Real Writing Year 6 - Unit 12
Model text: The life of Abu Bakr Mohammad Ibn al-Razi by Anita Loughrey
Curriculum Links: History (Early Islamic Civilisation)
Writing Unit Overview
This writing unit for Year 6 is built around an original model text by Anita Loughrey; a biographical recount of the life and achievements of al-Razi (also known as Rhazes). The example text is available as a PDF in three versions (plain, illustrated and annotated); annotated and non-annotated PowerPoint presentations are also included.
Through reading the model text, pupils will learn how early Islamic civilisations contributed significantly in the understanding of medicine and write their own biography about al- Kwharizmi, a prominent Muslim mathematician from the 9th century using information provided in the resource pack. This unit could be used as part of a topic on early Islamic civilisations, including Baghdad or the history of medicine.
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 knowledge of morphology and etymology when spelling words
Pupils will: create word families using the root word cards by adding prefixes and suffixes and exploring the word class for each word; write sentences for words within one word family, showing how meanings of the words have altered.
2. Composition: To précis longer passages of writing
Pupils will: write a précis of the biography of al-Razi.
Revisited objectives
- using paragraphs to organise ideas
- subordinate clauses
- using fronted adverbials
- commas to avoid ambiguity
- using brackets and commas to indicate parenthesis
Additional Year 6 objectives to teach or revisit
- use further organisational and presentational devices
- identify and use the perfect tense
- create cohesion using a wider range of devices
Year 6 vocabulary
Spelling words: achieve, determined, thorough
Tier 2 words: conduct, contradict, gild, ignorant, notable, systematic
Tier 3 words: alchemy, anaesthesia, concussion, cataract, distil, epilepsy, ethanol, holistic, observation, ointment, opium, paralysis