Name: ________________
School: _______________
Reading Journal
Year Six/Seven Literacy Transition Booklet
Steps to Learning – Year 6
1
Primary School
Curricular Target – To be able to use a reading journal effectively to
raise and refine responses to a text and prepare for discussion.
Key Teaching Objectives – Year 6 Term3. T1, T7, T8, T17, T18.
Step 1 – Discuss purpose of a reading journal
Discuss key points of the story/annotation of story openings
Understand how author uses ‘time’/partner discussions
Discuss theme – ‘sailing around the world’/guided writing
groups
Step 2 -
Plan argument text/guided writing groups
Step 3 -
Investigate use of past tense/first person in text/guided &
group writing/build up of character analysis
Step 4 -
Write a piece of narrative – ‘Around the World’
Step 5 -
Discuss actions of characters through
actions/inference/literal – successful? What makes a well
developed character? – paired reading & discussion
Using textual evidence in Kensuke’s Kingdom
Step 6 -
Plan and write a book review (teacher model) –
group/independent work
Step 7 -
Complete journal & share with ‘critical friend’ – checking
writing conventions, note-taking skills, answering of inferential
questions etc.
My Reading Journal
2
This journal will be taken on a 'journey' with you when you leave
Year 6 and begin Year 7...
The purpose of this journal is to help you transfer what you
have learnt in Primary School to Secondary School. It will be an
ongoing record of your thoughts, feelings, targets, ideas and
work.
But most of all, the journal is about having fun
with Literacy...
3
When you are doing the work in this reading journal, you
will be practising lots of different strategies...
These symbols might help you decide which strategies you
need to use…
Visualising
Predicting
Empathise
Reading Backwards and Forwards
Asking Questions
Pass Comment (evaluate the text)
Infer and Deduce
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You have just finished reading Chapter One of
Kensuke’s Kingdom…
In your groups discuss the following aspects of the book – be prepared to
feed back your findings!
Key Idea
Evidence from Text
Questions –
1. What do you think will happen next? Why?
2. What are your first impressions of the mother and father? Why?
3. What techniques does the writer use to show the impact of
redundancy on the household?
In Chapter one of Kensuke’s Kingdom Michael Morpurgo uses some
challenging words…
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 Use a dictionary to look up the meaning of these words & record
your findings on this page
 Write a sentence using each word to show that you understand how
to use it
 Find three other challenging words
 Set yourself a target to use FIVE of these words accurately within
your writing this week
Revelling
Exhilarating
Gibbered
Savaged
Redundant
Lunacy
Liability
1.
2.
3.
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Michael’s father decides that the family will sail
around the world together. Do you think that it would be a good idea
for YOUR family to do something like this?
Complete the chart with your reasons for and against –
FOR
AGAINST
It’s a really exciting place to be and would be great
fun.
One long holiday and no school.
It is scary, sailing into the unknown.
Too much Mum and Dad.
Use these ideas to help you construct a quality piece of writing for and
against the trip Sailing Around the World
I’m not sure that sailing around the world with my family would be a good idea because …
On the other hand …
However …
One good thing about it would be …
Nevertheless …
Another point of view is …
In conclusion …
7
Map building
Carefully read the description of the island Michael is living on (Page 53).
Draw and label it using specific quotations from the text.
8
Think about Chapters Five and Six
Is Kensuke taking care of Michael or is he a prisoner? Give your opinion
and back it up with evidence from the text.
Opinion
Evidence
What sort of person do you think Michael is? In your groups
decide which of these adjectives describe him most accurately.
Use these words in powerful descriptive sentences.
brave
happy
sensible
cowardly
sad
angry
lonely
confused
foolish
I think Michael is
because
I think Michael is
because
I think Michael is
because
determined
clever
naughty
Explain HOW or WHY you admire Michael
9
Imagination and visualisation
Draw Kensuke as you see him in your imagination. Label him using evidence
from the text.
Emotions
Kensuke and Michael undergo many changes in the book.
Their emotions surge back and forth, echoing the waves that
crash against the island’s shore.
Both characters feel –
anger
joy
despair
sadness
hope
frustration
happiness
confusion
Choose one of the
emotions from the list
and write your own poem
or rap (alternatively, you
can use one of your own
emotional words).
10
Performance poetry
Read this poem with a partner. Practice it. Perform it to the
rest of your group/class.
Come on into my tropical garden
Come on into my tropical garden
Come on in and have a laugh in
Taste my sugar cake and my pine drink
Come on in please come on in
And yes you can stand up in my hammock
and breeze out in my trees
you can pick my hibiscus
and kiss my chimpanzees
O you can roll up in the grass
and if you pick up a flea
I’ll take you down for a quick dip-wash
in the sea
believe me there’s nothing better
for getting rid of a flea
than having a quick dip-wash in the sea
Come on into my tropical garden
Come on in please come on in
By Grace Nicholls
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All good things must come to an end!
At the end of the book Michael Morpurgo use many ‘writer’s
techniques’ to create the mood.
Vocabulary choices
Mood
Discussion points for group work
Do you think that Kensuke has made the right decision? Explain
you views.
Is the ending of the book happy or sad? Use evidence from the
text to back up your answer.
What did you learn about yourself through reading this book?
Targets
My targets for Year Seven are –
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