Title:
Grammar teaching in the writing process
Type:
Lesson plan
KLA:
English Language
Level:
P6
School:
Tsz Wan Shan St Bonaventure Catholic Primary School


Background

The teachers at Tsz Wan Shan St Bonaventure Catholic Primary School found that students very often could not see the relationship between writing and grammar learning. In order to help students apply the target language items or structures in their writing, the teachers decided to teach the language items or structures after students have written their first drafts. Students were guided to use the target language items or structures to improve their writing. It was found that the number of students who could apply the language items or structures appropriately in their writing increased significantly.

 

 
Objectives

Students are able to

  • read folk tales and identify the main features and the moral of the story.
  • add dialogues to their own writing.
  • use if-sentences to talk about things that are likely to happen.
  • use saying verbs to convey different feelings and meanings in both speaking and story writing.
  • use adjectives, adverbs and connectives in story writing.
  • use the past tense appropriately to describe events that happened in the past.
  • write, revise and edit their own work.
 

Implementation

Unit focus Story Writing
Task: Write a story

Lesson

Activities / Tasks

Resources/Materials

1-3

Read a folk tale

  • Ask if ss know what a folk tale is.
  • Read the folk tale on textbook p.16-17 and discuss the questions suggested.
  • Guide ss to complete the chart on textbook p.18 to identify the main features of a story.
  • Highlight the question words.
  • Introduce if-sentences on textbook p.19. Ss add the if-sentences as dialogues to selected parts of the folk tale in class.

 

Textbook p.16-17


Textbook p.18


Textbook p.19

4-6

Pre-writing

  • Read the story “Why Anansi has thin legs!” and guide ss to identify the main features and complete a story map.
  • Based on the same setting, guide ss to brainstorm ideas for the main features of a new story in class.
  • Ss brainstorm new ideas for their stories in groups and suggest the main features for their story map. Ss share their ideas in class. Teacher and ss give feedback.

 


Story map for spider


Story map for group writing

7-8

Drafting

  • Explain the group writing task clearly to ss. They need to write a story which includes dialogues and if-sentences based on their story map.
  • Students write their story in groups based on their story map.
  • Give students clear guidelines:
    • each group member should take turns to contribute ideas and write sentences,
    • each student has a role: writer, observer (to make sure each student contributes ideas), checker for grammar and checker for dialogues.
  • Ss write their first draft in groups. (For less able ss, direct their attention to the story they have just read and model some useful phrases or sentences.)

 

 

 

 

 

9

Language: Saying verbs

  • Ss find saying verbs as homework before the lesson.
  • Ss share the saying verbs they found with their groups and match the saying verbs with the different adjectives used to describe feelings in the adjective table.
  • Groups swap tables to check whether they agree with the suggested answers. Other groups check whether they agree with the matching of saying verbs and the adjectives. Ss put a cross against the saying verbs if they disagree with the matching. Teacher gathers all adjective tables and discusses the use of saying verbs.
  • Each group draws a sentence and suggests a saying verb. Ss practice in groups how to present the sentence orally. (Roles: Leader, English monitor, Voice monitor, Feelings monitor) Ss present the sentence in groups in front of the class. Other students guess the saying verbs.
  • Teacher shows the saying verbs ppt and consolidates the use of saying verbs when writing dialogues.
  • Allow time for ss to add or change the saying verbs they used in their first draft.
  • Share some examples in class.

 

 

Adjective table

 

Saying verb sentences

 

Saying verbs ppt

10

Language: Adjectives and adverbs

  • Ss listen to a story and fill in the blanks with the adjectives given on textbook p.27.
  • Ask ss to suggest more adjectives to describe feelings. Help ss recall adjectives learnt before.
  • For more able classes, recall adverbs learnt before as well.
  • Ss put adjectives (and adverbs) onto Fun book.
  • Allow time for ss to revise their writing and add adjectives (and adverbs).
  • Share some examples in class.

 

Textbook p.27

 

 

11

Language: Connectives

  • Guide ss to underline all the connectives in the story “Why Anansi has thin legs”.
  • Ss put connectives onto Fun book.
  • Allow time for ss to revise their first draft and add connectives.
  • Share some examples in class.

 

 

 

12

Revising and editing

  • Distribute a story to ss and ask them to proofread for tenses. Clarify common mistakes.
  • Go through the assessment form with ss. Have ss conduct self revising and editing.
  • Ss revise and edit their draft. Remind ss to pay attention to tenses.
  • Ss hand in the final draft.

 

Proofreading


Assessment form for writing

13

Publishing

  • Teacher returns ss’ work and gives feedback on the assessment form.
  • Ask some ss to share their stories in class and give oral feedback.

 


 

Acknowledgements

Ms Cammy Wu (Panel Head)
Mr Yau King Leung
Ms Alice Fung
Ms Ma Gee Sik
Ms Sandra Lau
Ms Suki Ngai

Tsz Wan Shan St Bonaventure Catholic Primary School

 

 

 

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