Recounts
Lesson 3
Factual
Recount
Lesson 2
Diaries
Lesson 1
Introduction
Term 1
Learning Experiences
Resources
 What is a Recount? Why do we need to know them? Where do we see them? Why
are they important?
 Share a variety of recounts in relation to historical and biographical topics.
 Explore the use of timelines for writing a historical recount.
 Brainstorm what children already know about a recount.
 Model a timeline about a recent class experience or current world issue (excursion,
newspapers) and discuss important grammatical features and structure of a recount.
 EWB
 Recount Examples
 Timeline Examples
 Recount Structure
Format
 Recount Structure
Cards
 Display the wide range of familiar recounts (from Lesson 1) and briefly revise the
main message of each. Revise social purpose of Recounts, why we need them, when you
see them and how to construct them.
 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).
 Children can either complete the recount that was started collaboratively or write
an independent one of their own choice.
 Children divide into groups to research a common topic (sportsperson, explorer,
artist) from a variety of sources (internet, library).
 Provide a pro forma for children to use to collect information (see writing tools
module) about a series of events (ie, When, What, Who,etc).
 Using the above information children use this to write a factual recount, eg, landing
on the moon. Assist remedial groups and provide leveled information fact sheets.
 EWB
 Recount Examples
 Timeline Examples
 Recount Structure
Format
 Recount Structure
Cards
 Diary Examples
 Information Sheets
 Recount Proforma
 Timeline Examples
 Recount Structure
Format
 Recount Structure
Cards
Evaluation
Week
Lesson 4
Language & Grammar
Lesson 5
Factual Recount
Lesson 6
Recount Puzzle
 Examining Language and Grammatical features. Brainstorm and record on board.
 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.
 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.
 Discuss the effects these changes make our understanding of the events.
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 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?
 Develop a “Recount Bank” of all the different types of recounts that students
encounter and encourage children to identify the purpose of each recount.
 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).
 Explicitly define with children who their intended audience will be (students, family
members of your school, etc). Outline important considerations.
 Have photographers take photos of the event and students are to take the role of
journalists. Recounts are to be uploaded to the blog in the form of a newspaper article.
 Information Sheets
 Recount Proforma
 Timeline Examples
 Recount Structure
Format
 Recount Structure
Cards
 Computers
 Camera
 Blog
 Recount Puzzle. Children form small groups. Each group receives a set of five to ten
events that they need to put into order.
 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).
 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.
 Information Sheets
 Recount Proforma
 Timeline Examples
 Recount Structure
Format
 Recount Structure
Cards
 Deconstructed text
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EWB
Recount Examples
Timeline Examples
Recount Structure
Format
Recount Structure
Cards
Recount 1st person
example
Lesson 7
Recount Visuals
Lesson 8
Assessment
 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.
 Students create a visual Recount using Pixton comic maker. Recounts are to be
uploaded to the class blog.
 Link into visual timelines, narrative illustration (Literary Recounts) and Factual
Recounts.
Assessment
 Information Sheets
 Recount Proforma
 Timeline Examples
 Recount Structure
Format
 Recount Structure
Cards