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Year 3 Model Text Resource Pack 4: ‘Why Should I Visit Skara Brae?’ (Persuasive writing KS2; History - Stone Age to Iron Age)

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Real Writing Year 3 - Unit 4
Model text: Why should I visit Skara Brae? by Jo Franklin
Curriculum Links: History (Stone Age to Iron Age)

Writing unit overview

This writing unit for Year 3 is built around an original model text by Jo Franklin; a persuasive report, setting out reasons for visiting the Neolithic settlement of Skara Brae. 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 two-week unit, pupils will have an opportunity to learn technical vocabulary related to sites of historical interest. It will culminate in them writing their own persuasive text, possibly a promotional leaflet or magazine article, encouraging people to visit Skara Brae or maybe some similar historical location familiar to the pupils. This unit could be used as part of a topic on the theme of changes in Britain from the Stone Age to the Iron Age and to develop pupils understanding of persuasive writing in KS2.

Key curriculum skills

Four fully-resourced lessons are included for the following Year 3 English objectives, which can form part of the unit or be taught discretely:

1. Vocabulary: Identifying word families based on common words

Pupils will: Sort word cards into word families; suggest definitions for unfamiliar noun phrases and put them into sentences; create their own noun phrases from word families and construct word families for tier 2 and 3 vocabulary explored during the lesson.

2. Composition: organising paragraphs around a theme

Pupils will: Read historical fact cards and group and order related information; use these fact cards to write a paragraph about the historical period; further research the historical period and examine how headings are used to organise information in non-fiction.

Additional objectives to teach or revisit:

  • subordination
  • the correct use of past and present tense
  • the use of commas for lists

Additional Year 3 teaching points:

  • extending sentences with a wider range of conjunctions
  • the use of conjunctions, adverbials and prepositions to express time, place and cause
  • the use of pronouns to improve cohesion and the inclusion of organisational features such as headings and subheadings

Year 3 vocabulary

Year 3/4 statutory spelling words: history, island, knowledge, possibly, perhaps, probably
Tier 2 words: lifestyle, community, destination, dwelling, indicate, unique
Tier 3 words: settlement, prehistoric, Neolithic, era, archaeology, archaeologist, inhabitant

What is a word family?

Word families are groups of words that are related to each other in a combination of having the same root word (with prefixes, suffixes or other words added to make compound words like superman), grammar and meaning. Words that change when written in the past and present tense (for example understand and understood) are also part of the same word family. A word root is a basic word with no prefix or suffix added. The words play, playful, playing and replay are all part of the same word family as they all have the same word root (play) and are related in meaning.

What is a paragraph?

Paragraphs are groups of related sentences that belong together. Paragraphs are clearly separated from one another on a page by missing a line or indenting the first line of each paragraph. The sentences within each paragraph are usually about the same thing and the first sentence often tells the reader what the paragraph is about.

Why are paragraphs used?

Paragraphs help to make writing clear for the reader by organising it into clear sections.

In narrative writing, paragraphs can be used to show a change in action or what is being described, or breaks in time.

In non-fiction writing, paragraphs can be used to organise sections around a theme.

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