Sample teaching sequence€¦ · Web viewThink long-term – try to adapt your lifestyle and eating habits. Remember that the most effective way to lose weight is by modifying your

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Study Plus English sample unit of workProofing to improve (Improving accuracy)

Curricular target cluster

Check my writing for the mistakes I commonly make Use commas and other punctuation correctly in longer sentences to

help the reader follow my meaning

GCSE English assessment objectivesGCSE AO3 (iii)

Use a range of sentence structures effectively with accurate punctuation and spelling.

Unit assessment questions (to be shared with pupils in advance)

Do I know how to proofread my work? Do I know what my particular commonly-made errors are and how to

improve them? Do I know how to use commas correctly in my longer sentences? Do I know how to use other punctuation in longer sentences, to

signpost my meaning to my readers?

Unit topic: Proofing to improve

Pupils will take the part of a team of reporters or journalists contributing articles for a newspaper or journal. Having identified, with the help of their teacher and TA, which aspects of their own writing need improving in terms of accuracy, pupils will then focus on writing and proofing their own work to deadlines in order to improve awareness and control over the accuracy of their written work.

This unit is relevant to writing in all curriculum areas as it focuses pupils on the need to maximise the accuracy of their writing so that they are communicating effectively to their intended reader.

This unit follows on from ‘Review it’ and revisits what has been taught in the unit with the added aspect of encouraging a greater focus on accuracy.

Secondary National Strategy © Crown copyright 200700327-2007CDO-EN

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Unit overview

Lesson Lesson overview HomeworkBaseline activity

1 Introduction to topic ‘Recognising and improving the accuracy in my writing’Introducing the curricular targetsEstablishing the journalistic teamEmphasising the need for accuracy via proofing and correcting

Pupils to decide upon their writing topic within their allocated newspaper desk

2 Engage in the writing and proofreading process, respond to prompted correction

Pupils to proof and correct their work (Story 1) to submit for the deadline

3 Identify common errors, edit and redraft Draft of new story or article

4 Awareness of common personal errors First draft of a second article

Proof, correct and submit final draft (Story 2)

5 Working as a team to spot errors made by peers and correct those indicated by others when redrafting

6 Peer assessment of final drafts against original list of errorsPersonal target setting

Note: Teachers could decide to add one or two additional lessons to this sequence. These could be fitted in after lesson 4 and/or lesson 5. The two main purposes of these lessons would be to:● strengthen cross-curricular links; ● allow pupils more time to complete written work independently.

These additional lessons could have a ‘workshop’ format in which pupils work independently while the teacher and TA have planned conversations with individuals or small groups to review pupils’ written accuracy in their other subjects. This process could usefully include discussing writing recently undertaken in other subjects, the aim being to help identify common errors and to establish strategies for future improvement. These conversations are designed to complement work done with pupils by the TA, e.g. in lesson 4.


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Pre-unit homework

Baseline activity

Ask pupils to select a piece of their writing from any area of the curriculum and to annotate it, showing where they have noted and corrected errors in their writing, in particular focusing on the use of punctuation, including commas. State that they will review this piece of work at the end of the unit to see how much they have learnt about proofing their own written work.

Lesson 1

Objective ● Introduction to topic and curricular targets● Establishing the team of journalists● Emphasising the need for accuracy● Proofing and correcting

Starter10 minutes

Quick pair discussion focusing on the following: ‘Why is accuracy in writing important?’ ‘In what parts of the “real world” is this particularly important?’

Brief feedback, noting responses and examples on the board. Main40 minutes

IntroductionBuilding on the earlier discussion, introduce the fact that technical accuracy is very important in compiling a newspaper. Explain that even though each edition is produced very rapidly and there is usually no more than about six hours from collection of stories to completion of the copy, the writing has to be accurate throughout.

Explain that over the next few lessons, they, as a group, will be producing articles for a quality newspaper or magazine. Working in pairs, they will each produce a story, proof it and have it ready for print. Explain that the teacher’s role will be to act as editor-in- chief; this means that you will allocate the roles, check the final copy before going to print…and, like a true editor, you will be very unhappy if there are technical errors in the final copy!

It would be helpful to have a range of newspaper articles available as a display. Add to this over the weeks. Try to include good-quality ‘stories’ from the following:

- sports desk (interviews, match reports, general discursive pieces)

- crime desk (news stories, court reports, articles on


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neighbourhood crime)- human interest desk (personal, children, pets, bravery

etc.) gossip column - political desk - consumer interest (home products, furniture, design,

garden) fashion desk (catwalk reviews) - health and fitness - travel desk - environment desk - editorial (viewpoint on a topical matter) - arts desk (theatre exhibition, film reviews, interviews etc.)

business desk ModelShow an example of a poorly-drafted story for publication, resource 1.1. Draw attention to the structure and layout of the story, paying particular attention to the opening paragraph, which should ‘hook the reader’, the development of the ideas, the use of topic sentences and the style of writing. This should all be a reminder of Key Stage 3 work.

Tell pupils that although all these aspects of writing are important, this unit focuses on accuracy at sentence and word level. This is largely what lets down this article. Put up the curricular targets for the unit. Model proofing and correcting the first two paragraphs of the text through annotation.Development Independent

Working in pairs, pupils continue to correct the article, annotating the text to show their decisionsGuidedTA works with two pairs who will need extra support with this taskIndividual supportTeacher checks the understanding of individuals by asking targeted pupils to explain the corrections they are making

Plenary10 minutes

Display or hand out to pairs the corrected version, resource 1.2.Ask pupils to look carefully at their annotated texts and to:● review the range of errors they corrected – what kinds of error were the most common? (Note these down for the next lesson);● decide which errors they found most difficult to spot and/or correct.

Take brief feedback on the second bullet point, commenting on the variety of difficulties faced by individuals and the opportunity this presents for group members to help each other improve the


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accuracy of their writing in a range of subjects. Pupils make a list of what they see as their own particular weaknesses in accuracy.

Homework Pupils are allocated to one newspaper ‘desk’ by the editor (teacher) and asked to think of a newspaper article that they will then write during the next lesson. The idea may be based on an existing story or event, or could be new. The event covered could either be related to the school or to the locality, or could link to a topic they are covering in one of their other options, but, above all, it must be interesting!

Suggest that each individual comes up with an idea and that, as they will be writing the story in pairs working for one ‘desk’, they could then select the most imaginative or interesting option.

Lesson 2

Objective To engage in the writing and proofreading process, responding to prompted corrections

Starter10 minutes

Display the notes from the previous lesson, listing the range of errors found in the newspaper story.

In their working pairs, ask pupils to reconsider this list and to note down any particular kinds of errors that they will need to be wary of, given their proofreading experience from the lesson before and referring to their own personal list compiled last lesson.

Main40 minutes

IntroductionRemind them that during this lesson, they will be working in pairs and that they will:● select and write a story for the newspaper desk;● proofread and correct their story.

Their homework will be to proof and correct their final versions, ready to be handed into the editor (teacher) for publication the following day or lesson.

Explain that one of the greatest difficulties when writing is trying to focus on ‘the what’ (content) and ‘the how’ (text construction and technical accuracy) at the same time. State that, because of this, they will be working in pairs, allowing one member of the pair to focus on the content of the story, while the other partner focuses on the technical accuracy. Emphasise that they will need to swap these roles during the lesson. As they will eventually be word processing their final versions, using ‘Publisher’ or a similar programme, they will not need to worry about layout at this stage but need to concentrate on accuracy, particularly in relation to punctuation.


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Development IndependentWorking in pairs, the pupils select their stories, plan and begin writing them, taking it in turns to scribe.

GuidedTeacher works with the most able pair to ensure that their writing is as accurate as possible, making sure all technical corrections, particularly those related to punctuation, are noted.

IndividualTA observes pairs working and notes where individuals are particularly struggling with self-correction.

Plenary10 minutes

Guided group present their article with annotations, showing how they have improved their writing by correcting punctuation and other errors made while writing.

Teacher then reads the story to the whole group, showing how improved accuracy has improved the quality of the writing.

Homework Remind pupils to hand in their proofread stories the following

morning.

Lesson 3Note: Pupils will need access to computers for this lesson.

Objective ● To identify common errors, edit and redraft

Starter10 minutes

Introduce ‘Ten top tips for writing more accurately’. Explain that this will be the result of some of their work during the next few lessons.

Give the pupils five minutes to list the common errors that they have discovered in their work in pairs and then gather these in.

Display these lists and state that over the next three lessons they will be asked to give suggestions on how to avoid making these errors.

(Teacher or TA to redraft the lists into a ‘Top ten tips’ to be worked on next lesson.)


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Main45 minutes

IntroductionReturn the stories from the last lesson and ask pupils to look at your corrections, working in pairs as before. Then go on to explain that they are going to edit the text ready for publication.

Explain that they will now be redrafting their stories and converting them into newspaper format, using ‘Publisher’ or similar software.

Development IndependentMost pupils independently redraft their stories in pairs, using computers.

Guided Teacher to work with three pairs who need extra help in improving the accuracy of their stories.

Individual TA to work with individuals to identify misconceptions, by checking that they are aware of how to improve their writing and that they are able to explain the relevant rule.

Homework Tell pupils that their homework will be to select a new story or article for a newspaper, which they will write individually. (They may swap ‘desks’ for this.) Suggest that they select a specialist topic of interest to them or some material from another subject in the curriculum, for example an article reviewing an art or technology exhibition, a school visit or a sports event. Try to find a real purpose and audience for the best pieces, e.g. the school or parents’ newsletter, a subject corridor display, etc.


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Lesson 4

Objective To identify common personal errors, edit and redraft

Starter10 minutes

Using their own baseline activity writing, ask pupils to make a prioritised list of ‘Five things I need to do to make my writing more accurate’. If time allows, cross-check with another pupil.

Display the ‘Top ten tips’ list of the most common errors and, working in fours, give pupils seven to eight minutes to suggest ways of avoiding the error or a rule to remember.

Take feedback, noting the most succinct suggestions – to be used next lesson.

Main40 minutes

IntroductionDisplay the list in resource 4.1 as a reminder of features that make writing accurate and interesting to the reader. Leave it up for reference.

Development IndependentIndividuals write their stories, referring to the proofreading advice displayed.

GuidedTeacher helps a group who have a shared learning need, for example, using commas to punctuate complex sentences. (This may have been discovered through feedback from the TA after the previous lesson.)

Individual supportTA works with individuals reviewing examples of work from other curriculum areas for accuracy.

Plenary10 minutes

Select a few pupils to present their stories, and explain how they have used the knowledge gained from the proofing exercise to improve the first draft of their stories done for homework.

Homework Remind all the pupils that, once again, they have only a few hours before they submit their stories; they should hand them in for publication the following morning. Remind them of the importance of deadlines in publishing. These stories will not be marked or commented on before the lesson, but will still need to be submitted on time if they are to be included in the final version of the newspaper.


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Lesson 5 Note: Once again, pupils will need access to computers for this lesson.

Objective Team work: to spot errors made by peers and correct those indicated by others in redrafting

Main50 minutes

Remind pupils of the ‘Top ten tips’ that have been compiled over the last few lessons and ask them to concentrate upon the most common errors. Suggest that they briefly review these before completing the final drafts of their own stories or articles for the newspaper.

Distribute the pupils’ stories or articles around the class and allow each pupil five minutes to read and highlight any errors they spot in the piece they have been given. Emphasise that they should indicate the errors by highlighting but not correct the ones they spot.

Repeat the activity once more: pupils proofread a different piece, checking that there are no errors that have been missed in the previous round.Development Independent

Most pupils now complete a final draft of their story independently, once again using a suitable publishing software package.

GuidedTeacher works intensively with a group of students who are struggling to complete successfully.

Individual Support TA works with individuals reviewing examples of work from other curriculum areas for accuracy.

Plenary 10 minutes

Display the ‘Ten top tips’ and ask pupils to indicate which of the tips they have used in their writing. ‘Yes/No’ cards, whiteboards or a show of hands could be used for this activity.


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Lesson 6

Objectives Peer assessment of final drafts against the original list of errors

Personal target settingStarter15 minutes

Hand out pupils’ baseline assessment completed in lesson 4. Ask pupils to quickly review their baseline assessment and decide whether they:

feel that they would make the same errors as they did in this piece of work;

are now able to spot more errors in their work.

Take very brief feedback, asking pupils to state whether they have made progress since the beginning of the unit. Refer to writing in other subjects.

Main40 minutes

DevelopmentDistribute completed copies of the group’s newspaper and conduct a shared reading of one or two of the most engaging stories, emphasising the ways in which punctuation in particular enhances the reading of the text.

Now give pupils the opportunity to read the rest of the newspaper, preferably aloud, in order to emphasise how the accuracy of the writing helps the meaning to be conveyed.

Plenary10 minutes

Finish the final lesson of the unit by asking each pupil to state one target they wish to work on in relation to improving their own accuracy in writing. Note these, drawing attention to those targets that are shared with at least one other member of the group and encouraging pupils to help each other to work collaboratively on their targets, whenever possible.


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Resource 1.1 – first draft of newspaper report

Shape up to the New Year

How fit are you. You don’t have to be an olimpic athlete to be fit your fitness level should match your lifestyle. Metropolitan News has produced shape up to the new year as a guide to local activities’ in in the area which may suit you and help you lead a more healthy and enjoyable life.

If you feel good you look good. Being fit not only makes you look better it has many advantages for your health. It strengthenens your heart and improves circulation and also help lower your blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and control your weight all of which reduce you’re risk of suffereing from a serious illnesses such as heart disease or diabetes.

Most exercise is good for your body but the best excercies for your hart are those that build you’re stamina. Staminas excercises caN include a brisk walk or jog, swimming or cucling at a good pace or even a arobic workout.

The golden rule of exercise is to start gently and build up gently. To be effective it is recommended by experts to do it two to three sessions perweek of at least twenty minutes each time. Varying your activity keeps you motivated and makes exercise more fun so go along and look at what your local sports’ centre has to offer.

You can start to exercise at any time of life but older folk should consult there doctor before participatting in anything too strenuous before you start it is wise to get a check up.

Maintaining a healthy weight will help your overall fitness. don’t turn to crash diet’s, appetite suppressant’s or any other Secondary National Strategy © Crown copyright 2007

00327-2007CDO-EN

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fad’s as thses are only likely to be effective in the short term if at all, the waight will soon reappear. Think long term do try to adapt your lifestyle and eating habits Remember that the most efective way to lose weight is by modifying your eating habit’s and taking reguler exercise.

There are many alternative ways to keep fit and healthy see the advertsisements in this feature for some ideas of how you can chose to benefit And shape up to the new year

Resource 1.2 – final draft of the newspaper report

Shape up to the New Year

How fit are you? You don’t have to be an Olympic athlete to be fit; your fitness level should match your lifestyle. Metropolitan News has produced ‘Shape up to the New Year’ as a guide to local activities in the area which may suit you and help you lead a more healthy and enjoyable life.

If you feel good you look good! Being fit not only makes you look better, it has many advantages for your health. It strengthens your heart and improves circulation. It can also help lower your blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and control your weight, all of which reduce your risk of suffering from serious illnesses such as heart disease or diabetes.

Most exercise is good for your body, but the best exercises for your heart are those that build your stamina. Stamina exercises can include a brisk walk or jog, swimming or cycling at a good pace, or an aerobic workout.

The golden rule of exercise is to start gently and build up gradually. To be effective, experts recommend two to three Secondary National Strategy © Crown copyright 2007

00327-2007CDO-EN

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sessions per week, of at least twenty minutes each time. Varying your activity keeps you motivated and makes exercise more fun; so go along and look at what your local sports centre has to offer.

You can start to exercise at any time of life, but older people should consult their doctor before participating in anything too strenuous. Before you start it is wise to get a check-up.

Maintaining a healthy weight will help your overall fitness. Don’t turn to crash diets, appetite suppressants or any other fads as these are only likely to be effective in the short term if at all; the weight will soon reappear. Think long-term – try to adapt your lifestyle and eating habits. Remember that the most effective way to lose weight is by modifying your diet and taking regular exercise.

There are various ways to keep fit and healthy: see the advertisements in this feature for some ideas on how you can choose to benefit and ‘Shape up to 2006’.

Resource 4.1

What features help make writing clear to the reader?

... at whole text level Ideas are organised into paragraphsRelated points are grouped togetherThe piece has a good beginning and endingCohesion helps the ideas link together

… at sentence levelA variety of sentences adds interest Complex sentences are used to combine ideas and add meaningPunctuation is used to help the reader


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follow meaning, e.g. the use of commas, semicolons, colons, speech marks, ellipsis, dashes and parentheses

… at word levelWord choice, e.g. the use of correct terms, adjectives, adverbs, phrases to add interest and variety and strong verbsAccurate punctuation, e.g. apostrophesAccurate spelling


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Sample teaching sequence€¦ · Web viewThink long-term – try to adapt your lifestyle and eating habits. Remember that the most effective way to lose weight is by modifying your