Real Writing Year 5 - Unit 4
Model text: Diary of Neil Armstrong
Curriculum Links: Science (Earth and Space)
Writing unit overview
This writing unit for Year 5 is built around an original model text by Jon Mayhew; an imagined diary entry written by Neil Armstrong. The example text is available as a PDF in three versions (plain, illustrated and annotated); annotated and non-annotated PowerPoint presentations are also included.
In this 2 week unit, pupils will learn how to write a diary, which is a type of informal recount. They will identify diary entry features using the model text. They will learn about a significant event in history (moon landing of 1969) and investigate how the event could be written from different viewpoints.
Key curriculum skills
Two fully-resourced lesson plans are included for Year 5 English objectives:
1 - To distinguish between homophones and other words that are often confused (homonyms and homographs)
Pupils will: revisit learning about homophones; understand what is meant by homophone, homonym and homograph; use a dictionary to find the meanings of words that can be easily confused; match homonyms to their meanings; write definitions of homographs; write sentences using pairs of homonyms.
2 - To use commas to clarify meaning and avoid ambiguity
Pupils will: revisit how commas are used in lists; understand how to use commas to avoid ambiguity; explain how commas change the meanings of specific sentences; place commas into sentences to clarify meaning.
Additional objectives to teach or revisit:
- using prepositions and fronted adverbials.
- investigate the use of headings to structure the text
- using relative clauses beginning
- using the present perfect form of verbs
- distinguishing between the language of speech and writing
- choosing the appropriate register
Year 5 vocabulary
Spelling words: guarantee, sacrifice
Tier 2 words: mission, preparation, ascent, intense, insignificant, leaky, valve, trudge, destination, cumbersome
Tier 3 words: gravity, launch (verb/noun), cockpit, atmosphere, lunar module, command module, orbit, dock