Real Writing Year 5 - Unit 21
Model text: The Beatles, by Jon Mayhew
Curriculum links: History, music
Unit overview
This writing unit for Year 5 is built around an original model text by Jon Mayhew; a magazine report about The Beatles. 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 learn how questions used as headings organise information, and how brackets, dashes and commas are used to indicate parenthesis. Pupils will also look at précising longer passages by summarising information found in magazine articles. Finally, they will write their own magazine article about a band of their choice. This unit could be planned into a topic on music or history.
Key curriculum skills
Two fully-resourced lessons are included for the following Y5/6 English objectives, which can form part of the unit or be taught discretely:
1. Composition - To précis longer passages of writing
Pupils will: understand what a précis is and how to write one; write a précis of the model text; collect examples of précis; create précis of books they are reading
2. Grammar: To use brackets, dashes or commas to indicate parenthesis
Pupils will: revisit commas, brackets and dashes; understand what is meant by parenthesis; identify examples of parenthesis; add parenthesis to sentences; use given parentheses in their own sentences; write a paragraph using parenthesis.
Revisited skills
- using co-ordinating and subordinating conjunctions
- avoiding repetition through the use of pronouns
- using paragraphs to organise ideas
Additional year 5/6 curriculum teaching points
- relative clauses
- using a wide range of devices to build cohesion (eg: the use of adverbial or prepositional phrases)
Year 5 words: featured vocabulary
Spelling words: rhythm, identity, signature
Tier 2 words: generation, influenced, musicians, vinyl records, docked, tribute, inspired, cultures, meditation, equality, tailored, segregated