5/6D Writing: Information Report
Stage 3 Writing: Recount Term: Weeks: 1 – 10
Foundation StatementStudents communicate effectively, using considered spoken language to entertain, inform and influence audiences for an increasing range of purposes. They work productively and independently, in pairs or groups to deliver effective oral presentations using various skills and strategies. Students listen attentively to gather specific information and ideas, recognising and exploring how spoken and written language differ, and how spoken language varies according to context. Students evaluate characteristic language features and organisational patterns of challenging spoken texts.
Students independently read and view an extensive range of complex texts and visual images using a comprehensive range of skills and strategies. They respond to themes and issues within texts, recognise point of view and justify interpretations by referring to their own knowledge and experience. Students identify, critically analyse and respond to techniques used by writers to influence readers through language and grammar. They identify text structure of a range of complex texts and explore how grammatical features work to influence an audience’s understanding of written, visual and multimedia texts.
Students write well-structured and well-presented literary and factual texts for a wide range of purposes and audiences, dealing with complex topics, ideas, issues and language features. They write well-structured sentences, effectively using a variety of grammatical features. Students spell most common words accurately, and use a variety of strategies to spell less common words. They use a fluent and legible style to write and employ computer technology to present written texts effectively in a variety of ways for different purposes and audiences. Students evaluate the effectiveness of their writing by focusing on grammatical features and the conventions of writing.
Social Purpose
Recounts ‘tell what happened’. The purpose of a factual recount is to document a series of events and evaluate their significance in some way. The purpose of the literary or story recount is to tell a sequence of events so that it entertains. The story recount has expressions of attitude and feeling, usually made by the narrator about the events.
Structure
Recounts are organised to include:« an orientation providing information about ‘who’, ‘where’ and ‘when’;
« a record of events, usually recounted in chronological order;
« personal comments and/or evaluative remarks that are interspersed throughout the record of events;
« a reorientation that ‘rounds off’ the sequence of events.
Outcomes
WS 3.9 Produces a wide range of well-structured and well-presented literary and factual texts for a wide variety of purposes and audiences using increasingly challenging topics, ideas, issues and written language features.
WS 3.10 Uses knowledge of structure, grammar and punctuation to edit own writing.
WS 3.11 Spells most common words accurately and uses a range of strategies to spell unfamiliar words.
WS 3.12 Produces texts in a fluent and legible style and uses computer technology to present these effectively in variety of ways.
WS 3.13 Critically analyses own texts in terms of how well they have been written, how effectively they present the subject matter and how they influence the reader.
WS 3.14 Critically evaluates how own texts have been structured to achieve their purposes and discusses ways of related grammatical features and conventions of written language to shape readers’ and viewers’ understanding of texts.
Indicators
« Responds to recounts in more varied ways, e.g. creating epilogues, prologues, book reviews/reports, character analysis.
« Writes detailed descriptions using imagery.
« Writes research accounts, e.g. historical, biographical, recording information from at least one source before writing.
ESL Scales : Reading and Writing
ESL Scales levels: Reading and Responding 1, 2 Writing 1, 2
ê Encourage students to write recounts of shared experiences in their first language. If possible, have translated to use for activities.
ê Construct cloze based on joint construction of a simple recount, deleting nouns (to focus on who or what was involved) or verbs (to focus on the action that took place).
ê Collate students’ own recounts to provide reference of vocabulary and examples of text type.
ê Arrange for students to use a camera or video camera to document a school event, excursion, day in the life of. Use to jointly construct a recount.
ESL Scales levels: Reading and Responding 3, 4, 5 Writing 3, 4, 5
ê Practice building sentences for recounts, focusing on who, what, when and where.
ê Use a recount of a known topic as the basis for a jumbled text. Ask students to reorder the text. Discuss language features that gave them clues, eg time connectives, use of pronouns, topic knowledge.
ê Provide models of historical recounts for identifying language features, eg conjunctions of time.
ê Construct cloze to focus on common conjunctions, connectives and past tense verbs; a bank of these words can be built up through repeated recount events.
ê Build up a bank of past and present tense verbs by collating students’ recounts.
ESL Scales levels: Reading and Responding 6, 7 Writing 6, 7
ê Use a historical recount as the basis for constructing a timeline of the person’s life. Use the time markers supplied in the text. Make explicit the different ways time can be represented.
ê Jointly construct a checklist for editing a recount. Keep it displayed for students to refer to. Provide examples of each type of edit.
« Compare the orientation of two different historical recounts, locating the way the who/what/when/where information is provided in the texts.
Content – Early Stage 3
WS3.9 Learning to Write - Producing Texts« Participate in frequent joint and independent activities to construct a wide range of literary and factual texts
« Consolidate skills in locating resources and accessing information in preparation for writing.
« Produce a variety of texts, using a range of technology, for different audiences.
« Produce texts with attention to design, layout and graphics
WS3.10 WS3.11 WS3.12 Learning to Write - Skills and Strategies« Proofread their own texts for meaning, spelling and punctuation.
« Use a variety of spelling resources and strategies to spell unfamiliar words.
« Use correct structure, grammar and punctuation when producing texts.
« Use variety of references to assist writing and editing
« Develop fluent NSW Foundation Style handwriting.
« Experiment with computer technology to produce different texts / WS3.13Learning about Writing - Context and Text« Structure activities so that students write a variety of texts for different purposes and audiences across a range of topics.
« Provide opportunities for students to reflect analyse and evaluate their own writing and that of others.WS3.14
Learning About Writing - Language Structures and Features« Model the editing of writing for consistency of point of view, cohesive structure and appropriate use of language for the intended audience.
« Assist students to identify the techniques used in argumentative and persuasive texts to influence the reader, and apply these to writing where appropriate.
« Model ways of providing specific and constructive comments about their own writing and the writing of others during peer conferencing sessions.
« Discuss with students how cohesive texts are constructed.
« Model how to change the theme of a clause and discuss the effects of such changes, linking change in theme to the use of active and passive verbs.
« Design activities for students to recognise how grammar is used in constructing effective texts.
Content – Later Stage 3
WS3.9 Learning to Write - Producing Texts« Produce well-planned, coherent, extended texts by applying knowledge about the writing process, eg researching, drafting, revising, editing, proofreading, structuring paragraphs.
« Write and creatively manipulate a range of text types to more sophisticated levels, eg researched historical recounts, detailed descriptions, sustained arguments and discussions with evidence, responses to artworks, multimedia projects.
« Relate to audiences through subtle use of language, eg humour, modality, irony
« Write texts that deal with more complex and detailed subject matter to high levels of technicality and abstraction.
« Combine various channels of communication in multimedia texts, eg poetry, dramatic performance, business letters, diagrams, illustrations.
WS3.10 WS3.11 WS3.12 Learning to Write - Skills and Strategies« Gain control over a comprehensive range of grammatical features and punctuation that contribute to the purpose, meaning and clarity of texts.
« Apply knowledge of spelling conventions and strategies to ensure a high level of spelling accuracy.
« Experiment with personal handwriting style to enhance fluency, speed, legibility and appeal.
« Consolidate computer skills when using a range of computer software and applications, eg tables, borders and graphics, word processors, authoring software, web pages. / WS3.13 Learning about Writing - Context and Text« Model how to reflect on written texts in order to enhance the quality of their own writing, eg use of organisational patterns to influence readers, use of literary devices to enhance stories and poems, techniques for taking into account the interests and needs of audiences, strategies for selecting and working with a range of topics.
« Teach students to reflect critically on the effectiveness of their own writing, eg how entertaining their stories are, whether their explanations are clear, how easy it is to retrieve information from their information reports.
WS3.14 Learning About Writing - Language Structures and Features
« Initiate discussions about the structure, grammatical features and conventions in written texts with the view to students applying this knowledge in their own writing, eg the use of dependent clauses to add detail, the use of adjectives and adjectival clauses to build character in narratives, how the elements of a clause are ordered to facilitate the flow of the text, how effective punctuation enhances readability
Grammar Focus
« Using the noun group to build up descriptions, eg the thick scrub on the Blue Mountains; the outstanding Australian athlete, Cathy Freeman.
« Using reported speech, eg The explorers Blaxland, Wentworth and Lawson said that their journey was very difficult at times.
« Using various combinations of clauses, eg When the explorers reached Mount York they could see the western plains below, but they decided not to continue any further.
« Using connectives.
« Using evaluative language in factual recounts, eg Greenway was an important architect.
« Using evaluative language in personal recounts, eg It was an exciting experience.
Grammar Terminology
Students at this stage will be using terms such as:
« conjunction, eg when, then;
« connective, eg first, next;
« reported speech, eg Cathy Freeman said that she was excited about her win; noun group, eg the convict architect Francis Greenway.
Teaching and Learning Experiences
Lesson 1: / Date
ê Share a variety of recounts in relation to historical and biographical topics.
ê Explore the use of timelines for writing a historical recount.
ê Brainstorm what children already know about a recount.
ê Model a timeline about a recent class experience or current world issue (excursion, newspapers) and discuss important grammatical features and structure of a recount.
Lesson 2: / Date
ê Display the wide range of familiar recounts (from Lesson 1) and briefly revise the main message of each.
ê Model a recount in the form of a diary (The Diary of Anne Frank, Steve Waugh Diary of a Cricket Tour) and encourage children to actively participate and to write the recount collaboratively. Emphasise the language and grammatical features as well as the structure of the diary recount (eg, 1st person,etc).
ê Children can either complete the recount that was started collaboratively or write an independent one of their own choice.
Lesson 3: / Date
ê Children divide into groups to research a common topic (sportsperson, explorer, artist) from a variety of sources (internet, library).
ê Provide a pro forma for children to use to collect information (see writing tools module) about a series of events (i.e., When, What, Who, etc).
ê Using the above information children use this to write a factual recount, eg, landing on the moon.
Lesson 4: / Date
ê Examining Language and Grammatical features. Read children a recount in first person and ask them to identify what changes would need to take place when changing the literary recount from first person to third person. Jointly construct this change and compare the two pieces of writing.
ê Discuss the effects these changes make our understanding of the events.
Lesson 5: / Date
ê Develop a “Recount Bank” of all the different types of recounts that students encounter and encourage children to identify the purpose of each recount.
ê Homework: Newspaper Search. Children need to find an example of a recount from newspapers, magazines, etc. They then need to identify the purpose of the article and its effect on the audience (how did it make you feel?)
ê Jointly construct a factual recount on a school event or school excursion for the school newsletter (make sure that children know that they are writing them for a purpose. Even create a one time “class newsletter” so that children have a reason for writing. In pairs/small groups, children plan their writing focusing on words/phrases to describe who, what, where, when, how, why? (See writing tools module).
ê Explicitly define with children who their intended audience will be (students, family members of your school, etc). Outline important considerations.
Lesson 6 - Revision: / Date
ê Review what have we learnt so far this term about recounts? Implement an Assessment task: Work sample (see Work sample Module for a ready to go Tagged Work sample) to assess the development of children in Writing Recounts.
Lesson 7 : / Date
ê Recount Puzzle. Children form small groups. Each group receives a set of five to ten events that they need to put into order.
ê Recount Detectives. Children then need to identify the purpose of the recount, the intended audience, highlight descriptive language, characters and time connectives. Provide a time restriction for this to be completed with a reward for the most effective group (table points, etc).
ê Whole Group Sharing. Children come back and form a large circle on the floor (sitting with group). Each group reads out their reconstructed recount and their theory for the purpose, audience, etc.
Lesson 8: / Date
ê Visual Recount Texts. Explore and examine the effect of visual texts in recounts. What is the purpose of these? Children re – examine one of their own recounts already written. Encourage children to identify the key events in their own recount and create a visual text to enhance these.