YEAR 1 / YEAR 2 MIXED AGE PLAN
Year 1 Non-fiction - Unit 4 - Suggested teaching approaches
Note: Children working significantly above or below age-related expectations
will need differentiated support, which may include tracking forward or back in
terms of learning objectives. EAL learners should be expected to work within
the overall expectations for their year group. For further advice see the
progression strands and hyperlinks to useful sources of practical support.
Phase 1: Reading; exploration (5 days)
Teaching content:
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Using another curriculum area as a starting point, model how to ask
questions, for example How many wheels does a fire engine have? Ask
children how they know whether you are asking a question or not. Focus on
question words and inflection of voice.
Demonstrate how to use an information text to find the answers, showing
how the index, contents page and glossary work.
Play games sorting books into fiction and non-fiction and matching key
words to books, for example, 'Does 'fire engine' come from the book about
things with wheels or the book about sewing?' Give children words from the
index of a book and ask them if they can sort them into the right order, using
the alphabet to help.
Ask children to come up with their own questions in pairs. Discuss what
makes a good question. Are there some questions which couldn't be
answered? Why not? Help children begin to distinguish between sensible
questions (which may, however, not be able to be answered by a particular
book) and those with no answers, for example How many wheels are there
in the world? Demonstrate how to find the answer to one or two questions
and then ask children to demonstrate to others how to do it.
Carry out practical work relating to the curriculum area, for example, playing
with wheeled toys in the playground (see Developing early writing, unit 6:
Wheels pp. 66-69.) Discuss activities with children, encouraging them to ask
questions and make observations. Record activities using a digital camera.
Learning outcomes:
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Children can ask simple questions. (Y1)
Children can identify a contents page and an index in an information text.
They can use these to find the right page to answer simple questions, for
example Where would I find out about kittens? (Y1)
Children can ask and answer questions, make relevant contributions, offer
suggestions and take turns (Y2)
Phase 2: Reading; analysis (4 days)
Teaching content:
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In shared reading, read examples of non-fiction texts. Check briefly to see
whether they have index, contents page, etc. Identify structural features
which may appear on every page, for example heading, introductory
sentences, photographs and captions. Look for additional features such as
'Did you know...?' boxes. Discuss how good layout of pages helps you find
information easily. Begin a simple checklist of what makes a good
information text.
Look at language features of information texts in more detail. Show children
how the texts use formal, impersonal language. Ask children to help you
turn sentences into an appropriate style for an information text.
Learning outcomes:
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Children can say what the key structural features of a simple information
text are. (Y1)
Children can say whether a sentence is in an appropriate style for an
information text. (Y1)
Children can explain organisational features of texts – alphabetical order,
layout, diagrams, captions, hyperlinks, bullet points (Y2)
Phase 3: Talk for writing; writing; evaluation (6 days)
See Developing early writing, Ref: 0055/2001
http://www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/primary/
publications/literacy/63337/nls_dew005501intro.pdf.
Teaching content:
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Start with general talk, encouraging children to recall what they did in the
practical activity. Use digital photographs to stimulate their discussion and
encourage use of new vocabulary, noting good words and phrases for later
use.
Focus on two or three key ideas to help children structure their talk.
Demonstrate how to select specific information in preparation for writing,
showing how to note key words to help you remember what you want to
write.
Introduce the idea of writing a new page for an information book. Look at the
book and the checklist prepared earlier to remind children about layout and
key features. Show a prepared layout with one or two features missing and
ask children to check that everything is included.
Demonstrate how to write a heading, checking with children that you are
positioning it correctly and using a capital letter.
Look at a few introductory sentences in the book and point out that they give
a general introduction to the subject on the page. Demonstrate how to
compose a sentence, checking with children that it is general and not
specific and modelling how to rehearse before writing. Count the words as
you write and ask children to tell you when you get to the end of the idea.
Read through what you have written, checking that it makes sense, starts
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with a capital letter and ends with a full stop. Ask children if it sounds like a
sentence from an information book.
Continue writing, using the photographs and writing captions for them. Show
children how to turn a descriptive sentence into a more formal one
appropriate to an information text. Model the process and then ask children
for suggestions for the next caption. Scribe an appropriate suggestion,
showing children, as appropriate, how to apply phonic knowledge to spelling
regular words.
Using whiteboards, ask children to work in pairs to compose and write a
sentence to form a caption for another photograph. Encourage them to
rehearse the sentence first, counting words and checking as they write.
Check and ask them to evaluate for appropriate style, capital letters, full
stops.
Ask children to write further sentences independently for another
photograph caption. Encourage them to rehearse first and check carefully
for sense, appropriateness and accuracy. Evaluate and take feedback.
If appropriate, children could go on to write sentences for a 'Did you
know...?' box.
Choose a selection of the best contributions and add them to the main
page. Add these to the original book, including the title in the correct place
in an index and on the contents page. Evaluate against the checklist.
Learning outcome:
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Children can write sentences for an information text in an appropriate style.
(Y1)
This work could be repeated later, using different content and extending
demand. (Y1)
Ensure that children have appropriate specific phonic input during this time.
(Y1)
Children can write several sentences in a simple non-narrative form to
convey ideas and information, including appropriate vocabulary (Y2)