Phase 1: Reading comprehension

Focus (Strand 7)

• Inferring writer's perspectives from what is written and implied
• Finding evidence in written, pictorial and physical texts

During Phase 1, the children use their prior knowledge of the text, characters and author to form an opinion of the text regarding the deaths of Bess and the highwayman. They use a range of note taking and text marking approaches to support their work.

Phase 2: Reading as writers

Focus

• Identifying the way in which language, sentence and text structures manipulate readers of persuasive texts
• Identify an appropriate style of persuasive text to persuade a particular reader

Phase 2 revises basic language, sentence and structure facts from Year 4. Building on prior knowledge, the phase goes on to identify which elements of the text type the children need to expand on to develop as successful, persuasive writers. The children develop a class checklist of devices used by confident writers of formal, persuasive texts to support their independent reading and writing.

Phase 3: Planning for persuasion - structuring evidence and deciding on an appropriate style

Focus (Strand 10)

• Organise writing into clear sections or paragraphs considering the audience and purpose of the writing
• Organise the ideas within a paragraph or section considering the audience and purpose of the writing

Phase 3 has two sections, clearly demarcating the planning process into organisation of ideas and style of presentation. During the first section, the emphasis is on securing children's skills in organising opinions and evidence into the most effective order to present to the audience. The children are encouraged to take risks and experiment with chronological and non-chronological presentation of key points, according to their confidence as writers. The second section focuses on choosing an appropriate style with which to present the case to the judge, utilising their knowledge of the lan- guage, phrases and sentence structures of informative persuasive texts.

Phase 4: Writing for effect - constructing the text

Focus (Strand 11)

• Using a variety of sentence types to have an effect on the reader
• Manipulating the clauses in sentences for different effects on the reader

Using modelled, supported and guided writing approaches, the children work to produce a succinct, written paper for presentation to the judge asked to oversee the case. Phase 4 builds on the work in Phase 3, where children have been encouraged to find their own persuasive style. Using writing partners and oral rehearsal, the children write and assess their work against the success criteria developed during the earlier phases of the unit. The final paper is presented to the court for consideration before the final oral presentation to summarise the main points in the case.