You Will Need
Texts
Tales from Outer Suburbia by Shaun Tan
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Fiction
English Year 5 Summer Fantasy
Fantasy Stories by Shaun Tan
Inspirational short stories from Shaun Tan, guaranteed to stimulate amazing work. Explore use of modal verbs, parenthesis and dialogue. Write a short story in Shaun Tan-style.
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: Introducing Fantasy Stories by Shaun Tan
(suggested as 4 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
-- Participate in discussion about books, building on their own and others’ ideas and challenging views courteously.
-- Provide reasoned justification for their views.
-- Continuing to read and discuss an increasingly wide range of fiction, poetry, plays, non-fiction and reference books or textbooks.
-- Drawing inferences such as inferring characters’ feelings, thoughts and motives from their actions, and justifying inferences with evidence.
-- Predicting what might happen from details stated and implied.
-- Identifying how language, structure and presentation contribute to meaning.
-- Making comparisons within and across books.
-- Discuss and evaluate how authors use language, including figurative language, considering the impact on the reader.
-- Summarise the main ideas drawn from more than one paragraph, identifying key details to support the main ideas.
-- Precise longer passages.
Transcription
None for this unit
Composition
-- In writing narratives, consider how authors have developed characters and settings in what pupils have read, listened to or seen performed.
-- Assess the effectiveness of their own and others’ writing.
Grammar
None for this unit
Teaching and Activities
Day 1 Teaching
Explore the front and back cover of Tales from Outer Suburbia by Shaun Tan, making predictions about its stories.
Activity
Look in detail at the intricate drawings on the endpapers of the book, using these to predict its contents and inventing possible short story titles. Watch an interview with Shaun Tan and then look at and discuss the contents page of the book.
Day 2 Teaching
Read Eric from Tales from Outer Suburbia. Start by reading just the text in order to realise the importance of illustrations to Shaun Tan stories.
Activity
Talk about and answer questions about Eric. Look carefully at four illustrations from the story and speculate about what the characters might be saying.
Day 3 Teaching
Read Alert but not Alarmed from Tales from Outer Suburbia. Make notes about this story: its characters, plot, setting, language patterns, illustrations and the questions it leaves.
Activity
Read four more Shaun Tan stories, making similar notes then talk together about what they have in common.
Day 4 Teaching
Read Broken Toys from Tales from Outer Suburbia and make notes using Day 3’s headings. Read a short summary of the story, looking at how this has been written.
Activity
Write summaries of the Shaun Tan stories read on Day 3. Talk together about which of these stories could make a good board game.
Unit 2 SPAG: Using modal verbs to indicate degrees of possibility
(suggested as 3 days)
Objectives
Spoken Language
-- Use spoken language to develop understanding through speculating, hypothesising, imagining and exploring ideas.
Word Reading
None for this unit
Comprehension
-- Discussing their understanding of what they read and exploring the meaning of words in context.
-- Discuss and evaluate how authors use language, including figurative language, considering the impact on the reader.
-- Predicting what might happen from details stated and implied.
Transcription
None for this unit
Composition
Selecting appropriate grammar and vocabulary, understanding how such choices can change and enhance meaning.
Grammar
Use modal verbs to indicate degrees of possibility, certainty or ability
You Will Need
Texts
Tales from Outer Suburbia by Shaun Tan
Presentations
Grammar PowerPoint: Modal Verbs
Teaching and Activities
Day 1 Teaching
Read Eric from Tales from Outer Suburbia by Shaun Tan. Use a key sentence from this story to introduce modal verbs and use a Powerpoint to teach their use.
Activity
Complete a cloze procedure using modal verbs, thinking about their effect on meaning. Find further times that modal verbs are used in the story and consider whether others could be used.
Day 2 Teaching
Further explore illustrations from Eric. Read a reflection about the story and identify the modal verbs that it uses.
Activity
Read a further reflection, identifying modal verbs. Write own thoughts, using modal verbs. Listen for these in one another’s writing. Watch a video version of Eric and offer feedback, using modal verbs.
Day 3 Teaching
Look and talk about the text and illustrations at the end of the story of Eric. Revisit the list of Modal Verbs.
Activity
Produce an illustration to show where Eric goes next. Write about this with sentences that use modal verbs. Make a list together of possible titles for a sequel to Eric.
SPAG: Grammar and Punctuation
Modal Verbs PowerPoint
This presentation teaches about modal verbs, their use and the position they take in a sentence.
Unit 3 Comprehension: Exploring an imaginative text, The Lost Thing, in detail and making comparisons
(suggested as 4 days)
Objectives
Spoken Language
-- Articulate and justify answers, arguments and opinions.
-- Give well-structured descriptions.
-- Use spoken language to develop understanding through speculating, hypothesising, imagining and exploring ideas.
Word Reading
None for this unit
Comprehension
-- Read and discuss an increasingly wide range of fiction.
-- Identify and discuss themes and conventions in and across a wide range of writing.
-- Make comparisons within and across books.
-- Explain and discuss their understanding of what they have read, including through formal presentations and debates.
-- Participate in discussions about books, building on their own and others’ ideas and challenging views courteously.
-- Identify how language, structure and presentation contribute to meaning.
Transcription
None for this unit
Composition
-- Noting and developing initial ideas, drawing on reading and research where necessary.
-- Using a wide range of devices to build cohesion within and across paragraphs.
-- Assessing the effectiveness of their own and others’ writing.
Grammar
None for this unit
You Will Need
Texts
The Lost Thing by Shaun Tan
Tales from Outer Suburbia by Shaun Tan
Teaching and Activities
Day 1 Teaching
Explore key illustrations in The Lost Thing by Shaun Tan in detail, using them to make predictions about the story, its setting and characters. Read the first half of the story.
Activity
Work with a partner to observe and discuss three artworks that inspired Shaun Tan carefully as he wrote The Lost Thing. Discuss the use of other’s ideas when creating something new.
Day 2 Teaching
Talk about the dilemma facing the boy in The Lost Thing and hot-seat characters from the book giving him advice. Read to the end of the story together.
Activity
Discuss and then write questions about The Lost Thing. Look in particular at the last words of the story and use these to talk together about the theme of the story.
Day 3 Teaching
Read Undertow from Tales from Outer Suburbia. Analyse this story and then The Lost Thing talking about differences and similarities between the two stories.
Activity
Read and analyse four more Shaun Tan stories, starting to compare them to The Lost Thing. Watch the trailer for the film of The Lost Thing and debate which of the stories read would make the best movie.
Day 4 Teaching
Read an example comparison between Undertow and The Lost Thing. Talk about how this is structured. Choose a story to compare and make a paragraph plan.
Activity
Write and share comparisons. Discuss statements about Shaun Tan, make conclusions about his interests and themes and then think about your own interests and ideas as a writer.
Unit 4 SPAG Using dialogue in own writing effectively
(suggested as 4 days)
Objectives
Spoken Language
-- Use spoken language to develop understanding through speculating, hypothesising, imagining and exploring ideas.
-- Participate in role play.
Word Reading
None for this unit
Comprehension
-- Ask questions to improve their understanding; retrieve, record and present information from non- fiction.
-- Retrieve, record and present information from non- fiction.
-- Predict what might happen from details stated and implied.
-- Continue to read and discuss an increasingly wide range of fiction.
-- Discuss and evaluate how authors use language, including figurative language, considering the impact on the reader.
-- Participate in discussions about books, building on their own and others’ ideas and challenging views courteously.
-- Explain and discuss their understanding of what they have read.
Transcription
None for this unit
Composition
-- Integrating dialogue to convey character and advance the action.
-- Selecting appropriate grammar and vocabulary, understanding how such choices can change and enhance meaning.
Grammar (revision)
-- Use and punctuate direct speech (including punctuation within and surrounding inverted commas).
You Will Need
Texts
Cicada by Shaun Tan
Presentations
Grammar PowerPoint: Dialogue
Teaching and Activities
Day 1 Teaching
Explore the front cover of Cicada by Shaun Tan and make predictions about this story. Make a list of questions about cicadas to research.
Activity
Research cicadas finding out about their attributes and behaviour. Look at a haiku written about cicadas and speculate about how Shaun Tan might use them in his book.
Day 2 Teaching
Look at a picture from Cicada of the main character being bullied. Hot-seat the role of the humans. Use a Powerpoint to revise the punctuation of dialogue and talk about how dialogue in writing can make characters clear.
Activity
Role play the bullying scene, then write the dialogue that goes with it. Discuss how this dialogue has shown the characters clearly.
Day 3 Teaching
Revisit the punctuation of direct speech. Read a formal letter written to the main character in Cicada. Look at the illustration of the cicada clearing his desk. Talk together about the use of informal language in direct speech.
Activity
Role play the desk-clearing scene and record dialogue, including informal language.
Day 4 Teaching
Read the whole of Cicada by Shaun Tan and have time to talk about this story. Watch Shaun Tan talk about the book, its inspiration and his hopes for it.
Activity
Discuss questions relating to Cicada and record the answers to these in writing. Enjoy reading the book together again.
SPAG: Grammar and Punctuation
Dialogue PowerPoint
This presentation revises and consolidates the rules for punctuation of direct speech.
Unit 5 SPAG: Use brackets, dashes or commas to indicate parenthesis
(suggested as 3 days)
Objectives
Spoken Language
-- Participate in discussion.
Word Reading
None for this unit
Comprehension
None for this unit
Transcription
None for this unit
Composition
-- Using further organisational and presentational devices to structure text and to guide the reader, e.g. parenthesis.
-- Assess the effectiveness of their own and other’s writing.
-- Propose changes to vocabulary, grammar and punctuation to enhance effects and clarify meaning.
-- Select appropriate grammar and vocabulary, understanding how such choices can change and enhance meaning.
Grammar
-- Use brackets, dashes or commas to indicate parenthesis.
You Will Need
Texts
The Lost Thing by Shaun Tan
Presentations
Grammar PowerPoint: Parenthesis
Teaching and Activities
Day 1 Teaching
Write descriptive phrases about the The Lost Thing before reading or re-reading the story. Look at a sentence from the book that uses parenthesis and then use a Powerpoint to introduce punctuation for parenthesis.
Activity
Add parentheses to sentences about The Lost Thing. Work together to combine pairs of descriptive phrases into single sentences.
Day 2 Teaching
Discuss the characters in The Lost Thing and look carefully at an illustration of the city workers. Read sentences about this picture that use parenthesis and write a new sentence about them. Use Powerpoint to teach about how to decide which punctuation to use to show parentheses.
Activity
Write descriptions of characters from the illustrations of The Lost Thing. Look at Shaun Tan’s character notes for the character of the boy.
Day 3 Teaching
Read a book review of The Lost Thing and spot the examples of parentheses. Talk about the same questions that the reviewer has answered.
Activity
Write book reviews of The Lost Thing, including parentheses. Share and discuss them together, noticing how parentheses have been used.
SPAG: Grammar and Punctuation
Parenthesis PowerPoint
Children are introduced to the idea of adding extra information into a complete sentence and learn how to use commas, brackets and dashes to indicate parenthesis. They look at the effect that each of these types of punctuation have.
Unit 6 Composition: Plan and write a short story in the style of Shaun Tan
(suggested as 4 days)
Objectives
Spoken Language
None for this unit
Word Reading
None for this unit
Comprehension
None for this unit
Transcription
-- Choose the writing implement that is best suited for a task.
Composition
-- Identify the audience for and purpose of the writing, selecting the appropriate form and using other similar writing as models for their own.
-- Note and develop initial ideas, drawing on reading and research where necessary.
-- In writing narratives, consider how authors have developed characters and settings in what pupils have read, listened to or seen performed.
-- In narratives, describe settings, characters and atmosphere and integrate dialogue to convey character and advance the action.
-- Assess the effectiveness of their own and others’ writing.
-- Select appropriate grammar and vocabulary, understanding how such choices can change and enhance meaning.
-- Proofread for spelling and punctuation errors.
-- Propose changes to grammar, vocabulary and punctuation to enhance effects and clarify meaning.
Grammar
-- Use brackets, dashes or commas to indicate parenthesis.
-- Use and punctuate direct speech (including punctuation within and surrounding inverted commas).
You Will Need
Texts
Tales from Outer Suburbia by Shaun Tan
Optional Texts
Cicada by Shaun Tan
The Lost Thing by Shaun Tan
Presentations
Grammar PowerPoint: Summary
Teaching and Activities
Day 1 Teaching
Play a quiz about Shaun Tan stories. Discuss a way of planning stories and read about how Shaun Tan finds inspiration.
Activity
Work through activities to generate ideas for stories. Discuss these ideas with a partner and decide which to write.
Day 2 Teaching
Model how to use Story Notes and a Story Board to plan a story. Look at an example from Shaun Tan.
Activity
Use Story Notes and a Story Board to plan stories. Talk through stories with a partner and ask probing questions of one another.
Day 3 Teaching
Read a favourite Shaun Tan story together, noting some of the language features. Model how to use a Paragraph Plan before writing the first paragraph of a story.
Activity
Complete paragraph plans and then start to draft stories.
Day 4 Teaching
Model evaluating and improving a draft story, then proof-reading for errors. Talk about the use of illustrations and discuss Shaun Tan’s ideas about illustrating stories.
Activity
Work with a partner to finalise stories. Illustrate and display them. Reflect on learning about Shaun Tan.
SPAG: Grammar and Punctuation
Summary PowerPoint
This short presentation summarises the conventions for using commas, dashes and brackets to add parenthesis as well as the rules for punctuating direct speech.