You Will Need
Texts
The Roman Record by Paul Dowswell
Escape From Pompeii by Christina Balit
Websites
Explosion in Pompeii
Recreation of Vesuvius erupting
Other websites (see resources)
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English Blocks or English Plans?
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Hamilton Group Readers
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Free English Resources on Hamilton
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Non-fiction
English Year 3 Autumn Recounts
Newspaper Recounts
Read Escape to Pompeii by Christina Balit & The Roman Record by Paul Dowswell. Research, take notes & write newspaper recounts. Study the perfect form & adverbs for time & place.
We recommend that you start with the core unit, the heart of this English block of study. This introduces key textual material and sets the tone for any further units you wish to teach. These can be selected on the basis of the needs of your class – look at the green icons to identify the unit’s particular focus: SPAG, Composition or Comprehension. Whichever units you choose, we suggest teaching them in order, as there is a built-in progression indicated by the numbering.
‘UNIT PLAN’ gives you a text version of all parts of the unit to use in your school planning documentation. ‘DOWNLOAD ALL FILES’ gives you that unit plan plus all of the associated documents.
Unit 1 Core: Features of newspapers; reading and writing reports
(suggested as 3 days)
Objectives
Spoken language
-- Listen and respond appropriately
-- Maintain attention and participate actively in collaborative conversations
Word reading
-- Read aloud and understand the meaning of new words they meet
Comprehension
-- Discuss their understanding and explain the meaning of words in context
-- Read books that are structured in different ways and reading for a range of purposes
-- Identify themes and conventions
-- Identify main ideas drawn from more than one paragraph
Transcription
None for this unit
Composition
-- Compose and rehearse sentences orally
-- Organise paragraphs around a theme
-- Use organisational devices
Grammar
None for this unit
Teaching and Activities
Day 1 Teaching
Introduce Recounts. Ask if children remember the features of a recount. Hold up The Roman Record and discuss what sort of a text it is. Agree that it is a newspaper made to look as if it were written in Roman times. We shall read it today.
Activity
Children read copies of The Roman Record front cover. They help each other to read unknown words and discuss what they have read. They highlight layout features of newspapers.
Day 2 Teaching
Read 4 pages of Escape from Pompeii. This is a recount, giving us information about a past event written in the third person and using the past tense. Remind children that, when writing in the third person, the story is written about other people rather than from the perspective of the writer or the reader.
Activity
Children read 5 pages of Escape from Pompeii, helping each other work out unknown words. They then answer differentiated comprehension questions. Finally, they write a list of the key events.
Day 3 Teaching
Use the Timeline from Day 2. Say that this gives us notes for a recount. We may need a few more facts but we can now write a newspaper article based on this information. Remind children of key features: big headline, columns, captions, pictures, bold font for important words, quotes etc.
Activity
Children use the timeline and notes from Day 2 to identify 3 or 4 paragraph themes about the build up to the eruption. They then write a very simple newspaper recount based on this.
Unit 2 SPAG: Verb tense, perfect form and role-play
(suggested as 3 days)
Objectives
Spoken language
-- Use spoken language to develop understanding through speculating, hypothesising, imagining and exploring ideas
-- Participate in performances
Word reading
None for this unit
Comprehension
None for this unit
Transcription
-- Spell words that are often misspelt
Composition
None for this unit
Grammar
-- Use the present perfect form of verbs in contrast to the past tense
(Revise simple past and present verb forms)
You Will Need
Texts
The Roman Record by Paul Dowswell
Escape from Pompeii by Christina Balit
Presentations
Grammar PowerPoint: Verbs: Tense and Form
Teaching and Activities
Day 1 Teaching
Use the PowerPoint: Verb tenses and forms to introduce the concept of a verb. Identify present and past tense, including continuous forms of these.
Activity
Provide children with a text about a Roman woman written in the present text. Children identify the verbs and re-write in the past tense. Differentiated texts are provided.
Day 2 Teaching
Recap the simple past tense and introduce the perfect form using the PowerPoint: Verb tenses and forms. Discuss the use of the perfect form and identify examples. Change past tense to perfect form.
Activity
Provide children with the differentiated sheets with examples of the simple past tense on one side. Children work in pairs to change each sentence to the present perfect form.
Day 3 Teaching
Flick through the pages of Escape from Pompeii, look at illustrations and read select sentences to highlight what everyday life was like. Record events and actions using the perfect form of verbs.
Activity
Get children into groups of 4/5 where they role-play a short scene thinking about the actions, thoughts and feelings of the people in Pompeii. They develop their scene, then answer the question: What happened? using the perfect form.
SPAG: Grammar and Punctuation
Tense and Form PowerPoint
Teach children about verbs, noting what defines an active verb. Explain tense, and introduce present, simple past, then present perfect form.
Unit 3 SPAG: Adverbs expressing time and place, newspaper structure and language
(suggested as 3 days)
Objectives
Spoken language
-- Use spoken language to develop understanding through speculating, hypothesising, imagining and exploring ideas
-- Participate in discussions
Word reading
None for this unit
Comprehension
-- Discuss words and phrases that capture the reader’s interest and imagination
-- Identify how language, structure, and presentation contribute to meaning
-- Identify themes and conventions
Transcription
-- Write from memory simple sentences, dictated by the teacher
-- Increase the legibility, consistency and quality of their handwriting
Composition
-- Compose and rehearse sentences orally
-- Discuss and record ideas
Grammar
-- Use adverbs to express time and place
You Will Need
Texts
The Roman Record by Paul Dowswell Usborne
Presentations
Grammar PowerPoint: Adverbs: Expressing Time and Place
Teaching and Activities
Day 1 Teaching
Use ‘Flying Kick Sparks Racing Riot’ (p.31 The Roman Record) to recap on features of a newspaper recount. Discuss the use of an opening summary paragraph and quotes as features of a newspaper report.
Activity
Provide children with an article to read and discuss from The Roman Record – differentiated pages suggested. Children discuss and answer a series of questions about the text.
Day 2 Teaching
Use the PowerPoint: Adverbs to introduce the concept of time and place adverbs. Identify and use time and place adverbs to modify verbs.
Activity
Children complete a dictation and identify time and place adverbs within it. They write their own sentences that include such adverbs.
Day 3 Teaching
Recap on learning from Day 2 using the PowerPoint: Adverbs. Read the chariot racing text to children and consider what a chariot race might feel like to experience or watch.
Activity
Get children into small groups where they role-play a chariot race thinking about how they would describe the actions using adverbs. They develop notes about their scene then write a recount about their race that includes time and place adverbs.
SPAG: Grammar and Punctuation
Adverbs Expressing Time and Place PowerPoint
Children explore different adverbs, noting that some end in –ly. Demonstrate how adverbs are used to add information about time, place or manner.
Unit 4 Composition: Extended writing: a researched newspaper recount report
(suggested as 3 days)
Objectives
Spoken language
None for this unit
Word reading
None for this unit
Comprehension
-- Identify main ideas drawn from more than one paragraph
-- Retrieve and record information from non-fiction
Transcription
None for this unit
Composition
-- Compose and rehearse sentences orally
-- Discuss and record ideas
-- Organise paragraphs around a theme
-- Use organisational devices
-- Assess the effectiveness of their own and others’ writing and suggest improvements
-- Propose changes to grammar and vocabulary to improve consistency
Grammar
-- Use adverbs to express time and cause
You Will Need
Texts
The Roman Record by Paul Dowswell Usborne
Escape From Pompeii by Christina Balit
Websites
Explosion in Pompeii
Recreation of Vesuvius erupting
Other websites (see resources)
Teaching and Activities
Day 1 Teaching
Recap on features of a newspaper recount then share and discuss Pliny the Younger’s recount letter from the time of the eruption. Model how to make research notes and how to present direct speech (quotes) within a newspaper report.
Activity
Provide children with access to the Internet, books, and a copy of Pliny the Younger’s letter, for them to use to make research notes.
Day 2 Teaching
Use the Internet video to consolidate knowledge of the eruption. Recap on some of the most effective features of a newspaper recount and remind children of the importance of structure.
Activity
Children complete a first draft of their newspaper report. They should include a summary opening paragraph, quotes and other key features of a newspaper recount.
Day 3 Teaching
Revise adverbs for time and place. Share a good example of children’s writing and show how to improve it, encouraging children to use adverbs.
Activity
Children write a final draft of their newspaper recount. They include time and place adverbs.