This Year 3 resource focuses on two titles by Michael Foreman – I’ll Take You to Mrs Cole! and Dinosaurs and All That Rubbish – to develop reading, writing and discussion skills.

Students will analyse Foreman’s style, practise inference and prediction, and explore themes and language.

They’ll learn to punctuate dialogue, use verbs and conjunctions to extend sentences, and write their own version of a story inspired by the texts. Activities include reading, discussion, SPAG exercises and extended writing.

Unit 1

Introduction to Michael Foreman’s style; predicting & making inference

Objectives

• Listen and respond appropriately
• Articulate/justify answers & opinions
• Use spoken language to explore ideas
• Participate in discussions
• Read aloud and understand the meaning of new words they meet
• Read further exception words
• Listen to and discuss fiction
• Draw inferences and justify with evidence
• Predict what might happen
• Identify main ideas drawn from more than one paragraph and summarise these
• Identify themes and conventions in a range of books
• Identify how language, structure, and presentation contribute to meaning
• Discuss words and phrases that capture the reader’s imagination
• Participate in a discussion about both books, taking turns and listening to what others say

Unit 2

Using and punctuating dialogue

Objectives

• Use spoken language to develop understanding through speculating, hypothesising, imagining and exploring ideas
• Use and punctuate direct speech

Unit 3

SPAG: Verbs; conjunctions: extend sentences, express time, place & cause

Objectives

• Use and understand the grammatical terminology in Appendix 2 (verbs)
• Extend the range of sentences with more than one clause by using a wider range of conjunctions, e.g. when, if, because, although
• Express time, place and cause using conjunctions, e.g. when, so, before, after, while, because

Unit 4

Composition: Extended writing: new version of a story read

• Gain, maintain and monitor the interest of the listener(s)
• Compose and rehearse sentences orally (including dialogue)
• Discuss writing similar to that which they are planning to write
• Discuss and record ideas

Hamilton Trust is a UK charity working to support inspirational teaching and learning through its website and projects. Download more of its resources here or visit hamilton-trust.org.uk.

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