Planning with Quality Texts: The Tear Thief

These documents are intended to support the planning of effective literacy units based on high quality picture books. They are not intended to be lesson plans, but offer a menu of possible ideas for teachers to use as starting points to plan for purposeful learning and give pupils reasons for writing as well as the skills they need to write with impact on their reader. They follow a learning sequence:

  • a hook to fully engage and interest the children
  • responding to reading activities to allow immersion in and exploration of the text, including picture exploration, book and writer talk
  • capturing ideas activities which include drama and talk to support understanding of the text and to develop vocabulary, language and ideas for writing
  • possibilities for the contextualised teaching of grammar
  • sentence games to develop creativity, vocabulary, language and grammar
  • links to guided reading
  • a range of writing tasks which may be final unit outcomes or incidental opportunities during the unit

Specific mention is made of the writing sequence:

  • modelled writing - teacher models the writing process aloud and the decisions writers make about sentences, paragraphs etc to create impact on the reader. This can also include the modelling of planning and spelling strategies.
  • shared writing - collaborative composition with discussion and suggestions about what to write and how to write it to create the intended effect. At this point children may write a sentence/s, often in pairs, on whiteboards which are then discussed.
  • guided writing - small group sessions based on specific needs of a specific group of children. The session may address misconceptions, bridge gaps or extend learning and can take place at any point during the unit.

In addition, cross-curricular links are suggested, including links to challenges from the Learning Challenge Curriculum.

Copyright statement:

This document should be used within the purchasing organisation only.

Possible Written Outcomes or Incidental Writing Opportunities
  • Diary entries before the tears were stolen and after they were stolen.
  • Thought bubbles for tear thief / children at key points
  • Job description for helper for the tear thief.
  • Celebrity profile for magazine of Tear Thief.
  • Description of Tear Thief
  • New story based on alternative item being taken / given
  • Placing the tear thief in other traditional tales
  • Description of setting - the town at night
  • Eye-witness report
  • Newspaper/TV report
/ KS2
/ 1. Responding to the Text
  • Book talk: From first page, begin role on the wall activity - what do we know about The Tear Thief? What would we like to know?
  • Book talk: What do you like/dislike about the book?Are there any puzzles or reminders in the book?
  • Book talk: What if the tear thief had not stolen the tears?
  • Picture exploration: What is the effect of the type of tears?
  • Picture exploration: Look at how the illustrator has portrayed the tear thief. What does this tell us about her?
  • Picture exploration: look at picture of the tear thief. What items are there? What might this tell us?
  • Writer talk: How do the pictures help to enhance the text?
  • Writer talk: In groups take sections of story and highlight descriptive language. What types of language are being used? Choose images and illustrate
  • Writer talk: Can we find examples of traditional story language?

2. Capturing Ideas
  • Role on the wall for The Tear Thief developed from activity based on first page
  • Identify key points in the story and discuss the children / The Tear Thief’s thoughts at each point
  • Developing questions to ask eye-witness
  • Role play interview with eye-witness
  • If you were The Tear Thief, what would you want in your sack and why?
  • Watch celebrity interviews and questions asked. Develop questions to interview children / jub.
  • Role play interview using identified questions and sentence starters for responses
  • Imagine a town at night time: What do they feel? What might they feel at night? Complete senses grid.
  • Create a soundscape for the town at night
  • Gather words and phrases for the town at night
  • In pairs/groups choose alternative item for the tear thief to take, develop language and present orally. Children evaluate and vote on most effective.
  • Use drama to show sections of the story adding dialogue.
/ Sentence Games (use throughout unit)
  • Metaphor game: select nouns from story.
  • What if: using modality. If or when clauses, followed by clause with modal verb - If the glass slipper was too small for Cinderella, she would not have married the prince etc.
  • What am I like? (similes)
  • Complex sentence game.
  • Improve a sentence - focus on the grammatical elements that need consolidation or review.
/ 3. Contextualised Grammar Teaching
  • Use of simile and metaphor
  • Modal verbs
  • Complex sentences
  • Paragraph openers and connections between

Guided Reading Possibilities
  • Other books by Carol Ann Duffy - The Princesses’ Blankets, The Lost Happy Endings
  • Range of traditional stories by different authors
  • Identify and discuss features of text type for final written outcome. Level of text can be pitched at each groups’ level, ensuring both access and challenge.

4. Modelled Writing
Shared Writing
Guided Writing
Independent Writing
MAKING LINKS ACROSS THE CURRICULUM
History
•Historical perspective of traditional and fairy tales / Art/Music
  • Create story boxes for the town
  • Make a dance for the tear thief
  • Capture key moments from the story in movement tableaux

PSHE
• Qualities - bravery, courage, resilience in the face of difficulty.

© Focus Education UK Ltd 2013