Year 6 EnglishWeek 7

Week beginning Monday 13th July 2020

We are learning to:

• Understand and explore the meaning of words in context.

• Discuss and explain how a writer’s choices of words influence a reader.

• Draw inferences from letter writing.

• Use description, through specific vocabulary choices, to convey details and create mood.

• Use appropriate grammar to show how choices can change and enhance meaning.

• Edit writing for effectiveness using spelling, vocabulary and grammar choices.

Follow the learning journey on this PowerPoint; it has a breakdown for each day from Monday to Friday.

There will be a task each day which could be introduced by an extract, a worksheet or a piece of writing.

You can upload your work to Purple Mash so that your teachers can see your fantastic writing.

Day 1

Monday 13th July 2020

• We are learning to understand and explore the meaning of words in context.

• We are learning to discuss and explain how a writer’s choices of words influence a reader.

• We are learning to draw inferences from letter writing.

Here is an extract of

a letter from ‘Frindle’

by Andrew Clements.

This story is about a boy who invents a new word for ‘pen’,

which his old-fashioned teacher opposes.

This extract is near the end of the story when Mrs Granger

explains in a letter to Nick, years later, why she pretended

to be so opposed to him inventing a new word for ‘pen’

(frindle)

It begins like this…

Nick’s head was spinning. With shaking hands, he opened

the fat, white envelope. He pulled out the ten-year-old

letter and began to read.

Dear Nicholas,

If you are reading this letter, it means that the word frindle has been added

to the dictionary. Congratulations.

A person can watch the sunrise, but he cannot slow it down or stop it or

make it go backwards. And that is what I was trying to do with your word.

At first, I was angry, I admit that. I was not happy to see the word ‘pen’

pushed aside as if it did not matter. But I guess that the if the Latin word for

feather had been frindilus instead of pinna, then you probably would have

invented the word ‘pen’ instead. Like the sunrise, some things just have to

happen – and all you can really do is watch.

The word frindle has existed for less than three weeks. I now see that this is

the kind of chance that a teacher hopes for and dreams about – a

chance to see a bright, young student take an idea they have learned in

an old classroom and put it to a real test in their own world. I confess that I

am very excited to see how it all turns out. I am mostly here to watch it

happen.

But somehow I think I have a small part to play in this drama, and I have chosen

to be the villain. Every good story needs a bad guy, don’t you think?

So someday, I’ll be asking you to forgive me, and I hope you will.

Nick, I know you like to think. Please think about this: When I started teaching, no

one had landed on the moon, there were no space shuttles, no CNN, no weather

satellites. There were no video cassette recorders, no CD’s, no computers.

The world has changed in a million ways. That is why I have always tried to teach

children something that would be useful, no matter what.

So many things have gone out of date. But after all these years, words are still

important. Words are still needed by everyone. Words are used to think with, to

write with, to dream with, to hope and pray with. And that is why I love the

dictionary. It evolves. It works. And as you now know, it also changes and grows.

Again, congratulations. And I’ve enclosed a little present for you.

Yours truly,

Mrs Granger.

Explain what the following words mean:

confess

drama

villain

Find the word admit on the first page. Which

one of the words below would be the best

replacement for it?

acknowledge

allow

reveal

Find the word teach on the second page.

Which one of the words below would be the

best replacement for it?

instruct

direct

educate

Find and copy a word on the first

page that has the same meaning as ‘been available’.

Find and copy a word in the

second extract that has the same

meaning as ‘altered’.

‘Like the sunrise, some things just have to happen –

and all you can really do is watch.’

Can you think of some adjectives and adverbsthat could add more detail to this description?

Example: ‘Like the vivid sunrise gently rising , some

amazing things just have to happen naturally.

Now chose another passage and add similar

details to the sentence.

Look at the second page again.

‘Words are still needed by everyone. Words

are used to think with, to write with, to

dream with, to hope and pray with.’

Can you think of a simile to describe the

words further e.g. ‘Words, like the very

essence of life, are still needed by everyone, like a constant heart beat.’

Day 2

Tuesday 14th July 2020

• We are learning to understand and explore the meaning of words in context.

• We are learning to discuss and explain how a writer’s choices of words influence a reader.

• We are learning to draw inferences from letter writing.

Read the extract from ‘Frindle’ again.

Then answer the VIPERS questions to

deepen your understanding of how

the writer is trying to make the reader

feel.

Dear Nicholas,

If you are reading this letter, it means that the word frindle has been added

to the dictionary. Congratulations.

A person can watch the sunrise, but he cannot slow it down or stop it or

make it go backwards. And that is what I was trying to do with your word.

At first, I was angry, I admit that. I was not happy to see the word ‘pen’

pushed aside as if it did not matter. But I guess that the if the Latin word for

feather had been frindilus instead of pinna, then you probably would have

invented the word ‘pen’ instead. Like the sunrise, some things just have to

happen – and all you can really do is watch.

The word frindle has existed for less than three weeks. I now see that this is

the kind of chance that a teacher hopes for and dreams about – a

chance to see a bright, young student take an idea they have learned in

an old classroom and put it to a real test in their own world. I confess that I

am very excited to see how it all turns out. I am mostly here to watch it

happen.

But somehow I think I have a small part to play in this drama, and I have chosen

to be the villain. Every good story needs a bad guy, don’t you think?

So someday, I’ll be asking you to forgive me, and I hope you will.

Nick, I know you like to think. Please think about this: When I started teaching, no

one had landed on the moon, there were no space shuttles, no CNN, no weather

satellites. There were no video cassette recorders, no CD’s, no computers.

The world has changed in a million ways. That is why I have always tried to teach

children something that would be useful, no matter what.

So many things have gone out of date. But after all these years, words are still

important. Words are still needed by everyone. Words are used to think with, to

write with, to dream with, to hope and pray with. And that is why I love the

dictionary. It evolves. It works. And as you now know, it also changes and grows.

Again, congratulations. And I’ve enclosed a little present for you.

Yours truly,

Mrs Granger.

‘At first, I was angry, I admit that. I was not happy to see

the word ‘pen’ pushed aside as if it did not matter.’

What feeling/mood do you think the writer was

trying to create by using the words in red?

What impression of this teacher are we being

encouraged to think here?

Explain how you know.

‘I now see that this is the kind of chance that a teacher

hopes for and dreams about – a chance to see a bright,

young student take an idea they have learned in an old

classroom and put it to a real test in their own world.’

Look at how the writer now describes the

boy’s achievement.

How does this explanation from the teacher

alter your impression of her now?

‘The world has changed in a million ways. That is why I

have always tried to teach children something that

would be useful, no matter what.’

Compare this revelation from the teacher of how

she helps children with the earlier description of

how she was angry.

How would you describe what she is really like?

What changes your mind? What more do you

know about her by the end of the letter?

Have you ever had a similar

experience, where you have got to

know a person, perhaps a teacher,

and your opinion of them changed?

Can you describe what it was like?

What thoughts and feelings might go

through your mind?

Day 3

Wednesday 15th July 2020

We are learning to discuss and explain how a writer’s choices of words influence a reader.

We are learning to use precise language to show appreciation.

Read and discuss the questions on the next few slides. They follow this week’s theme of letter writing.

Answers to this don’t need to be written down, but you can do this if you would like to.

Do discuss them with someone; it will help to keep the ideas in your head and strengthen your

understanding.

You will need to use these ideas for tomorrow’s writing.

Now, we are going to focus on the main

purpose of studying letters this week.

We are going to be looking at how a teacher,

or another adult in our school, helps us with our

learning and in our lives.

Use the following questions to help organise

your thinking, opinions and ideas.

From looking at

these pictures and

using your own

ideas, what are the

many different

ways in which

teachers help

pupils?

Which of these

ideas link to your

own experience of

being helped to

learn?Can you make a list?

When a teacher helps you, how does it make you feel?

How does it influence the way you think and feel about yourself?

Think of some words to describe a range of

pupils’ feelings when they are given help with

work, overcoming problems, achieving, being

supported through tricky times.

Examples: Assured, proud of themselves,

grateful, relieved.

If teachers, or other adults who work in a school, help

you in all these different ways, what kind of person do

they need to be? What qualities would they have?

What do you think would be the most important

quality and why is it so important?

How to do think they would feel if they were thanked?

What do you think they would like to know about the

effect their attitude and teaching style has on

children?

Create a list of reasons you might have to

thank an adult who has helped or

supported you this year.

(If you are in school doing this, and the

teacher is right in front of you, right now,

you are going to have to be a bit clever

about hiding this bit…)

List some words and phrases that could be used to

describe the qualities a great teacher might have

Example: caring, high expectations, curiosity,

humour.

Then add some words/phrases to expand the idea,

adding further detail.

Example: ‘extremely caring’, ‘full of high

expectations’, ‘endlessly curious’, ‘great sense of

humour’.

Day 4

Thursday 16th July 2020

• Use description, through specific vocabulary choices, to convey details and create mood.

• Use appropriate grammar to show how choices can change and enhance meaning.

Today's task has a different purpose to all the other writing you have done. This writing is going to

an actual person!

You are going to be writing a letter to a teacher, or another person who works in school, to thank

them for what they have done for you this year.

• You can use the WAGOLLs to help put all your ideas together in writing.

• You can also use the ideas and discussion points from this week so far to help put your

description together.

• Write enough detail to let them really know how much they have helped!

Today you are going to write a thank you letter

to a teacher or another adult who has helped

you in school this year.

Most likely, this will be your class teacher, but it

could be another person who has helped you

such as an LSA, a PPA teacher or an adult from

the office, the kitchens, the caretaker. It could

even be the Head teacher or Deputy!

We need to be really clear with our words to help the

reader understand how and why their actions have

made you so thankful. We can do this by:

• Using plenty of well-chosen adjectives and adverbs to

make this writing very clear.

• Describing a number of actions that this person has

done, perhaps not even realising the great, positive

effects it has had on you.

• Remember, this is a letter of thanks. There’ll probably

be a list of things you wish to share.

The WAGOLLs on the next two pages are REAL

letters from REAL children; they are not made up.

See if you can spot how these children got across

their thanks and how they expressed their feelings.

Imagine how their teachers felt when they read

these words.

Which words and phrases were particularly

effective?

Dear teacher of reading, writing and all things English,

I am writing to say a huge thank you for teaching me English, this year.

Before, I wasn’t very good at it and didn’t really like reading but now I

love it! Thanks to your love of reading, I have read and enjoyed and

finished so many different books!!

Thank you too for your patience and belief that I could do it when I

didn’t believe it myself. I will go to my new school knowing that I am

good at English and that has really helped me feel better about it.

Dear…,

I am sending you this letter to say thank you for being my class

teacher. You have helped me in so many ways that I don’t know

where to begin. I used to be a very angry person, who didn’t like to go

out in the playground. You were very patient with me and gave me

the confidence to start to play with other children and not get cross so

easily…

And here are some sentences taken out of thank you letters

which may help you with your choices of words and feelings:

• Thank you for an amazing year, it has been so much FUN! You inspired

me to work hard and believe in myself.

• You have been incredible to me; you have made things I thought

would be hard, do-able!

• You have taken care of me, helped me, supported me and you have

just always been there for me.

• Thank you for everything this year. You have helped me and

developed me. Thank you again. I will really miss you.

• The great thing about you is you will accept anyone into your class

even if they are not always correct at first, they are shy, need extra

explaining. Just remembering your smile will make me happy.

• Thank you for encouraging me to do the best I possibly could.

• These last two years have been brilliant. I have loved your assemblies!

Now it’s your turn!

Use any of your own ideas, and those from other

children, to build some sentences, plan and

organise your writing.

Remember that an effective piece of writing will

probably bring a tear to their eye (in a good way!)

Day 5

Friday 10th July 2020We are learning to look over our writing in order to make it even better!

We are learning to edit writing for effectiveness using spelling, vocabulary and grammar choices.

Today, reread your letter of thanks.

Edit your work so that it is made even better.

Things to include are:

•Checking for punctuation, especially full stops and capital letters.

•Reading it aloud to someone else. This helps to spot any changes that may be needed.

•Checking it makes sense; have you left out words or repeated yourself?

•Altering any errors in spelling, especially those words you already know how to spell.

•Replacing words to give a precise description.

Checking that you have chosen particular words and phrases that put across your genuine thank you!

Please complete this activity and try to get it to your chosen adult in school!