- Year 4
Practising writing direct speech for 'Whale Rider'
I can write sentences using accurate speech punctuation.
- Year 4
Practising writing direct speech for 'Whale Rider'
I can write sentences using accurate speech punctuation.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Switch to our new teaching resources now - designed by teachers and leading subject experts, and tested in classrooms.
These resources were created for remote use during the pandemic and are not designed for classroom teaching.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- Direct speech is the term used for a person speaking out loud in a text.
- Speech first is punctuated with inverted commas and a comma, question mark or exclamation mark.
- Speech second is punctuated with inverted commas and a full stop, question mark or exclamation mark.
- Inverted commas are used to demarcate the direct speech from the reporting clause.
- A range of synonyms for ‘said’ and use of adverbs can offer detail about how a character spoke and felt.
Keywords
Direct speech - the term used for a person speaking out loud in a text
Inverted commas - punctuation marks used to indicate the beginning and end of direct speech
Reporting clause - tells the reader who said the speech and how
Common misconception
Pupils may think that punctuation rules in direct speech are optional or may apply them inconsistently.
Explain that the reader must know where the direct speech begins and ends to understand what is being said. Display examples of speech with and without punctuation to emphasise this.
To help you plan your year 4 English lesson on: Practising writing direct speech for 'Whale Rider', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 4 English lesson on: Practising writing direct speech for 'Whale Rider', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 2 English lessons from the 'Whale Rider': narrative writing unit, dive into the full primary English curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Equipment
You need a copy of the 2002 film version of ‘Whale Rider’ produced by South Pacific Pictures for this lesson.
Licence
Lesson video
Loading...
Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Order the sections of a narrative chronologically.
Q2.Who are the main characters in 'Whale Rider'?
Q3.Which of the following nouns should begin with a capital letter?
Q4.Match the punctuation mark to its name.
,
'' ''
?
!
.
Q5.Which of the following sentences is correctly punctuated?
Q6.What is the definition of a clause?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What is the name of the punctuation mark that indicates where the words the character said begin and end?
Q2.Which is the reporting clause in this speech sentence? ''I want to be the leader,'' declared Paikea calmly.
Q3.True or false? This speech sentence is punctuated correctly: ''the leader will be a boy,'' exclaimed Koro.
Q4.Which speech first sentence is correctly punctuated?
Q5.Match the adverb to the most appropriate verb.
loudly
quietly
confidently