Teaching and Learning Sequence – Think of an Eel by Karen Wallace Y2

Curricular target:

Y2 Strand 9: Make adventurous word and language choices appropriate to the style and purpose of the text.
Teaching Guided Work Learning
linked to (I can … / I know… / I
understand…)
sequence
(speaking &
listening; reading,
planning, writing)
Indicate group and
focus for session
and link to pupil
targets)

Familiarisation/ Immersion in text/Analysis

• Activating prior knowledge: Discuss what they know of eels– have

they read or seen anything which they can talk about? What can we Speaking and • I can re tell my
expect from a picture book in the way the story is told? How do we listening, reading, version of the
read this particular book? Dual text idea. What name would you give planning, writing. Eel text
to this type of book? Indicate group and
focus for session Success Criteria:
• First hand experiences in order to make connections with the text: and link to pupil
• I know and can
Watch film of eels? targets.
talk about the
• Introducing and reading the core text: Put images and non-fiction structure,
language and
sentences into Powerpoint, with narrative element recorded as a
features of
sound file, or read to the children while that slide is showing.
‘Think of an
• Model book talk using Likes, Dislikes Puzzles and Patterns. Also eel’
focus on the effect the fiction and non fiction elements have on the Text:
reader. The text is cyclical,
following the life cycle
• Discuss the technical language of the eel book. Eg ‘glass elver.’
of an eel.
Record on working wall.

• Play alliteration games which focus on the appearance and

movement of the eels eg slippery, slidey, slinky. Warming up the Sentence/ Word :
word Text has these
language features:
• Play ‘Paint the Picture’ to support imaging of the eels’ watery world.
Simile
Warming up the word
Alliteration
• Model writer talk: Fiction - rhythms of language, alliteration and
repeated phrases, similies and metaphors, extended sentences. Non Present tense
fiction :specialist vocabulary, adverbials for precision, short Third person
sentences, effect of present tense.
Technical language
• Watch BBC DVD (Nature’s Great Events) of the Salmon’s journey in
sections. Map bare bones and parts of life cycle in groups. Simple, compound and
• Draw out how the salmon journey is similar to that of the eel. Make complex sentences.
connections and discuss key aspects. Non-fiction:
• Look at pictures which depict the lifecycle of a salmon. predominantly
• Fact finding about the salmon’s life. Have you found any new words subject/verb – simple
about salmon you might want to use? Save/ record. noun phrase

Purposeful Sentence Level Work (Teach, practise and apply related Blueprint:
sentence level objectives) • Birth
• Changing and
• Sentences which start with the subject in the non-fiction, e.g. Baby growth
eels are born in early spring. Discuss differences between the • A challenging
sentence starts in the non-fiction part and the fiction sections. journey they
Collect and sort in groups of 4. Make 2 lists, one fiction one non have to make
fiction. Eg repeated sentence starters. ‘Imagine….’ • Reach the end
• Use pages 6/7 and 20/21 to write non-fiction sentences for the and lay eggs
images and narrative on those pages, thinking about how the picture • Death
gives you the information. Keep to the non-fiction style.

• Finding and writing similes to describe. Use a model from the book
eg He looks like a willow leaf.’
 • Focus on the time subordination in the text: when, while, as, after.
Learning and Remembering Texts
Everyone learns the whole non fiction eel text.
• Learn the bare bones of the whole text by learning all the non chron
text (map it, step and say)
• Learn section of the literacy non fiction in groups and then put the
whole together. Need to hear the two texts together
• (page 8/9 split into 2 sections, p9/10, p11/12 4 groups)
• Map the section
• Add actions
• Step it
• Say it
Map the text in a circle and model starting the story at different points.

• Generate success criteria for this type of story with the children.
Record on the working wall. Make sure the children know the
blueprint for the Eel story.

• I know which
Capturing Ideas
kind of book I
Group children
Capturing Content am going to
together who
Gathering Ideas, expanding ideas, selection of content make and
need to work on
Oral rehearsal of both the narrative information and the non-fiction element know how to
similar aspects of
for the salmon. make it
capturing
Draw own map for whole of the salmon story. content, structure • I can talk about
and language the changed
Warming up the Word: Usual words in unusual combinations features. setting for my
Watch clip. The watch it again and generate vocabulary as a brainstorm story
(record as they watch the second time). Record the words into three columns • I have made a
electronically (think about sound/colour etc) plan/map
which sticks to
the pattern of
Capturing structure and language features the story (see
Sequencing of content, refining language blueprint in
• Sequencing activity to get the order of the life cycle right success
• Plan structure of writing, around a life cycle format. criteria)
• I can use my
Planning for the reader map to tell my
Non fiction focus story to a
Model first then children work in pairs. partner before I
Oral activity : write it
Watch the section of DVD with no sound and orally generate a caption for the
section.
Repeat and orally generate the literary non fiction.

Buddy up with another pair: tell your page and give/receive feedback.

Learning and Remembering Texts:

Pair children up to tell their own Salmon text using their map as a prompt.
Shared Writing
Brisk pace and clearly focused on the key elements from the blueprint and
the language features. Talking aloud, decision making, referring to a plan,
handing over to the children at key points, reflecting on the model Eel text,
don’t take the first idea.
‘Its my writing!’ Really emphasise that the writer is in charge of the ideas
chosen and how they are used.

Toolkit:
Literary NF
•Simile
•Alliteration
•Strong verb
•Adverbials
 •Extended sentences/variation of sentence length
•Power of 3

Caption:
•Impersonal
•Generic
•Short sentences

• Model parts of the Salmon text

Scaffolding Independent writing

• An important scaffold when the children are writing independently is the working wall, which will have been built up
throughout the sequence.

• Plan/map will be a useful prompt while writing but they will need to stick to it!

• Personal spelling journal and word banks and magpie book available

• ‘Tense detectives’ buddy work to check for present tense consistency.

Key learning Outcome

Work in pairs to write a collaborative version of the story of a salmon innovating on the eel
text. Two children write the non fiction and two write the fiction. (mixed ability)
All children must… Most children should…
• Apply the voice of think of an eel to • Write in the correct
their own writing about a salmon. voice for the text they
• Make some attempt to vary are writing.
sentence openings • Vary sentence
openings appropriately
• Show some apt
vocabulary choices
Some children could…
• Use imaginative and
adventurous language
in literary non fiction
• Use precise, clear
language for captions
• Use a wider range of
sentence openings