Finding Our Way

Unit Objectives

• Analyse the structure and purpose of letters and recounts

• Sequence events using temporal and conditional connectives

• Write a coherent letter‑style narrative recount

• Use complex sentences joined by subordinating conjunctions

• Use adverb groups/phrases and prepositional phrases to add detail

• Use past, present and future tense appropriately

• Identify emotions and apply strategies for resilience and persistence

Success Criteria

✅ Identify the features of a letter and a recount

✅ Sequence events clearly using words such as first, then, after, when, if

✅ Write in mostly correct past tense for a recount

✅ Include at least two complex sentences joined with subordinating conjunctions

✅ Add detail using adverb and prepositional phrases

✅ Describe how characters feel and how they respond to challenges

✅ Explain positive ways to manage emotions before reacting

Learning Intention

• I can identify events in a recount and map them into a story structure.

Success Criteria

• I can summarise events in the correct order using Seven Steps narrative structure.

What do you recognise on the cover?

What do you think will happen in this story? What makes you think that?

Turn and Talk

Read without stopping

Were your predictions correct?

On your whiteboards, write down key information to the story.

You may like to divide your board into- Beginning, Middle and End.

🎯 Who?

🎯 What?

🎯 Where?

🎯 When?

🎯 Why?

-Be ready to share-

Let's put them on a class anchor chart.

On your A3 piece of paper, let's create a story map.

Learning Intention

• I can identify characters’ feelings.

Success Criteria

• I can explain how a character feels and why, using evidence from the text.

On your whiteboards,

Summarise the story in 20 words or less.

-Turn and Talk for 1 minute-

Write.

-Share-

On your whiteboards,

Can you remember some of the emotions (feelings) Sunny had during the story?

-Turn and Talk for 1 minute-

Write.

-Share-

Lets look at different parts of the story and find then evidence to support the emotions we have chosen.

Plot the emotions that were felt in your story graph.

Write 3 sentences about how Sunny was feeling.

🎯 At the beginning Sunny was feeling... because...

🎯 Next...

🎯 Finally...

Learning Intention

• I can write a short recount in past tense.

• I can edit my writing.

Success Criteria

• My writing uses past tense verbs accurately.

• I use CUPS to edit my work.

Sunni's first destination

🎯 who?

🎯 where?

🎯 what?

Aim: Use descriptive language to write a short recount retelling the first place Sunny visited. A minimum of three sentences.

Explore: Don’t forget to include how he was feeling. 

Challenge: Can you write emotion without naming the emotion? What does your body do to show emotion? His shoulders slumped… He dragged his feet…

- Watch me write a beginning sentence -

You have 15 minutes to write as much as you can.

Skip a line between each line to leave space for editing.

Using a red pencil or pen, read through your work:

🎯 correct any Capitals you have missed (1 minute)

🎯 correct any Punctuation (.!?"",' you have missed (1 minutes)

🎯 correct any Spelling, ask each other, use a dictionary, ask me (3 minutes)

In pairs:

🎯 each person reads their writing to their partner.
Help the writer find any errors with their sentence fluency; Understanding.

(5 minutes each)

On your own:

🎯 read you work again to yourself to do any final editing.

(5 minutes)

Share your writing with the class.

Learning Intention

• I can explain positive ways to respond to challenges.

Success Criteria

• I can identify at least one positive strategy to manage a challenge.

Sunny's challenges

On your whiteboard, write down the challenges which Sunny faced in the story.

-Share-

Whilst sharing, let's remember how Sunny was feeling during these challenges.

Share your responses with the  class.

Learning Intention

• I can identify the structure of a letter.

Success Criteria

• I can label the greeting, body and sign‑off of a letter.

• I can write an address in the correct format.

What has Sunny included?

What has Sunny forgotton?

Read your letter to your desk partner.

🎯 Has your partner used the correct structure?

Learning Intention

• I can identify letter structure.

• I can identify past tense.

Success Criteria

• I can label the greeting, body and sign‑off of a letter.

• I can highlight past tense words in a text.

We know a verb is in the past tense when:

🎯 It has –ed

🎯 It’s an irregular verb (eg, spoke, went, saw)

🎯 There’s a time word showing it happened before now (yesterday, last week)

🎯 It uses was/were (was running, were playing)

🎯 It uses had (had seen, had finished)

The story is clearly written about something that’s already happened

Let's go through the answers.

Learning Intention

• I can use comprehension skills to answer literal and inferential questions.

Success Criteria

• I can identify evidence in a text to support my answers.

Come up with your own literal question from the text to ask your partner.

Ask your partner- make sure to show where the evidence in the text is.

Learning Intention

• I can identify key events in Hoverbike.

Success Criteria

• I can order events correctly.

On your A3 piece of paper, let's create a story map using the Seven Steps for Writing.

Watch the animation again. Write the key events on your whiteboard.

🎯 Plot the key events on your map.

-share-

Did everyone plot theirs the same?

Does it matter if we haven't?

Learning Intention

• I understand and use temporal connectives.

Success Criteria

• I use time words to connect a story together.

Temporal Connectives

In a recount, you know to use:

First

Next

Then

Finally

There are way more interesting ways to tell the reader about time.

Dohbert's Misfortune

Share your sentences with a partner.

🎯 Have they included temporal connectives?

Learning Intention

• I can use conditional conjunctions to describe cause and effect.

Success Criteria

• I can use conditional conjunctions such as if, when and unless to accurately explain how events occur.

Conditional Conjunctions

Examples:

You can play outside if you finish your work.

We won’t be late unless the bus breaks down.

🎯 Which part of the sentence is the cause?
(why something happens)

 
🎯 Which part of the sentence is the effect?
(is the result or outcome)

Tell your desk partner a cause and effect from the animation.

Learning Intention

• I can identify challenges and persistence.

Success Criteria

• I can explain how Dohbert can keep trying.

Share a challenge you have had and what you did to persevere through it.

Share your responses for how Dohbert could persevere.

Learning Intention

• I can identify complex sentences.

Success Criteria

• I can find independent and dependent clauses.

Create your own complex sentence on your board using a conjunction from the worksheet.

Learning Intention

• I can write complex sentences using conjunctions.

Success Criteria

• I use time conjunctions like before, after, while and until to write events in Hoverbike.

Watch the animation again.
We will stop at certain times to write complex sentences using:

🎯 Before            🎯 While            🎯 After            🎯 Until

Share your sentences with the class.

Learning Intention

• I can write complex sentences using conjunctions to show cause and effect.

Success Criteria

• My sentences explain why events happen using words like since and although.

Since Dohbert didn’t read the warning label, he got stuck inside the box.

Cause: Dohbert didn’t read the warning label

Effect: He got stuck inside the box

Since the hoverbike’s cord caught on the satellite dish, Dohbert was pulled into the air.

Cause: The cord caught on the dish

Effect: Dohbert was pulled into the air

Although Dohbert was excited about his new hoverbike, he ended the day feeling unhappy.

Cause: Excitement about the hoverbike

Effect: He felt unhappy at the end (unexpected result)

Although the desert was calm, the hoverbike behaved wildly.

Cause: Calm desert setting

Effect: The hoverbike behaved wildly

In pairs, finish the following sentences.

🎯 Since the hoverbike suddenly powered up, ...

🎯 Although Dohbert tried to escape, ...

-share-

Watch the animation again.
We will stop at certain times to write complex sentences on lined paper using:

🎯 Since            🎯 Although

🎯 Underline the independent clauses

🎯 Highlight the dependent clauses 

🎯 Circle the conjunction (joining word)