Real Writing Year 5 - Unit 13
Model text: The Tragedy of Beddgelert, by Jon Mayhew
Curriculum links: Geography (Counties and Cities of the United Kingdom)
Unit overview
This writing unit for Year 5 is built around an original model text by Jon Mayhew; a retelling of the British legend of Beddgelert (‘Gelert’s grave’). The example text is available as a PDF in three versions (plain, illustrated and annotated); annotated and non-annotated PowerPoint presentations are also included.
In this two-week unit, pupils will investigate the main themes of the story: loyalty, tragedy and remorse. They will explore the meanings of those words, and consider how they might be used in other contexts. They will also look at the author’s use of figurative language to evoke a setting and create atmosphere and tension. Finally, they will plan and write their own story, based on a British legend of their choice.
Key curriculum skills
Two fully-resourced lessons are included for the following UKS2 English objectives, which can form part of the unit or be taught discretely:
1. Vocabulary - To use dictionaries to check the meaning of words
Pupils will: revisit alphabetical order; order words by checking 3rd, 4th and 5th letters; use a dictionary to check for spellings and meanings; explore the meaning of ‘revenge’ and ‘remorse’ and use both words in a piece of writing; use a thesaurus
2. Grammar - To use relative clauses beginning with who, which, where, when, whose, that
Pupils will: revisit pronouns; identify relative pronouns; differentiate between defining and non-defining relative clauses; play a ‘relative clauses’ game; write paragraphs using relative clauses
Revisited skills
- using fronted adverbials
- pronouns
Additional year 5 curriculum teaching points
- describing settings and creating atmosphere
- linking ideas using adverbials
- using a consistent tense when writing
Year 5 words: featured vocabulary
Spelling words: desperate, recognise
Tier 2 words: mounted, hides, loyalty, lodge, territory, shrill, milled, cursed, sodden, muzzle, revenge, snarl, tragic
Tier 3 words: Wales, mountainous, Snowdonia, valley, forests, cairn