Written and Compiled by the Lancashire Literacy Consultants

Activities for

Responding to

Reading in Year Four

Written and compiled by the Lancashire Literacy Consultants

Year 4 – Teacher’s Notes

· The activities are not intended to be issued without prior discussion and preparation.

· The activities require a range of reading strategies to complete. Wherever possible, each activity has a reference to the Assessment Focus being developed. This will support teachers in covering a range of comprehension strategies and provide part of the ongoing evidence for assessing a child’s reading.

· Many can be used as part of a Guided Reading session and completed with teacher support.

· Some may be used more than once with different texts.

· You may decide not to use all of the sheets, and some children may have a different selection to others.

· You may choose sheets that support work done in the shared and guided session, or sheets appropriate to individual children’s personal reading.

· Some of the activities are designed to be completed over time – such as collecting aspects of language to use in the children’s own writing. These could be enlarged and displayed so that all the children could contribute.

· Some activities may need to be differentiated – they are on the Literacy web site and you may download them and alter them or use a sheet from a younger age group (www.lancsngfl.ac.uk/nationalstrategy/literacy).

· If you do not want to use photocopied sheets, these ideas are easily transferred to paper or exercise books. Or why not download the activity and work on screen.

· Most of the activities provide opportunities for Speaking and Listening about books and reading.

Year 4 Reading Objectives:

Strand / Objectives
7 / Identify and summarise evidence from a text to support a hypothesis.
Deduce characters’ reasons for behaviour from their actions and explain how ideas are developed in non-fiction texts.
Use knowledge of different organisational features of texts to find information effectively.
Use knowledge of word structures and origins to develop their understanding of word meanings.
Explain how writers use figurative and expressive language to create images and atmosphere.
8 / Read expressively favourite authors or genres and experiment with other types of text.
Interrogate texts to deepen and clarify understanding and response.
Explore why and how writers write, including through face-to-face and on-line contact with authors.

The Reading Assessment Focus - Overview grid

AF / Strategies / Key phrase
1 / Use a range of strategies, including accurate decoding of text, to read for meaning / Decode accurately.
Read with understanding.
2 / Understand, describe, select or retrieve information, events or ideas from texts and use quotation and reference to text / Seek, find and understand.
Literal responses to text.
Text reference.
3 / Deduce, infer or interpret information, events or ideas from texts /

Between the lines

Inference and deduction.
Interpret.
Put yourself in their shoes.
Text reference.
4 / Identify and comment on the structure and organisation of texts, including grammatical and presentational features at text level / Structure.
Commenting on presentational features.
Why is the text presented and organised as it is?
5 / Explain and comment on the writers’ use of language, including grammatical and literary features at word and sentence level / Language.
Why did the writer use that word / phrase / image / sentence etc.
Literary awareness.
Impact on reader.
6 / Identify and comment on the writers’ purposes and viewpoints, and the overall effect / The Writer.
Writer’s purpose.
Writer’s attitudes and values.
Big messages about life.
7 / Relate texts to their cultural and historical contexts and literary traditions. / The Text and the World.
How the text fits into its social, historical, cultural, literary heritage context.

In addition to a wide ranging read aloud programme, and children’s own choices, pupils in

Year 4 will read:

· Stories with historical settings

· Stories set in imaginary worlds

· Stories from other cultures

· Stories with raise issues and dilemmas

· Plays

· Recounts in newspapers and magazines

· Information texts

· Explanations

· Persuasive texts

· Poetry – creating images

· Poetry - exploring form

Books I have read this year

Fiction / Date /

Title

Author

/ / /

Books I have read this year

Non-Fiction
Fiction / Date /

Title

Author

Fact and Fiction

Copy a sentence from your fiction book.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

What tense is the sentence written in? ………………………………………………………………………………………………………

How do you know? ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Is it written in the first or third person? …………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Does it contain any speech? …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

What is the sentence about? …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Copy a sentence from your non-fiction book.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

What tense is the sentence written in? ………………………………………………………………………………………………………

How do you know? ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Is it written in the first or third person or is no-one referred to at all? ……………………………………………

Does it contain any speech? …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

What is the sentence about? …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Fact and Fiction

Assessment focuses:

Reading AF2: Understand, describe, select or retrieve information, events or ideas from texts and use quotation and reference to text

Reading AF4: Identify and comment on the structure and organisation of texts, including grammatical and presentational features at text level

Reading AF5: Explain and comment on the writers’ use of language, including grammatical and literary features at word and sentence level

Ask the children to copy a sentence from their fiction book and one from a non-fiction book. Ask them to identify the differences using the prompts to help them.

· Use a pencil.

· Copy a passage from your reading book BUT leave gaps where the verbs are.

· Swap your extract with your friend.

· Fill in the gaps with the best verbs you can think of to describe the actions or feelings of the characters.

· Swap back and compare with the originals in the books.

· Discuss your choices with your friend and whether they are better or not and why.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Powerful Verbs!

Framework objectives:

Strand 7: Explain how writers use figurative and expressive language to create images and atmosphere.

Assessment focuses:

Reading AF5: Explain and comment on the writers’ use of language, including grammatical and literary features at word and sentence level

Ask two children to copy passages from their reading books but to leave gaps wherever a verb occurs. The children then swap their work and each fills in the best verbs to fill the gaps. They can then compare their versions with the original and evaluate which is better and why.

How Did You Do That?

Framework objectives:

Strand 7: Explain how writers use figurative and expressive language to create images and atmosphere.

Assessment focuses:

Reading AF5: Explain and comment on the writers’ use of language, including grammatical and literary features at word and sentence level

This activity requires children to identify the verbs and adverbs in their books. Ask the children to copy verb and adverb partners from their book. Ask them to consider the effect the adverb has upon the verb and what it tells the reader; does it describe the way in which the verb was done, the speed at which it was done, the way something was said or the way the light shone?

Characters and Settings

As you read your books, think about the ways the author describes the characters and the settings. Note down the words and phrases used to describe what a character looks like, how they behave, react and their moods. How does the author describe the settings, the weather, the atmosphere? Don’t forget to use these ideas in your own writing.

Settings / Characterisation
‘beautiful house beside the sea’
* From James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl / ‘all at once he found himself alone and frightened in a vast unfriendly world’

Characters and Settings

Framework objectives:

Strand 7: Explain how writers use figurative and expressive language to create images and atmosphere.

Strand 8: Interrogate texts to deepen and clarify understanding and response.

Assessment focuses:

Reading AF5: Explain and comment on the writers’ use of language, including grammatical and literary features at word and sentence level

Reading AF6: Identify and comment on the writers’ purposes and viewpoints, and the overall effect

This activity requires the children to make notes as they read through a book. Ask them to note down the words and phrases the author uses to describe characters; their appearance, actions, moods, responses, etc. and settings; time, weather, atmosphere, description, etc. Encourage the children to apply these techniques to their own writing.

Dear Diary

Imagine that you are the main character in your book. Choose one day in the story and write a diary entry for that day. Write in the first person and remember to say:

- what has happened during the day;

- who was involved;

- how you feel;

- what you will do about it all tomorrow.

Date………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Dear Diary

Framework objectives:

Strand 7: Identify and summarise evidence from a text to support a hypothesis.

Deduce characters’ reasons for behaviour from their actions and explain how ideas are developed in non-fiction texts.

Assessment focuses:

Reading AF2: Understand, describe, select or retrieve information, events or ideas from texts and use quotation and reference to text

Reading AF3: Deduce, infer or interpret information, events or ideas from texts

This activity requires children to imagine themselves as the main character and to write a diary entry for a day in the story. Explain to the children that the diary entry should reflect the personality of the character and the story plot. The diary should be written in the first person and can include a mixture of tenses: what has happened (past), how the character feels or another character is behaving, (present) what they intend to do, (future).

· What happened today?

· Who was involved?

· How do you feel?

· What will you do?

Write a Letter

Imagine that you are a character from your book. Write a letter to another character. You could write to complain about something they have done, or to ask their advice about something that is happening in the story, or to tell them about what has been happening whilst they have been away.

Character’s address here:

Date:

Dear

Write a Letter

Framework objectives:

Strand 7: Deduce characters’ reasons for behaviour from their actions and explain how ideas are developed in non-fiction texts.

Strand 8: Interrogate texts to deepen and clarify understanding and response.

Assessment focuses:

Reading AF2: Understand, describe, select or retrieve information, events or ideas from texts and use quotation and reference to text

Reading AF3: Deduce, infer or interpret information, events or ideas from texts

This activity requires the children to imagine that they are one of the characters in their book. Ask them to write a letter to another character in the book. The letter could be to ask for advice; to complain about the recipient’s actions or to inform the other character what has been happening in his/her absence.

As Time Goes By

As you read your book, look out for the words and phrases the author uses to show the passing of time. Does the author mention the time, the sun, the moon, dark or light, part of the day, seasons or a change in weather? Also, look out for flashbacks and two events happening at the same time, e.g. ‘Meanwhile’.

Don’t forget to use these ideas in your own writing!

Book title and author:
Page / Words and phrases used to show the passing of time

Where in your book did the author skip over the longest amount of time?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

As Time Goes By

Framework objectives:

Strand 8: Interrogate texts to deepen and clarify understanding and response.

Assessment focuses:

Reading AF4: Identify and comment on the structure and organisation of texts, including grammatical and presentational features at text level

This activity is to help develop the children’s awareness of the techniques authors use to convey the passing of time. This work can be done as a group as a guided novel is being read over time, or individually, by a child reading privately.

From Prose to Playscript!

Choose a scene from your reading book that contains dialogue between two or three characters. Change the scene into a playscript. Remember to show who is speaking and how they are acting by giving a stage direction.

Cast:

Scene:

Characters / (stage direction) / What they say

From Prose to Playscript!

Framework objectives:

Strand 7: Deduce characters’ reasons for behaviour from their actions and explain how ideas are developed in non-fiction texts.

Assessment focuses:

Reading AF4: Identify and comment on the structure and organisation of texts, including grammatical and presentational features at text level

This activity helps children to distinguish between the ways in which character’s actions and manner are portrayed in narrative, and by stage directions in playscripts. Ask the children to ‘translate’ a piece of narrative containing a lively exchange between characters to a playscript. They will need to indicate the setting, and how the characters should act out their lines through stage directions.

From Playscript to Prose

Choose a scene from a play that you have read. Change the scene into narrative. You will have to describe the setting and show how the characters are behaving by using powerful verbs and adverbs. Work with a partner and act out each part of the play. Discuss how you could change it into story form.

Title of play: …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………