Day 1 Teaching
Read a poem, Don’t by Barrie Wade, and use this to enable a discussion of the differences between written and spoken English, the use of contractions, missing words and slang, etc.
Activities
Children study a list of differences between written and spoken English and then write some sentences in spoken English, using the features of this form and basing what they write on a familiar poem.
Day 2 Teaching
Read two poems from the collection and use these to highlight the difference between informal and more formal ways of writing what is said. Study what is said by two characters: one speaking in Standard English and one in a more informal dialect.
Activities
Children use their understanding of the differences between colloquial (chatty) English and more formal Standard English to re-write sentences in the former style. They then write their own sentences using Standard English.
Day 3 Teaching
Children read two poems, one of which is written in dialect. Discuss how we have a wonderful variety of ways of speaking – a massive advantage to us all. Look at these differences, and also at how we can, when we want to, write things using what is often called ‘Standard English’. (Important: see notes before plan.)
Activities
Children re-write what the poem is about in Standard English. They then write a poem of their own in a similar format, but using Standard English.