
withdraw support as students gain confidence.
Challenge students to form small groups and come up with their own examples,
imagining that they were writing a story. Prompt them to consider what kind of
setting and characters they would use, and then use these to inform their own
noun group creations. Offer support where needed, and scaffolding prompts to
assist students who are reluctant to form their own characters/settings (Harrison,
2013).
Students will:
Participate in the class group activity to create descriptive noun groups.
As confidence rises, in small groups, they create their own noun groups to
describe characters and settings they have imagined to form a possible narrative
orientation. Note these in their draft book, creating a portfolio of orientation via
noun group examples for reflection in upcoming lessons.
Conclusion – Teacher-Directed to Student-Directed
Students will:
Be prompted by the teacher to present their best noun group example to the class,
and explain why they chose these words to represent their characters in this way.
 16

This lesson will incorporate a formative assessment piece. Students’ work will be assessed through use of a teacher-marked checklist. Students’ draft attempts to form noun group
examples will be observed, and their level of achievement at this beginning stage will be determined by the following criteria: their attempt to use adjectives to help them form
noun groups; and their use of appropriate words to provide readers with detail to narrative characters and setting. Brief yet targeted written feedback will be given to encourage
their attempts, as well as to provide any areas for improvement (such as highlighting the opportunity for the use of more than one adjective).

Any special considerations: (Consider the students with special needs or the particular needs of your class or school)
Many of the students in the class are from English as an Additional Language or Dialect (EALD) background, and some students in the class have low literacy levels. The main
text to be used for this lesson, ‘Amber of the Mountain’, has been selected as it is a rich text, full of adjectives, noun groups, adverb groups, and similes and metaphors. It is hoped
that students can also relate to the themes – friendship, struggles to learn literacy skills like reading and writing, and the diversity of childrens’ life experiences. However, it is also
at times American-centric, and several words unfamiliar to students from other countries (including Australia) are present. Whilst reading through the text, special care will be
taken to explain any Americanisms, such as ‘doodlebugs’, and students will be encouraged to ask questions for clarification of terms – after all, I had to look up doodlebug myself!

In this lesson, two students with particularly low literacy levels will be paired together by readiness where possible, and direct teacher support can be given to these students when
forming their own noun groups, as the formation of adjectives may require some prompting.
 17

LESSON PLAN (2)

BIG IDEA: “What happens before a story ends?” Literature or text type: Narrative Year Level: 4

Lesson Number: 5 Receptive or Productive modes Time: 100 minutes

AC: Year 4 English Standard:

Receptive modes (listening, reading and viewing)

By the end of Year 4, students understand that texts have different text structures depending on purpose and context. They explain how language features, images and
vocabulary are used to engage the interest of audiences. They describe literal and implied meaning connecting ideas in different texts.

Productive modes (speaking, writing and creating)

Students use language features to create coherence and add detail to their texts. They understand how to express an opinion based on information in a text. They create texts
that show understanding of how images and detail can be used to extend key ideas.
AC: English content descriptors and elaborations
English, Year 4
Language
 Expressing & Developing Ideas:
o Understand how adverb groups/phrases and prepositional phrases work in different ways to provide circumstantial details about an activity (ACELA1495)
Literature
 Creating Literature
o Create literary texts by developing storylines, characters and settings (ACELT1794)

General Capabilities
Critical and Creative Thinking, Level 3
Generating Ideas, Possibilities, and Actions
 Imagine Possibilities, and Connect Ideas
o Expand on known ideas to create new and imaginative combinations
Lesson Outcome/intentions:
Students will:
 Understand:
o Narratives have a resolution, which solves some of the problems faced by the characters, and resolves some of the tension in the text.
o Authors of narratives use adverbs and adverb groups, to assist readers to develop a rich mental picture of what is happening in the text.
 Know:
o What adverb (descriptions of how) groups are, and that they help add detail to stories and build clearer images in the mind of the reader.
 Be able to do:
o Begin to form adverb groups, to build imagery within their narratives.
 18

o Identify the elements of a narrative’s resolution, and begin to form their own resolutions for a simple narrative.

What will students’ produce?

During the earlier stages of exploration in this lesson, students will develop their skills in how to form adverbs and adverb groups. They will engage in a game activity, where they
will attempt to form adverbs for various game card verbs, and develop an adverb vocabulary list for later use.

After students have had a chance to hone these skills in a group situation, they will then put them into practice as they draft an action-filled resolution to a given narrative
complication. Students will be given a rubric to assess their individual resolution draft attempts, which will be explained prior to the task. They will be given feedback on how well
they were able to both resolve the problem, and on the imagery they manage to inject into ‘how’ the problem was solved via their creative use of adverbs and adverb groups.
Code-breaker The emphasis is on decoding and encoding the Text participant The emphasis is on comprehending and composing or making meaning from written, spoken,
codes, symbols and conventions of written, spoken, visual and visual and multimodal texts
multimodal texts in response to contextual factors
Text user The emphasis is on understanding the purposes of Text analyst The emphasis is on understanding that written, spoken, visual and multimodal texts are not neutral
different written, spoken, visual and multimodal texts and using but represent particular points of view and silence others
texts in different ways for different cultural and social functions
Building the field: Lesson organisation Teaching Strategy/Learning Activity: Resources:
and introduction:
In the unit sequence, this is the Introduction – Teacher- Guided Discovery – Teacher-Directed (Mayer, 2004) Book: Amber on
5th lesson. By this point, Directed Teacher will: the Mountain, by
students ideally will be Teacher will: Read the resolution of ‘Amber on the Mountain’. Ask the students how Amber resolved the Tony Johnston
becoming quite familiar with the Open with the lesson story’s complication; Amber not being able to write to Anna after Anna had left to go back to
structural elements of a inquiry question to engage the city. What actions did she take? Verb description
narrative, and some of the students’ thinking. game cards –
language features that can help Question: ‘What happens Ask the students if they remember any of the descriptive words that told of ‘how’ Amber differentiated by
create imagery to engage before a story ends?’ resolved her problem by learning to write, or how Anna reacted to Amber’s letter? Did she colour.
readers. have to try hard to learn to write, or was she an instant natural? Reread part of the text, and
Set up pairs for a think-pair- use the noticing strategy (Researching Numeracy Project Team, 2004) to bring attention to Egg timers
As a result, although some share exercise, and use the descriptive words the author chose to use: “she squeezed her pencil nearly to splinters”,
‘Building the Field’ and other probing questions and “she fainted (in surprise) right through the floor”. Draft books.
‘Modelling’ takes place here, the have students consider
activities embedded in this how familiar books and Question students about why they think the author wrote these actions in this way. Contrast
lesson skew further towards the films have been resolved. these words to more sedate descriptions, like ‘she held her pencil’, or ‘Anna was surprised’.
‘Joint Construction’ and Questions include: Are they What differences do descriptions make?
‘Independent Construction’ happy endings? How did
phases of the Teaching and the characters reach this
Learning cycle (Derewianka & ending? What actions had Students will:
Jones, 2016). to be taken? Listen to the book’s resolution, as read by the teacher. Retell some of the actions that Amber
took to resolve her problem, and ideally, pick up on the efforts she went to in order to teach
Similarly to the second lesson in Students will: herself how to write. Explain how they know she invested such efforts – through the author’s
the sequence detailed above, Take part in the think-pair- use of imagery.
the teacher ‘Builds the Field’ share activity, and ideally

around resolutions as students
are issued an inquiry question
about how known narrative
resolutions are developed. They
develop and access their ‘Text
Participant’ knowledge in order
to consider how character
Amber solves the problems she
faces in the focus text (Freeboy
& Luke, 1990, as cited in
Tompkins, 2010). Students are
also introduced or further
familiarised with the concept of
adverbs functioning as tools for
capturing reader interest and
describing character actions
through teacher highlighting of
key phrases in the text, and
subsequent ‘Modelling’
(Derewianka & Jones, 2016).
Both of these activities act as a
form of ‘Code Breaking’
(Freeboy & Luke, 1990, as cited
in Tompkins, 2010), as students
come to see the reason behind
author use of adverbs as a
literary device.
Students are positioned as ‘Text
Users’ (Freeboy & Luke, 1990,
as cited in Tompkins, 2010)
through playing the adverb
formation game, developing
their confidence to create
adverb groups. This form of
‘Joint Construction’ (Derewianka
& Jones, 2016) serves to
increase their self-efficacy in the
lead up to their first real foray
into ‘Independent Construction’,
as students are challenged to
write their own resolutions to an
example complication.
brainstorm examples of
actions that familiar
characters have taken to
bring about a resolution.
For example, students
might suggest actions such
as: search and dig for
buried treasure, fight in a
battle, learn a new skill, etc.
19
Articulate the differences in mental imagery evoked by the author, as opposed to those (or
the lack thereof) stimulated by the sedate versions.
Teacher will:
Explicitly detail that the types of words (or their groupings) that describe ‘how’ something is
done are called adverbs. These differ from adjectives in that they add detail to a verb (an
action word), rather than a noun (a person, place, or thing). Model a simple example of an
adverb, such as ‘the horse jumped gracefully’, and have students form another few examples
of both adverbs and adverb groups (eg. daringly, the boy quickly darted across the field in
pursuit of the kite).
Students will:
Assist the teacher to form jointly constructed adverbs and adverb groups, using the correct
metalanguage and applications where possible.
Exploration Part 1 – Student-Directed
Teacher will:
Introduce the following game, which requires students to form adverbs or adverb groups. In
groups of 4 (2 pairs), students will play a game in the style of ‘Articulate’. After flipping an egg
timer, they take turns taking a card, and need to state adverbs to describe the verb on the
card; for example, ‘run’. Different colours will be assigned to different verbs, denoting their
difficulty level, and students can choose which level of challenge they wish to take on.
Students will:
Engage in game play, taking turns to be the speaker. They will select their difficulty level,
ideally aiming to play at verbs within their readiness level. Their partner will record their
adverbs and adverb groups in the speaker’s draft book, scoring a point for each attempt, and
building their adverb vocabulary. Once the student has exhausted their ability to create
adverbs for that verb, they take another card and repeat, until the timer runs out.
Exploration Part 2 – Student-Directed
Teacher will:
Using students’ newfound confidence in forming adverbs and adverb groups, challenge
students to create an individually-written draft resolution.
Explain that this activity will be considered as a draft, and that there will be a rubric given to
help them succeed. Explain the rubric, which will assess their attempts to use adverbs and
adverb groups, and how well they were able to get their characters to resolve the problem.
Offer the students the narrative problem to be solved: a confident, 5 year old girl, and her tall,
but scared, 10 year old brother find themselves stuck in a garden maze. How can they find
their way out? Offer support where needed, primarily through the use of guided questioning.
 20

Students will:
Use their confidence in their ability to create adverbs and adverb groups, as well as their
familiarity with the narrative genre and what a resolution entails, to create a reasonable first
attempt at a resolution. Ideally, students will be able to inject description into actions through
the use of adverbs, and higher readiness students may even use previously taught detailing
strategies such as the use of noun groups or similes and metaphors to further add to their
narratives. These attempts will be recorded in their draft books, finishing off their narrative
element portfolios.

Conclusion – Teacher-Directed to Student-Directed

Students will:
Be prompted by the teacher to present their best adverb or adverb group example to the
class, and explain how this descriptive action leads to their narrative’s resolution.
Pre or post assessment strategies:
Formative assessment will be used in this lesson to give feedback to the students on their developing abilities to formulate adverbs and adverb groups, as well as inform them on
their grasp of the narrative element of resolution development. Students’ work will be assessed through use of a teacher-marked rubric, to which the students were introduced and
were supplied with prior to undertaking their resolution development task. Focus areas for marking will include their attempts to make adverbs, and how well these attempts assist
their reader to picture the action taking place in their resolutions. A short sentence or two of written feedback will be provided in order to further shape their development in these
areas.
Any special considerations:
Some differentiation has been included in this lesson through the provision of readiness-scaled game cards, colour coded by difficulty levels. The classroom culture in this
particular context has been developed to encourage students to have high expectations of themselves, and to take risks in association with growth mindset. As a result, it is hoped
that students will feel comfortable to select a difficulty level in line with their own readiness level for this task, or even challenge themselves to try a higher level (and then go back
down if they feel they are performing outside of their Zone of Proximal Development).

As this lesson closes with a writing task, and as some of the students in this class struggle with writing and spelling, attempts will be made to align the timing of this class to the
periods in which these students are provided with SSO support. Where this is not possible, provisions will be made for students to use technology such as laptops or tablets to
assist with word processing and/or online thesaurus use. Additionally, for those with very low writing and literacy levels, attempts could be made by the teacher to transcribe the
student’s verbal work into written form, or students could video record their ideas for later transcription. Direct teacher support can also be given to assist these students to
participate to their fullest ability when forming their resolutions, or also during the adverb forming game.
 21

References
Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA). (2010). English F-10 Curriculum. Retrieved March 31, 2018 from:
https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/english/?year=11578

Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITLS). (n.d.). Peer Feedback. Retrieved April 4, 2018 from: https://www.aitsl.edu.au/docs/default-
source/feedback/aitsl-peer-feedback-stratedy.pdf?sfvrsn=372dec3c_2

Derewianka, B. & Jones, P. (2016). Teaching Language in Context. Oxford University Press, South Melbourne.

Tompkins, Gail E. (2010). Literacy for the 21st century: a balanced approach. Allyn & Bacon, Boston.

Harrison, R. (2013). ‘Orientation/Setting Prompts’. Retrieved April 2, 2018 from: http://juniorsteps.global2.vic.edu.au/category/literacy/page/2/.

K12Reader.( 2011). ‘Adjectives Add Interest’. Retrieved April 2, 2018 from: http://fileserver.net-texts.com/asset.aspx?dl=no&id=117436.

Mayer, R. E. (2004). Should There Be a Three-Strikes Rule Against Pure Discovery Learning? American Psychologist, 59(1), pp. 14-19. Retrieved April 4, 2018 from:
http://ovidsp.tx.ovid.com.ezproxy.flinders.edu.au/sp-3.28.0a/ovidweb.cgi?&S=MLLFFPLNJCDDJENNNCFKOAIBLHLAAA00&Link+Set=S.sh.22%7c1%7csl_10.

Researching Numeracy Project Team. (2004). ‘Researching Numeracy Teaching Approaches in Primary Schools’. Australian Primary Mathematics Classroom, 9(4), pp. 27-
29. Retrieved 13 March 2018, from: https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ793947.

Scholastic.( 2018). ‘Story Starters Machine’. Retrieved April 5, 2018 from: http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/story-starters/adventure-writing-prompts/.

Through the Classroom Door.( 2017). ‘Peer Feedback’. Retrieved April 4, 2018 from: http://www.throughtheclassroomdoor.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/PEER-
FEEDBACK-SENTENCE-STARTERS.pdf.