Lesson 1: Face the Facts!

 Lesson Plan

Tuning In

• Read the narrative text, Owl Babies by Martin Waddell, to the class. Alternatively, watch a video animation of the text on YouTube. After reading, ask the students:
  • Is this a fiction (imaginary) text or a non-fiction (informative) text?
  • How do you know?
  • What is the text about?
• Pose the following question to the students: What would you need to do to turn a fiction (imaginary) text about owls into a non-fiction (informative) text about owls? As a class, brainstorm some ideas. List the students’ suggestions as a mind map on the board.

Teacher Instruction

• Display the informative text, The Great Wise Owl (this text can be located on page 5 of the Comprehension Task Cards – Finding the Main Idea teaching resource). Read the text as a class. After reading, ask the students:
  • What type of text is this?
  • How do you know?
  • How is this text different to the narrative text about owls?
• Draw a Venn Diagram on the board. As a class, complete the Venn Diagram by comparing the imaginary text about owls to the informative text about owls.
• Display and discuss slide 5 of the Developing Informative Writing Skills PowerPoint. Encourage the students to suggest some people, animals, objects and events that an informative text could be written about.

Guided/Independent Learning

• On an large piece of paper, or in their workbooks, ask the students to draw a picture of a member of their family. Around the picture, encourage the students to write words or phrases that could be included in an informative text about this family member. Remind the students that informative texts provide a description of a particular topic using facts.
• Encourage the students to share their illustration and their list of facts about their family member with the rest of the class.

Wrapping Up

• Ask the students to start collecting examples of informative texts e.g. newspaper articles, brochures, posters. Dedicate a space in the classroom to displaying the students’ example texts and refer to these throughout the unit.

 Differentiation

Extending Students

• Encourage fast finishers to write a short paragraph about their family member.

Supporting Students

• Encourage students who find writing challenging to use drawings as well as words to describe their family member.

 Assessment Strategies

Suggested Assessment Strategies

• used strategic whole class or individual questioning
• observed student participation during learning activities
• recorded student progress on a checklist
• annotated student work samples
• collected and reviewed student work samples
• facilitated whole class or peer feedback sessions
• encouraged student self-reflection
• administered formal assessment tasks.

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