Reporting on Mormor's death in 'The Twisted Tree'
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can plan an effective article reporting on Mormor's death.
Key learning points
- Effective planning starts with a 'brain dump' where you recall as much relevant information about the task as possible.
- Language devices should match the tone of the article.
- Exclamatory sentences are not appropriate for an article about Mormor's death as it's a factual article.
- A 5-paragraph structure is effective for an article, including an introduction, 3 supporting details and a conclusion.
Keywords
Tone - the overall mood or feeling of a piece of writing
Brain dump - the act of writing down everything that comes to mind on a particular topic
Compassionate - to feel or show pity, sympathy and understanding for people who are suffering
Exclamatory sentences - a sentence that expresses sudden or strong emotions and feelings ending with an exclamation mark
Common misconception
Pupils may think that using exclamatory sentences is appropriate in a newspaper article about Mormor's death to express strong emotions.
Explain that while exclamatory sentences express sudden or strong emotions, they are not appropriate for a factual newspaper article. Instead, emphasise using emotive language and other devices that convey the community's feelings respectfully.
Teacher tip
Create a visual aid that outlines the structure of a newspaper article (headline, subheading, introduction, body paragraphs, conclusion). This will help students visually organise their thoughts and ensure they include all necessary components.
Equipment
You will need access to the text 'The Twisted Tree' by Rachel Burge, published by Hot Key Books, 2019
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Starting with the first, put these parts of a newspaper article in order.
Q2.Which part of a newspaper article is most likely to use rhyme or alliteration?
Q3.Which part of a newspaper article introduces the who, what, where, when and why?
Q4.What is the purpose of a subheading in a newspaper article?
Q5.Newspaper articles should generally be written in ...
Q6.Which of the below statements about Mormor, from 'The Twisted Tree', are true?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What is the primary purpose of a newspaper headline?
Q2.What should be included in the opening of a newspaper article?
Q3.What does the term 'tone' refer to in writing?
Q4.What is an exclamatory sentence?
Q5.What type of language device is used in the phrase "whisking them away to realms where gods and heroes roamed"?
Q6.Why are exclamatory sentences generally not appropriate for a factual newspaper article?
To help you plan your 7 English lesson on: Reporting on Mormor's death in 'The Twisted Tree', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 7 English lesson on: Reporting on Mormor's death in 'The Twisted Tree', 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 3 English lessons from the 'The Twisted Tree': fiction reading unit, dive into the full secondary English curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.