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
research further into life
in 1918 to build on our
understandings of this
time period.
My Place episode ( On
tick, Episode 10: 1918,
Bertie)
(Appendix 1)

Picture chat:
-

Display picture
attached in
appendix 1.1 on
IWB.
Complete seethink-wonder
routine (orally).
Vocabulary
generated from
discussion is
recorded and
displayed on
word wall
(Gibbons,
2002).

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)

Shared viewing:
-

Display KWL chart on

IWB.
What do we already know
about life in 1918?
What significant event
occurred? Why is it
significant?
Fill in the know section
with students responses.
Watch My Place episode.
What further insight did
the clip give you into life
in 1918?
What are you still curious
about?
Fill in the want to know
section with students
responses.
Teacher chooses one topic
from the board and briefly
models how to locate
important information
from a website.

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)

Pair inquiry:
-

In pairs, students
choose one topic to
research further into.
e.g. may be looking
into the roles of
women in 1918.
Students are to locate
at least 5 VIPS during
their research before
writing a short
paragraph
summarising what they
have learnt.
Students display the
information gathered
from their research on
a poster (to be used as
a class
reference/resource).

Focus group (lower level):

-

Recap the episode

together and discuss
central themes from
the clip.
Together as a group
research one
wondering from this
time period.
Teacher scaffolds
student research.

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.

Share time:

Anecdotal notes:

KWL is displayed on
IWB.
Pairs are partnered
with another pair and
are to orally share
their findings about
their topic.
Each pair is to add an
interesting fact to the
learned section on
KWL chart (IWB)

(Directed at focus group)

- Students are able to
identify the main
themes in the clip to
help them better
understand life in
1918.
- When researching,
students are able to
identify important
information that is
relevant to the topic
being explored.

Building topic
knowledge

Teacher reads two short texts about life in 1918. After reading the texts, students are asked: what information was the same within the texts? What information was
different? Teacher fills in the Venn Diagram displayed on IWB with students responses. In pairs, students are given two texts to compare and contrast using an
online Venn diagram program. To conclude, ask pairs to share the similarities between texts and display these on a classroom poster labelled life in 1918.

We are learning to
compare and contrast
texts that focus on life in
1918/WW1.
(Appendix 2)
Building topic
knowledge
We are learning to make
inferences about how
different people were
affected by WW1.

Conduct a back-to-back viewing of My Place episode. Partner 1 watches the first minute fifty of the clip. In their pairs, students discuss the focus question: what
sort of emotions and feelings do you think Bertie was experiencing? Partner 1 must support their responses with evidence from the clip, focusing on body
language and facial expressions. Partner 2 must support their responses with what was spoken/heard in the clip. Partners swap roles and complete the same task
following the second half of the clip.

My place episode
(Impact of War, Episode
10: 1918, Bertie)
2.

Building text
knowledge/Mode
l the genre

Tuning in:
- Each group (4

We are learning to
identify the structure and
features of information
narratives.
(Appendix 3)

students in each)
are given three
pieces of paper
with a section of
a narrative on
each piece.
Students must
arrange the
pieces in the
correct order
before the timer
beeps (2
minutes).
Groups compare
their orders.

Read to and Retell:

-

How did you know

how to correctly order
the narrative?
Discuss the structure
of a narrative:
orientation,
complication, and
resolution.
Teacher reads aloud
the select text.
After the reading,
students are to orally
retell the story to a
partner, focusing on
what occurred in the
orientation,
complication, and

Story Grammar:
-

Each student is given

three headings
(orientation,
complication and
resolution).
Students are to place
the details from each
part of the text under
the correct heading as
they are reading.
Students compare their
responses with a
partner.
(Wing-Jan, p. 244)

Focus Group (lower level):

Share Time:
-

List one important

detail that occurred in
the orientation,
complication, and
resolution (think-pairshare).
How does having an
understanding of the
structure of narratives
enhance our narrative
writing?

Checklist:
-

Is the student able

to identify the basic
structure of a
narrative?
Is the student able
to match the details
and content within
the story to the
correct structure
heading?
Can the student
articulate what
theyve learnt?

resolution.

3.

Building text
knowledge/Mode
l the genre

We are learning to
determine what
information is factual and
fiction within an
information narrative.
(Appendix 4)

Tuning in:
A collection of sentences
are displayed on IWB,
drawing on their
knowledge of 1918,
students must place these
into either the fact or
fiction box.

Shared reading:
-

How do information
narratives differ from
other narratives?
Read aloud of an
information narrative.
Display a T-chart on the
IWB.
What information was
factual?
What information was
fiction?
Students record their
responses in the
appropriate column.

Shared reading of the

text.
Discussion about what
occurred in each part
of the narrative.
(Pre-prepared):
Important details are
individually listed on
strips of paper.
Students must work
together to place these
under the appropriate
structure heading.

Graphic organiser:
-

Each table group is

given a different text to
analyse. In pairs,
students record factual
and fiction information
from the narrative on a
T-chart.
Once completed, pairs
rejoin with their table
groups and compare
their T-charts,
justifying why they
have placed
information in either
column.

Focus group (higher level):

-

Shared reading of an
information narrative.
Discuss and record
how the factual
information is
conveyed to the reader
through characters,
events, settings etc.

Share time:
- How do you

determine whether
information is fiction
or factual?
How can factual
information be
integrated into a
narrative?

Anecdotal notes:
Record students
understandings of how
factual information can be
woven into narratives.

(Wing-Jan, 256)
4.

Guided
activities to
develop
vocabulary or
specific
language
feature

We are learning to use

descriptive language to
enhance meaning in our
writing.
My Place episode
(Armistice, Episode 10:
1918, Bertie)

Tuning in:
A collection of
descriptive words are
placed around the mat.
-

What do all of
these words have
in common?
What do we call
this group of
words?

Non-example:
-

(Appendix 5)
-

A short information
narrative that includes
no or little descriptive
language is displayed
on IWB
Shared reading of the
narrative.
What was wrong with
the story?
How could we make it
more engaging for the
reader?
Discuss the importance
of using descriptive
language to help the
reader visualise what
they are reading.
Ask students where
they would place
adjectives or adverbs
and why.
Create a 1918 word
wall of descriptive
words.

See - think- wonder:

-

Students are to choose

from a selection of
images on their I-pads
that reflect life in 1918
& WW1.
In pairs, students
orally complete seethink-wonder routine
using the chosen
image.
Reiterate the
importance of using
descriptive language
(encourage students to
revisit word wall if
struggling).

Focus group (lower level):

-

Interactive writing:
teacher and students
jointly compose a short
text on a large poster,
focusing on using
descriptive language.
Watch My Place
episode.
Focus for paragraph:
What is Berties
character like? How
has he been affected by
the war? (Students
have explored this in a
previous lesson so they
are familiar with the
content).

Share time:
-

Think-pair-share: how
can descriptive words
enhance our
information
narratives?

Checklist:
-

Are students able to

contribute
appropriate ideas
that link to the topic
during the
interacting writing?
Do students show
an understanding of
what descriptive
words are and their
purpose?
Are students able to
suggest and include
descriptive words
into the joint
writing?

5.

Guided
activities to
develop
vocabulary or
specific
language
feature

We are learning to use

first-person pronouns
when writing from a
particular viewpoint.

(Appendix 6)

Tuning in:
Two short paragraphs
displayed on IWB.
- First paragraph
contains the
following
highlighted
words: I, me,
my, and mine.
- Second
paragraph
contains the
highlighted
words: our, ours,
we, and us.
What group of words are
highlighted?
What is the difference
between the words in
paragraph 1 and 2?

Shared viewing:
-

Discuss personal
pronouns: both
singular and plural.
Why and when do we
use them?
Watch YouTube clipJournal Entries of
WW1 soldier.
On sticky notes,
students record the
personal pronouns
used in the clip and
how they were used.
Students share
responses.

Independent writing:
-

Focus group (higher

level):
-

Guided
activities to
develop
vocabulary or
specific
language
feature
We are learning to
identify how descriptive
words convey meaning in

Students will draw on

their knowledge of
WW1 to construct a
diary entry.
Students are to use
first-person nouns to
write from the
perspective of a soldier
after returning home.

Students are to read a

collection of short
narratives written in
first person.
Group discussion
focusing on the
advantages and
disadvantages of a
narrative being written
in first person.
Responses are
recorded on a large
poster with two Tcharts.

Share time:
-

How did using

personal pronouns
enhance your
narrative writing?
Focus group shares
advantages and
disadvantages of
writing from firstperson.

Anecdotal:
-

Demonstrates an
understanding that
the perspective of
the writer
significantly
influences the text.
Critically analyses
the texts to
articulate the
advantages and
disadvantages of
writing from first
person.

(Wing-Jan, 240)
Dictogloss: teacher reads a passage about life in 1918. After listening to the text being read twice, students jot down key words in the text, focusing on the
descriptive words that were used to describe this time period. In groups of three, students reconstruct the passage before comparing their reconstructed text with
another group.
(Hertzberg, 2011)

a passage of writing.
Joint
construction of
text.

As a class create a story map based on the chosen MyPlace episode (re-watch clip). The story map must draw on the important events and places and the key
factual information mentioned in the clip.

We are learning to create a

story map by drawing on
key information from the
MyPlace clip.

Joint
construction
of text.

Jointly construct a draft orientation for an information narrative. What makes an orientation engaging and entertaining?
In groups students are to construct a draft of a complication that follows on from the orientation. Groups pair together with another group to share their drafts,
offering warm and cool feedback to one-another.

We are learning to work

collaboratively to construct
an
orientation
and
complication
of
an
information narrative.

Independent
construction of
text
We are learning to plan
for the writing of an
information narrative.
Independent
construction
of text.
We are learning to self
assess our writing.

Discuss: How can we convey factual information through the characters, setting, complication or events? Provide an example for students.
Independent writing: planning for narratives. Students are to focus their narratives on life in 1918, and are to either use a setting, a character or an issue that arose
in the My Place episode as a basis for their writing. Students are provided with a planning sheet that has guiding questions and headings to focus their research and
planning (Wing-Jan, 2009, 264). Students create a story map that summarises their narrative plan, inserting factual information in the narrative structure where
appropriate.
Use an example of a students information narrative from the previous year and ask students to highlight the language and structural features. What did the writer
well? How do you think the writer could improve their narrative?
In small groups, students share their story maps and discuss their ideas for their narratives (this is to provide guidance for students who may be struggling).
Students begin constructing a draft of their information narrative. After completing first draft, students use a checklist to identify things they have done well and
things that may need improving.
The next two to three lessons are dedicated to students finalising their drafts and editing their writing using feedback from their peers and teacher.