DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND CHILDREN’S SERVICES
Unit plan
C2C
Name
Unit 1: Investigating characterisation in a narrative
Learning area
English
Year Level
Year 3 – Year 4
Duration
5 weeks
Class
Teacher
Unit Outline
In this unit, students listen to, view, read and explore simple chapter books or digital stories to explore the use of descriptive language in the construction of character.
Through a written response or the creation of a new chapter, students develop alternative behaviours and actions of a character.
Curriculum intent:
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Content descriptions
Language/Cultural Considerations
Teaching Strategies
Language
Literature
Literacy
YEAR 3
YEAR 3
YEAR 3
Text structure and organisation
Literature and context
Text in context
Understand that paragraphs are a key organisational Discuss texts in which characters, events and settings Identify the point of view in the text and suggest
feature of written texts
are portrayed in different ways, and speculate on the alternative points of view
authors’ reasons
Identifying a point of view requires students to be able to
Speculation requires the use of hypothetical language analyse the word choice and how this affects the
Expressing and developing ideas
structures (for example ‘I think the author chose this reader/viewer/listener. EAL/D students in all phases of
Understand that verbs represent different process
because’ …). EAL/D students in the Beginning and their English language learning will find this variously
(doing, thinking, saying and relating) and that these
challenging.
Emerging phases will not be using these structures.
processes are anchored in time through tense
Provide alternative options for EAL/D students in the Allow EAL/D students to engage with this task in ways
Tense is marked through the verbs. Not all languages
Beginning and Emerging phases to respond to literature commensurate with their EAL/D learning progression.
mark time in this way, nor in the complex manner of
Some will be able to decode, others to analyse, and the
(for example through drawing).
English, which has more than nine tenses. These are
more able will identify the point of view. Use oral, visual
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not interchangeable and are used to make fine Provide oral and written models of speculative sentence
distinctions of meaning. For example: ‘The little red hen structures for EAL/D students in the Emerging and
baked the bread. The little red hen was baking the Developing phases.
bread. The little red hen has baked the bread’.
Provide sentence stems to scaffold EAL/D students’ use
EAL/D students’ use of tense and readiness to learn of hypothetical language structures.
new tenses are dependent upon where they are on the
EAL/D learning progression.
Responding to literature
Explicitly teach the ways in which verbs work in English.
Use shared reading of texts to explain how different text
structures work.
and digital texts to practice this skill.
Interacting with others
Listen to and contribute to conversations and
discussions to share information and ideas and
negotiate in collaborative situations
Collaboration and cooperative learning are not universal
Draw connections between personal experiences and learning styles. Some students will have come from a
the worlds of texts, and share responses with others
schooling system where they were required to work
individually, rather than collaboratively.
Give EAL/D students multiple opportunities to practice
the use of tense in structured verbal contexts at levels
commensurate with where they are on the EAL/D
learning progression.
Learn extended and technical vocabulary and ways of
expressing opinions including modal verbs and adverbs
The vocabulary of feelings and emotions is challenging
for EAL/D students in all phases of language learning,
as it is often abstract. Often, language is learned through
visual reinforcement, and this is not always possible for
abstract nouns, as these nouns represent ideas,
concepts and qualities.
The modal verbs in English (for example ‘will’, ‘may’,
‘might’, ‘should’, ‘could’) modify the certainty of verbs
and are mastered late in the language progression of
EAL/D students. Many languages have no modality.
Students from these backgrounds will need support in
understanding how a degree of certainty can create
nuance or indicate deference.
Teach group work skills explicitly and reward them
positively.
Be aware that there may be cultural sensitivities when
assigning groups. A discreet conversation with the
student/s before this commences will be useful in
avoiding any issues (such as mixing boys and girls,
certain ethnic groups, or different mobs).
Give EAL/D students multiple opportunities to interact
with other students through collaborative learning
experiences.
Interpreting, analysing, evaluating
Identify the audience and purpose of imaginative,
informative and persuasive texts
EAL/D students may not have had cumulative exposure
to the Australian Curriculum and may not be familiar with
the range of types of texts experienced by other
students in the classroom.
Make use of bilingual assistants and bilingual
dictionaries, as EAL/D students are more likely to know
this vocabulary in their first language.
Provide models of all types of texts. EAL/D students in
the Beginning phase will require extra scaffolds such as
sentence stems and vocabulary lists.
Build glossaries of technical vocabulary.
Read an increasing range of different types of texts by
combining contextual, semantic, grammatical and phonic
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Build concept maps of related vocabulary words.
knowledge, using text processing strategies, for example
monitoring, predicting, confirming, rereading, reading on
and self-correcting
Self– correction requires an innate sense of what
sounds right in English and what makes sense. EAL/D
students in the Beginning and Emerging phases of
learning do not have this sense of the language and
cannot easily self– correct.
EAL/D students in these early phases of learning usually
do not have enough language knowledge to predict
upcoming words.
Explicitly teach what is possible in English grammar and
vocabulary, and do not rely on questions such as ‘Does
this sound right?’ or ‘Does that make sense?’
Reading assessment methods such as Running
Records, Retells (oral, written or drawn) and
comprehension questions (oral, written or drawn
answers) are a crucial component of assessing reading
competency in EAL/D students.
Use comprehension strategies to build literal and
inferred meaning and begin to evaluate texts by drawing
on growing knowledge of context, text structures and
language features
Inferences are made through an assumption of cultural
knowledge, or through an understanding of a range of
vocabulary (for example good synonym knowledge), or
from the use of reference words, or through literary
devices such as metaphor.
Provide EAL/D students with specific instruction in all
these language features to access meaning in texts.
Creating texts
Plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative and
persuasive texts demonstrating increasing control over
text structures and language features and selecting
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print, and multimodal elements appropriate to the
audience and purpose

Text structures are socially constructed, and so are not
universal. EAL/D students with print literacy in their first
language may have other expectations and experiences
of how a text is structured.
Simple and compound sentence structures are the first
ones mastered by EAL/D students. Complex sentences
are learned further along the EAL/D learning
progression.

Develop with students a list of words that may be
appropriate for the type of text (for example language of
modality for persuasive texts).
Provide explicit instruction in how to construct complex
sentences, as well as the ways in which phrases and
clauses giving extra information can be moved around
for effect in English sentence structure.
Reread and edit texts for meaning, appropriate structure,
grammatical choices and punctuation

In order to edit, students need to have the linguistic
resources to identify mistakes. An error is usually
indicative of the student’s position on the EAL/D learning
progression and is reflective of what they have yet to
learn.
EAL/D students in the Beginning and Emerging phases
are unlikely to be able to self-correct errors in writing, or
recognise the alternative choices when using spell
check.

Supply a scaffolded editing checklist for EAL/D students
(for example underlining a spelling mistake, and
indicating which letters are incorrect; underlining a word
in the incorrect tense and indicating which tense was
required).
Model the editing process for EAL/D students.
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
YEAR 4
YEAR 4
YEAR 4
Text structure and organisation
Responding to literature
Interpreting, analysing, evaluating
Understand how texts are made cohesive through the Discuss literary experiences with others, sharing
use of linking devices including pronouns, reference and responses and expressing a point of view
text connectives
Use metalanguage to describe the effects of ideas, text
Pronoun systems operate differently in different structures and language features of literary texts
languages, and sometimes are not used at all to EAL/D students may not have had cumulative exposure
differentiate gender. EAL/D students in the Beginning to the Australian Curriculum and may not have built a
and Emerging phases of English language learning metalanguage for talking about texts.
require specific instruction
Provide glossaries and annotated examples of work that
.As a before– reading activity, track the nouns and make metalinguistic terminology clear.
pronouns in a text by highlighting each in the same
Discuss how authors and illustrators make stories
colour (for example ‘Erosion is a problem. It affects ...’).
exciting, moving, and absorbing and hold readers’
Students could do similar highlighting of their own or interest by using various techniques, for example
peers’ written texts.
character development and plot tension
Recognise how quotation marks are used in texts to EAL/D students may not have had cumulative exposure
signal dialogue, titles and reported speech
to the Australian Curriculum and may not be familiar with
metalanguage that has been introduced in earlier years.
Identify characteristic features used in imaginative,
informative and persuasive texts to meet the purpose of
the text
Use comprehension strategies to build literal and
inferred meaning to expand content knowledge,
integrating and linking ideas and analysing and
evaluating text
Inferences are made through an assumption of cultural
knowledge, or through an understanding of a range of
vocabulary (for example good synonym knowledge), or
from the use of reference words, or through literary
devices such as metaphor.
Provide EAL/D students with specific instruction in these
language features to access meaning in texts (for
example model how to combine information from two
different sentences to answer a question).
Expressing and developing ideas
Provide
explanations
and
examples
of
the
Creating texts
Understand that the meaning of sentences can be metalanguage used in examining literature (for example
Plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative and
enriched though the use of expanded noun and verb characterisation, plot development).
persuasive texts containing key information and
Provide glossaries and classroom– constructed wall
groups and phrases
supporting details for a widening range of audiences,
Noun groups are made by adding adjectives to nouns. In charts to assist EAL/D students.
demonstrating increasing control over text structures
English, we prefer an order for adjectives (for example ‘a
and language features
beautiful red balloon’ rather than ‘a red beautiful Creating literature
 Text structures are socially constructed, and so are not
balloon’).
Create literary texts by developing storylines, characters universal. EAL/D students with print literacy in their first
This preference for opinion adjectives before factual and settings
language may have other expectations and experiences
ones is innate for native English speakers because of
All students have rich experiences and knowledge that of how a text is structured.
their sense of the language, but should be taught to
are valuable resources to be drawn upon to add to the EAL/D students may not have had cumulative exposure
EAL/D students.
learning experiences of all students in the classroom.
to the Australian Curriculum and may not be familiar with
Show students how to select from a range of adjectives
Bring a variety of texts from earlier times (print, visual the range of text types experienced by other students.
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to construct noun groups that describe people and
objects such as those in illustrations.
and oral) to the classroom. Encourage family members
 Provide text structure frameworks within which to write
to help with this.
specific types of texts.
Understand how adverbials (adverbs and prepositional
phrases) work in different ways to provide circumstantial
details about an activity
Use model texts to demonstrate and explain the steps in
a type of text. Engage students in teacher– led joint
construction of new types of texts. EAL/D students in the
Beginning phase of English language learning will
require extra scaffolds such as sentence stems and
vocabulary lists.
Adverbial phrases can often be moved in the sentence
to achieve different effects (for example ‘In the deep
blue ocean, a timid dolphin frolicked’ or ‘A timid dolphin
frolicked in the deep blue ocean’).
Prepositions such as on, up, with are challenging words
in English. They often collocate with other words as part
of phrases (for example ‘on the weekend’, but ‘in the
holidays’; we travel ‘on a bus’, but ‘in a car’).
Teach EAL/D students the ways in which phrases can
be moved around in sentences for effect and be explicit
about what is possible.
Teach prepositions within phrases, keeping words
together to ensure that EAL/D students hear and see
them in context, and provide wall charts of common
examples.
Incorporate new vocabulary from a range of sources into
students’ own texts including vocabulary encountered in
research
EAL/D students already have at least one other
language, which is a rich resource in the classroom.
Reread and edit for meaning by adding, deleting or
moving words or word groups to improve content and
structure
In order to edit, students need to have the linguistic
resources to identify mistakes. An error is usually
indicative of the student’s position on the EAL/D learning
progression and is reflective of what they have yet to
learn. EAL/D students in the Beginning and Emerging
phases of English language learning are unlikely to be
able to self– correct errors in writing, or recognise the
alternative choices when using a spell check function.
Supply a scaffolded editing checklist for EAL/D students
(for example underlining a spelling mistake and
indicating which letters are incorrect; underlining a word
in the incorrect tense and indicating which tense was
required).
When exploring word origins, look also for English words
that have their origin in the languages of students in the
classroom. This builds pride and self– esteem, and a
whole– class appreciation of diversity (for example
checkmate, in chess, comes from the Arabic ‘The King is
dead’).
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General Capabilities and Cross-curriculum priorities
Literacy
Students will :
 comprehend texts through listening, viewing and reading
 compose texts through speaking, writing and creating
ICT capability
Students will have opportunities to develop skills in :
 creating with ICT:
Critical and creative thinking
Students will have opportunities to develop skills in:
 inquiring – identifying, exploring and clarifying information
 generating innovative ideas and possibilities
 analysing, synthesising and evaluating information
 Reflecting on thinking, actions and processes
Personal and social capability
Students will have opportunities to develop:
 Self-awareness
 Social awareness
Ethical behaviour
Students will develop skills in:
 Understanding ethical concepts and issues
 Reflecting on personal ethics in experiences and decision making
 Exploring values, rights and ethical principles
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Relevant prior curriculum
Students require prior experience with:
 Comparing opinions about characters, events and settings in and between texts
 Discussing the connections between particular structures, language features, simple literary devices and the purposes of texts
 Understanding the use of vocabulary about familiar and new topics and experiment with and begin to make conscious choices of vocabulary to suit audiences and purposes.
Curriculum working towards
The teaching and learning in this unit works towards the following:
 Understand how noun and adjective groups can be expanded in a variety of ways to provide a fuller description of the person, thing or idea.
 Create literary texts that experiment with structures, ideas and stylistic features of selected authors.
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Eight Learning Management Questions (LMQs)
When planning teachers make critical decisions around the Eight Learning Management Questions.
Supportive learning environment
Differentiation
What do your students already know and what do your students need to learn? Consider the individual needs and values of your students — including EAL/D, Gifted and
Talented, and Special Needs and provide learning experiences that are accessible to and respectful of the diversity of students’ cultural knowledge.
Start where students are at and differentiate teaching and learning to support the learning needs of all students. Plan and document how you will cater for individual learning
needs.
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The learning experiences within this unit can be differentiated by increasing:
 the frequency of exposure for some students
 the intensity of teaching by adjusting the group size
 the duration needed to complete tasks and assessment.
Teachers can use this space to plan and document how they will cater for individual learning needs.
Feedback
Feedback is information and advice provided by a teacher, peer, parent or self about aspects of someone’s performance. The aim of feedback is to improve learning and is
used to plan what to do next and how to teach it.
Teachers and students use feedback to close the gap between where students are and where they aim to be. Teachers use self-feedback to guide and improve their teaching
practice.
Establish active feedback partnerships between students, teachers and parents/carers to find out:
 what each student already knows and can do
 how each student is progressing
 what each student needs to learn next.
Ensure feedback is timely, ongoing, instructive and purposeful.
Feedback may relate to reading, writing and speaking throughout the unit. In this unit this may include students’:
Year 3
 inferential reading comprehension skills where information about characters in the text and prior knowledge needs to be integrated
 reading texts to identify noun groups and verb groups
 use of descriptive language to express ideas.
Year 4
 knowledge of structure and features of narratives
 identifying structure and features of a narrative
 the use of expanded noun and verb groups to describe characters and settings
 linking and sequencing ideas through text connectives and pronoun references.
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Assessment
LMQs
What do my students understand and can do? How well do they know and do it?
Assessment is the purposeful, systematic and ongoing collection of information as evidence for use in making judgments about student learning.
Principals, teachers and students use assessment information to support improving student learning. Feedback from evaluation of assessment data helps to determine
strengths and weaknesses in students’ understanding.
Students should contribute to an individual assessment folio that provides evidence of their learning and represents their achievements over the year. The folio should include
a range and balance of assessments for teachers to make valid judgments about whether the student has met the achievement standard. Refer to Year level plan for more
assessment information.
Monitoring student learning
Student learning should be monitored throughout the teaching and learning process to determine student progress and learning needs.
Each lesson provides opportunities to provide feedback about how students are progressing and what they need to learn next. Specific monitoring opportunities in this unit
include:
Assessing student learning
Year 3 monitoring
Reading comprehension with written responses focusing on language used by author to construct character
Monitor how well students:
 understand how different types of texts vary in use of language choices, depending on their function and purpose, for example tense, mood, and types of sentences
 use comprehension strategies to build literal and inferred meaning and begin to evaluate texts by drawing on growing knowledge of context, text structures and language
features
 discuss texts in which characters are portrayed in different ways, and speculate on authors’ reasons.
Written response: Explanation of a new trick
Collect students’ written responses to gather information about student understanding of:
 audience
 text structure
 ideas
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 sentence structure
 punctuation
 spelling.
Year 4 monitoring
Observation records
Student learning should be monitored throughout the teaching and learning process to determine student progress and learning needs.
Each lesson provides opportunities to provide feedback about how students are going and where they need to go to next. Specific monitoring opportunities in this unit include:
Year 3 monitoring
Reading comprehension with written responses focusing on language used by author to construct character
Monitor how well students:

understand how different types of texts vary in use of language choices, depending on their function and purpose, for example tense, mood, and types of sentences

use comprehension strategies to build literal and inferred meaning and begin to evaluate texts by drawing on growing knowledge of context, text structures and language
features

discuss texts in which characters are portrayed in different ways, and speculate on authors’ reasons.
Written response: Explanation of a new trick
Collect students’ written responses to gather information about student understanding of:

audience

text structure

ideas

sentence structure

punctuation

spelling.
Year 4 monitoring
Observation records
Collect information about students’:
 reading behaviour — based on reading extracts from the book: The Twits by Roald Dahl
 ability to:
o identify language features in texts and explain why the author has made language choices
o link and interpret ideas and share responses with others
 writing behaviour
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
understanding of noun and verb groups to describe character
Assessing student learning
Year 3
There is no summative assessment for Year 3 in this unit. Monitor student learning and progress through the unit. Use feedback to inform teaching and learning.
Year 4
Assessment 1 — Reading comprehension: How do authors and illustrators make stories interesting?
Students explain how authors and illustrators use language and illustrations to hold the readers’ interest.
This assessment provides opportunities to gather evidence of student learning in:
Literature
Examining literature

discuss how authors and illustrators make stories exciting, moving and absorbing and hold readers’ interest by using various techniques, for example, character
development and plot tension
Literacy
Interpreting, analysing, evaluating

use comprehension strategies to build literal and inferred meaning to expand content knowledge, integrating and linking ideas and analysing and evaluating texts
Assessment 2 — Write a chapter for The Twits
Students plan and create a chapter for the book The Twits.
This assessment provides opportunities to gather evidence of student learning in:
Language
Text structure and organisation

Understand how texts are made cohesive through the use of linking devices including pronoun reference and text connectives

Recognise how quotation marks are used in texts to signal dialogue, titles and reported speech
Expressing and developing ideas

Understand that the meaning of sentences can be enriched through the use of expanded noun and verb groups and phrases
Literature
Examining literature

Discuss how authors and illustrators make stories exciting, moving and absorbing and hold readers’ interest by using various techniques, for example character
development and plot tension
Creating texts
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
Plan, draft and publish imaginative informative and persuasive texts containing key information and supporting details for a widening range of audiences demonstrating
increasing control over text structures and language features
Sequencing teaching and learning
LMQs
What do my students already know and can do? What do my students need to learn? How do I teach it?
The relationship between what is taught and how it is taught is critical in maximising student learning.
Start with what your students already know and set goals for the next steps for learning.
Decide how to provide multiple opportunities for all students to explore and consolidate ideas, skills and concepts by considering how students learn best and by using a
variety of teaching strategies.
A suggested teaching and learning sequence is outlined below. For further information about learning focus and teaching strategies, refer to the lesson overview.
Building knowledge of authors’ use of language in narratives
 Reviewing narratives and building knowledge of characters
 Review reading strategies and examine language to build characters: noun groups
 Examine language used to develop characters: verb groups
 Examine language used to develop character: speech (direct and indirect)
 Making inferences about character traits, feelings and motivations
Identifying how authors use language to develop characters and plot
 Examine language used to develop character and plot: pronoun references and text connectives
 Examine language used to develop plot: adverbials and prepositional phrases
 Identify and analyse language used to develop plot
 Add language to develop plot tension and characters
 Continue adding language to develop plot, tension and characters
Analysing Roald Dahl’s use of language in The Twits
 Share ideas to collaboratively revise text of Beard — no language features
 Use comprehension strategies to build meaning to text
 Reading comprehension (x 2)
 Reading comprehension — continued
Preparing and drafting a new chapter for The Twits
 Understand unit task and examine an exemplar
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 Consider ideas for new chapter and begin writing task
 Write draft of new chapter
 Proofread and edit draft
Publishing a new chapter for The Twits
 Publish a new chapter of The Twits
 Share published chapter or written response
Spelling
For the teaching of spelling please refer to the C2C year level resources.
Handwriting
For the teaching of handwriting please refer to the C2C year level resources.
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Making judgements
How do I know how well my students have learned?
Teachers and students use standards to judge the quality of learning based on the available evidence. The process of judging and evaluating the quality of performance and
depth of learning is important to promoting learning.
Teachers identify the task-specific assessable elements to make judgements against specified standards on evidence.
Achievement standard
YEAR 3
In this unit, the monitoring of student learning aligns to the following components of the Achievement standard.
Receptive modes (listening, reading and viewing)
By the end of Year 3, students understand how content can be organised using different text structures depending on the purpose of the text. They understand how language
features, images and vocabulary choices are used for different effects. They read texts that contain varied sentence structures, a range of punctuation conventions, and
images that provide additional information. They identify literal and implied meaning connecting ideas in different parts of a text. They select information, ideas and events in
texts that relate to their own lives and to other texts. They listen to others’ views and respond appropriately.
Productive modes (speaking, writing and creating)
Students understand how language features are used to link and sequence ideas. They understand how language can be used to express feelings and opinions on topics.
Their texts include writing and images to express and develop in some detail experiences, events, information, ideas and characters.
Students create a range of texts for familiar and unfamiliar audiences. They contribute actively to class and group
discussions, asking questions, providing useful feedback and making presentations. They demonstrate understanding of grammar and choose vocabulary and punctuation
appropriate to the purpose and context of their writing. They use knowledge of sounds and high frequency words to spell words accurately, checking their work for meaning.
They write using joined letters that are accurately formed and consistent in size. Use software including word processing programs with growing speed and efficiency to
construct and edit texts featuring visual, print and audio elements l using features of relevant technologies to plan, sequence, compose and edit multimodal texts
YEAR 4
In this unit, assessment of student learning aligns to the following components of the Achievement standard.
Receptive modes (listening, reading and viewing)
By the end of Year 4, students understand that texts have different text structures depending on purpose and audience. They explain how language features, images and
vocabulary are used to engage the interest of audiences. They describe literal and implied meaning connecting ideas in different texts. They express preferences for particular
texts, and respond to others’ viewpoints. They listen for key points in discussions.
Productive modes (speaking, writing and creating)
Students use language features to create coherence and add detail to their texts. They understand how to express an opinion based on information in a text. They create
texts that show understanding of how images and detail can be used to extend key ideas. Students create structured texts to explain ideas for different audiences. They make
presentations and contribute actively to class and group discussions, varying language according to context. They demonstrate understanding of grammar, select vocabulary
from a range of resources and use accurate spelling and punctuation, editing their work to improve meaning.
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Lesson overview
Building knowledge of authors’ use of language in narratives
Reviewing narratives and building knowledge of
characters (1 of 5)
Review reading strategies and examine language to
build characters: noun groups (2 of 5)
Examine language used to build characters: verb
groups (3 of 5)
 Introduce and explain purpose of the unit
 Teacher models reading strategies by reading aloud
first chapter, Hairy Faces:
o pre-reading (activating prior knowledge,
predicting the text)
o during reading (retrieving information —literal,
interpreting texts — inferential)
o after reading strategies (reflecting and creating
personal knowledge)
 Review QAR reading comprehension with students
using poster
 Continue reading The Twits by Roald Dahl pp.23–35
using reading strategies
 Share prior knowledge of characters in books,
favourite, traditional, good/ evil characters, etc.
 Examine how a character is portrayed on the front
cover of The Twits
 Share prior knowledge of narratives, digital stories,
fairytales, simple chapter books, novels, rhyming
narratives
 Discuss audience and purpose of narratives
 Discuss prior knowledge of Roald Dahl books/ films,
etc.
 Identify narrative structure of some of Roald Dahl’s
books
 Discuss how Roald Dahl and illustrator, Quentin
Blake make stories exciting, moving and absorbing;
developing characters, creating tension in plot, etc.
 Introduce the book The Twits; activate prior
knowledge of book, examine cover, blurb, title, etc.
 Students continue reading pp.1–8 of The Twits by
Roald Dahl independently using model above
 Identify language used to construct character in
narratives: focus on verb groups and phrases to
describe characters
 List these in a table
 Categorise each verb group by type of verb: thinking
and feeling, action, saying
 Compare the characters in The Twits, Mrs and Mr.
Twit, by examining verb groups
 Discuss the main character traits in the characters in
the first chapter of The Twits
 Examine slideshow: Noun groups — The Twits using
discussion notes on slideshow
 Examine the metalanguage of noun groups; premodifier (article, adjectives, etc.) head noun, postmodifier (prepositional phrase or clause) in a
Powerpoint presentation
 Students read pp. 9–22 of The Twits
 Examine noun groups in a section of text; premodifiers/ nouns/ post-modifiers which describe Mr
Twit and Mrs Twit
 Examine the language and explain how noun groups
identified build characters
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Examine language used to develop character:
speech (direct and indirect) (4 of 5)
Making inferences about character traits, feelings
and motivations (5 of 5)
 Review direct speech and indirect speech
 Make inferences about characters based on the
characters’ actions as well as their own prior
knowledge
 Read pp.36–56 using reading strategies
 Investigate language Roald Dahl used in a section of
text
 Continue analysis of traits and behaviours of main
characters
 Investigate (on whiteboard) how language features
 Infer characters’ feelings and motivations
including quoted (direct) and reported (indirect)
speech work to develop characters and how quotation  Role-play dialogue between characters based on
marks in texts are used to signal dialogue; analyse a
inferences made about characters’ feelings or
section of text: p.55
motivations
 Answer questions with a partner to explain how
authors develop characters through dialogue and
changing relationships with other characters
 Justify their choices of dialogue based on their
inference
Differentiation
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Resources
For information on copyright permission see Smartcopying website
Education Licence B: Statutory Text and Artistic Licence
Text — Dahl, R 1980, The Twits, Puffin Books, London
Chart/whiteboard with headings; Verb groups
A section of the text to analyse (p.55)
Helpful Information
This lesson relates to: Year 4 Unit 2 Building knowledge of authors’ use of language in narratives:
Review narratives (1 of 5)
Review reading strategies and examine language to build characters: noun groups (2 of 5)
Examine language to build characters: verb groups (3 of 5)
Examine language to build characters: speech (direct and indirect) (4 of 5)
This lesson relates to: Year 3 Unit 2 Comprehending Language and Texts — Making inferences about character traits (1 of 5)
http://www.qsa.qld.edu.au/: Teaching reading and viewing. Comprehension strategies and activities for years 1-9
http://www.qsa.qld.edu.au/: Poster – In the book or in your head?
Website: http://www.primaryresources.co.uk/ : in search engine, type ‘speech marks’
Website: http://www.primaryresources.co.uk/ : in search engine, type ‘direct speech’ choose ‘direct speech, speech marks’
Website: Speech and Speech Marks
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Assessment task - Monitoring
Name
C2C
Class
Year 3 - 4
School
Learning area
English
Year level
3
Unit
1
Name:
Reading comprehension with written responses focusing on language used by author to
construct character
Type:
Monitoring
Description:
Monitor how well students:

understand how different types of texts vary in use of language choices, depending on their function
and purpose

use comprehension strategies to build literal and inferred meaning and begin to evaluate texts by
drawing on growing knowledge of context, text structures and language features

discuss texts in which characters are portrayed in different ways, and speculate on authors’ reasons.
Name:
Written response: Explanation of a new trick
Type:
Monitoring
Description:
Collect students’ written responses to gather information about student understanding of:
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
audience

sentence structure

text structure

punctuation

ideas

spelling.
Assessment task - Explanation of a new trick
C2C
Name
Learning area
English
Class
Year level
3-4
School
Unit
1
Monitoring task: Written response Invent a new trick to play on the other Twit.
What to do:
1. Choose the role of either Mr Twit or Mrs Twit. Plan a new trick to play on the other Twit.
2. Write a draft.
Introduction
Start with the sentence:
I have come up the trick to end all tricks and to outsmart Mrs (or Mr) Twit once and for all!
Sequence of steps in the trick
Explain the sequence of how your trick will happen.
Use words that show time such as firstly, after that, two hours later, before midnight, the next morning to show the sequence of events in your trick.
Conclusion
Finish your writing with a comment about how clever you have been to invent this new trick
Use language to convince the reader how clever you are for thinking of this trick such as my marvellous mind, world’s greatest trickster, as tricky as a
box of monkeys, as cunning as a fox.
Curriculum into the Classroom (C2C), Unit plan, Education Queensland
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3. Select an image to support your text
4. Check your writing using your self-assessment checklist
5. Construct your new trick using a computer
Assessment task - Reading task
Name
C2C
Class
Year 3 – 4
School
Learning area
English
Year level
3-4
Unit
1
1. Create a character profile of Charlie.
a. Write the words and phrases the author used to describe Charlie’s actions, thoughts, speech and feelings during these events:
1. Charlie: when he was told he
couldn’t go to the competition
2. Charlie: before the competition
3. Charlie: while cooking during the
competition
4. Charlie: after the competition
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2. Choose one of these boxes and explain how this language made you feel about Charlie.
3. What is your opinion of Charlie’s behaviour in this book? Give evidence from the book.
4. Explain what you think Charlie learnt from participating in this competition.
Assessment task - Monitoring
Name
C2C
Class
School
Year 3 – 4
Learning area
English
Year level
3
Unit
1
Name:
Observation records
Type:
Monitoring
Description:
Collect information about students’:
 reading behaviour — based on reading extracts from the book The Twits, by Roald Dahl
 ability to:
o identify language features in texts and explain why author has made language choices
o link and interpret ideas and share responses with others
 writing behaviour
 understanding of noun and verb groups to describe character
Name:
Assessment 1 Reading comprehension: How do authors and illustrators make stories interesting?
Type:
Short answer questions
Curriculum into the Classroom (C2C), Unit plan, Education Queensland
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Description:

Name:
Assessment 2 Write a chapter for The Twits
Type:
Written
Students explain how authors and illustrators use language and illustrations to hold the readers’ interest.

Description:
Students plan and create a chapter of The Twits.
Assessment task - Self assessment checklist: explanation of a new trick
C2C
Name
Learning area
English
Class
Year level
3
School
Unit
1

Self-assessment checklist: Tick each step as you complete

1st
check


Audience

2nd
check
Did I catch my reader’s attention and tell them all about the new
trick?
My writing included:
 introduction
 sequence of steps in the trick
conclusion

Text structure

Ideas
I ordered my ideas in sequence
I thought of interesting ideas to explain the trick.

Vocabulary
I used interesting and descriptive words and phrases:
 adjectives
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

adverbs
good sentence starters

Cohesion

Sentence structure

Punctuation
I used the correct punctuation; capital letters, full-stops, question
marks and other punctuation marks to help my reader understand
my writing.

Spelling
I used correct spelling.
I used connectives to join up the ideas in my writing.
I included compound sentences in my text.
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