Year 6 Literacy Revision Unit 2

Y6 Revision Unit 2

Year 6 Literacy revision – Unit 2

Reading and writing non-fiction (15 days)

Daily plans and teaching notes

N.B.

These plans and notes are intended to supplement, not replace, the extensive notes for this unit which can be found on both the website and DVD versions of the renewed Primary Framework for literacy and mathematics by following the path:

(Standards Site Home >) Primary Framework Home > Literacy > Planning > Year 6 > Revision > Unit 2

They should be read and used alongside the notes from the electronic version, where you will find full details of:

- all learning objectives

- a prior-learning checklist

- suggested teaching approaches

- assessment for learning opportunities

- children’s learning targets

- key aspects of learning

- references for all supporting resources.

Before starting the unit

To benefit from this unit pupils already need to be able to:

recall the language and organisational features of the main non-fiction text-types (recount, report, instructions, explanation, persuasion, discussion) and employ these in their writing, when appropriate;
recall and employ the main features of other significant writing forms such as letters, dialogue, journalistic writing, biography and autobiography;
write a variety of sentences (including compound sentences), punctuate them correctly and use them appropriately in their writing;
where appropriate, organise their writing into meaningful and cohesive paragraphs.

While this unit will revisit and revise all these points, it does not and cannot provide the opportunity to teach any of them from scratch. It is therefore essential that you first use previous and ongoing assessment to determine whether pupils have the prior knowledge needed. If there are either specific or more general ‘gaps’ in this knowledge then you should take steps to address these (with the whole class, with particular ‘target’ groups, or with individuals) through ‘booster’ and ‘catch up’ lessons or sessions, before starting the revision unit.You will obviously need to build appropriate time for this into you planning and organisation for the spring and early summer terms, according to the size and scale of the ‘gaps’ identified.If, as may well prove the case, further ‘gaps’ are thrown up during the teaching of the unit, which assessment did not identify prior to starting, then it is possible to ‘sidestep’ and teach specific aspects as you go along, providing of course sufficient time for this has been allowed.Notes about this are included in the daily plans.

The chart which follows gives details of which available materials will help address any ‘gaps’ identified.

Helping children to achieve age-related expectations: 00028-2007CDO-EN

PrimaryNational Strategy

Y6 Revision Unit 2

Filling the ‘gaps’

Area of learning / Booster units / Grammar for Writing / Other supporting materials
Recall the language and organisational features of the main non-fiction text-types (recount, report, instructions, explanation, persuasion, discussion) and employ these in their writing, when appropriate. / Literacy booster (2003) lessons 2-7 cover reading and writing persuasion texts.
Literacy booster (2003) lessons 14-17 cover reading and writing report texts.
/ Part 3: Section 2 / Teaching writing: support material for text level objectives, writing fliers, Ref: 0532/2001

Year 6 planning exemplification 2002-2003: report writing unit

404205/y6t1report/nls_y6t1exunits075202report.pdf
Renewed framework units for earlier years (will need adapting for this age group, but content should be helpful) as follows:
Y5 N-F Unit 1: Instructions; Unit 2: Reports/explanations; Unit 3: Persuasive writing
Y4 N-F Unit 1: Recounts; Unit 2 Instruction texts; Unit 3: Explanations; Unit 4: Persuasive texts
Recall and employ the main features of other significant writing forms such as letters, dialogue, journalistic writing, biography and autobiography. / Part 3: Section 6
Part 3: Section 7
Unit 35: purpose
Unit 41:language
Unit 53: purpose / Renewed framework units from earlier in Y6:
N-F Unit 1: Biography and autobiography
N-F Unit 2: Journalistic writing
N-F unit 3: Argument
Renewed framework Y3 Narrative unit 4: Authors and letters (will need adapting for this age group, but content may be helpful)
Write a variety of sentences (including compound sentences), punctuate them correctly and use them appropriately in their writing. / Lesson 17 in the report sequence above focuses on the use of connectives to improve sentences and cohesion. / Unit 34: conjunctions
Unit 36: direct/reported speech
Unit 37: imperative
Unit 40: complex sentences
Unit 43: complex sentences
Unit 46: connectives
Unit 47: complex sentences
Unit 51: conditionals / Examples of levelled Year 6 writing in English from the National Curriculum in action website

Where appropriate, organise their writing into meaningful and cohesive paragraphs. / Lesson 6 in the persuasion sequence above focuses on using paragraphs to plan and structure the text. / Unit 38: paragraphing
Unit 52: paragraphing / Examples of levelled Year 6 writing in English from the National Curriculum in action website

Helping children to achieve age-related expectations: 00028-2007CDO-EN

PrimaryNational Strategy

Y6 Revision Unit 2

Phase 1 (1/5 days) : Day 1

Plan

Whole class:

Provide a series of lists of the language and organisational features of each text-type, but without the type being initially identified. Read through them.
Discuss which list belongs to which texttype, and why. Label them.
Discuss the text-types, where they might be found used,etc., and relate these to the children’s reading, asking them to give examples of both the text-types and their distinguishing features. Annotate the labelled lists with examples.

Independent:

Temporarily conceal the lists.
Give children, in groups, a range of language and organisational features written on separate cards.
Ask them to sort them into different text-types, discussing and providing examples from their own reading experience.
Display the lists from earlier, and ask children to check their sorting against these.

Plenary:

Feedback and discuss any areas of uncertainty.
Provide a set of organisational spider diagrams for the different text-types (see Writing Fliers from Resources), again not initially identified.
Discuss which belongs with which text-type and why, allowing the children again to articulate their understanding of the language and organisational features of each, with examples. Annotate the diagrams appropriately.
Add the diagrams and annotations to the lists and display.

Phase 1 (1/5 days) : Day 1

Teaching notes

Both the reference section (Part 3) of Grammar for Writing and the Writing Fliers provide clear information as to the features of each text-type.
At every stage of thislesson it is most important to allow children to articulate (to each other and to you) their understanding of the text-types and features, providing examples from their own reading experience. This will help both their learning and your assessment of it.
You should note that some features are common to more than one text-type. Some texts may also display features of more than one text-type (i.e. they are ‘hybrid’ texts). These will be addressed in Phase 2. (It is probably best to clarify the main text-types first and then go on to discuss hybrids – but you may need to acknowledge the existence of the latter if they arise in discussion or through the examples the children give.)
By the end of the lesson, children should have clear knowledge and understanding of the principal language and organisationalfeatures of each text-type. If, through ongoing assessment, you realise this is not the case, it may be better temporarily to ‘side step’ this plan and put in additional teaching to address any ‘gaps’ (see pages 2-5).

Phase 1 (2/5 days) : Day 2

Plan

Whole class:

Provide a series of non-fiction texts (of a level and length as might be used in the QCA KS2 tests – and preferably entertaining and engaging ones) where each one representsa different, clear text-type.
Read them, fairly quickly identifying the text-type of each. Use the annotated lists from Day 1 to help/check.
Discuss the texts, where they might be found used, their audience and purpose, etc., and relate these to the children’s reading experience.
Take one of the texts and (with input/suggestions from the children) analyse it in more detail, highlighting and annotating the key features that relate to its text-type (audience/purpose, etc.). Repeat with another example if time allows (perhaps with even greater input from pairs/groups of children).

Independent

Give children, in pairs or groups, a different range of texts, but fulfilling the same criteria.
Ask them to sort them into different text-types, discussing and relating the examples to their own reading experience.
Ask them to highlight and annotate the key features of at least some of the texts, as was modelled earlier.

Plenary:

Take feedback, getting children to explain and justify their sorting,as relates to key features, text-types, purpose and audience, etc. Check features against the annotated lists from Day 1 and discuss any areas of uncertainty.
By carefully managing the feedback, try to ensure that at least one example of each text-type is very fully discussed, and compared and contrasted with others.
Recap the features of each text-type, allowing children to articulate and explain these for themselves.

Phase 1 (2/5 days) : Day 2

Teaching notes

Your LA Literacy Consultant may be able to help you choose and analyse suitable texts.
Both the reference section (Part 3) of Grammar for Writing and the Writing Fliers provide clear information as to the features of each text-type.
At every stage of this lesson it is most important to allow children to articulate (to each other and to you) their understanding of the text-types and features, providing examples from their own reading experience. This will help both their learning and your assessment of it.
Relate this day’s learning back to the previous day by referring to and using the annotated lists compiled then.
You should note that some features are common to more than one text-type. Some texts may also display features of more than one text-type (i.e. they are ‘hybrid’ texts). These will be addressed in Phase 2. It is probably best to clarify the main text-types first and then go on to discuss hybrids, so keep the examples you use for this lesson as clear and ‘discreet’ as you can. However, you may need to acknowledge the existence of the mixed or ‘hybrid’ texts if they arise in discussion or through the examples the children give.
By the end of the lesson, children should be able to fairly accurately and quickly identify examples of each text-type, and pick out their key language and organisational features. If, through ongoing assessment, you realise that this is not the case, it may be better temporarily to ‘side step’ this plan and put in additional teaching to address any ‘gaps’(see pages 2-5).

Phase 1 (3/5 days) : Day 3

Plan

Whole class:

Select a non-fiction text (of a level and length as might be used in the QCA KS2 tests – and preferably an entertaining and engaging one) which represents a clear example of a particular text-type.
Use this to model reading and analysis of a non-fiction text with appropriate highlighting, annotating, etc.
In relation to this text, explore different types and levels of question found in National Curriculum tests, and how best to answer them. Consider literal, deductive and inferential questions, as well as those relating to reader response. Consider 1, 2 and 3 mark questions in the QCA mark schemes and how they need to be answered to gain the appropriate marks. Also discuss and exemplify relating answers to evidence in the text. Through discussion compile a list or chart of different types/levels of question, and try to define criteria for the ‘best’ answer to each.

Independent:

In pairs or groups, ask children to generate their own questions at different levels (information retrieval, inference, reader response and/or QCA ‘1’, ‘2’, and ‘3’ mark questions) relating to the same text or a very similar one. (If the latter it may be best to shared-read it first.)
Ask children to work out the ‘best’ answers to their own questions, demonstrating how to relate them to the text, etc.
Try out the questions on others and compare answers to their own.

Plenary:

Feedback and discuss both questions and answers, discussing any areas of uncertainty.
Make sure children can identify and understand the different types and levels of question, and what is needed to provide the ‘best’ answer to each. To check, refer back to the criteria generated earlier.
Recap again, referring back to the compiled question types and ‘good’ answer criteria, but also encouraging children to articulate their own understanding of them.

Phase 1 (3/5 days) : Day 3

Teaching notes

As reports may not have been specifically covered since Year 3, it may be helpful to choose and analyse a report text for this lesson. Alternatively the text and analysis could be drawn directly from Year 6 planning exemplification 2002-2003: report writing unit
Your Literacy Consultant may also be able to help in defining different levels of questions and the appropriate response (related to the requirements of the QCA mark scheme). Alternatively you can explore previous test texts and questions on the QCA website ( or draw on your own/your school’s previous analysis of test papers and results.
At every stage of this lesson it is most important to allow children to articulate (to each other and to you) their understanding of the different types of questions and how best to answer them, always providing examples. This will help both their learning and your assessment of it.
By the end of the lesson, children should be beginning to have a good understanding of how to read and answer different types and levels of questions in relation to a non-fiction text. However they will have an opportunity to explore this further and reinforce their knowledge/understanding on Day 4.

Phase 1 (4/5 days) : Day 4

Plan

Whole class:

Select a non-fiction text of a (strongly) different and contrasting type to that used on Day 3.
Use this to model reading and analysis of a non-fiction text with appropriate highlighting, annotating, etc.
In relation to this text, explore different types and levels of question found in National Curriculum tests, and how best to answer them. Consider literal, deductive and inferential questions, as well as those relating to reader response. Consider 1, 2 and 3 mark questions in the QCA mark schemes and how they need to be answered to gain the appropriate marks. Also discuss and exemplify relating answers to evidence in the text. Through discussion compile a list or chart of different types/levels of question, and try to define criteria for the ‘best’ answer to each.

Independent:

In pairs or groups, ask children to generate their own questions at different levels (information retrieval, inference, reader response and/or QCA ‘1’, ‘2’, and ‘3’ mark questions) relating to the same text or a very similar one. (If the latter it may be best to shared-read it first.)
Ask children to work out the ‘best’ answers to their own questions, demonstrating how to relate them to the text, etc.
Try out the questions on others and compare answers to their own.

Plenary:

Feedback and discuss both questions and answers, discussing any areas of uncertainty.
Make sure children can identify and understand the different types and levels of question, and what is needed to provide the ‘best’ answer to each. To check, refer back to the criteria generated earlier.
Recap again, referring back to the compiled question types and ‘good’ answer criteria, but also encouraging children to articulate their own understanding of them.

Phase 1 (4/5 days) : Day 4

Teaching notes

Choose a very different (but still engaging) text to that used on the previous day. Your LA Literacy Consultant may be able to help you choose and analyse a suitable text. If you did not use a report text on Day 3 then this text and analysis could be drawn directly from Year 6 planning exemplification 2002-2003: report writing unit
When discussing how to read the text, how to answer different kinds of question, etc., try to both recap and build on from the learning of the previous day.
Your Literacy Consultant may also be able to help in defining different levels of questions and the appropriate response (related to the requirements of the QCA mark scheme). Alternatively you can again explore previous test texts and questions on the QCA website ( or draw on your own/your school’s previous analysis of test papers and results.
Once again, at every stage of this lesson it is most important to allow children to articulate (to each other and to you) their understanding of the different types of questions and how best to answer them, always providing examples. This will help both their learning and your assessment of it. The stage of the session when children devise and answer their own and each other’s questions at different levels will provide a particularly good opportunity to assess their understanding.
By the end of the lesson, children should have a good understanding of how to read and answer different types and levels of questions in relation to a non-fiction text. On Day 5 they will have an opportunity to try to utilise this understanding under ‘test conditions’, and then to reflect upon and learn from the way they went about this. This will provide further important assessment opportunities, not only through the ‘test’ itself, but as much if not more so in the ‘debrief’.

Phase 1 (5/5 days) : Day 5