A Literacy Tree Teaching Sequence for Winter’s Child by Angela McAllister &
Grahame Baker Smith
Text: Winter’s Child by Angela McAllister and Grahame Baker-Smith
Main Outcomes: Descriptive Poetry, Fantasy Story Sequel, Recount
Text genre/text type: Fantasy Story
Recommended age: KS2
Coverage from the new National Curriculum 2014
Prior learning
Check that the children can already:
- Identify nouns, prepositions, adjectives and verbs
- Use a selection of planning frames
- Have read some mystery stories
The statements below are not ‘single-lesson’ objectives, but statements intended to be covered by
the end of the year, phase or key stage. They will often be met in part and returned to across the
year. Some of these statements will be covered implicitly through the teaching of other Reading
and Writing objectives, tasks or activities.
Spoken language
- Ask relevant questions to extend their understanding and knowledge
- Use relevant strategies to build their vocabulary
- Articulate and justify answers, arguments and opinions
- Use spoken language to develop understanding through speculating, hypothesising, imagining and exploring ideas
- Participate in discussions, presentations, performances, role play, improvisations and debates
Duration: 7 days
Learning outcomes
- Children write a recount of events using prepositional phrases
- Children write a theme poem using noun phrases
- Children write a simple sequel to the story, called Spring’s Daughter.
Word reading
- Read further exception words, noting the unusual correspondences between spelling and sound, and where these occur in the
word
Reading Comprehension
- Increasing their familiarity with a wide range of books, including fairy stories, myths and legends, and retelling some of these orally
- Identifying themes and conventions in a wide range of books
- Discussing words and phrases that capture the reader’s interest and imagination
- Recognising some different forms of poetry [for example, free verse, narrative poetry]
- Asking questions to improve their understanding of a text
- Drawing inferences such as inferring characters’ feelings, thoughts and motives from their actions, and justifying inferences with
evidence
- Predicting what might happen from details stated and implied
- Identifying how language, structure, and presentation contribute to meaning
- Participate in discussion about both books that are read to them and those they can read for themselves, taking turns and listening
to what others say
Writing Transcription (Spelling and Handwriting)
- Place the possessive apostrophe accurately in words
Vocabulary, Grammar and Punctuation
- Introduction to paragraphs as a way to group related material
- Introduction to inverted commas to punctuate direct speech
- Noun phrases expanded by the addition of modifying adjectives, nouns and preposition phrases (e.g. the teacher expanded to: the
strict maths teacher with curly hair)
- Fronted adverbials [for example, Later that day, I heard the bad news.]
- Use of paragraphs to organise ideas around a theme
- Use of inverted commas and other punctuation to indicate direct speech
Writing (composition)
- Discussing writing similar to that which they are planning to write in order to understand and learn from its structure, vocabulary and
grammar
- Discussing and recording ideas
- Composing and rehearsing sentences orally (including dialogue), progressively building a varied and rich vocabulary and an
increasing range of sentence structures (English Appendix 2)
- Organising paragraphs around a theme
- Assessing the effectiveness of their own and others’ writing and suggesting improvements
© The Literacy Tree 2016
Overview
This is a seven-day teaching sequence for Winter’s Child by Angela McAllister, in which children
explore and are immersed in the theme of the story, making predictions about what might happen
if you are not careful what you wish for. Children continue to explore the themes and language of
the text, particularly identifying noun phrases and prepositional phrases and how they are used to
create images. Children go on to predict what might happen after the story, as it becomes spring,
and write their own simple sequel, applying the grammatical skills learnt.
Grammatical terminology is written in bold.
Immersion and Engagement leafing to Extended Written Outcomes
Learning
Objective
Success
Criteria
1) To make
predictions
and inferences
about the
theme and
events in a
story.
I can use
conjunctions
I can link fiction
to real life
experiences
I can make a
prediction
Whole Class
(Including key questions/vocabulary)
Ask the children what they wish for, want or have dreamt about at
this time of year, e.g. I wish for snow, because I want to build a
snowman.
Resources
& ICT
Independent Work
Envelope with
message,
sentence
strips.
Tell children that this reminds you of a book about a
child who wished for something at this time of year.
Find the book Winter’s Child in the book area and
read up to “I want the winder to go on forever!” cried
the boy.
Give children sentence opener, such as:
I wish for _________, because I want to ___________.
Although I want ______________, I don’t want ____________.
I long for _______________, so that _________________.
Shared Writing:
Make link to children’s wishes from the first part of the session.
What might happen, for example, if it snowed too much?
Model writing a plausible paragraph to predict what
might happen in the story, e.g.:
I think the family will begin to freeze because they
will run out of food. Their Nana is ill, therefore she
may become worse if there is no spring. If it were to
be winter forever, then the snow would soon become
boring and the novelty would wear off for the boy.
Children to use their previous discussion as well as
any additional discussion to make inferences about
what might happen next in the story, using sentence
structures similar to the following:
Read up to Until it was time to ride home.
If it were to be winter forever, then ____________.
I think ___________, because _______________.
_________________, therefore ______________.
Shared Writing:
Ask children to write their responses on sentence strips to add to
the working wall and to share their ideas.
Find an envelope that has arrived in the classroom, addressed to
the whole class. Inside, it simply reads: ‘Be careful what you wish
for’. Why might we have to be careful what we wish for? Ask
children to discuss and share responses.
2) To create
noun phrases
I can identify a
noun
I can identify
the position of
an object
I can create a
phrase
Ask children to look at the illustration from that page (it may be
useful to give them their own copy). Ask them to initially label all
the nouns on the page with a post-it note, e.g. waterfall, icicles,
precipice, fish, polar bears.
Now ask children to add an additional post-it with a word that
describes the position of the reindeer in relation to the noun, e.g.:
I can use
determiners
above
polar
bear
Model creating a recount of the Reindeer Adventure
in role as the boy to tell Nana using the
prepositional phrases to describe where you went,
e.g.:
We rode across the precipice and into the sparkling
snow. As we soared above the frozen waterfall we
couldn’t believe how cold the air felt. What an
adventure!
Children to use their prepositional phrases to
create their own recount for Nana.
across
precipice
Shared Writing:
Explain that these words are called prepositions because they
describe the position of objects (in space and time). Explain that
we can create a prepositional phrase by adding the preposition
(and inserting a determiner) to the noun, e.g. above the polar
bears, across the precipice.
© The Literacy Tree 2016
Copy of
illustration,
small post-it
notes, word
bank for nouns
and
prepositions
where
appropriate.
Plenary
(Including key
questions)
Children to share their
responses. Record
main ideas on working
wall to refer to later.
Read up to “Let’s play
tomorrow.’
Reread the line Until it
was time to ride home.
Ask children to identify if
there are any
prepositions in the
sentence and identify
that until can be used as
a preposition, but in this
instance it is a
conjunction because it
is preceded and
followed by a clause.
Identify other
prepositional phrases
within the book so far –
you may wish to add
these to a grammar
splat. Identify that some
of these are also
adverbial phrases for
when and where.
3) To use
direct speech
I can write a
question
To predict
what might
happen next in
a story
I can write a
statement
Read up to “Spring cannot wake until Winter and his child are
asleep.”
Children to think of all the questions they would like to ask the
winter’s child and about what it’s like to be him, as the boy, using a
Talk to the Hand prompt, e.g.
Talk to the
Hand prompt,
speech-bubble
post-it notes.
Can you make it always winter Children to write up
the conversation between the boy and his friend
using direct speech, using their speech-bubbles to
create the text, which is a series of questions and
statements∫.
!
I can predict
what will
happen next
Children to record their
questions on speechbubble post-it notes.
Place the post-it notes
on the page of text.
Can you make it
always winter?
In pairs, role-play what
happens next in the
conversation between
the boy and his friend by asking the devised questions and then
recording the statements the boy gives in response.
!
!
!
!
!
Ask the children to look
at the front cover. Why
is the boy The Winter’s
Child? Ask children to
identify the apostrophe.
Discuss that it means he
is the child of winter, e.g.
that he belongs to
winter. What does this
mean? Ask children
what they think will
happen if he goes?
!
!
As long as I am
playing, it will be
winter.
© 2015 The Literacy Tree
Shared Writing:
Model turning a set of speech-bubble post-its into direct speech.
E.g.:
4) To identify
the themes of
a story.
I can give
opinions about
a text
I can identify
which themes
are relevant
I can explain
why
“Can you make it always winter?” Asked the boy.
“As long as I am playing, it will be winter.” Answered Winter’s
Child.
Read up to And the boy was gone.
Discuss what has happened so far and all the things the boy has
given up for his Nana. Is family more important than friendship?
Ask children the question:
What would you give up for someone you loved? Why?
Ask children to identify what the major themes of the story might
be by giving them a series of words on cards, such as wishes,
winter, friendship, love (as well as some that may be less relevant,
such as anger, hatred, fear.
Children work in pairs to place the themes on a ‘zone of relevance’
diagram to rank the themes’ importance to the story.
Shared writing:
Create a paragraph for one of the themes that
children have placed within the central zone,
describing why this is relevant to the story so far
e.g.:
Love
This is a story all about love, as the boy gives up
many of his favourite things, such as his skis, his
tree-house, and eventually his friendship with the
winter’s child so that he can keep his Nana warm.
Children to create a paragraph for each of the
themes they have placed within the central zones.
hatred
friendship
fear
© The Literacy Tree 2016
Zone of
relevance
diagram.
Children to share their
themes. Which others
could we add? Has the
story so far changed our
minds about how it will
end?
5) To identify
and use noun
phrases.
I can identify a
noun
I can identify
adjectives
I can identify
some
prepositions,
e.g. with and of
Discuss how this is a book that creates images and pictures in
your head very effectively. Ask children to close their eyes and
reread the story so far and ask children to identify the images that
they are given in their head, having time to discuss with a partner
and noting them down.
Identify that some of these images are created by phrases like a
tiny green shoot, others by phrases such as a blizzard of
snowflakes, thunder of hooves and sleigh of ice, others by those
like the snow-hushed air with tinkling notes, a pale boy with –iceblue eyes. Explain that these are noun phrases. Give children a
typed copy of text and ask them to use it to highlight the noun
phrases the author has used.
Children to write the noun phrases down on slips of paper and
sort them into different types of noun phrases, e.g. those with of,
those with with and those with a pair of adjectives.
Typed copy of
the text,
highlighters.
Children to make a poem that recounts the major
themes of the poem that were identified in the
previous session by creating a series of stanzas
using noun phrases as modelled in shared writing,
e.g.:
Children to preform their
poems to one another,
identifying the most
effective noun phrases
used.
Dreams, Winter, Friendship, Love.
adjective, adjective, noun,
noun of noun,
A(n) adjective noun with adjective noun,
Theme
Shared Writing:
6) To identify
the main
events in a
story
To plan the
main events in
an innovated
story
I can identify
the main events
and themes of
a story
I can plan a
story
Model writing some noun phrases. Similar to the ones found in the
text that describe the scenes of the book, to form the stanza of a
simple poem that describes one of the themes identified in the
previous session, e.g.:
Cold, snowy ground
Fields of snow,
A pale boy with ice-blue eyes
Friendship
Read up to the end of the book. Discuss who the girl in the final
image might be? What might happen next? What could a sequel
to this story be called?
Ask children to identify the events that happen in the story and
write them as statements on sentence strips. At this point, do not
give them a limit on the number of events, however, once they
have finished, ask them to whittle it down to the most important
five events.
Sentence
strips for
boxing-up,
Likes, dislikes,
puzzles and
connections
grid.
Discuss how we could innovate this boxed up
sequence of events to plan an innovated story about
the girl on the final page, perhaps called Spring’s
Daughter and model creating a boxed-up plan.
Boxed-up
plans.
Children to write a simple story containing five
paragraphs, using the structure and themes of the
story of Winter’s Child, and using prepositional
phrases and noun phrases to create descriptive
imagery, as well as using prepositional phrases as
adverbials to move between paragraphs.
Children to use a similar, boxed-up model to create
a plan for their own sequel to the story.
Children to share their
plans with a partner and
peer assess.
Complete a likes,
dislikes, puzzles and
connections grid for the
story of Winter’s Child
and share responses to
the text.
Shared Writing:
Using the responses from the children, use boxing up to model
writing the five main events that happen in the story and place
them in ‘boxes, e.g.:
7) To use
paragraphs
To use fronted
adverbials as
cohsive
devices
I can use
prepositional
phrases
I can use noun
phrases
Shared Writing:
Model writing the opening two paragraphs to the story of Spring’s
Daughter, referring to the plan from the previous session. Ensure
that there are noun phrases and prepositional phrases littered
throughout. As the second paragraph is modelled, use a
prepositional phrase as an adverbial to move time between the
first and second paragraph, as a cohesive device.
© The Literacy Tree 2016
Children to peer assess
writing, identifying the
noun phrases and
prepositional phrases
used.
Glossary:
Working Wall – An ongoing display inside the classroom, where the process of writing is demonstrated through the addition of
examples of writing and visuals, to be referenced by both teachers (during the modelling process) and children (during the
writing process). This often reflects the ‘stages’ of the teaching sequence.
Zone of Relevance – Organise vocabulary into its relevance to a setting or character by placing words (usually adjectives) onto
a ‘zone’ where the words in the centre are the most relevant and those on the outside are least relevant.
Talking Partners – usually in whole-class teaching, each child has a partner, with whom they feel comfortable and with whom
they share ideas, opinions and planning, before feeding back to the class.
Talk to the Hand – Children use a prompt with question stems (both modal and interrogative) to create questions.
Shared Writing (may refer to):
Modelled Writing – Demonstrate by explaining aloud, talking as a writer, focusing upon the objective, include: new and difficult
aspects of writing; transforming a plan into writing; rehearsing, evaluating, rereading, referring to checklists, scaffolds & models.
Teacher as Scribe – Pupils participate with the teacher as editor and scribe. Keep focus clearly on the learning objective.
Encourage pupils to rehearse sentences and reconsider children’s suggestions when necessary. Maintain pace.
Supported Writing – Practise trying out words, sentences or paragraphs on whiteboards or sentence strips. Use a range of
strategies such as writing partners, working from modelled text, writing frames, sentence prompts etc.
Independent Writing – Children write with a greater degree of independence, although they may still use resources such as the
working wall, vocabulary prompts or writing scaffolds to support where necessary.
Editing and Improving and Publishing – Use response partners to develop revising and checking. Show examples to the whole
class so that children can talk about their writing, e.g. using visualiser. Pupils mark in a colour where they have used a feature
and comment on success of writing. Decide how writing will be published.
Teacher-in-Role – Teacher takes on a role from the text.
Writing-in-Role – Whilst in role, teacher models writing as a character from the text.
© The Literacy Tree 2016