CAMBRIDGE PRIMARY

English
Teacherí s Resource

Sally Burt and Debbie Ridgard

University Printing House, Cambridge CB2 8BS, United Kingdom

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First published 2015

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Cover artwork: Bill Bolton

Learning objectives from the Cambridge Primary English 0844 curriculum

framework, for use from 2011, are reproduced by permission of Cambridge
International Examinations.

notice to teachers
The photocopy masters in this publication may be photocopied or distributed
electronically free of charge for classroom use within the school or institution that
purchased the publication. Worksheets and copies of them remain in the copyright of
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Contents

Introduction 4

Stage 6 Curriculum correlation 8

Unit 1 Different voices – different times 11

Unit 2 People in the news 29

Unit 3 Poems – old and new 42

Unit 4 Time passing 51

Unit 5 Poles apart 67

Unit 6 Words at play 80

Unit 7 A different medium 89

Unit 8 Make it happen 105

Unit 9 Snapshot 118

Photocopy masters (PCMs) 128

Learner’s Book 6 index 167

Spelling lists 168

Spelling activity answers 170

Contents 3
 The Cambridge Primary English series
The Cambridge Primary English series is a six-level,
First Language English course covering and following
the Cambridge Primary English curriculum framework
from Cambridge International Examinations. The
Cambridge Primary English course is intended to lead
into the Cambridge Secondary 1 Curriculum by giving
learners the skills and knowledge to confidently access
the secondary curriculum. The full series consists of a
suite of Learner’s Books, Teacher’s Resources (Book and
CD-ROM) and write-in Activity Books for each of the
six levels. Although the series is designed to be used as
a suite, the Learner’s Book provides independent and
coherent coverage of the curriculum framework.
Learner’s Books
The Stage 6 Learner’s Book is the last of six in the
Cambridge Primary English series.
Each Learner’s Book contains nine units: two long units
and one shorter unit per 10-week term. Each long unit
contains 12 teaching sessions and has been designed
to be delivered over four weeks, with three lessons per
week. The shorter units are intended to be delivered
over two weeks with six teaching sessions in each. Since
learners work at different speeds, some double sessions
have been included to allow for differentiation of pace.
The units are in groups of three (1–3, 4 –6, 7–9) and the
units in each group may be taught in any order with
progression being built in per term rather than unit by
unit to add flexibility to the programme and to allow for
more cross-curricular matching.
Main units
In Stage 6 each unit contains a range of text types and
genres included as extracts around a unifying theme.
The texts have been carefully selected to include an
appropriate balance of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry
and plays, as well as to reflect the interests and diverse
cultural backgrounds of the learners.
Each lesson contains a selection of activities aimed at
enabling the learners to acquire specific knowledge or
skills across a wide range of text opportunities. Lessons
incorporate both whole-class teaching led by the teacher,
and small group or individual work so that learners can
practise and apply their learning, with regular checks to
self-assess their progress.
The course aims for an approach that encourages
learners to actively explore, investigate, understand,
use and develop their knowledge of English and in
particular their reading, writing, listening and speaking
skills through the use of regular, guided group and
paired work, independent group work and individual
work. Discussion with a talk partner or in a small group
forms an important part of the course, helping learners
become more articulate and confident in expressing their
opinions; it is also an important part of the embedding
process and discovering that others do not always take
the same approach or share opinions.
4 Cambridge Primary English Stage 6 Teacher’s Resource
Each unit provides an opportunity for progression
through reading as a reader, reading as a writer and
writing, so that learners can experience the journey
to becoming literate, with the emphasis shifting from
learning to read towards reading to learn. The text
extracts selected for the course serve as language input
and springboards for teaching and learning grammar
and punctuation, phonics, spelling and the development
of listening, speaking, reading and writing skills.
However, texts should always be supplemented with
local literature and non-fiction texts local to your region
to add depth and context to the range of skills learners
encounter through the Learner’s Book.
Spelling
The Learner’s Book contains three spelling spreads at the
back of the book. These spelling spreads contain specific
spelling rules and activities linked to the units across
the three terms to be used at the teacher’s discretion.
Some spelling activities may also appear in the units and
the Teacher’s Resource notes will also indicate spelling
opportunities (signposted with a spelling icon in the
Learner’s Book). Ideally, at least one formal spelling
session per week should be planned using either the
spelling spreads or the spelling lists in the Teacher’s
Resources that are provided for reinforcement of
common spelling patterns and letter strings.
Vocabulary development is closely linked to spelling but
a spelling programme does not on its own guarantee
vocabulary development. Each unit therefore introduces
a set of words which will be used during the unit and
would therefore be useful for the pupils to learn. Certain
words are glossed in the chapters to clarify meaning
immediately but at other times learners are encouraged
to self-help by using dictionaries, thesauruses, whether
print or ICT-based, and to reflect on the shades of
meaning suggested in the contextual use of the word.
Understanding that words can have multiple meanings
or even multiple shades of meaning is important in
many aspects of reading and writing, from advertising
to poetry; in addition to which, the excitement of words
and their power is a lifelong gift.
Features
Each unit contains specific language input in the form of
Language focus boxes to support teacher-led instruction
emanating from text-based examples. These boxes
allow learners to reference the input in their own time
and internalise it as they work through the activities
that provide opportunities to practise their skills. The
language input is progressive and covers the curriculum
framework over the year.
Did you know? boxes draw learners’ attention to
interesting facts or cross-curricular information to add
depth to the learning environment and to make cross-
curricular links where appropriate.
The Tip box provides handy tips and reminders to guide
the learners and to ask questions that challenge their
thinking and interest.
 The Duck mascot provides reminders and gives
examples for learners to follow.
Icons indicate when an activity involves
discussion, writing, reading or paired/group work. While
the icons are indicators of the mode of work envisaged,
it is always at the teacher’s discretion to approach the
activity from a different perspective, especially when
implementing a differentiation strategy in the classroom.
have a discussion
do some reading
do some writing
role play, read out loud or do an oral activity
do a spelling activity (from spelling spreads)
In Stages 4 and 5, learners were encouraged to keep a
reading log to track both their fiction and non-fiction
reading. In Stage 6, learners are encouraged to extend
their reading log into a learning journal to help them
progress into the senior phase. The journal will include
a log of what they have read, as in previous stages,
together with their responses and opinions, but learners
can also be encouraged to copy/paste extracts they have
particularly enjoyed that demonstrate a particular skill
or technique to refer to as a model as well as to include
examples from other contexts and their own writing
experiments, for example on character development,
tense, narrative voice or perspective, so that the journal
becomes a rounded learning journal. The journal can
also be used as a differentiation tool in that learners can
be encouraged to reflect on their reading and writing
in a personal way and to pursue their own ideas in
response to texts they have read. The journal can be
extended to include anything relevant to their language
life, for example a word bank of aspirational words
gleaned from the course’s vocabulary extension or from
their own research using a thesaurus or online word
resource, a list of idiomatic phrases and proverbs, tips
for making a speech or presentation that worked well for
them. Some learners could be encouraged to research
word origins and word families that interest them,
while others may benefit from a section where they note
down spelling strategies, rules and words that they find
particularly useful. If the learning journal becomes part
of their everyday language life, it has the potential to
become a personalised resource for learners to develop
independently to refer to or add to at any time, and
recording both their individual goals and successes.   learners, allowing them more freedom of expression
Throughout the Learner’s Book learners encounter
self-reflection How did I do? questions on particular
activities. These self-assessment moments are designed
to be specific to the activity rather than general
questions. Similar questions could be written on
the board by the teacher for activities which do not
have the self-check element. The aim is to encourage
learners to reflect on their progress and identify areas
for themselves in which they are either achieving
satisfactorily or wish to improve upon. This Teacher’s
Resource and CD-ROM contains a series of specific
photocopy masters aimed at slightly more formal
assessment of learners against a series of success criteria
identified for the activity. These are explained in more
detail below.
At the end of the Learner’s Book, you will find a
‘Toolkit’ (a series of resources) for use by the learners.
These include a range of reference and learning tools
such as an editing checklist and a self-evaluation tool for
reading aloud. These resources can be used throughout
the programme and can be referenced by the teacher or
the learners where appropriate. There are also tools and
tips to guide group work, presentation skills and silent
reading to support the teaching, the learning and the
assessment process.
Activity Books
The Activity Book accompanying each Learner’s
Book includes supplementary and extension material
mirroring and based on the content of the Learner’s
Book so as to support:
• the independent learning part of the teaching
• the ‘practise and apply’ parts of some sessions
• some personalisation activities
• reinforcement of concepts introduced in the Learner’s
Book
• space for quiet focused work.
The Activity Book content is not tied page by page to the
Learner’s Book content, rather it follows the Learner’s
Book unit by unit, so that each unit follows the same
unifying theme. At times, the Activity Books include
smaller extracts of texts included in the Learner’s Book
if they are useful to repeat in the Activity Book. The
Activity Books aim to cater for learners with a wide
range of learning styles, which means they include a
wide range of activities from somewhat mechanical (drill
can still be an important learning tool for reinforcement
and modelling) to a more open and creative approach,
allowing for personalisation and differentiation. Tasks
in the Activity Book are also intended to provide
some familiarisation with the task types learners may
encounter in the Cambridge Primary Progression Tests.
The Activity Books are designed to be flexible and should
be used in whichever way it suits the teacher and the
class the best. In some cases it may be appropriate to use
the Activity Books as class homework tasks or to allow
certain learners to reinforce concepts at their own pace.
Similarly a number of the activities can be used to stretch
and creative space and to provide extension where the
different pace of learners needs to be catered for.
The answer keys to activities, where appropriate, are
provided per unit following the notes on Learner’s Book
activities.
Teacher’s Resources
The teachers’ guidance notes in the Teacher’s Resources
follow the pattern of the Learner’s Book, providing
support for the teacher across each of the nine units, six
long and three short. The notes cover material for three
lessons per week (30–45 minutes per lesson) based on
the Learner’s Book content, and include answer keys.
Introduction 5
The unit-by-unit notes list what the teacher will need at
the beginning of each session together with the primary
learning objectives and outcomes for the session.
Thereafter, it provides background and suggestions for
how to approach the activities in the Learner’s Book
and, when necessary, includes supplemental information
and structuring. Each session assumes a mix of whole-
class teaching followed by group work (guided or
independent), as well as a healthy mix of pair and/or
individual work, following the review, teach, practise,
and apply cycle. The Teacher’s Resources provide
opportunities and suggest strategies for differentiated
learning throughout as well as opportunities for both
formal and informal assessment.
A summary of the curriculum framework coverage
is provided in the grid on pages 8–10. The speaking
and listening element of the curriculum framework
is covered in part through specific activities but also
through ongoing activities throughout the course. While
the speaking and listening activities are not formally
assessed, opportunities for informal assessment are
suggested in the Teacher’s Resources.
Three to four additional activities are provided in the
form of photocopy masters (PCMs) for each unit with
accompanying notes. Some PCMs focus on specific
assessment opportunities of writing activities in relation
to success criteria. The aim is for these PCMs to be part
of the activity and to engage the learners in developing
their own appropriate success criteria so that they are
aware from the outset what is being looked for and how
they will be assessed. As a result, the PCMs include
self-reflection from the learners on their progress as
well as a review by the teacher. The remaining PCMs
provide opportunities for consolidation, extension
or differentiation for certain of the activities in the
Learner’s Book. Because success criteria are considered
to be a vital part of learners becoming independently
engaged in their learning process, certain generic
PCMs have been included to allow teachers to develop
success criteria for a wide range of other activities
throughout the Learner’s Book. In recognition of this,
where appropriate, session notes contain suggestions
for possible success criteria that can be negotiated with
the learners to allow them some input into where they
will focus their efforts and how activities are assessed.
However, success criteria are not just about assessment;
they are about providing goals for learners to aspire to
in their personal learning journeys.
Some PCMs are ‘generic’ and can be used with any unit,
others are specific to particular units or activities. The
table accompanying the PCMs clarifies which are generic
and which are specific to particular units (see page 128).
An index to the Language focus boxes in the Learner’s
Book is provided as a photocopiable resource for the
learners’ use.
Each unit is supplemented with suggestions on how
to use the Activity Book, with answer keys to these
activities following the notes and answer keys to the
Learner’s Book.
6 Cambridge Primary English Stage 6 Teacher’s Resource
The CD-ROM at the back of this Teacher’s Resource
includes PDFs of the Teacher’s Resource content for
printing and reference.
Teaching phonics, spelling and
vocabulary
Spelling spreads
Spelling and vocabulary is an integral part of an English
programme. A teacher who is disciplined about focusing
on spelling at the right moment and in the right context
is well on the way to having better spellers with an
increased vocabulary.
As mentioned, pages 156–164 of the Learner’s Book
contain three spelling spreads, one for every three units,
providing a selection of rules and spelling activities
linked to the units. The spreads are placed at the back of
the book to give the teacher flexibility on when and how
to do specific spelling teaching and practice – whether as
a class activity or as a differentiated work opportunity.
In addition, the Teacher’s Resource notes for each unit
make suggestions for when and how to approach specific
spelling and word knowledge activities, providing
the opportunity to work with the words and rules in
context. The activities aim to reinforce a particular
spelling rule or pattern and address some of the basic
reasons why children struggle to spell:
• the language itself being confusing – quay sounding
like key, or present being a noun or a verb
• pronunciation – sounding the words incorrectly
• confusing words that look similar – weak visual
perception
• ignorance of root words or how to break down
syllables and parts of words.
By actively focusing the learners’ attention on activities
and useful rules in the context of the lesson, this
course aims to improve the average spelling age in your
classroom. A spelling programme should take into
account the following:
• Acquiring a new word is a process: the word is
recognised, spelling is learned, meaning and use are
understood and the word is used in context.
• A learner’s ability to spell grows through practice and
analysis. Working with words and working out how
and why letters are placed together, helps learners
understand, internalise and apply the rules to other
words and in other contexts.
• A learner’s ability to spell requires them to recognise
the sounds that make up a word and translate them
into the written form. Spelling progresses when there
is an understanding of the association between the
sounds and the symbols. By Stage 6, ‘sight’ words
(words acquired by sight and not by rules, e.g. the
Dolch sight list) should have been acquired, although
frequent reminders and displays are still valuable.
Although the spelling spreads are designed primarily
to be teacher-mediated, there is no reason why
learners should not be encouraged to refer to them
independently if they feel the need to do so and know
where to find the spelling support they want.
Spelling lists
The spelling lists on pages 168–169 of this Teacher’s
Resource are a supplement to the spelling spreads at the
back of the Learner’s Book. Notes on how to use the
spelling lists are also provided on page 168.
Teaching spelling in the classroom
Many approaches to how spelling should be taught in
the classroom have been developed and continue to be
developed. It is difficult to be too rigid about this; much
depends on teacher commitment and the emphasis on
spelling in the school as a whole. It is also dependent
on the level of the class and how many learners are
operating with English as their first language or as the
primary language spoken in the home.
Ideally, spelling should be addressed on a daily basis and
in the context of the lesson. Embedded throughout the
notes are Spelling links, these are intended to suggest
opportunities at which the indicated spelling areas can
be looked at in greater detail. A time should be set aside
regularly for specific spelling activities, e.g. to focus
on a word, analyse it, group it with other words with
the same spelling pattern and then add it to a spelling
dictionary or index book. None of this need take up a
lot of time but it does require a teacher to be constantly
on the look-out for opportunities to look at spelling.
If possible, a formal spelling lesson should take place
once a week where rules are taught and learners are
given a chance to practise the rule and use it. The formal
lesson should focus on a specific sound or rule the
teacher feels is relevant to the class and the context.
A suggested spelling session format
• SAY the word and SEE the word. Introduce words
both orally and visually so the learners see each
word and hear the sound simultaneously to develop
auditory perception. Use flashcards, words appearing
on a screen or written on the board.
• PLAY with the word. Learners write it in the air or on
their desk with a finger, mime it to a partner, write it
on a slate or paper and hold it up, do visual memory
activities with a partner: look at a word, close eyes
and spell it. These activities provide immediate
feedback and develop visual memory. Clap the
sounds to demonstrate how the word is broken into
syllables. Let the learners find their own associations
to help them remember words, e.g. ear in hear or ache
in headache.
• ANALYSE the word. Spelling rules can be helpful
here to explain how words are built up, why letters
move, how sounds change from one word to another
and how patterns fit into words.
• USE the word – make up sentences. Activities are
provided in the Learner’s Book but you can add to
these by playing spelling games. Younger learners
enjoy spelling Snap or Bingo!; older learners might
enjoy a spelling challenge/ladder or a competition
that involves winners.
• LEARN the word. Learners commit the word to
memory while writing it out in a word book or
personal spelling notebook. Tests or assessments need
not be repetitive weekly activities but learners do need
incentive to internalise the spelling of words and to
see they are making progress.
Practical ideas for the classroom
Words and spellings need to be highlighted and enriched
at every opportunity in the classroom.
• Encourage personal word books or cards: include
words covered in spelling sessions and ones learners
look up in the dictionary. Suggest learners develop
a bank of words they would like to use (especially
powerful, descriptive or unusual words); these could
be noted at the back of the learning journal or on a set
of cards. Word meanings can also be included. Some
learners may benefit by using colours or underlining/
highlighting to identify tricky bits or root words.
• Create a classroom display of aspirational words or
themed words around a topic (any learning area).
• Include plenty of spelling resources – dictionaries,
thesauruses, etc.
• Set up spelling buddies as a first line of check if a
dictionary or thesaurus does not help.
• Play word games such as word dominoes, or phonic
pairs on a set of cards as a memory game.
• Highlight and discuss word origins and have a merit
system for anyone with interesting words or word
information to share.
• Display lists of words with similar sounds or letter
patterns (either at the start, middle or end) – write the
words large in the handwriting taught at the school
(joined up if appropriate) to stimulate visual and
kinaesthetic knowledge.
• Have an interactive word list of interesting words,
or words that match a spelling rule or word pattern
being focused on. Add to it when anyone comes
across a relevant word.
• Consider an alphabet of vowel sounds and consonant
sounds as a display or frieze around the walls.
• If handwriting lessons are timetabled, add word
patterns and sounds into those sessions.
• Research free web resources to create your own
crosswords and word searches linked to vocabulary in
themes and spelling rules you are working on.
Finally, a note on handwriting practice. This series
encourages best practice in handwriting but does not
teach it explicitly. We recommend using the Cambridge
Penpals for Handwriting series alongside Cambridge
Primary English.
Spelling may be a challenge but it does not have to be dull.
Spelling can be fun if you make it that way!
We hope you enjoy teaching the course and that it will
help your learners to feel confident about responding to
and using English in a variety of ways.
Sally Burt and Debbie Ridgard
Introduction 7
 Stage 6 Curriculum correlation
Cambridge Primary English 0844 curriculum, for use from 2011

Unit 1 Unit 2 Unit 3 Unit 4 Unit 5 Unit 6 Unit 7 Unit 8 Unit 9 Spelling
spreads
Phonics, spelling and vocabulary
6PSV1 Learn word endings with different spellings ✓ ✓ ✓
but the same pronunciation, e.g. tion,
cian, sion, ssion; ance, ence.
6PSV2 Confirm correct choices when ✓ ✓
representing consonants, e.g. ck/k/ke/
que/ch; ch/tch; j/dj/dje.
6PSV3 Continue to learn words, apply patterns ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
and improve accuracy in spelling.
6PSV4 Further investigate spelling rules and ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
exceptions, including representing
unstressed vowels.
6PSV6 Develop knowledge of word roots, prefixes ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
and suffixes, including recognising
variations, e.g. im, in, ir, il; ad, ap, af,
al and knowing when to use double
consonants.
6PSV6 Know how to transform meaning with ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
prefixes and suffixes.
6PSV7 Investigate meanings and spellings of ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
connectives.
6PSV8 Explore definitions and shades of meaning ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
and use new words in context.
6PSV9 Explore word origins and derivations and ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
the use of words from other languages.
6PSV 10 Understand changes over time in words ✓ ✓ ✓
and expressions and their use.
6PSV 11 Explore proverbs, sayings and figurative ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
expressions.
Grammar and punctuation: Reading
6GPr1 Identify uses of the colon, semicolon, ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
parenthetic commas, dashes and
brackets.
6GPr2 Revise different word classes. ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
6GPr3 Investigate the use of conditionals, e.g. to ✓ ✓ ✓
express possibility.
6GPr4 Begin to show awareness of the impact ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
of writers’ choices of sentence length and
structure.
6GPr6 Revise language conventions and ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
grammatical features of different types of
text.
6GPr7 Explore use of active and passive verbs ✓ ✓
within a sentence.
6GPr8 Understand the conventions of standard ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
English usage in different forms of writing.
6GPr9 Distinguish the main clause and other ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
clauses in a complex sentence.
Grammar and punctuation: Writing
6GPw1 Punctuate speech and use apostrophes ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
accurately.
6GPw2 Use a wider range of connectives to ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
clarify relationships ideas, e.g. however,
therefore, although.
6GPw3 Use connectives to structure an argument ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
or discussion.

8 Cambridge Primary English Stage 6 Teacher’s Resource

 Unit 1 Unit 2 Unit 3 Unit 4 Unit 5 Unit 6 Unit 7 Unit 8 Unit 9 Spelling
spreads
6GPw4 Develop grammatical control of complex ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
sentences, manipulating them for effect.
6GPw5 Develop increasing accuracy in using ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
punctuation effectively to mark out the
meaning in complex sentences.
Reading: Fiction & poetry
6Rf 1 Develop familiarity with the work of ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
established authors and poets, identifying
features which are common to more than
one text.
6Rf 2 Consider how the author manipulates the ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
reaction of the reader, e.g. how characters
and settings are presented.
6Rf 3 Look for implicit meanings, and make ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
plausible inferences based on more than
one point in the text.
6Rf 4 Understand aspects of narrative structure, ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
e.g. the handling of time.
6Rf 6 Analyse the success of writing in evoking ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
particular moods, e.g. suspense.
6Rf 6 Paraphrase explicit meanings based on ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
information at more than one point in the
text.
6Rf 7 Comment on writer’s use of language, ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
demonstrating awareness of its impact on
the reader.
6Rf 8 Begin to develop awareness that the ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
context for which the writer is writing and
the context in which the reader is reading
can impact on how the text is understood.
6Rf 9 Take account of viewpoint in a novel, and ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
distinguish voice of author from that of
narrator.
6Rf 10 Discuss and express preferences in terms ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
of language, style and themes.
6Rf 11 Articulate personal responses to reading, ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
with close reference to the text.
6Rf 12 Explore how poets manipulate and play ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
with words and their sounds.
6Rf 13 Read and interpret poems in which ✓ ✓ ✓
meanings are implied or multilayered.
Reading: Non-fiction
6RNF1 Analyse how paragraphs and chapters are ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
structured and linked.
6RNF2 Recognise key characteristics of a range ✓ ✓ ✓
of non-fiction text types.
6RNF3 Explore autobiography and biography, and ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
first and third person narration.
6RNF4 Identify features of balanced written ✓ ✓
arguments.
6RNF6 Compare the language, style and impact ✓ ✓ ✓
of a range of non-fiction writing.
6RNF6 Distinguish between fact and opinion in a ✓ ✓
range of texts and other media.
Writing: Fiction
6Wf 1 Plan plot, characters and structure ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
effectively in writing an extended story.

Introduction 9
 Unit 1 Unit 2 Unit 3 Unit 4 Unit 5 Unit 6 Unit 7 Unit 8 Unit 9 Spelling
spreads
6Wf 2 Manage the development of an idea ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
throughout a piece of writing, e.g. link the
end to the beginning.
6Wf3 Establish and maintain a clear viewpoint, ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
with some elaboration of personal voice.
6Wf4 Use different genres as models for writing. ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
6Wf5 Use paragraphs, sequencing and linking ✓ ✓ ✓
them appropriately to support overall
development of the text.
6Wf6 Use a range of devices to support ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
cohesion within paragraphs.
6Wf7 Develop some imaginative detail through ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
careful use of vocabulary and style.
Writing: Non-fiction
6WNF1 Use the styles and conventions of ✓ ✓ ✓
journalism to write reports on events.
6WNF2 Adapt the conventions of the text type for ✓ ✓ ✓
a particular purpose.
6WNF3 Select appropriate non-fiction style and ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
form to suit specific purposes.
6WNF4 Write non-chronological reports linked to ✓ ✓
work in other subjects.
6WNF5 Develop skills of writing biography and ✓ ✓
autobiography in role.
6WNF6 Argue a case in writing, developing points ✓ ✓ ✓
logically and convincingly.
6WNF7 Write a balanced report of a controversial ✓ ✓ ✓
issue.
6WNF8 Summarise a passage, chapter or text in a ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
given number of words.
Writing: Presentation
6WP1 Use ICT effectively to prepare and present ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
writing for publication.
Speaking and listening
6S&L 1 Express and explain ideas clearly, making ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
meaning explicit.
6S&L 2 Use spoken language well to persuade, ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
instruct or make a case, e.g. in a debate.
6S&L 3 Vary vocabulary, expression and tone of ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
voice to engage the listener and suit the
audience, purpose and context.
6S&L 4 Structure talk to aid a listener’s ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
understanding and engagement.
6S&L 6 Speak confidently in formal and informal ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
contexts.
6S&L 6 Pay close attention in discussion to what ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
others say, asking and answering questions
to introduce new ideas.
6S&L 7 Help to move group discussion forward, ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
e.g. by clarifying, summarising.
6S&L 8 Prepare, practise and improve a spoken ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
presentation or performance.
6S&L 9 Convey ideas about characters in drama ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
in different roles and scenarios through
deliberate choice of speech, gesture and
movement.
6S&L 10 Reflect on variations in speech, and ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
appropriate use of standard English.

10 Cambridge Primary English Stage 6 Teacher’s Resource

 Different voices –
1 different times

Unit overview
This four-week unit introduces the concept of a prologue as a writer’s tool to foreshadow events in a story
using an omniscient third person narrator. The style and content of the prologue is compared with the main
story narrative and dialogue. The second extract is a short story describing a single set of events from three
different perspectives during a single time period. Learners experiment with characterisation through writing
and role play. Finally, a listening text introduces the concept of a flashback to extend understanding of
different possibilities for handling time in a story. Learners also revise word classes, dialogue, phrases and
sentences. Since learners work at different speeds, one double session has been allocated in this unit to
allow for differentiation of pace.

Aims and objectives

By the end of this unit, learners will be able to:
• understand the purpose of a prologue and the flashback technique
• define mood and how it is created
• recognise writers’ choices and narrative techniques
• comment on dialogue and characterisation
• identify perspective and point of view
• identify language style in how we express ourselves.

Skills development
During the course of this unit, learners will:
• revise sentences and phrases
• revise basic word classes and the articles
• investigate word order
• read with expression in groups
• write and punctuate dialogue
• infer sequences of events
• identify Standard and colloquial English
• listen for detail
• write a flashback narrative.

Prior learning
This unit assumes that learners can already:
• define the different word classes (parts of speech)
• identify first and third person narrative
• punctuate basic dialogue.

Different voices – different times 11

Session 1: What is a prologue?
Learner’s Book pages: 6–8
Activity Book pages: 4–6
You will need: dictionaries.
Nice to have: examples of stories with prologues
and plays (including plain language versions of
Shakespeare’s plays beginning with a prologue);
magazines and encyclopaedias with images of rivers
and riverbanks around the world; PCMs 1 and 2.
ICT opportunity: many films begin with the equivalent
of a prologue, if possible find an example to show, e.g.
Indiana Jones – Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Learning objectives
Learning intentions
• to identify a prologue and the different roles it can
play in a novel or a play as well as its origin
• to read and review an example of a prologue to
identify its features
• to start a reading and writing journal for the year.
Learning outcomes
Learners can:
• understand and explain the role of a prologue
• recognise the purpose the prologue in the extract,
identifying key features
• understand that the prologue is at a separate ‘time’
to the main story
• explain the word origin of prologue, identifying
the prefix.
A Read the first paragraph
• To set the scene for this session, encourage learners
to use their reading books as this activity will not
only focus on how to begin a story, but will remind
learners of some key story features such as the
need to grab the reader’s attention in the opening
and introduce the setting, main characters and so
on. Encourage discussion in small groups before
asking volunteers to read out their book’s opening
paragraph and say what they think it reveals.
• The opening paragraph from the novel The Middle
Of Nowhere by Geraldine McCaughrean is an
extremely figurative piece stemming from the opening
sentence. The novel is a story set in the Australian
outback during the 1950s/60s. Incongruously a piano
is delivered at the remote telegraph station at a very
difficult time for the family. Encourage learners to
notice the play on words relating to music (a sweet
note, jangled, unstrung, etc.) suggesting that things
could have gone well but in fact turned out badly. The
mood is reflective and sad, with the narrator looking
back. Although if clauses are covered later in the year,
it is a nice opportunity to point out an if clause and
how it can be used when looking back to suggest how
things could have been different.
12 Unit 1 Different voices – different times
• Encourage discussion around whether the first
paragraph is attention-grabbing. Explore how this
minor flashback to the moment that the narrator
has pinpointed as the start of things, is a technique
foreshadowing the type of story it is likely to be – in
this case one where events clearly go wrong.
Answers:
1 Learners’ own answers.
2
a Images of music related to the piano – notes, jangled,
unstrung, etc.
b Sad and reflective – accept any sensible answer.
c The narrator is looking back, which is clear from the use of the
past tense and the use of the if clause followed by as it was.
d Learners’ own answers.
B Read and talk about a prologue
• Discuss the Language focus box on the origin of the
word prologue. Discuss the ancient Greek script and
explain that the ancient Greek alphabet was different
from modern Greek although there are similarities.
• During the class discussion about prologues,
explain that as well as the word coming from
ancient Greek, the ancient Greeks developed the
concept of a prologue – really for plays, as they
did not write novels at that time. The prologue was
often performed by the chorus and had a strong
foreshadowing quality, hinting especially at bad
things or tragedy to come.
• Encourage learners to use the Booktalk feature on
page 175 for a definition of a prologue and to discover
more about the various elements of books. Explain
that while a prologue is part of the story, a preface,
written by the author, is not. A preface explains how
the book came to be written and often acknowledges
important people in the writing. A preface is more
common in non-fiction, whereas a prologue is strictly
a fiction device. Learners will also find a definition of
a foreword in the Booktalk feature and if appropriate,
can discuss where they might find one and why it might
be more common in non-fiction.
• Many of the fiction units in this stage demonstrate
how writers manage the concept of time – going
backwards or forwards in time, using flashbacks
(mini ones as in the opening extract in Activity A,
or more major ones involving significant portions of
the book either interspersed with the main story, or
making up the main story), time slips, looking back
and foreshadowing – as in the prologue from The
River Singers. Encourage discussion about time in
books. Link that story narrative is generally written
in the past tense, implying some form of looking back
on events that have already occurred in contrast to
dialogue, which represents words exactly as they were
spoken at the time.
• The River Singers follows a group of water voles,
small shrew-like mammals that live on leafy
riverbanks. Destruction of the natural environment
is an important world issue and this story has the
environmental background of human development
 slowly destroying the natural river habitat of the
water voles, forcing them to move upstream to find
a new home. The author is a committed ecologist at
Oxford University’s Zoology department.
• Learners in some regions may not be familiar with
the type of river environment described in the novel.
If possible, help them to visualise the setting using
nature books, or pictures online or in magazines
of leafy riverbanks and associated wildlife. Check
whether learners have learned about rivers in
geography and try to coordinate a cross-curricular
effort when studying this unit. Pictures of water
voles, foxes, herons and weasels would also be useful,
although you might want to make them available only
after the learners have begun to discuss the prologue.
• Check the class’s understanding both of the content
of the prologue and any unfamiliar vocabulary, for
example burrow, colonies, weasel, heron, fox or the idea
of males scenting the breeze for danger.
• Invite predictions of what learners think the story is
about, who they think the Folk might be and who the
River Singers are since the prologue does not clarify
what sort of animal the story is about; potentially,
less able readers may not pick up at this point that the
main characters are animals rather than humans.
Answers:
1 Before the main story.
2–3 Learners’ own answers.
C Start a learning journal
• Learners are encouraged to maintain a record of their
reading, but by Stage 6 it should be more of a journal,
expanded to become a personal record of each learner’s
development as a reader and as a writer. More
extensive ideas are suggested on page 168 for how
learners might want to use their journals. The main
aim is to encourage creativity and to help learners
enjoy reading as writers and noting techniques writers
use from sentence structure to imagery or even more
extensive devices such as prologues, flashbacks, etc.
If you are using the PCMs, you could use PCM 1
Learning journal at this point.
• You may not want to be too prescriptive about
how learners use their journals and some level of
differentiation might be appropriate. Encourage
them to do more than write a mechanical list of
titles and a simple comment. Model how they
might choose words they particularly like, how to
copy into their journal an extract with a comment
explaining a particular technique or use of language
that they would like to use in their own writing, or
other examples from magazines and books to make
a comparison of the use of techniques. They can
also draw their impressions of characters or stick in
images from magazines to make it a more multimedia
journal.
• Ideally, time should be allocated each week to writing
and talking about their journals either in pairs or
in groups, or even as a class. Consider reviewing
journals on a regular basis to make encouraging
comments or suggestions but not to criticise.
Regularly encourage volunteers to read from their
journals, for example predictions about storylines,
reactions to characters or small extracts that they
enjoyed and want to talk about.
Differentiation:
• More able readers can be encouraged to look up
unfamiliar vocabulary independently. You can sit
with selected groups of learners, read the prologue
with them and discuss vocabulary to ensure
understanding.
• Set different levels of expectation around the journals.
Encourage more able learners to write independently
in their journals without being prompted. Find time
to talk about what each learner is writing on a one-
to-one basis.
Assessment opportunities
• Use the session, especially if it is the first session
of the year, to assess which learners settle well to
tasks and which appear to need guidance. Make
informal notes on which learners participate regularly
in discussion and ask questions either with a talk
partner or as a class, and which learners need to be
encouraged or given more opportunity to express
themselves. Make a note also of learners who struggle
to listen to instructions or to talk partners. If you
are using the PCMs, use PCM 2 Personal goals at this
point to set personal goals with each learner which
you can revisit during and at the end of the year.
Activity Book
A Understanding the meaning of prefixes gives clues
on the meaning of new words. Encourage learners
to note prefix meanings and origins in their learning
journal.
B Encourage learners to predict meanings without a
dictionary first, then use one to check.
C As extension, learners look up prefixes to check
meaning and match them to form words.
Answers:
A
1 a 3; b 2; c 3; d 4; e 1
2 Learners’ own answers.
B
1 antibody; 2 Antarctic; 3 antisocial; 4 anti-climax;
5 antibiotic; 6 antifreeze; 7 antithesis; 8 antiseptic;
9 antidote; 10 anticlockwise.
C
1–2 Possible answers:
overcast– on top of/covering; infrastructure – below; perimeter –
round, about; postpone – after in time; octagon – eight;
hyperactive – beyond, more than normal; prepare – before in
time; exclude – out; submerge – under; synchronise – in union,
together.
Session 1 What is a prologue? 13
Session 2: Delve into detail
Learner’s Book pages: 8–10
Activity Book pages: 6–8
Nice to have: etymological dictionary; extracts of
Martin Luther King’s I have a dream speech.
ICT opportunity: online etymological dictionary, e.g.
http://www.etymonline.com/
Spelling link: prefixes, word origins and root words.
Learning objectives
Learning intentions
• to introduce the idea of foreshadowing
• to study the mood of the prologue and how it is
created
• to infer from clues in a text
• to understand how to decode a word with foreign
word origins, introducing an etymological dictionary.
Learning outcomes
Learners can:
• identify and talk about the role of the prologue
• infer from clues in the text to make sensible
predictions about the story
• begin to use an etymological dictionary to identify
prefixes and word roots to help decode meaning and
spelling of words from their origins.
A Looking for clues in the prologue
• Before the learners start the activity, review what they
remember of the prologue and the previous discussion,
particularly that the setting is a riverbank and the main
characters are water voles – they will need to associate
the water voles with the Folk in the activity.
• Focus on the role of the prologue and what clues
can be picked up that foreshadow events to come.
Learners should find evidence in the text for their
responses, especially from more than one place;
you may wish to model an answer in question 1a.
The question is leading in that it assumes that the
characters are not human – evidence from the text
could include news spreading from burrow to burrow;
natural enemies being foxes, herons and weasels; males
scenting the air and straying into the open; Sylvan and
the others nestled in their chamber knowing nothing of
the outside and so on.
• Encourage learners to notice the mood of this
prologue. Many prologues are sombre, hinting at
difficulties to come. This prologue creates a sense of
foreboding, hinting at menace and bad things that
have already happened, albeit through rumour – the
horror comes in the night (machinery), the River
stripped bare of her people (animal homes destroyed,
possibly animals too), entire colonies gone – it told of
the end of their world.
14 Unit 1 Different voices – different times
• Encourage learners to work with a talk partner
initially. If appropriate, ask them to write their
answers in their notebooks as a differentiation
or assessment opportunity.
Answers:
1 Possible answers:
a Burrows; foxes, herons and weasels as natural enemies;
males scenting the air; Sylvan nestled in the chamber
knowing nothing of the outside.
b The Folk are the main characters – the water voles.
c–d Learners’ own answers.
e Foxes, weasels and herons – they have always been
predators of water voles.
f Yes, e.g. mothers looking after young more carefully and
sleeping more lightly, and males smelling for danger more
carefully before going out.
g Because they are babies and they have not yet been out of
the burrow and so would not have heard the rumours.
h … that the rumours are true and that the water voles’ way of
life is about to change if they are to survive.
2–3 Learners’ own answers.
4 Option 3 – an all-knowing narrator
5 Learners’ own answers.
B Decoding ancient Greek words
• Many English words have foreign origins, especially
ancient Greek, Latin and French. Discuss familiar
words in your region with non-English origins (e.g.
frankfurter, baguette, pasta) that have been adopted
into English. Explain that the ancient Greek
civilisation was followed by the Roman civilisation
and that they shared many things and adopted many
words. In addition Britain was conquered first by the
Romans and then by the French, thus many foreign
words made their way into the English language.
• Discuss how the words pro and logos come together
and have changed over time to become the English
word prologue. Page 169 has an example of a word from
an etymological dictionary definition for autobiography
which is a conjunction of several words derived from
ancient Greek. Use it as another example of parts of
a word coming together like a jigsaw puzzle. If you
have access, encourage learners to explore word origins
using an online etymological dictionary.
• Many prefixes especially have Latin or Greek origins.
Pro may confuse if learners are more familiar with its
meaning for from contexts such as the pros and cons
of an argument. You could ask if learners are pro or
anti homework as another contrast of prefixes.
Spelling link
If you have an etymological dictionary available, this
would be a good opportunity to show it to learners so
that they get used to the idea of breaking words into
parts to see if there are any familiar parts from other
words, especially suffixes or word roots – for example
in this case pro (in this context meaning before –
although if can also mean for), and words related to
logos such as logic and ology words. Familiarity will
assist with spelling and also meaning recognition.

Discuss other common prefixes that mean before and
after: pre, post, ante, etc. Build a list of root words and
word families on the board or wall display, e.g. logic,
logical, logically.
Point out the hard g sound created at the end of the
word and ask what makes it a hard g sound (the u
before the e) to revise the soft/hard g and c sound.
There are more activities on prefixes, word origins and
root words in the Spelling section on page 157 of the
Learner’s Book.
Answers:
Possible answers:
1 a Favouring or in support of; b Before in time, place or
order (place).
2 Learners’ own answers.
Differentiation:
• Consider talk partners as a differentiation possibility.
If you pair more able learners, you can encourage
them to write answers after talking; work with
small groups to talk through answers before they
write in notebooks. Consider some learners working
orally only.
Assessment opportunities
• If learners write the answers in their notebooks,
Activity A can be used to assess their comprehension
of the prologue content, its purpose and position in
the story.
Activity Book
A Learners work with word roots from other languages
and practise using etymological dictionaries. If you
have time, explore words with similar roots to those
in the wordsearch and bibliophobia: library, Bible,
bibliography, etc.
B If you do not have an etymological dictionary in the
classroom, learners could consult an online research
tool such as http://www.etymonline.com/. Encourage
them to form a habit of looking up words in various
dictionaries to find out more about how words
developed in English.
C Encourage learners to predict the right words
before checking in a dictionary. Point out the word
bibliophile as another example of the biblio root.
Answers:
A
1 a An irrational or extreme fear of something; b noun;
c 1786; d Came into English possibly by the French word
phobie, but originally from the ancient Greek suffix phobia
from phobos meaning fear, panic fear or terror.
B
2 Learners’ own answers.
3 graphophobia – fear of writing; verbophobia – fear of words;
bibliophobia – fear of books; apiophobia – fear of bees;
zoophobia – fear of animals; octophobia – fear of the number
8; siderophobia – fear of stars; claustrophobia – fear of
small or enclosed spaces; frigophobia – fear of the cold;
arithmophobia – fear of numbers; carnophobia – fear of meat;
ablutophobia – fear of washing.
C
1 Learners’ own answers.
D
1 a philosopher; b philately; c philanthropists;
d bibliophiles; e philharmonic.
Session 3: Focus on technique
Learner’s Book pages: 10–11
Activity Book pages: 9–11
You will need: dictionaries.
Learning objectives
Learning intentions
• to introduce an omniscient third person narrator
• to compare narrative styles
• to discuss author inspiration and the possible
convergence of author voice and narrator
• to analyse repetition as a technique to create mood
or effect
• to identify tense and other stylistic effects such as the
use of unusual proper nouns for effect.
Learning outcomes
Learners can:
• tell the difference between a third person narrator
and an omniscient third person narrator
• appreciate that some authors write about subjects
they are passionate about and allow their voice to
converge with that of the narrator
• notice repetition, third person narrative, tense and
other techniques to create mood and effect.
A Identify narrative voice
• The prologue narrator is a third person omniscient
narrator; the narrator seems to know all about what
will happen, what has happened and seems to exist
out of the time of the story, whereas normal third
person narrative is set within the story as it unfolds.
Learners will pick up a very different narrative style
in the book itself because in the story the narrator
does not give clues about things to come. The concept
of the omniscient third person narrator in a prologue
goes back to Greek plays where the prologue quite
often overtly foreshadows events to come, as is also
the case in a number of Shakespeare’s plays where
characters foreshadow events to come.
• Encourage learners to discuss the narrative voice and
find clues that show it is third person, before reverting
to a class discussion to revise first and third person
narrative. Say a few sentences about what you did when
you arrived at school – I parked my car … , I went into
the staffroom … , etc., and then ask a volunteer to retell
what you did in the third person. Ask the learners to
point out the differences in how the story is told as first
person compared with third, e.g. help learners identify
personal pronouns as key indicators of first person
Session 3 Focus on technique 15
 narrative (I, we, my, our, me, us), and highlight how
these pronouns only appear in third person narrative
within the dialogue.
• Discuss other differences in narrative voice with
the class, for example that the use of a first person
narrator inevitably puts the reader inside that
character’s head and often makes that character
a main character; the reader tends to empathise
with that character as the author intends. A third
person narrative presents a more balanced story
not necessarily told from any person’s point of view
although there can still be bias towards the main
character. Third person narrative also allows the
story to be told in locations where the narrator is
not present.
Answers:
1 Possible answers: no first person personal pronouns;
no character identified as the storyteller.
2 Omniscient third person narrator – accept any sensible clues.
B Author’s inspiration
• An author biography or preface can often suggest
what inspires the author to write about a particular
subject. In this case, the author is a committed
ecologist with a strong interest in how natural
ecosystems collapse or reinvent themselves when they
are destroyed or encroached upon, particularly by
human activity.
• It may take some targeted questions for the learners
to start thinking about connections between the
author’s personal interests and the novel. The
illustrations are intended to imply that the author
has collected newspaper headlines that indicate
an interest in the environment, which should help
them make the inference. In this case there is quite
a strong correlation between the narrator’s voice
and what the author is interested in. The tone of the
prologue suggests that the author is concerned about
the destruction of the natural environment and the
consequences for the animals, fish and birds in the
ecosystem. Learners will recognise from their own
experience that it is easier to write about something
convincingly if you have an interest in it.
• It is an interesting question for the learners to
consider – should authors make their views known
through fiction? Fiction, like films, can be very
persuasive. Encourage learners to be aware that
not all fiction has no basis in reality. For example,
historical novels can allow readers to see human
motivation in what would otherwise be rather dry
facts and dates. This novel is not explicitly judgmental
about the impact of human activity on natural
habitats, but does give readers a new perspective on
the issue.
• Encourage learners to express their opinions in
groups or as a class activity. Remind them to focus
and listen when someone else is speaking, before
formulating a response.
Answers:
1–3 Learners’ own answers.
16 Unit 1 Different voices – different times
C Repetition for effect
• The repetition of the word rumour is unsettling
because it indicates that the animals were aware of
something but had no real knowledge of what was
happening. The insistent repetition also suggests that
the rumours have some foundation.
• Many famous world speeches use repetition for effect,
e.g. Martin Luther King’s speech I have a dream. You
could consider reading learners some extracts from
this speech.
• In the final paragraph, repetition of the sentence
starters, They knew ... , contrasts with But one day
they would learn … to add to the foreboding
atmosphere and mood.
Answers:
1 Rumours – accept any sensible reason.
2–3 Learners’ own answers.
D Focus on tense
• Learners should recognise by now that narrative
is normally written in the past tense. If it is not in
the past tense (excepting dialogue), it is a deliberate
choice of the author and has been done for effect.
Most of the prologue is in the past tense as if the
narrator is looking back on events but at the very end
of the prologue the tense shifts into the conditional
and the present tense. Would and could imply
something that might happen.
• Supplementary teacher information: There is no need
to go into much detail about the conditional verbs
but encourage learners to notice them and to suggest
other verbs that imply possibility: could, would, should,
might, can. They are known as modal auxiliary verbs
and they are easily recognisable because they have no
infinitive form and no tense of their own and always
accompany another verb.
• Encourage learners to add the modal verbs (without
having to call them such) to their journals as useful
words for implying possibility. They will work with
conditional if clauses more formally in later units.
Answers:
1 Past tense. Because stories usually recount events that have
already happened.
2 In the last two sentences it changes to the conditional
(would, could) – accept any sensible answers.
E Identifying proper nouns
• As part of your general revision of word classes,
or parts of speech (whichever terminology is most
familiar in your region) briefly revise the four types
of noun: common, proper, abstract and collective.
Encourage learners to suggest examples of each.
Point out that the prologue refers to colonies; the
collective noun for water voles is colony. Encourage
use of dictionaries if required.
• Ask learners after the activity whether they think the
name of the River was really Great River or whether it
has another name. Encourage them to suggest reasons
why Great River and Folk are written as proper nouns
 when folk and great river would normally not be
considered proper nouns. Do learners agree that it adds
to the mysterious style of the prologue to talk about
the Folk and the Great River?
Answers:
1 Common noun.
2 Learners’ own answers.
3 Because it is referring to the water voles and probably all
other river animals, i.e. defining them as a specific group
rather than a general group.
4 Great River – it is being used to refer to the river as if Great
River was its actual name.
Differentiation:
• Use the session as an opportunity to work with small
groups to confirm their understanding of narrative
voice and in particular the concept of an omniscient
third person narrator as some learners may find this
difficult. You can follow up on this when they do
further work on an extract from the main story where
the narrator’s voice is quite different.
Assessment opportunities
• Use the session to informally assess learners’
understanding of word class and their grasp of
writing techniques i.e. that writers deliberately make
choices for particular effects on characters, settings
and storylines. You could take in learners’ journals to
check understanding of the omniscient third person
narrator and the use of repetition and tense change
as techniques, before they write a prologue in the next
session.
Activity Book
A Remind learners that certain words may be a
common noun or a proper noun depending on the
context. Many of the birds have more than one
collective noun so learners can choose the one that
they prefer. If there is time, play a class game to
invent collective nouns for regular classroom items,
such as pencils, desks and so on. Encourage them
to focus on a particular feature of the noun; include
alliteration if appropriate.
Some children struggle with abstract nouns; usually,
those who are still developing and have not fully
reached the capacity for abstract thought. Ensure that
they do not confuse abstract nouns and their related
adjectives – happiness (n.) – happy (adj.).
B Point out that the way in which proper adjectives are
formed from proper nouns is not always the same
although there are some common patterns, e.g. ian, ic,
ese, ish. Other examples to use include Spain – Spanish,
Hispanic, Japan – Japanese, Argentina – Argentinian,
Morocco – Moroccan, Thailand – Thai, England –
English, Norway – Norwegian, Sweden – Swedish,
Denmark – Danish, Iceland – Icelandic. Make sure
learners know the correct proper adjectives relating to
your region and country.
Answers:
A planning is done.
1 Proper; common; abstract, collective.
2 They take a capital letter.
3 a proper; b common.
4 Possible answers: Road in a is part of the name of the road so
it is a proper noun. In b road is an ordinary common noun.
5 flamingos – flamboyance; penguins – colony, huddle;
hummingbirds – charm, glittering, shimmer, tune, bouquet;
starlings – chattering, affliction, murmuration; vultures –
committee, venue, bold, wake; turkeys – rafter, gobble;
swans – wedge, ballet, lamentation.
6 Learners’ own answers.
7 power, curiosity, trust, liberty, patriotism, loyalty, sympathy,
optimism, jubilation, glee, enthusiasm, destiny, courage,
ability, anger, affection
B
1 Hawaii – Hawaiian; Islam – Islamic; Russia – Russian;
Germany – German; China – Chinese; Mexico – Mexican;
Hungary – Hungarian; Slovak – Slovakian.
Session 4: Write a short prologue
Learner’s Book pages: 11–12
Activity Book pages: 12–13
You will need: learners’ own reading books.
Nice to have: PCM 12.
ICT opportunity: learners could type their prologues
using a word processor.
Learning objectives
Learning intentions
• to use a book they are familiar with to write a prologue
• to work in pairs to plan the prologues carefully
including clues to foreshadow events
• to match the prologues to the reading books inferring
clues about character, setting and storyline.
Learning outcomes
Learners can:
• write several paragraphs of a prologue to their own
reading book or a book they know well
• include foreshadowing clues in their prologue
• maintain a consistent omniscient third person
narrative style, largely in the past tense
• use clues to match prologues to books.
A Plan and write a prologue
• This should be a fun writing activity. Explain that at the
end, groups will try to match prologues to the correct
book; learners must not sign their work and must write
it out on A4 paper. If possible get the learners to type
their prologues to avoid handwriting clues.
• Ask learners to choose either their current book or
a favourite book they know well. Encourage them
to read the blurb and then jot down questions about
their book: Who is the main character? Where is the
book set? What is the main idea in the plot? What
issue is to be resolved? Allow learners to discuss
their questions and answers with a talk partner –
potentially they may find it easier if their partner asks
some questions they can answer. Partners can take
down notes for each other. Make sure that proper
Session 4 Write a short prologue 17
• Once learners are confident about the storyline they
can discuss or think of the type of prologue they
would like to write. If their prologue will provide
hints and predictions (as in The River Singers), make
suggestions for clues that are related to the key issue in
the plot: If only they had known … If learners are going
to attempt a flashback, encourage them to discuss
with their partner what events could have happened
before the story that might have led to the events of
the story taking place. Be prepared to be creative with
your suggestions and don’t worry if the learners end
up writing something very similar to the model in the
textbook. For more guidance on writing a prologue
refer to PCM 12 Write a prologue.
• Remind them to write in the third person narrative and
to try to give a hint of the all-knowing narrator and to
choose a word or group of words to be repeated.
• Discuss a suitable structure for the three paragraphs –
one to introduce the gist of the story; the second to
add more details with a few hints; the last to make
predictions with would, could and changing from the
past tense. Encourage a mixture of long and short
sentences, e.g. They knew nothing of the outside.
• Partners swap prologues. Encourage them to ask each
other questions about the book. Consider modelling
a question-and-answer session with a volunteer.
• Once the prologues have been written or typed out,
display the class’s reading books and prologues.
Groups or try to match prologues with books. If
more than one prologue has been written on the same
book, read them out and discuss the different aspects
that have been picked up. Encourage learners to
look at the cover illustrations and to read the blurbs
and first paragraphs to get the feel of the books and
names of some of the characters in order to match
them to the prologues.4
Answers:
1–4 Learners’ own answers.
Differentiation:
• Pair less able readers with more able readers if they
have read the same book, so that less able readers
benefit from talking about the storyline with someone
who is confident. Alternatively, you could pair less
able readers to work on a book together and write a
prologue between them; you could do the questioning
in the planning phase and make suggestions for clues
they could put into their prologue.
Assessment opportunities
• The sheets of written or typed prologues can be kept
for portfolio purposes to assess how well learners
have understood prologues, and as an example early
in the year of their writing capacity and writing
sophistication level, as well as whether they can
maintain a consistent narrative voice and tense
throughout their paragraphs.
Activity Book
A Learners read a prologue and make predictions
based on their inferences. The questions will help
18 Unit 1 Different voices – different times
them to start thinking along the right lines to
make predictions. The box will guide their answers
appropriately.
Answers:
A
1 Possible answers:
a present; b It gives the sense of immediacy, as if the
action is happening as the reader reads; c It is talking
about something in the past; d The future tense is used in
the last sentence – to foreshadow what is to come; e First
person; f Use of the personal pronouns I and we; g For
emphasis – to make the reader realise there is something
special about the way; h It makes them stand out and it
emphasises that They, although not named, somehow real
and present; i It allows readers to fill in their own ideas
about what will happen; j Learners’ own answers.
2 Learners’ own answers.
3 Learners’ own answers.
Session 5: Meet the River Singers
Learner’s Book pages: 12–14
Activity Book pages: 14–15
You will need: dictionary definitions of light.
Nice to have: a copy of The River Singers; PCM 13.
ICT opportunity: learners could sketch the journey using
computer software.
Spelling link: c, ck or k as a word ending.
Learning objectives
Learning intentions
• to compare narrative styles
• to scan for detail to answer questions
• to interpret narrative in a visual medium.
Learning outcomes
Learners can:
• identify differences between third person and
omniscient third person style.
A Read and talk about The River Singers
• Encourage groups of three or four to read the extract
from Chapter One. It is the very beginning of the
book so the narrative voice is in direct contrast to
that of the prologue. All hints of foreboding have
disappeared and the narrative style has reverted to
a more familiar third person past tense narrative
(except for dialogue).
• Use the annotations to discuss the purpose of each
paragraph and why a new paragraph has been started
each time.
• The focus of the activity is to get learners to compare
the narrative voice and the mood of this extract
with the prologue. Bring the discussion back to class
level after the groups have had an opportunity to
work through the questions to ensure that everybody
has noticed the differences and can find examples
in the text to support their view. Learners can also
suggest their own words to describe the mood using a
 thesaurus or their own knowledge – they do not have
to use the words suggested in the Learner’s Book.
• Include in your general discussion the theme of light
versus dark, day versus night, and how a new day
represents a new beginning and is usually full of
optimism, whereas the night-time often represents
concern or brings up fears, as learners may have
experienced themselves. Read out or ask learners to
read a dictionary definition for light. Discuss its various
shades of meaning and associated words, e.g. light-
hearted, light of my life, hiding a light under a bushel.
Spelling link
While looking at the adjectives to describe the mood,
point out the two adjectives ending in c (optimistic
and enthusiastic). Ask learners to brainstorm words
ending in the hard c (k) sound, drawing up three lists
on the board for c, ck and k
• Use ck for one syllable words after a short vowel
(tick, clock, back, sick, duck, etc.)
• Use c if the word has two or more syllables (panic,
traffic, clinic, titanic, etc.
• Use k when the hard c (k) sound comes after
another consonant (bank, dark, silk, etc.)
There are more activities on c, ck or k as word endings in
the Spelling section on page 158 of the Learner’s Book.
Answers:
1 Third person narrative (no first person personal pronouns
in the narrative); the style is descriptive of the characters
and setting rather than reflecting and predicting as in the
prologue. It has a different feeling from the prologue.
2–5 Learners’ own answers.
B Answer questions on the extract
• Remind learners to read the questions carefully
before scanning the extract to find the answers.
Specify whether they are to make notes or write out
their answers in full.
• They can check their answers with a partner or small
group as appropriate.
Answers:
1 When his mother calls him young vole and treads on his tail.
Clues: burrow, pile of bodies sleeping, twitching whiskers,
paws padding (listen/checks scents) – imply an animal.
2 He wants to explore the river, swim, dive and catch food in it.
3 – 4 Learners’ own answers.
C Sketch Sylvan’s journey
• Learners need to use the highlighted part of
paragraph 2 to help them sketch Sylvan’s journey
from the chamber to the river’s edge. If you are using
the PCMs, you could use PCM 13 Sketch Sylvan’s
journey at this point. Alternatively, if you have
appropriate software, learners could use it to sketch
the journey using shapes and arrows to represent the
burrow and the journey.
• To show that they are able to follow the sequence of
directions, ask learners to add captions to their diagram
or map, pointing out the features of Sylvan’s route.
• Learners should retell the sequence of the route
based on their own sketch. Encourage them to
use time connectives such as first, second, next and
finally. More confident learners could use a variety
of adverbial phrases and clauses but still keeping
the sequence, e.g. Before going left, Sylvan turned …
Encourage volunteers to retell Sylvan’s journey as a
model for less able learners.
Answers:
1–3 Learners’ own answers.
Differentiation:
• Allow some learners to work with a partner as
appropriate. Make sure they sketch the route in
pencil first and check with you before they finalise
and annotate it. Allow them to use more extensive
captions which will help with their retelling.
Assessment opportunities
• Activity B could be used as a comprehension
assessment – if so, ask learners to write their answers
in full sentences.
• Activity C can be used to see how well learners are able
to interpret the text from one medium into another. In
addition, you can take notes on how well learners are
able to speak using only a diagram as a guide.
Activity Book
A Many words have multiple meanings; ranging from
totally different meanings to subtle differences of
nuance or context. In this exercise learners have to
infer the word class from given definitions. Only some
of the meanings have an antonym. Learners use the
word in its correct context in a sentence or phrase.
When working with the word bright, learners have
to infer its meaning correctly in order to provide a
suitable synonym.
Answers:
A
1
a adjective; antonym: heavy; own example.
b noun; antonym: none; own example.
c adjective; antonym: burdened, heavy, down as in heavy
hearted; own example.
d adjective; antonym: awkward, clumsy; own example.
e adjective; antonym: dark, intense; own example.
f noun; antonym: dark, darkness; own example.
g noun; antonym: none; own example.
h verb; antonym: snuff out, put out, smother; own example.
2 Learners’ own answers.
Session 5 Meet the River Singers 19
Session 6: Phrases and sentences
Learner’s Book pages: 14–16
Activity Book page: 15
Nice to have: a copy of The River Singers.
ICT opportunity: footage of water voles and other
animals in the wild can be found online, for example
via uzoouk on youtube.com or the BBC nature website
(www.bbc.co.uk/nature/wildlife).
Learning objectives
Learning intentions
• to revise the components of a basic sentence
• to identify the difference between a phrase and a
sentence
• to understand the importance of word order
• to explore the effect of different positions of phrases in
sentences and different sentence lengths
• to record different sentence techniques in their
journals.
Learning outcomes
Learners can:
• identify a sentence from a phrase
• discuss why writers choose to use different sentence
lengths
• recognise the command form of a verb
• extend sentences using adverbial phrases.
A What makes a sentence?
• Learners will already know what a sentence is. In
order to revise the specific features of the sentence,
get them to talk about and write a definition in
groups. Encourage volunteers to read out their
definitions and slowly build a class definition on the
board or a large piece of card as part of a working
display.
• Many complex sentences make use of different word
order possibilities, rearranging groups of words,
for example, a phrase or a clause may appear at
the beginning in the middle or at the end of the
sentence, but the words inside the group must still
be in a sensible order. Later in the stage, the active
and passive voice will be studied in more detail but at
this point it might be helpful to differentiate between
the subject (the doer of the action – the agent) and
the object (the receiver of the action). If the subject
and the object in particular end up in the wrong
order and the verb doesn’t move, the sentence will no
longer make sense. It is most important therefore that
learners recognise the subject must precede the verb
and the object must follow the verb in a normal active
sentence construction.
• Adverbs and adverbial phrases and clauses can also
move around in a sentence but must still modify or
add information to the verb in a sensible manner;
often they can be repositioned more easily than
phrases, which do not always work at the beginning
and end of the sentence. Encourage learners to
20 Unit 1 Different voices – different times
reposition adverbial phrases in sentences to see if
they make sense. If they don’t, try extending into
an adverbial clause to see what difference it makes.
You can track possibilities on the board with a good
example. Point out use of the comma, especially
if the adverbial phrase or clause comes before the
main clause or in the middle. For example Before his
siblings were awake, Sylvan slipped out of the chamber.
Sylvan, before his siblings were awake, slipped out of
the chamber. Sylvan slipped out of the chamber before
his siblings were awake.
Answers:
1 Learners’ own answers.
2 a The heron caught a fish. b Foxes live underground in
dens. c Sylvan began his adventure in the river. d Fish
live all their lives in rivers.
3–4 Learners’ own answers.
B Identify phrases from sentences
• Just as poets use poetic licence when they choose
not to follow the rules of Standard English grammar,
authors also sometimes take liberties with sentence
construction for effect. While we tend to teach learners
that they must write narrative in full sentences – except
possibly in dialogue – it is a recognised technique not to
in order to create a particular effect, although not one
necessarily to be encouraged on a regular basis.
• Not all learners will necessarily recognise single
words as sentences (Quiver. Listen.). Remind learners
of the command form of the verb used to give
instructions, e.g. turn left, turn right, and remind them
that although the subject is not there, it is an implied
subject (you) turn left, (you) turn right. These single
verbs therefore do effectively have a subject albeit an
implied subject and so actually do form a sentence
despite being one word.
• Encourage learners to suggest reasons why the author
may have chosen to use phrases rather than sentences
by getting them to visualise what Sylvan was doing
as he was on his journey. Invite a volunteer to role
play Sylvan as he goes on his journey to help them
associate his movements with the choice of sentence
structures and the shorter and longer movements.
• Before they write their own paragraphs, encourage
learners to think about an animal they know well or, if
possible, show footage of animals moving in the wild;
for example, a predator stalking slowly and then moving
very quickly on a kill, monkeys swinging from tree to
tree, a lumbering rhino or hippopotamus, even a bird
flitting about in the sky, zigzagging, flapping or gliding.
Answers:
1 A left, a right, loop around a knot of roots, then pause at the
place where the roof had fallen. Sentence – verb with implied
subject.
One eye to the sky. Phrase – no verb;
Quiver. Sentence – verb with implied subject.
Listen. Sentence – verb with implied subject.
Check the scents. Sentence – verb with implied subject.
Then onwards and downwards to the lower places, the
entrance to the Great River and the gateway to the world.
Phrase – no verb.
2–3 Learners’ own answers.

C Record your reading
• Ask learners to add to their learning journal entries
about the prologue and the omniscient narrator.
Encourage them to copy extracts into their notebooks
as models for the use of short and long sentences and
phrases for effect.
• Encourage learners to see their journals as writing
journals as well as reading logs, and to read as a
writer to analyse techniques to incorporate into
their own writing. They could also include their
own paragraph showing how they attempted the
technique.
Differentiation:
• Work with less able readers and writers on their
learning journals, so that they have a useful reference
and can copy techniques to support their writing
more easily.
Assessment opportunities
• Assess learners’ grasp of sentence features and the
difference between a sentence and a phrase. You can
build on this solid foundation later when you revise
and develop compound and complex sentences with
subordinate clauses.
• Assess also learners’ understanding and facility with
adverbials (adverbs and adverbial phrases). These are
needed for writing a variety of sentence types and
sentences of interest that can develop arguments and
build sequences.
Activity Book
A Word order can be varied in sentences to a degree.
Demonstrate how to search for the subject of the
sentence and match it with the verb. Learners can
then reorder the rest of the sentence.
B Descriptive phrases can be placed at the beginning,
in the middle and at the end of the sentence to extend
the main clause. Encourage learners to experiment
with their own phrases to extend the sentences. Can
they move any of the phrases about in the sentence
while retaining the sense?
Answers:
A they do; how they add to a sentence. For example,
1–2
a Water voles sometimes build a little platform of twigs and
grass on tufts of weed to sunbathe on.
b Their burrows have many floor levels to prevent flooding.
c Water voles are very strong swimmers; they swim up to
500 metres on the surface or 15 metres underwater.
B
1 Learners’ own answers.
2 a … the heron spotted its prey … ; b … the loggers cut
down the trees … ; c … the voles searched
Session 7: Review word classes
Learner’s Book pages: 16–18
Activity Book pages: 16–17
You will need: dictionary and thesaurus.
ICT opportunity: online dictionary and thesaurus,
e.g. Cambridge Learner’s Dictionary http://dictionary.
cambridge.org/dictionary/learner-english/.
Spelling link: a or an.
Learning objectives
Learning intentions
• to explore the definite and indefinite articles
• to investigate different word classes, especially words
that can be in more than one class
• to understand homographs and how to use context
to differentiate the words.
Learning outcomes
Learners can:
• use the definite and indefinite article appropriately
• recognise different word classes
• differentiate word class by context and position in
sentence.
A Identify and understand word classes
• Words and sentences are the building blocks of
good communication. Learners may read and see
widespread use of abbreviated communication
especially on ICT platforms. They will benefit from a
strong understanding of the word classes or parts of
speech and how elements of sentences fit together so
that they can build effective sentences and paragraphs
whether writing in a fiction or non-fiction context.
• Grammar can appear dry and pointless if it is not
attached to good examples and if it doesn’t feel
meaningful to learners. However, a certain amount
of drill is beneficial particularly for those who learn
best by repeating an activity until they have mastered
it. Although learners have been working with parts of
speech across the primary curriculum, and use them
naturally in speech, the skill of using words precisely
and aptly can transform writing from something
pedestrian and functional into something that is both
effective and a pleasure to read. Parts of speech and
grammatical constructions are the tools of the trade
of any writer.
• Encourage discussion about the boxed words: what
adjectives qualify a noun: a flower; a beautiful flower;
a budding, blue flower; a fragrant, delicate, exotic flower.
Encourage learners to come up with sentences that
use as many of the word classes as possible and
display them for everyone to enjoy.
• Remind learners that if they are unsure of a word
class, they can use a dictionary to find out. If the
word belongs to more than one word class, many
dictionaries provide a contextual example. If possible,
suggest learners try out online dictionaries e.g. the
Cambridge Learner’s Dictionary: http://dictionary.
cambridge.org/dictionary/learner-english/
• Remind learners how important context is and that
some words can potentially belong to more than one
word class – for example in can be both a preposition
(put it in the box) and an adverb (please come in).
Session 7 Review word classes 21
• The articles are often not noticed in English, especially
by second language speakers, because many languages
don’t have them as a separate word from the noun.
The articles the and a are very important in English
to differentiate between a general and specific nouns.
Supplementary Teacher Information: In some regions
they are part of a class of words known commonly as
determiners, which includes words like this, that, those,
my, your and their – these determiners are sometimes
known as demonstrative adjectives (this, that, those) and
possessive adjectives (my, your, their).
Spelling link
Point out that the indefinite article is a for words
beginning with a consonant but an for words
beginning with a vowel and that the pronunciation of
an elides into the noun.
There are more activities on a and an in the Spelling
section of the Learner’s Book.
Answers:
1–3 Learners’ own answers.
4 a noun; b adjective; c verb; d adverb; e preposition.
5 Learners’ own answers.
B Understand homographs
• Homographs can confuse if learners are not aware
of them and looking out for them. Discuss the word
origin from ancient Greek: homo meaning ‘same’ and
graph meaning ‘something written’. Homographs are
spelled/written the same way and so look the same,
although they do not always sound the same, e.g.
record (n) – record (v); whereas homophones (homo/
same and phone/sound) sound the same but may not
be spelled alike, e.g. sight/site.
• Some homographs share a word class, i.e. are both
nouns for example; others are different word classes.
The activities cover both. Encourage learners to use a
thesaurus.
Answers:
1 Possible answers:
a pupil: a school student; the black centre of the eye.
b club: an organisation for people who want to take part in a sport
or social activity together, or the building they use for this; a
long, thin stick used to hit the ball in golf; a heavy stick used as
a weapon; a place open late at night where people can dance.
c ring: a round piece of jewellery to wear on your finger;
something that is the shape of a circle; the sound a bell makes.
d bank: an organisation or place where you can borrow money,
save money, etc.; the land along the side of a river; a large
pile of snow, sand, or soil.
e bat: a piece of wood used to hit the ball in some sports; a
small animal like a mouse with wings that flies at night.
2 Learners’ own answers.
3 Possible answers:
a adventurous – adj. synonym possibilities: daring, bold, brave,
courageous, audacious.
b disturb – verb. synonym possibilities: interrupt, distract,
bother, disrupt, annoy, intrude.
c warily – adv. synonym possibilities: cautiously, suspiciously,
carefully, thoughtfully.
d guardian – n. synonym possibilities: carer, protector,
caretaker, keeper, guard.
22 Unit 1 Different voices – different times
Differentiation:
• Make time to go over the concepts with learners who
are struggling.
Assessment opportunities
• Use the activities to assess the learners’ understanding
and competence with the different word classes. It is
an important foundation for the year’s learning.
Activity Book
A Learners should by now know the different word
classes although interjections may be less familiar.
Remind them that interjections are usually exclaimed
or said with emphasis so are often followed by an
exclamation mark. Even if they know the different
word classes, it is handy to have the definitions to
hand. They can note the definitions in their Learning
journals.
For question 2 remind them that prepositions can
consist of more than one word, for example, in front
of or next to and can also be other word classes.
Encourage learners to think about how they use the
prepositions. Notice that they always come before the
noun they modify – beside the car, in front of the gate,
below the stairs, etc.
Answers:
A
1 a conjunctions; b nouns; c verbs; d adjectives;
e pronouns; f adverbs; g prepositions; h interjections.
2 Learners’ own answers.
3 between; in front of; through; across; beside; under; over;
below; next to; above; outside; beyond.
Session 8: Review dialogue
Learner’s Book pages: 18–20
Activity Book pages: 17–18
Nice to have: PCM 3; a selection of reading books in
which to find examples of dialogue.
Learning objectives
Learning intentions
• to practise reading with expression to bring out a
character
• to build a character profile from dialogue
• to revise how to punctuate dialogue
• to write dialogue to extend the extract.
Learning outcomes
Learners can:
• read aloud with expression ‘in character’
• infer character traits from clues in the dialogue and
supporting narrative
• develop and apply rules for punctuating dialogue
correctly
• write their own dialogue in groups.
A Read the dialogue aloud
• Authors do not usually describe characters in their
entirety – they allow readers to infer from the way
characters speak and act. Encourage learners to
make suggestions about what the characters are like,
and discuss what sort of people they think the vole
characters would be if they were human.
• Explain that learners are not going to have a narrator
reading out the connecting narrative but rather
that they must use the connecting narrative as the
equivalent of stage directions to help them know how
to speak and act – for example Aven gasped and sat
upright …
• Discuss how to read with expression and to
empathise with each character. Encourage them
to recall what they know of Sylvan from previous
sessions. Ensure learners skim the passage to check
they understand context before they focus on their
own parts to check understanding of the words and
how to pronounce them. For guidance on skimming
refer to PCM 3 Reading strategies.
• Encourage body language and gestures to accompany
voice expression. Every good reading is in some way a
role play. Ask one or two groups to demonstrate their
reading and lead feedback on what was enjoyed and
suggestions for improvement.
• Ask the learners to draw up a mind map on their
character using their knowledge from reading the
character’s words to build a character profile. Share
mind maps and discuss ideas about the characters.
• Learners should then be able to read the dialogue with
even more expression. Swapping characters will give
them a different perspective on the same events. For
example, from Aven’s and Orris’s perspective, Sylvan
could be being a bossy older brother but Sylvan might
just want to fill them with his enthusiasm without
thinking that they may feel differently.
Answers:
1–4 Learners’ own answers.
B Revise dialogue punctuation
• Get learners to discuss the dialogue and develop
a memo before having a class discussion to find
out how much they remember about punctuating
dialogue. Pull the activity together by drawing up a
class memo for the wall on punctuating dialogue.
Answers:
1 The memos should contain the following points although the
italicised parts may not be ascertained from the example:
• Enclose the actual words spoken in speech marks.
• Start a new line when a new person starts speaking.
• Use a comma before the words in speech marks if they
are introduced, and begin the spoken words with a capital
letter.
• Use a comma, a question mark or an exclamation mark at
the end of the words spoken inside the speech marks but
never a full stop. If an exclamation mark or question mark
ends the speaking, no capital letter is used to carry on the
sentence if it identifies the speaker.
• If the dialogue continues after the speaker is identified, do
not use a capital letter at the beginning of the new dialogue
unless it is actually a new sentence.
C Write your own dialogue
• Now that learners have recapped the rules for
punctuating dialogue, they have a chance to
write some of their own by extending the extract
of dialogue while Sylvan tries to encourage his
siblings to go out and explore. To stimulate ideas,
encourage groups to role play the dialogue before
they write it out.
• Encourage learners to use strong verbs. You could
write a word bank on the board to assist them:
gasped, laughed, jeered, complained, persuaded,
encouraged, refused, etc. Adverbs and adverbial
phrases will also be important to express the context.
Remind them to refer to the extract for examples.
• Let the learners enjoy performing each other’s
dialogue. If time is short, let smaller groups perform
to other groups simultaneously.
Differentiation:
• Organise mixed-ability groups as the activities are a
mixture of reading, writing and performing.
• Let learners write in groups for mutual support or
independently to extend them.
Assessment opportunities
• Assess learners’ dialogue for content, punctuation
and interesting connective narrative.
• Negotiate relevant success criteria with learners. Here
are some suggestions:
We are to extend dialogue in the extract involving
the same characters.
Each character must speak at least twice.
We must keep the dialogue ‘in character’ from our
prior knowledge of them.
We must punctuate the dialogue according to the
rules we developed.
Activity Book
A Learners should be familiar with the rules for
punctuating dialogue, but it is easy for the rules
to slip away if they are not practised regularly.
The sentences to punctuate cover various different
dialogue examples to test their skills. They must also
fill in an alternative reporting word to said. using the
context to imagine how the speaker would have said
the words. Make sure the verbs are in the past tense.
In the second question, learners create interesting
dialogue that make sense of the one-sided dialogue given.
Remind them that the speakers are a father and son.
B Use the word gnaw from the extract in the Learner’s
Book as a springboard into this spelling attack which
covers the various different types of silent letters
learners are likely to encounter.
Answers:
A
1
a “Don’t forget to bring your soccer ball tomorrow” [own word,
e.g. reminded] Javier.
b Ava [own word e.g. begged], “Please may I go to the party;
everyone will be there.”
Session 8 Review dialogue 23
 c “What on earth have you got there?” [own word, e.g. laughed,
enquired] Sebastian.
d “Give me that!” [own word, e.g. demanded] Nesmah. “It’s
mine.” optional exclamation mark at the end.
2 Learners’ own answers.
B expressions and gestures, this should come out in the
1 gnaw chaos receipt castle guide design fascinate limb
solemn foreign knuckle writhe
2 g, h,p,t,u,g,c,b,n,g,k,w.
3 Learners’ own answers.
Session 9: Voices
Learner’s Book pages: 20–23
Activity Book pages: 19–20
ICT opportunity: recording device to record the readings
and role play.
Learning objectives
Learning intentions
• to read with expression in groups
• to discuss handling of time options in stories
• to infer a timeline from different narratives of the same
events
• to understand perspective and point of view
• to explore link between Standard and colloquial
English styles and characterisation.
Learning outcomes
Learners can:
• infer a sequence of events from parallel narratives
• read aloud with expression using narrative style to
build character
• discuss perspective and point of view in narrative.
A Read the extract
• Voices in the Museum tells the same events from three
different points of view. A fourth person is mentioned
in the events. Learners piece together Voice 4 by
inference during the following sessions.
• Learners should work in groups of three, with one
person for each voice. Each learner skims their voice
to get the general idea and they summarise the key
points to each other. Encourage discussion about the
different points of view and what they have noticed –
what seems the same and what information appears
only in one voice. They can also discuss their initial
impressions of the characters. If appropriate, pool
the class’s impressions of the voices before they read
aloud.
• If possible let groups record themselves reading aloud
so they can listen back and discuss how to improve
expression. Allow practice time before recording
a final version. If no recording device is available
groups can practise in front of each other to get
feedback.
24 Unit 1 Different voices – different times
• In order to get in character, encourage learners to
get into position physically as they read, e.g. sitting
as if on a bench, constantly looking around for
Maximilian. If learners imagine the body language,
reading when they hear it played back.
Answers:
1 Learners’ own answers.
2 An older lady (Voice 1) is taking her charge, possibly her
son or grandson, Maximilian, on an educational outing to
the museum. She seems fussy and uptight as she sits on
a bench and disapproves of Maximilian going to the kiosk
rather than studying the dinosaur. Voice 2 is a supervisor at
the museum who is just coming off shift and waiting to meet
his teenage daughter, Jax. Jax (Voice 3), is a teenage girl who
meets Maximilian in the kiosk queue where he is anxiously
looking towards Voice 1 because he knows that she won’t
approve of him going to the kiosk instead of studying the
dinosaur.
3 Learners’ own answers.
B Make a timeline of events to
understand the characters
• The voices describe events that happen in parallel
rather than in sequence so the learners need to
scan each voice carefully and try to piece together
a sequential timeline of events. There will be some
flexibility in how they interpret the sequence, for
example it is not clear in the text whether the lady
arrives before the supervisor but learners can
establish that he sits down after she does, from her
reaction. Learners can draw the timeline, with caption
notes above and below. Start with a discussion about
what happened first, then allow groups to construct
the timeline. Groups can compare timelines for
accuracy and discuss differences.
• Learners can use a mind map or other organisational
tool to build a profile of each voice; the important issue
is to find evidence in the text to support their inferences.
• A class discussion about their favourite character will
round off the session well. Learners should express
their preference supported by reasons and evidence;
focus on their reasoning so that they become
confident at justifying an inference.
Answers:
1 Timeline to include at least the following: Voice 1 arrives with
Maximilian at the museum and goes to the dinosaur hall.
Voice 1 sits down on the bench near the Tyrannosaurus Rex,
while Maximilian wanders off to look at the exhibits. She
notices something odd about the dinosaur. After Voice 1 has
sat down, Voice 2 sits down on the other end of the bench,
having come off shift at the museum. He either has or hasn’t
already met up with his daughter who is queuing at the kiosk
to get coffee for him. Meanwhile Maximilian wanders away
from the dinosaur and joins the kiosk queue. While trying to
hide from Voice 1, he begins to get on the nerves of Voice 3
although she finally asks if he wants a drink, after noticing
something slightly strange about the dinosaur. While they are
both in the queue talking, Voice 1 notices that Maximilian is
no longer looking at the dinosaur and is queuing at the kiosk,
so she gets up to make her way over to him.
2 Learners’ own answers.
C Think about how we express ourselves
• Supplementary Teacher Information: Standard
English can be a difficult concept for learners,
especially as English varies from region to region
and in general, Standard English has become much
less formal than it was perhaps 10 to 20 years ago.
However it is still important for learners to be able
to recognise what is generally regarded as Standard
English with complete sentences, paragraphs, correct
grammar and punctuation and no colloquialisms
such as contractions or slang. English is an extremely
figurative language and so it may not be entirely
appropriate to say that Standard English contains
no figurative expressions at all. However, it does
not usually contain idiomatic expressions such as
she cried her eyes out or proverbs, unless perhaps in
dialogue.
• Allow learners to work initially in pairs and then go
over the activity as a class to ensure that everyone
is clear before they write the sentences in their
notebooks.
Answers:
1 Possible answers:
a I would have asked [her] if she was alright but I was
exhausted.
b I thought I would ignore the lady in the purple coat until Jax
came with my coffee.
c Jax knows every bone well, and has done since she was a
young child!
d Would you like a cool drink?
D Link speaking style to characterisation
• Each character recounts the events as if they are
speaking, so learners can consider the ‘voice’ of each
character in terms of Standard English, slang and
colloquialisms. In the case of Voice 3 textual features
also indicate how she speaks and something of her
character.
• Learners should notice that Voice 1 uses the most
correct or Standard English, which fits with other
evidence about her: her formal way of dressing,
and behaving, what she thinks Maximilian should
be doing and so on. Voice 2 uses the least Standard
English which could imply he has a regional accent,
or has a job that does not require him to use Standard
English. Voice 3 reflects the voice and writing style of
a teenager in the use of terms like sooooo.
• There are no right or wrong answers but learners
should draw inferences about characters from how
they speak in the text. However, be sensitive about
guiding learners to recognise that speech does not
necessarily reflect all there is to know about a person,
e.g. in relation to speech difficulties, accents or how
people choose to express themselves.
• Encouraging the learners to role play the different
characters will help them to reflect on the different
ways we choose to express ourselves either naturally
or by choice.
Answers:
1 Voice 1 – it fits her proper appearance and how fussy she is.
2 Learners’ role plays. They should feel it changes his
character and does not reflect the same person.
3 Learners should notice the text effects, e.g. sooooo tired
[informal spelling for emphasis]; we always do the dinos
[underlining for emphasis and informal abbreviation]; She
must have been sweltering – didn’t she look outside this
morning?[rhetorical question for emphasis]; ON MY NERVES
[capitalisation for emphasis]; The Purple Coat [nickname
and italics for mischief and emphasis]; You up for a cool
drink, then? [casual expression]; broke the ice [idiomatic
expression]; also the contractions and use of an ellipsis at
the end to allow reader to imagine what happened when the
Purple Coat arrived; together implying a teenage speaker.
Differentiation:
• Encourage mixed-ability groups for the reading and
character analysis but do not insist. Allow more able
groups to form if they occur naturally but challenge
them to work harder at their reading and character
analysis.
• Consider working in a small group with those who find
it hard to infer characterisation from the speaking style
and to identify non Standard English constructions.
Assessment opportunities
• Use learners’ reading/role play to assess
understanding of characterisation and how we
choose to express ourselves. Recordings could be
retained for portfolio purposes, focusing on how they
reflect on variations in speech and appropriate use
of Standard English; how they convey ideas about
characters in drama in different roles and scenarios
through speech, gesture and movement; and how well
they vary vocabulary, expression and tone of voice.
• Negotiate relevant success criteria with learners. Here
are some suggestions:
We must summarise each character’s account of
events to find out about them.
We must use body language, gesture, and tone of
voice to reflect our characters.
We must incorporate our knowledge of their use
of Standard English in our characterisation.
We can record ourselves so that we can discuss our
performance and improve it.
Activity Book
A Standard English can be a difficult concept because
different regions vary slightly in what is considered to
be Standard English. Ensure learners are clear about
any local regional differences, and that Standard
English is the ‘correct’ form they would find in a
book or newspaper. It is also how they are usually
expected to write. It incorporates standard rules of
grammar such as subject-verb agreement, elements
of proper sentences, correct punctuation and no
informal or colloquial words or sayings, including
no contractions.
B Recap differences between idioms and proverbs.
Proverbs contain a nugget of wisdom and their literal
meaning can be easily understood and applied in
Session 9 Voices 25
 different contexts. Idioms do not usually have any
wisdom to them. Their meaning is not clear from
the actual words because the literal meaning is
quite different. In many cases then need to be learnt
together with their meanings so that they can be used
properly. They are often also quite regional and may
not be understood elsewhere.
Answers:
A aware that the mood of the film is emotional and
1 a true; b true; c false; d true; e false; f false;
g true; h false; i true; j true.
2 a second sentence; b first sentence; c second sentence;
d second sentence; e second sentence; f first sentence.
B
1 a proverb; b proverb; c idiom; d proverb; e idiom;
f proverb; g idiom.
2 Learners’ own answers.
Session 10: Finding out about
flashbacks
Learner’s Book pages: 23–24
Activity Book page: 21
You will need: the listening text from Oliver Strange and
the Journey to the Swamps on page 23 of the Learner’s
Book.
Nice to have: examples of novels for learners to read
that use flashbacks – e.g. several of Michael Morpurgo’s
novels use the flashback technique (The Butterfly Lion,
Toro! Toro!); The Wreck of the Zephyr by Chris Van
Allsburg; PCM 14.
ICT opportunity: voice recorder to record the listening
extract; The Piano –a short animation by Aidan
Gibbons (available on YouTube).
Learning objectives
Learning intentions
• to introduce the technique of flashbacks in novels and
film
• to develop listening skills – listening for detail
• to infer a timeline from different points in the story.
Learning outcomes
Learners can:
• recognise and discuss a flashback
• infer a sequence of events from different times in the
story
• make predictions based on clues.
A Talk about flashbacks
• Flashback is another technique for handling time in
narrative. Learners will write Voice 4 as a flashback
to the moments in the museum.
• Flashbacks may be more familiar to the learners from
films than novels they have read as the concept can be
difficult for younger learners. Flashbacks can be short
inserts or even the main story as is frequently the case
in Michael Morpurgo’s books.
26 Unit 1 Different voices – different times
• Talk about flashbacks the learners might have
experienced – a feeling of déjà vu, a vivid memory or
a dream. Discuss why some memories stand out more
than others.
• If you have access to the internet, The Piano, a two-
minute animation by Aidan Gibbons, set to music
by Yann Tiersen, is a fabulous way to introduce
flashbacks. An old man is playing the piano and the
film traces his life in a sequence of flashbacks. Be
it includes wartime scenes; you will need to judge
whether the content is appropriate for your class.
Answers:
1 Learners’ own answers.
B Listen for detail
• The novel is about a boy, Oliver, who travels to
Southern Africa from Tooting, an area of London,
to search for his professor father who has gone
missing while researching an extremely rare but
poisonous frog. The book opens while Oliver is
already on his way to Africa so the flashbacks occur
regularly throughout the book to explain some of
the background and how a young boy happens to be
travelling to Africa on his own.
• Talk about what learners think a flashback could be
and how it would work in a novel before explaining
and reading the extract. The extract comes from the
end of Chapter 4 and the beginning of Chapter 5 of
the novel. Oliver flashes back to how it all began after
everything started to become strange. He flashes back
to being with his grandmother when he first began
to think his father had disappeared. If you are using
the PCMs, you could use PCM 14 Oliver Strange – a
timeline of events at this point.
• Make sure learners read the snippet first to give them
some context for what they will listen to. Read the text
aloud as learners listen. Although this is designed as
a listening activity, you may want to allow less able
learners to follow the text in the endmatter as you read.
• Read the extract once, then discuss what learners
remember and then ask them to read the questions
before you read it again. The questions are largely
concrete and require concentrated listening/note taking
rather than interpretation. Remind learners that note
taking means key words rather than full sentences.
• Let learners go over their notes and work out where
they need to listen for more information, then reread
once more for them to complete their answer notes.
Remember that listening is a skill that needs to be
practised, so don’t make the activity too much about
getting everything right. When you go over the
answers, build them as a class using contributions
from everyone rather than marking the activity as
right and wrong individually.
• Before they draw up the timeline, discuss the sequence
of events, particularly with groups of less able
learners helping them to see that the end of Chapter 4
is set after the flashback to earlier events at the start
of Chapter 5.
 Answers:
1 Learners can:
a He is in Zimbabwe, on his way to Victoria Falls.
b His aunt hadn’t been Bulawayo to meet him. He was
travelling with a python. A creepy, sinister man was following
him. Ilalaland wasn’t a place after all. The plans he made
with grandma in Tooting had gone upside down. Tooting
was far away. He wasn’t any closer to finding his father than
before; he had disappeared.
c Tooting, London – three weeks earlier. With his grandmother.
d South China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Madagascar,
Mozambique, Tanzania, the Congo, (through the Amazon
– could include Brazil), Peru and the islands of the Pacific
Ocean; to research frogs
2 Basic events to be included: Oliver’s father gets interested in
frogs; he travels the world to research frogs; he disappears;
Oliver tells his grandmother he thinks his father has
disappeared; Oliver goes to Africa to find his father.
Differentiation:
• You could record your reading so that selected learners
can have access to your reading as often as they need
to answer the questions and draw up the timeline.
• If you cannot record your reading, allow selected
learners to use the text in the Learner’s Book on
page 23.
• Encourage some learners to write full answers to the
questions rather than taking notes only.
Assessment opportunities
• Assess the learners’ listening ability, either via the
class discussion following the activity, or look at their
notebooks.
Activity Book
A A number of clues have been given in the passage for
learners to pick up on and imagine how the adventure
got started. This is an ideal homework task.
Answers:
A Answers:
Learners’ own answers.
Sessions 11 and 12: Create Voice 4 at
the museum
Learner’s Book pages: 24–25
Activity Book page: 22
You will need: Voices in the Museum text from Session 9.
Nice to have: PCMs 6 and 15.
Learning objectives
Learning intentions
• to infer profile of the missing character
• to experiment with role play to build characterisation
• to plan and write a flashback narrative in a consistent
authentic narrative voice
• to review, edit and improve own writing.
Sessions 11 and 12 Create Voice 4 at the museum
Learning outcomes
• use detail to infer characterisation
• use the flashback technique to give clues in a story
• write a narrative in a consistent voice
• use Standard and nonstandard English techniques to
add depth to the ‘voice’.
A Build a profile of Voice 4
• Recap events from the Voices in the Museum story
and explain that learners are going to develop Voice
4 – the fourth character – from the clues in the story.
It is a great opportunity to demonstrate how much
information can be established by asking the right
questions. Encourage learners to add their own
questions to elicit details, for example: What was odd
about the dinosaur? What could Voice 1 and 4 have
noticed that was odd about it? Learners might find
the information useful when they begin to plan their
flashback later in the session.
• The role play will help learners to think about the
characters; what Voice 4 might have said about the
other characters and what they might have said
about him.
• Make it clear that although learners can find out
some information about Voice 4 from the other
voices, they will also have to use their imagination
to fill in the unknown parts. Learners may make
simple inferences, but challenge them to think of
other possibilities, for example, what if the lady is a
palaeontologist who thinks the dinosaur may not be
what it seems and is trying to prove it and is worried
about Maximilian getting mixed up in the business?
Encourage imagination. This session is designed to
spread over two lessons so allow plenty of time.
1
a Maximilian. He is related to the lady in the purple coat,
Voice 1. He is not related to Voices 2 and 3 but he meets Jax,
Voice 3, at the kiosk and strikes up a conversation.
b Voice 1 suggests he was not keen: Maximilian dragged his
heels as he always did on days like these.
c He slipped away from the dinosaur to the kiosk when Voice 1
was not concentrating on him and met Jax in the queue.
d Accept any sensible suggestion – probably because he knew
he was supposed to be looking at the dinosaur and not going
to the kiosk and that she would tell him off if she saw him
there.
2–3 Learners’ own answers.
B Plan and write a flashback for
Voice 4 to the museum
• The writing activity is effectively Maximilian’s
reflection on the same events at the museum as the
other voices. His reflection though is now a flashback
in a different story – The Missing Dinosaur Bone. If
any learners find the flashback hard to think about,
get them to plan Voice 4 as if it was just like the
27
 others. Once they have planned what they are going Assessment opportunities
to say, discuss what the mystery of The Missing
• Assess learners’ ability to role play and adapt their
Dinosaur Bone could be about and whether there
speaking style to reflect their character.
were any clues in Voices 1, 2 and 3 that something
• Assess how well they maintain a consistent narrative
was wrong with the dinosaur. Learners don’t have
voice in their first person narrative flashback.
to write the entire story so they can be as creative as
• Negotiate appropriate success criteria with the
they like with the flashback idea and what Voice 4
learners. Here are some suggestions:
might have remembered as he thinks back to those
We must write Voice 4’s version of events at the
moments in the museum and meeting Jax who knows
museum
everything about the dinosaur.
We must write in first person narrative.
• Remind learners that they are writing in the first
The content must fit in with the other voices’
person and encourage them to include details and a
versions of events
speaking style that would match an 11–12 year old
The ‘voice’ must suit the style and personality of a
boy, including colloquialisms, slang or informal text/
young boy through the language and written style.
punctuation features. If you are using the PCMs, you
It must be a flashback and contain at least one clue
could use PCM 15 Voice 4 at the museum at this point.
that would fit The Missing Dinosaur Bone story.
• Learners should read their drafts to a partner once or
twice to get feedback on the speaking style, whether Activity Book
the content matches the other voices, whether he
remembers a ‘clue’ that could help him in his new A Learners may have learned about perspective in art
adventure. Tell them it is like he is talking to himself – classes. Talk about seeing an object from different
asking himself questions (as Jax did) – even if they angles, for example drawing an object from a bird’s-
end up being rhetorical questions without an answer. eye view and from different sides. Explore and display
Allow learners time to edit their drafts, maybe optical illusions associated with perspective; examples
incorporating feedback and proofreading for errors, are easily found online.
refer to PCM 6 Check, check and check again! B Learners rewrite the narrative from Shahid’s
Differentiation: perspective using first person narrative pronouns such
as I and we. They can add to and take away from
• Ask some learners to role play what the other
the text as necessary, e.g. to imagine his response to
characters might have said about Voice 4 if they were
what Zahra is saying. Choose whether learners must
asked to remember him specifically from the day at
edit their work to presentation standard, or whether
the museum.
for some learners the content is more important to
• Encourage some learners to write the entire story of
ensure that they have understood how to write from a
The Missing Dinosaur Bone. It can be an ongoing task
different perspective about the same set of events.
for extension. They can type it up and illustrate it by
hand or using ICT and produce it as a short novel,
Answers:
possibly dividing it into chapters. A–B Learners’ own answers.

28 Unit 1 Different voices – different times

 2 People in the news

Unit overview
This four-week unit explores different forms of accounts including news reports, autobiography and
biography. Learners will recall and analyse the style and format of news report features. They will analyse
the tone and choice of words used in a report and understand that writers write from a particular point of
view to influence the reader. Learners will express their views about issues raised and compare texts, noting
differences in purpose, language, style, audience, format and tone.
Once learners have analysed various recounts, they will plan their own autobiography and write a
news report on a famous person. Throughout this unit, learners will develop vocabulary, language and
comprehension skills. Since learners work at different speeds, one double session has been allocated in this
unit to allow for differentiation of pace.

Aims and objectives

By the end of this unit, learners will be able to:
• read and compare different texts written for different purposes
• identify features of texts
• read a text and identify the view of the writer and the view of the reader
• read as a writer
• work in groups, express ideas with confidence
• write with confidence.

Skills development
During the course of this unit, learners will:
• read and write headlines
• comprehend a news report
• have a group discussion
• analyse and compare texts according to the purpose, language, style, audience and format
• identify facts and opinions in a news report
• understand words in context and how vocabulary affects the tone
• read an autobiography and a biography and identify the features
• write a biographical news report.

Prior learning
This unit assumes that learners can already:
• identify features of a news report
• distinguish between an autobiography and a biography
• use first, second and third person pronouns
• explain the difference between a fact and an opinion
• use a dictionary and a thesaurus.

Unit 2 People in the news 29

Session 1: Making headlines
Learner’s Book pages: 26–27
Activity Book pages: 23–24
You will need: time and space for discussion; notebooks.
Nice to have: examples of (appropriate) headlines.
Spelling link: compound words.
ICT link: Search headlines of famous events, e.g.
the sinking of the Titanic, or the first people on the
moon. Use online news sites written specifically for
young people, e.g. www.timeforkids.com or
http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/stories.
Spelling link
A compound word is made up from two or more
other words, creating a word with a new meaning, e.g.
news + paper = newspaper; head + line = headline; to +
day = today.
Learners do not need to focus on hyphenated
compound words (e.g. short-term, blue-eyed) at this
point. Let pairs brainstorm compound words and
check them using a dictionary.
There are more activities on compound words in the
Spelling section of the Learner’s Book.

Learning objectives
C Attention-grabbers
Learning intentions
• Revise punctuation marks. Ask learners to explain
• to speak confidently in groups
the punctuation used in each headline and its effect.
• to describe a text and its effect • While most news reports are in Standard English,
• to use punctuation for effect headlines are often not. They often use everyday
• to write headlines that make an impact. language to get the reader’s attention.
• The example headlines can be written out as complete
Learning outcomes
sentences by including missing articles, subjects,
Learners can: connectives and punctuation. Revise sentences using
• express themselves confidently the language box. A complete sentence would reduce
• analyse headlines the impact of a headline.
• identify uses of punctuation Answers:
• write headlines. 1 Bad weather STRIKES: capitalisation highlights a word for
visual impact.
Congrats – It’s a boy!: the dash creates a pause followed
A Who reads the news? by an explanation, the exclamation mark expresses joy
and surprise.
• News is available online, on TV and in newspapers
‘Unsinkable’ liner goes down: the speech marks used imply
and magazines. There are many child-oriented news so called and emphasise how wrong this description turned
and magazine websites. out to be.
• Discuss which learners read the news and in what New mobile device ‘a win’: speech marks indicate a
form. Find out what types of news the learners enjoy. biased view.
Rescue (mum) hero: brackets provide additional, surprising,
Answers: information.
Balloon trip: a great success: the colon provides a pause
Learners’ discussion.
followed by an explanation or direct speech.
And the winner is …: ellipsis creates pause and suspense.
Teacher, parents get A+: the comma is used in place of a
B Talk about headlines connective to shorten the headline.
• Discuss the purpose and impact of headlines. Are 2 Congrats, A+, ‘a win’.
they always noticeable? Are they easy to read or 3–4 Learners’ own answers.
difficult to ignore? Often headlines not only tell
readers about the topic and draw them in, but also Differentiation:
persuade them to buy the newspaper. • Learners can carry out independent research
• A headline can be biased, neutral, figurative or analysing other headlines.
literal. Ask learners to describe the examples in the • More activities on analysing and writing headlines
Learner’s Book. are provided in the Activity Book.
Answers: Assessment opportunities
1 Learners’ own answers.
2 You can tell by the vocabulary and tone that some news is • Informally assess group work and discussion.
‘good’, e.g. Congratulations – it’s a boy!, Balloon trip: a great Observe to see whether learners can express
success.
themselves confidently.
3 To sum up an event in a few words and get the reader’s
attention; to promote a message or point of view; to promote • Use the answers provided to guide your assessment
a publication. of the learners’ written responses.

30 Unit 2 People in the news

 Activity Book
A This activity could be integrated with mathematics
or geography. Discuss questions they could ask that
require short answers, and look at different types of
charts to present the findings.
B This is a good group work activity, but learners can
work individually. Another option is for them to add
headlines to posters displayed around the classroom
to create a class collage.
C Learners practise writing headlines using effective
punctuation.
A Skim a news report
• Skimming a text for clues is an important skill to
practise. Remind them not to read in detail when
they skim but just get an overall sense of the content
and tone. The headings, picture, and first and last
sentences will show if the text is serious or light-
hearted, fact or fiction, formal or informal, etc.
• In preparation for debating later in the year, learners
should practise expressing opinions using the words
I think … , because … .
• Learners can check words in a dictionary, e.g.
inflammatory – intending to cause anger.

Answers: Answers:
A 1 Rosa Parks – a black woman who was arrested for not giving
1–2 Learners’ own answers. up her bus seat to a white passenger.
B 2 Alabama, USA in 1955.
1–4 Learners’ own answers. 3 No, this story made the news many years ago. It is history.
4 Learners’ own answers.
C Possible answers:
1 A new season – a new team
2 Panic as lights go out! B Words in context
3 100% vote “YES”
4 Rain, rain go away … • Learners should read the text more than once. They
5 ‘Thyme’ to eat? can take turns to read aloud to a partner.
• Learners should identify words in the text that are
different from ones they use, e.g. department store, bus
or police. Let learners share their understanding of
Session 2: Read and make meaning the terms.
Learner’s Book pages: 27–29
• If appropriate, discuss how language changes over
time, and how acceptable or unacceptable some terms
Activity Book pages: 25–26
are at different times and in different contexts.
You will need: dictionaries; thesauruses; notebooks; time
for discussion. Answers:
1 Learners’ own answers.
Nice to have: other interesting articles; The Rosa Parks 2 Shop, supermarket, café, winkel, market, etc.
Story, a film written by Paris Qualles and directed by 3 Learners’ own answers.
Julie Dash. 4 Acronym/abbreviation.
Spelling link: words spelt differently.
ICT link: Search online for Rosa Parks information; Spelling link
search for common acronyms and abbreviations. Some English words are spelt differently in the USA.
List words with different US and UK spellings, e.g.
Learning objectives color/colour, realize/realise and discuss how they are
Learning intentions spelt in your region.
• to develop reading skills, e.g. skim and scan There are more activities on words spelt differently in
• to use words in context the Spelling section on page 158 of the Learner’s Book.
• to understand the explicit and implicit meaning of
the text C Understand and summarise
• to summarise the main idea of a text • Learners’ answers will help them identify facts and
summarise the report.
• to discuss different views.
• Get the learners to summarise each paragraph
Learning outcomes as a series of headlines to help understand that
Learners can: paragraphs contain one main idea, linked to a
• skim a news report and identify the main idea main topic.
• Based on the learner’s understanding and summary
• work out the meaning of words in context of the event, they can discuss how accurate they think
• answer questions about the text the details of the report are.
• summarise the text
• have a discussion.

Session 2 Read and make meaning 31


Answers:
1 She was a seamstress – someone who sews.
2 She refused to give up her bus seat to a white passenger.
3 No, but it was her first time to be arrested.
4 According to the report, she didn’t want to move because
she was tired.
5 She was arrested and had to appear in court.
6 Learners’ own answers.
7 Some details in the report are inaccurate due to personal
interpretation.
D Have a discussion
• Allow discussion time. Learners can express their
views on the issues covered using the questions
provided and add further points of their own.
• Organise groups according to language ability and
their ability to work together. Groups can appoint a
group leader, a scribe and a spokesperson.
• The discussion should be summarised and presented
to the class, reflecting all views raised. They should
realise that there is not necessarily a ‘right’ or ‘wrong’
conclusion. The sentence starters and connectives
provide the language tools to express a range of
perspectives.
• Monitor discussions and assist those who struggle
to work together or formulate their conclusions.
Highlight that all opinions are valid.
Answers:
Learners’ own answers.
Differentiation:
• Paired reading (between two learners or an adult and
a learner) helps learners practise reading aloud. They
should not feel judged or pressurised as they read as
this can hinder progress. A reading partner should
give gentle prompts and be patient with the reader.
• Less able readers may need help with answering
the questions. You can work through the questions
together first and provide sentence starters.
• Assist and monitor group work and be aware of those
who do not work well with others. Some individuals
may be best placed in a quiet role such as time keeper
or scribe.
Assessment opportunities
• Assess learners’ reading aloud.
• Assess if learners understand the explicit and implicit
meaning in the text by observing their responses.
• Conduct informal observation to assess their ability
to work in groups, have a discussion and express
themselves confidently.
Activity Book
A Learners make predictions from headlines
individually or in discussion groups.
B Learners could find other unfamiliar words by talking
to classmates from other cultures, use dictionaries
with local or colloquial terms, or research online.
They should find as many words as possible.
32 Unit 2 People in the news
Remind learners that the UK/US spelling is explained
in most dictionaries and is also an option on ICT
applications.
C Learners work on any appropriate, relevant
newspaper or child-friendly online report. Avoid
offensive or disturbing material. Learners should
stick their report in their books for you to see.
D Learners express their thoughts about issues that they
feel are important.
Answers:
A Possible answers:
1 News about a new team selection.
2 A power failure.
3 A local or national referendum.
4 Bad weather.
5 Ideas for using thyme in meals.
B Possible answers:
1 a learner b shades c take-away/take-out d crook e flat
2 UK colour; US recognize; UK traveller; US license; US dialog
C–D Learners’ own answers.
Session 3: Go deeper
Learner’s Book pages: 30–31
Activity Book pages: 27–28
You will need: notebooks, dictionaries.
Nice to have: PCMs 16 and 7; a proverb dictionary or
reference book of sayings and expressions.
ICT link: Search online for meaning and origin of
proverbs and other expressions.
Learning objectives
Learning intentions
• to analyse a text
• to think about the impact that a text can have
on readers
• to explore the use of proverbs.
Learning outcomes
Learners can:
• identify the purpose, language, style, audience and
format of a text
• consider the impact this has on readers
• identify an appropriate proverb to summarise
the message.
A Analyse purpose and style
• Learners should copy and complete the table in their
notebooks.
• Guide learners’ answers by working through the
questions and comparing the report features
(language, style, etc.) with those of other text types in
the classroom (text books, magazines, etc.).