Backward Design - UNIT PLAN TEMPLATE

Title: Texts and their purposes: Investigating Narratives

Year Level: Year One

Teacher: Sarah Maguire

Focus Curriculum Area (s): Literacy

Duration: 3 weeks

STAGE 1: Curriculum Links

(What do we want students to learn? From the Australian/SCASA Curriculum)
General
Capabilities
(GP)

Ethical Behaviour

Personal and Social

ICT
Intercultural

Crosscurriculum
Priorities
(CCP)

Aboriginal and TSI

Asia and Australias

Sustainability

Year Level
Content
Descriptors

Understand that the purposes texts serve shape their

structure in predictable ways (ACELA1447)

Literacy

Histories and
Culture

Numeracy

Engagement with Asia

Recognise that different types of punctuation, including full

stops, question marks and exclamation marks, signal
sentences that make statements, ask questions, express
emotion or give commands (ACELA1449)

Critical and Creative Thinking

Understanding

Identify the parts of a simple sentence that represent

Whats happening?, What state is being described?, Who
or what is involved? and the surrounding circumstances
(ACELA1451)
Discuss how authors create characters using language and
images (ACELT1581)

Discuss characters and events in a range of literary texts

and share personal responses to these texts, making
connections with students' own experiences (ACELT1582)

Discuss features of plot, character and setting in different

types of literature and explore some features of characters
in different texts (ACELT1584)

Students understand the

different purposes of texts.
They make connections to
personal experience when
explaining characters and
main events in short texts.
They identify that texts
serve different purposes and
that this affects how they
are organised. They
describe characters,
settings and events in
different types of literature.
They listen to others when
taking part in conversations,
using appropriate language
features and interaction
skills.
Students understand how
characters in texts are
developed and give reasons
for personal preferences.
They create texts that show
understanding of the
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Recognise that different types of punctuation, including full

stops, question marks and exclamation marks, signal
sentences that make statements, ask questions, express
emotion or give commands (ACELA1449)
-

Compare different kinds of images in narrative and

informative texts and discuss how they contribute to
meaning (ACELA1453)

Create short imaginative and informative texts that show

emerging use of appropriate text structure, sentence-level
grammar, word choice, spelling, punctuation and
appropriate multimodal elements, for example illustrations
and diagrams (ACELY1661)

Re-read students own texts and discuss possible changes

to improve meaning, spelling and punctuation (ACELY1662)

Write using unjoined lower case and upper case letters

(ACELY1663)
Engage in conversations and discussions, using active
listening behaviours, showing interest, and contributing
ideas, information and questions (ACELY1656)

Construct texts that incorporate supporting images using

software including word processing programs (ACELY1664)

Knowledge

connection between writing,

speech and images.
They create short texts for a
small range of purposes.
They interact in pair, group
and class discussions,
taking turns when
responding. They make
short presentations on
familiar topics.
When writing, students
provide details about ideas
or events, and details about
the participants in those
events.
They accurately spell highfrequency words and words
with regular spelling
patterns.
They use capital letters and
full stops and form all upperand lower-case letters
correctly.

Skills

How to create and structure a narrative with the

assistance of a story map and without
How to employ different elements of narratives to
create a well thought out and interesting story
How to use punctuation and descriptive words to create
an exciting narrative

Plan, structure and construct a narrative

Describe characters, setting, orientation and problem and

resolution

Use correct spelling, grammar and punctuation

Neat handwriting that is consistent in size and slope, correctly

formed letters

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LEARNING OUTCOMES:
-

Students will understand the purpose of narratives and how they are structured in predictable ways to serve their purpose
Students will draw upon their personal lives and experiences to create characters, setting, orientation, problem and resolution
Students can create characters using relevant language and images and can explain why they are created this way (hero/villain)
Students can discuss plot, character and setting in narratives
Students can create short imaginative texts that demonstrate:
Emerging use of appropriate text structure
Sentence level grammar
Word choice
Accurate spelling of high frequency words
Correct punctuation
Use of multimodal elements
Emerging handwriting (use of unjoined upper and lower case letters that are formed correctly and consistently in size and slope)
Students will be able to re-read their own work and discuss possible changes to improve their work
Students will be able to share their narratives with their peers in small group and whole class situations, taking turns in discussion

UNDERSTANDING BY DESIGN STAGE 2: ASSESSMENT EVIDENCE

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Task description:
Create an Imaginative Text
Compose a short imaginative narrative. This is an individual task that is to be completed at the end of week three of the unit of work.
The purpose of this task is to produce a well thought out narrative, considering all elements discussed in previous lessons (characters,
settings, orientation and problems and resolutions).
Assessment Criteria:
-

Successfully identifies narrative structure (Orientation, Events, Problem & Resolution)

Successfully creates characters and setting for a narrative
Successfully uses appropriate language, accurate spelling, correct punctuation and grammar
Evaluates own work, making improvements and changes
Shares narrative with peers, discusses and reflects on their narrative as well as their peers

Assessment recording template:

-

Observations diagnostic grid

Draft scaffold narrative plan
Final written narrative
Student self reflection
Written peer review

Feedback:
-

During whole class discussion

Oral feedback during individual, group and paired activities
Peer & Self Reflections
Written commentary on work, both drafts and final submissions

Self-assessment:
-

Draft narrative plan students will need to review their work, checking for spelling, grammar, punctuation and possible
changes to improve their work
Student self reflection - completed at the end of the narrative task, review what students learnt and enjoyed about this task
Peer reflection students to write one paragraph about a peers narrative (features they liked and enjoyed, something they
could have changed)
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UNDERSTANDING BY DESIGN STAGE 3: PLAN LEARNING EXPERIENCES AND INSTRUCTION

Learning Experiences

Assessment For/As Learning

(Formative Assessment)
Observations
Participation in group discussions

Resources

Lesson One Fairy Tales

- What are fairy tales? Discuss examples of fairy tales.
- Discuss narratives/stories
- Watch Jack and The Bean Stalk Identify the characters

https://www.youtube.co
m/watch?
v=9q1dfTOoSrA

Lesson Two Characters

- Recap who were the characters in Jack and the Bean Stalk
- Read The Three Little Pigs
- Complete a character profile for the characters in small
groups
- Discuss features of hero/villain with class
- Look at imagery, how do the drawings help give meaning
to the characters

Observations
Anecdotal note taking
Character Profile Work Sheets
Participation in group discussions

Character Profile
The Three Little Pigs

Lesson Three Setting

- Re-read The Three Little Pigs
- Examine the different settings used in the text examine
imagery
- How can we improve the settings five senses graphic
organiser use of descriptive words work in pairs to
complete

Observations
Anecdotal note taking
Five Senses Graphic Organiser
Participation in group discussions
Feedback during paired work

Five Senses Graphic

Organiser
The Three Little Pigs

Lesson Four Create your own Characters and Setting

- In pairs create talking dinosaur in My Design

Observations
Review of students creation in My
Design
Feedback during class work on
computers

My Design Tool Create

your own talking
dinosaur
http://www.splash.abc.n
et.au/res/teacher_res/21
-playing-with-texts.html?
print

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Lesson Five Orientation / How do we begin the story?

- Examine Jack and The Beanstalk and Three Little Pigs,
consider how have these fairy tales started?
- What makes a good start to a story, move away from Once
upon a time
- Look at sentence starters display

Observations
Anecdotal Notes
Participation in group discussions

Sentence Starters
Jack and The Beanstalk
The Three Little Pigs

Lesson Six Problem & Resolution

- What are problems in stories? Relate these to Jack and the
Bean Stalk and The Three Little Pigs.
- Using picture prompts in small groups students describe
the problems they see using descriptive text.
- What could the resolution to this problem be?
- As a group attempt to write a solution to the problem.

Observations
Participation in group work
Description of problem from
prompt pictures and resolutions
written by students

Problem prompt pictures

Jack and The Beanstalk
The Three Little Pigs
Pick a problem sheet

Lesson Seven Narratives as a Whole

- Review the narrative as a whole.
- Introduce The Very Cranky Bear. Read this text and as a
whole class dissect the text and cross off each component
against the narrative writing checklist
Lesson Eight Drafting a Narrative as a class
- Using the Story Map and referring to the Narrative Writing
Checklist, as a class write a narrative.
- Have students reflect on personal experiences and likes
and dislikes to create setting, characters, orientation a
problem they may face and a possible resolution
Lesson Nine Drafting a Narrative (Individual for assessment)
- Students are to use the story map and narrative writing
checklist to begin drafting their own narratives
- This is an individual assessment
- Give to teacher for feedback to move forward in next
lesson with creating the final draft

Observations
Anecdotal Notes
Participation in group discussions

Narrative Writing
Checklist
The Very Cranky Bear

Observations
Participation in group discussions
Diagnostic Grid

Story Map
Narrative Writing
Checklist

Observations
Diagnostic Grid
Oral Feedback

Story Map
Narrative Writing
Checklist

Lesson Ten Creating Final Copy of Narrative

- Students reflect on feedback from teacher and begin
creating the final draft of their narrative
- If students complete their final edit in time, encourage
students to draw pictures to illustrate their work
Lesson Eleven Sharing our Narratives / Self Reflection
- Students are to share their narratives with two peers, and

Observations
Diagnostic Grid
Written and Oral Feedback

Narrative Writing
Checklist
Draft narrative from
previous lesson
Feedback from teacher
Self Reflection
Worksheet

10

11

Observations
Diagnostic Grid

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write a small paragraph on the presentations form their

peers.
Students complete a self reflection worksheet for the
teacher

Oral presentations

Peer Reflection
Paragraph to be written
in English Work Books

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