Year+4+Literacy

Year 4 || =Guided reading: ICT text=
 * LITERACY

Extract 1 from a sequence of 2

 * Information ||

Objectives
• To identify the main characteristics of the key characters, drawing on the text to justify views, and using the information to predict actions (Term 1 Text 2) • To revise work on verbs from Year 1 Term 3 and to investigate verb tenses (past, present, future) (Term 1 Sentence 2)

Prior learning
To benefit from this lesson, children should: • have some familiarity with a range of traditional tales, told in a variety of styles, and interpreted in different ways, including humorously; • be confident in discussing how characters behave in stories and why, drawing evidence from the text; • understand that a character’s personality and thoughts influence their actions and speech.

Vocabulary
hyperlink, text box, deduce, infer, evidence, perspective (of a character)

Resources
• data projector or interactive whiteboard linked to a laptop • ICT suite or set of laptops • an interactive text (in this Example, //My World 3, Literacy Through Traditional Tales, Red Riding Hood,// provided as a PowerPoint file)

ICT skills needed by teachers
To teach this unit, teachers need to know how to: • load, run and edit a presentation file; • navigate a hyperlinked text.

Preparation for this lesson
Ensure that the children all have read a straightforward traditional version of //Little Red Riding Hood// (LRRH) and some alternative versions too. Before the lesson, set up the relevant software and presentation file (in this Example, //LRRH PowerPoint file//) on the shared area of the network or on the computers that the children will use. Prepare the software on your own computer ready for display. Run the presentation in slide show mode, with the title slide showing. Prepare a set of help cards, or prompts and diagrams, to help children to remember what to do when they are using the software.


 * Lesson extract ||

Introduction to the text and strategy check
Model how to read the first screen of the story, including the text box, picture and embedded hyperlinks. Do this with the whole group, but with the children accessing the text through their own screens. Ensure that children know how to operate the hyperlinks and the importance of reading the text boxes. Discuss the clues the text gives about the characters, referring frequently back to the text itself. Discuss some of these questions: Q What does the narrative text (in the text box of the main page) tell us about each character? Q What more do we find about each character by accessing their thoughts through the hyperlinks? Q What more is added by the opinions of the other characters? Do these change the way we see a character? Q When one character expresses an opinion about another, does it tell us more about the character of the one spoken about, or of the one speaking? Q Do the things we learn add to or change our view of what the character is like as we go along? Q What is surprising and/or funny about the way these characters are presented? Q Can you sum up what we have discovered about each character so far? Draw children’s attention to the use of verbs in the main text of each page (present, past and future), and use this as an opportunity for some quick revision on verb tenses.

Independent reading
Ask the children, in pairs, to read through the rest of the text and hyperlinks in order to find out about the characters. Encourage them to discuss their findings, perhaps using some of the above questions. Assist the pairs with the technical reading of the text and by prompts and questions to extend their thinking. Ensure that the children have accessed the additional hyperlink on the last page (the ‘Oh Grandma’ dialogue) before the end of the session.

Returning to the text and response
Discuss one or two of the questions listed above, referring to the text. Include some discussion of the interactive nature of the text. Q How do the various sections of text relate to each other, and to the pictures? Q How does the interactive nature of the text help to provide insight into the characters? Allow further exploration of the characters through hot-seating role-play, where one child takes on the role a particular character, and the others devise and ask questions.


 * Notes ||

Literacy links
The lesson links with the Term 1 unit on narrative, character and setting in the NLS medium-term plans.

Context of this lesson
On this occasion, an interactive non-linear text is being used for guided reading as an alternative to a paper-based text. As well as giving practice in very different reading skills, ICT texts can focus on particular aspects of reading and response. In this instance, the text provides different levels of insight into what particular characters are thinking and doing, and what other characters think of them. A wide variety of interactive ICT texts, both fiction and non-fiction, can and should regularly be used for shared, guided or independent reading, alongside books.

Useful resources
Interactive ICT texts, both fiction and non-fiction, can be sourced from the Internet and are increasingly available from commercial publishers and software developers.

Why use ICT?
The advantages of using ICT are as follows. • Use of interactive texts increases children’s range and flexibility in using reading strategies to access and engage with meaning. • They enable children to practise radial or non-linear reading strategies on screen. • Such texts reflect ‘real-life’ contexts and purposes for reading. • They support thinking and reasoning strategies, by encouraging children to consider several different routes and viewpoints. • They can provide an excellent focus for particular reading emphases (in this instance, exploration of character). • They provide a context and stimulus for discussion and dialogue. • The interactivity of the software is engaging, motivating and stimulating.

Year 4 || =Persuasive writing=
 * LITERACY


 * Information ||

Objective
• To investigate how style and vocabulary are used to convince the reader (Term 3 Text 18)

Prior learning
To benefit from this lesson, children should: • know how to navigate a website; • have used websites to find information; • be able to copy and paste from a web page into word processing software; • have discussed persuasive language and built up a checklist; • have discussed how language is targeted to appeal to different audiences.

Vocabulary
logo, menu, banner, scroll; vocabulary linked to the language of persuasion

Resources
• data projector or interactive whiteboard linked to a laptop with Internet access • ICT suite or set of laptops with Internet access • software to browse the internet • word processing software to paste website text and record results in a table (in this Example, //Word//) • resource sheets: pupil sheet to record evidence of persuasive language (in this Example, //Evidence Word// file) and summary of key features of persuasive texts (in this Example, //Features Word// file)

ICT skills needed by teachers
To teach this lesson, teachers need to know how to: • access and navigate websites; • copy and paste from a web page into word processing software.

Preparation for this lesson
Prepare a list of websites that you would expect to contain persuasive writing and collect the links together into groups. For example, look for groups covering toys, pop music, interest groups, and theme parks. Ensure that all computers are set up for Internet access, including one to be projected or otherwise displayed for whole-class demonstration. In a separate window, load the investigation sheet and minimise it for later use.


 * Lesson extract ||

Shared reading
Remind the children that they have already evaluated some persuasive texts for their impact, appeal and honesty. They have identified some features of the way information about the product is presented: exaggerated claims, tactics for grabbing attention, linguistic devices. Remind them of the appropriate checklist, compiled in an earlier session, and ensure that it is clearly displayed to help them to make judgements during the independent activity. Model how to access websites from your list, and identify features of persuasive language found there. Pull up the investigation sheet (possibly in a split window) and demonstrate how to select features required and copy and paste from the website onto the sheet. Discuss how the features identified on the website can be classified and sorted onto the sheet.

Independent reading
Ask the children to work in pairs accessing websites from your list, looking at one website at a time. They will choose one of the groups you have prepared (toys, pop music, interest groups, theme parks) and identify language features from the checklist drawn up earlier. The children will copy examples of persuasive devices from the websites and paste them into a recording sheet (//Evidence Word// file), sorting and classifying them as they do so. Ask each pair to join with another pair before the plenary session to present and discuss the persuasive devices that they found.

Plenary
Collectively look in turn at each website accessed during the independent activity and ask those who read it to report back on how persuasive or otherwise they felt it to be, giving reasons to back up their findings. Discuss whether other features of the websites apart from the language are also used to persuade – the pictures? the layout? How?


 * Notes ||

Links to literacy framework
This lesson could form part of the Term 3 unit on persuasion from the NLS medium-term plans.

Context of this lesson
On this occasion, ICT texts (websites) are used as reading and research material as a supplement to paper-based texts. A wide variety of interactive ICT texts, both fiction and non-fiction, can and should regularly be used for shared, guided or independent reading, alongside books.

Useful resources
Interactive ICT texts, both fiction and non-fiction, can be sourced from the Internet and are increasingly available from commercial publishers and software developers.

Why use ICT?
The advantages of using ICT are as follows. • The use of the Internet gives access to a much wider range of up-to-date material and information than is offered by the traditional print resources in a school. • It helps place reading into a meaningful contemporary context. • It teaches children how to use non-linear text, to read radially, and to think of several different routes to find the information they require. • ICT allows teachers to project enlarged visual images for whole-class demonstration and discussion. • It facilitates note-taking and recording by enabling the quick, easy copying of text from one document into another.

Year 4 || =Writing about characters=
 * LITERACY

Extract 2 from a sequence of 2

 * Information ||

Objective
• To write character sketches, focusing on small details to evoke sympathy or dislike (Term 1 Text 11)

Prior learning
To benefit from this lesson, children should: • have read and discussed the //Little Red Riding Hood// interactive text; • have written and edited text on screen; • have used icons to select tools; • have scrolled forwards and backwards through linked pages. //Note:// The learning and teaching session in this extract is part of a linked sequence of literacy work and is dependent upon the children having already read and fully discussed the //Little Red Riding Hood// interactive ICT text in a shared or guided reading context (see the Year 4 literacy lesson extract Guided reading: ICT text). These experiences form a major part of the stimulus and preparation for the children’s writing here.

Vocabulary
text box, hyperlink, icon, character

Resources
• data projector or interactive whiteboard linked to a laptop • ICT suite or set of laptops • an interactive text with activities that allow for the writing of character sketches (in this Example, //My World 3, Literacy Through Traditional Tales, Red Riding Hood,// provided as a PowerPoint file and //My World 3: Literacy through traditional tales// CD‑ROM)

ICT skills needed by teachers
To teach this unit, teachers need to know how to: • make changes to a presentation file; • navigate hyperlinked text; • use the relevant software; • write and edit text on screen.

Preparation for this lesson
Before the lesson, load the //Little Red Riding Hood// presentation text (//LRRH PowerPoint file//) onto all relevant computers and minimise. Ensure that the appropriate software which allows the writing of the character sketch is loaded onto the relevant computers (in this Example, the //My World 3 CD-ROM//), and the appropriate file opened. Prepare a set of help cards, or prompts and diagrams, to help children to remember what to do when they are using the software.


 * Lesson extract ||

Independent work
Pupils work in pairs, with each pupil having their own computer. For each pair, one computer should display the text (//Little Red Riding Hood//), and the other computer should be running the software which allows the character sketch to be written (in this Example, initially the Activity 2 screen from the Red Riding Hood section of //the My World 3 CD-ROM//). Remind the children of the evidence about the characters in this text that they discussed in the earlier reading session. Using the Activity 2 screen (background, character pictures, character names), the children select a character from the story and name it. Then, referring back to the original text for ideas, they use the write text (pencil icon) facility to surround the picture with additional single words to describe that character. The children then use the Activity 1 or Activity 5 screens (pictures of the forest or the bedroom scene with a large text box at the top). They select a character and enlarge it on the picture. Encourage the children to: • use the write text facility and the text box to compose sentences to describe what that character does, what he or she is like, what other characters think of him or her and what the children themselves think of the character; • discuss this and refer frequently back to the original text, using key words and phrases from the text where appropriate; • use the editing facilities to change, develop and improve their writing.

Plenary
Discuss and compare what different children have written about the selected characters.


 * Notes ||

Literacy links
The lesson links with the Term 1 unit on narrative, character and setting in the NLS medium-term plans.

Context of this lesson
This lesson could be done with the whole class in a suite if they had all completed the guided reading activity in the Year 4 literacy lesson extract Guided reading: ICT text. On this occasion what is essentially an electronic writing frame is being used to support the construction of a simple text. It provides both motivation and excellent scaffolding for this activity, encouraging thinking and discussion around the writing. There are many literacy teaching situations where it is advantageous for children to be able to create and edit text in electronic format on screen.

Useful sources of resources
A number of software products can be used by teachers to display and manipulate or create and edit text on screen. Many provide a simple facility to create writing frames. These are valuable in a wide variety of literacy teaching and learning contexts. Many of the same products can also be used by children to create and edit text on screen.

Why use ICT?
The advantages of using ICT are as follows. • Creating text in an electronic frame supports thinking, planning and writing very effectively. • It encourages children to draft, expand and develop and then edit for improvement because changes can be made or undone easily and quickly. • The software provides increased opportunity for differentiated resources that support pupils who require some scaffolding (e.g. word banks). • The clear text on screen improves legibility for pupils with inconsistent handwriting and encourages them to read and re-read during the writing process. • It provides a focus for independent dialogue and encourages cooperative decision making. • ICT provides ready storage and recall of work (including work in progress, and work at various stages), supporting assessment. • The interactivity of the software is motivating and stimulating.

LITERACY Year 4 || =Spelling investigation=

Information ||

Objective
• To spell words with common letter strings but different pronunciations (Term 3 Word 6)

Prior learning
To benefit from this lesson, children should: • be building up a good knowledge of the use of letter groups to represent particular sounds when spelling; • know how to use a find and replace tool in word processing software.

Vocabulary
find, frequency, hypothesis, homonym, homophone, homograph

Resources
• data projector or interactive whiteboard linked to a laptop • ICT suite or set of laptops • software allowing for the search of words or letter strings (in this Example, //Word//) • electronic version of text to be searched (preferably one the children have previously read in another context) • NLS //Spelling bank// page 33

ICT skills needed by teachers
To teach this unit, teachers need to know how to: • use the find and replace tool; • copy and paste words into a table in another document.

Preparation for this lesson
Before the lesson, set up the electronic text on the shared area of the network or on the computers that the children are to use. Prepare the software on your own computer ready for display. Prepare a set of help cards, or prompts and diagrams, to help children to remember what to do when they are using the software.

Lesson extract ||

Shared word-level work
Working from the activities and lists on page 33 of //Spelling bank//, look at letter strings that have the same letters but different pronunciation. Introduce some questions that the children could investigate during the independent part of the lesson. Q Which pronunciation is the most common? Q Which pronunciation is least common? Q Do pronunciations follow any patterns? (try looking at position in word, letters preceding and letters following) Demonstrate how to use the find tool to locate these letter strings in the electronic text (in this Example, //Word 2002//): • On the Edit menu, click Find (or press Ctrl-F). • Type into the text box the string you want to investigate, for example //ice//. • Click the More button to expand the dialogue box and click the box next to Match Case. • Click on Find Next and the next instance of the string will be highlighted by the computer. Identify which letter strings you want the children to investigate. Discuss possible ideas of how they are going to record them on paper. (As an alternative, children could copy and paste words into another document on the computer.) Q How will you sort and classify the words you identify?

Independent activity
Ask children to work in pairs at their computer and to open the document. They should now open the find tool and use it to find examples of words with the string they are investigating. Ensure that the children discuss their findings in their pairs and classify and record their findings in ways that they think will help them to answer the questions posed initially. Remember that this is investigative activity, so the children need to be able to devise and try out their own ways of doing this. Hold mini-plenaries during the session to check on progress and to test any initial hypotheses.

Plenary
Ask the pairs to double up to discuss their investigation and test their hypotheses. Then come together as a whole class. Get the children to try to answer the questions set at the start of the investigation and to set some rules for future use. Identify mnemonics and other tricks to support their spellings.

Notes ||

Literacy links
This session links to the investigation on page 33 of NLS //Spelling bank.//

Context of this lesson
There are many similar literacy teaching situations where it is highly advantageous for the children to be able to access and manipulate or create and edit text in electronic format on screen.

Useful resources
A number of software products can be used by teachers to display and manipulate or create and edit text on screen. These are valuable in a wide variety of literacy teaching contexts. Many of the same products can also be used by children to create and edit text on screen.

Why use ICT?
The advantages of using ICT are as follows. • It enables you to set the children an investigation where the computer’s support allows them easily to locate words and then set and test a hypothesis. • It enables translation of established paper-based materials (NLS //Spelling bank//) and regular activities (investigating spelling patterns) into a new and engaging mode.