Sub Strand: Comprehension 3.R.CO.301 Component: Author Craft Begin to recognize authors' styles of writing and analyse the writer's craft. Students will have achieved this when they ●
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understand ​
dialogue​
is conversations between characters. o identify which characters are speaking o identify personality traits from what is said o identify the purpose of the ​
dialogue​
between characters – to develop character, reveal relationships, provide background knowledge, move plot along etc understand an author uses ​
figurative language​
to compare one thing to another o recognise, describe and recall simple ​
similes. ​
Know that the author uses words such as "like" and "as" when comparing two things with similes. o identify and describe ​
metaphors. ​
Know that the author states one thing “is” another thing to exaggerate the comparison. o identify ​
personification​
and the character being personified eg characters in books that can speak, wear clothes and live in houses. o
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interpret the meaning of poems using​
similes ​
and​
metaphors identify hyperboles identify ​
idioms ​
to explain a plot and predict what will happen next in a story ●
understand an author’s choice of words helps the reader understand the meaning of a text o identify and describe ​
onomatopoeia o identify and describe and recall the meaning of simple ​
idioms ●
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identify and describe the ​
voice​
of a poem using the title and words and phrases in the text understand a literary text can be written from different points​
of view o recognise point of view as identify and describe the first person point of view o identify and describe the third person point of view o identify and describe the differences between first person and third person points of view in prose or poetry compare and contrast words and phrases in poems that support the voice of the text o
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identify ​
alliteration​
in prose and poetry o compare and contrast the voice in two texts using the titles and textual evidence o give examples of words and phrases that support the author’s voice in a poem know authors write with a specific opinion o understand that writers chose specific language to influence the reader’s understanding and opinion o can determine opinion of author using examples from text. (He says in paragraph 2 that cigarettes are dangerous to your health. I think he is against smoking) o can differentiate between the character’s opinion and the author’s opinion. (The character in the text smokes but the author doesn’t agree These are examples of classroom activities that help student learn: ●
Personification Shared Reading: Teacher Instruct & Model o
Explain the meaning of the personification (giving a character or object human­like characteristics). Explain that personification is an example of figurative language. Connect to previous read text by using an example children can relate to eg I​
will think aloud about characters from familiar books and/or TV shows that show examples of personification. For example, in the story The Three Bears, the bears are an example of 1 3­R­CO301.docx
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personification. They live in a house, cook porridge, sit on chairs, and sleep in beds. These are things people do, not bears. So the bears are an example of personification in the story. TIP: ​
Choose characters that your students are familiar with when providing examples of personification. Movies such as ​
Finding Nemo, The Lion King,​
and ​
Beauty and the Beast​
and Fairy Stories such as ​
The Three Bears, The Three Little Pigs​
and contain multiple examples of personification Construct a key anchor chart which defines personification and add some examples as discussed. Chose a book that has a main character who is personified eg Show the cover of the book and ask students to predict which character/s is an example of personification. Read text with class. Model using think­aloud as you recognise examples of personification. Refer back to definition on key anchor chart. Release responsibility and allow students to turn and talk to decide on personification examples from the text. List these on working anchor chart. See example below­​
I Ask: How did I identify personification in our story? Students should respond that you thought about characters or objects in stories that had life­like qualities eg We know that humbugs do not play games or talk so the hum bugs in the story are examples of personification. Guided & Independent Practice o
During Guided Reading and Independent Reading, students can identify characters that have been personified in their book and record the qualities that make this character “human­like” sticky notes, a think­sheet or in their Reading Journals. o
Link to Writing: Collect examples and display. In Modelled and Shared Reading “magpie” examples into class writing and encourage students to use in their writing. Author’s Voice Teacher instruction & modelling o
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Explain that we can tell how authors feel about something by the words and phrases they use. This is called Voice. A serious poem will have different words and phrases to a silly poem. Read a poem and list words on a working anchor chart that reflect the feelings the author has for the subject. Eg in the poem ​
Snake Mistake​
the author Ken Nisbett uses words and phrases that are light hearted and funny eg “put him on my bide and rode out of town,”, “pack him in a parcel”, “blast him to the moon”, “dang” and “a snake is yours forever once he eats your boomerang”. The author’s voice is fun. But in the poem ​
I am Jake the Snake ​
the author Renee le Tullippe uses more negative words so her voice is more frightening. Words such as “shed my skin”, “make kids gasp”, “stare in shock”, “hiss”, “slink” and “scare” and “fangs”. Discuss with the students how you compared and contrasted the voice in the two poems by and thinking how the words and phrases were similar or different. Examples of different voice can be recorded on charts for use in writing. Guided and Impendent Reading o
Students read their levelled texts and identify words and phrases that support author’s voice. They can record these on double­entry think­sheets. Link to Writing o
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Use mentor texts that have good examples of voice. Use examples of voice from poems read and recorded. 2 3­R­CO301.docx
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Model how a writer thinks about voice before writing and uses words and phrases which match. Teachers Note: Young children find figurative language difficult because they lack the intellectual capacity to realize that words can have more than one meaning so this skill is introduced in Level 3. Children who are learning English as a second language find many types of figurative language to be challenging because of their vocabulary limitations so will need extra time and support. Assessment Opportunities ●
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Observe students as they discuss and record author’s craft during whole class, small group and independent reading. o Can they identify them? o Can they describe them? o Can they explain the effect they have on the text? Do they plan and use these techniques in their writing to achieve a purpose? 3 3­R­CO301.docx