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: Familiarisation with the text-type; reading comprehension (3 days)

Teaching content/possible prior learning:

• Use the non-fiction writing kit Castle attack from the Primary National Strategy Keys to learning in literacy and mathematics resource to support a unit of work on information texts. This will set the historical context and describe first-hand experience of a castle and medieval life.
• Read and explore a range of myths, legends, fables and traditional stories. Discuss common themes and identify features of particular fiction genres.
• Engage children in practical investigations of texts using key questions. Record ideas on the IWB for use later in the unit. Encourage children to comment critically on language, style and success of examples for the chosen audiences.
• Use IWB software to model comparisons of texts and their features (highlighting, annotating, cut and paste, drag and drop) and add to the list of features of the text-types for use throughout the unit.
• Compare and contrast different versions of the same story (in print, on screen or on film). Investigate how stories change over time and ways in which narrative viewpoint can be manipulated for different purposes.
• Through supported composition and guided writing, use opportunities to support ongoing sentence structure and punctuation work and children's targets.
• Use different versions of the same text and IWB tools to support investigations into significance of word order in sentences and understanding of how writing can be adapted for different purposes and audiences (see Grammar for writing, (Ref: 0107-2000), Year 5 units 28 and 35, http://www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/primary/publications/literacy/63317/).

Learning outcomes:

• Children demonstrate that they can classify features of different fiction genres.
• Children can describe similarities and differences between different versions of the same story and support their opinions by referring to evidence in the text.
• Children can compose and manipulate sentences for different audiences and purposes.