Activity Introduction
Quick summary: In this lesson, students will learn how materials from a demolished house can be recycled. They will then draw on new knowledge and understandings to develop a narrative that explores the recycling journey of a product that has come from a demolished house. Students will develop skills in creating narratives that follow a non-linear structure, such as a flashback, or a look backwards in time. This lesson is designed to provide valuable practise for NAPLAN, the national literacy and numeracy test held in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9*.
This lesson has been developed as part of Planet Ark’s National Recycling Week, which aims to raise awareness around the benefits of using recycled products. Take part in the Schools Recycling Right Challenge for Planet Ark’s National Recycling Week. Register your lesson or other activities today!
Learning Intentions:
- Students are aware that building materials from demolished houses can be recycled.
- Students are able to develop a narrative with non-linear structure.
21st century skills:
Australian Curriculum Mapping
Content descriptions:
Year 5 English:
- Understand how texts vary in purpose, structure and topic as well as the degree of formality (ACELA1504)
- Create literary texts using realistic and fantasy settings and characters that draw on the worlds represented in texts students have experienced (ACELT1612)
- Plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative and persuasive print and multimodal texts, choosing text structures, language features, images and sound appropriate to purpose and audience (ACELY1704)
Year 6 English:
- Understand how authors often innovate on text structures and play with language features to achieve particular aesthetic, humorous and persuasive purposes and effects (ACELA1518)
- Experiment with text structures and language features and their effects in creating literary texts, for example, using imagery, sentence variation, metaphor and word choice (ACELT1800)
- Plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative and persuasive texts, choosing and experimenting with text structures, language features, images and digital resources appropriate to purpose and audience (ACELY1714)
Syllabus outcomes: EN3-3A, EN3-7C, EN3-2A.
General capabilities: Literacy, Ethical Understanding.
Cross-curriculum priority: Sustainability OI.3.
Relevant parts of Year 5 achievement standards: Students create imaginative, informative and persuasive texts for different purposes and audiences. When writing, they demonstrate understanding of grammar using a variety of sentence types. They select specific vocabulary and use accurate spelling and punctuation. They edit their work for cohesive structure and meaning.
Relevant parts of Year 6 achievement standards: Students create detailed texts elaborating on key ideas for a range of purposes and audiences. They demonstrate an understanding of grammar, and make considered vocabulary choices to enhance cohesion and structure in their writing. They use accurate spelling and punctuation for clarity and make and explain editorial choices based on criteria.
Topic: Narrative Writing
Unit of work: National Recycling Week – Primary.
Time required: 90 mins.
Level of teacher scaffolding: Medium – students who have difficulty with writing tasks set for Year 5 and 6 standard will require support for this task.
Resources required: Student worksheets – one per student (printed). Can You Recycle A House? Worksheet – one per student (printed) Can You Recycle A House? Answers (only one copy required). Projector with sound to view video and Constructive Recycling Information. Paper for narrative writing. If possible, use recycled paper to print worksheets on and save any discarded paper to re-use in other classroom activities.
Keywords: Planet Ark, recycling, narrative, structure, linear, non-linear.
*This lesson plan is not an officially endorsed publication of NAPLAN’s creators and administrators – the ACARA body – but is designed to provide practise for the Australian Curriculum’s compulsory NAPLAN testing scheme.
Cool Australia’s curriculum team continually reviews and refines our resources to be in line with changes to the Australian Curriculum.
Teacher preparation