Edward Writes Back

Year 2 English – Week 3, Day 5

Duration: 40 minutes
Class Size: 22 students

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✏️ Curriculum Alignment

Learning Area: English
Year Level: Year 2
Strand: Literacy
Sub-strands:

• Text structure and organisation (ACELY1671) – Understand how texts are made cohesive through resources such as personal pronouns and dialogue.
• Expressing and developing ideas (ACELY1667) – Understand and begin using quotation marks for dialogue.
• Creating texts (ACELY1672) – Create short imaginative texts that show understanding of character perspective and events.

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🎯 Learning Intentions & Success Criteria

WALT (We Are Learning To):

• Write a short imaginative letter using the voice of a character (Edward the Emu).
• Use first-person language to express thoughts and feelings.
• Include quotation marks to punctuate simple dialogue.
• Understand and demonstrate a character's perspective.

Success Criteria:
By the end of the lesson, students will:

• ✅ Write using "I", "me", and "my" from Edward's point of view.
• ✅ Include at least one example of direct speech with correct quotation marks.
• ✅ Express Edward’s feelings based on events in the story.
• ✅ Show understanding by writing as if they are Edward.

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📋 Assessment Plan

Formative Assessment:

• Student Work Samples: Letters will be collected and assessed using a simple checklist.
• Checklist Criteria:
  • First-person narrative is used correctly.
  • At least one quotation marked with quotation marks.
  • Inclusion of Edward’s thoughts/feelings linked to the text.
• Anecdotal Notes: Teacher will conference with students while roving during independent writing to assess engagement, understanding and support needs.

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📚 Materials & Resources

• "Edward the Emu" by Sheena Knowles (book or digital version)
• Large anchor chart:
  • First-person pronouns (I, me, my)
  • Direct speech examples: “I said, ‘...’”
• Model letter written from Edward’s perspective
• Lined paper or student writing books
• Sentence starters and word banks
• Writing pencils, erasers
• Optional: Visual supports (emotions chart, animal illustrations)

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🧠 Lesson Structure

⏱ Introduction (5 minutes) – Setting the Scene

1. Gather the class: Sit students on the floor and bring out “Edward the Emu.”
2. Quick recap of the story:
   • Ask students:
     • "How was Edward feeling at the start of the story?"
     • "What made him change how he felt?"
     • "How did he feel at the end of the story?"
3. Connect to task:
   • "Imagine you are Edward. You’ve had a big week at the zoo. You’ve tried being different animals and gone through a lot of feelings! What if you wrote a letter to someone – the zookeeper, another animal, or a visitor – to tell them what happened?"
4. Read aloud model letter:
   • Show how first-person ("I", "my") and quotation is used:
     e.g. "I said, ‘I’m sick of being an emu!’"
   • Discuss: "How do we know Edward is speaking?" and "What helps this sound like Edward’s voice?"

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⏱ Main Lesson (25 minutes) – Writing the Letter

1. 🧠 Class Brainstorm (5 mins)

• On the board or chart paper, brainstorm with the class:
  • Who could Edward write to?
  • What events might he include?
  • What feelings did Edward have? (confused, jealous, excited, relieved)
  • What dialogue could we borrow from the story?

2. ✍️ Independent Writing (15 mins)

• Students begin writing their letter "as Edward."
  • Remind them to write like they are Edward.
  • Must include:
    • What happened that day at the zoo.
    • One piece of direct speech.
    • Edward’s feelings before, during and after his adventure.
• Support Strategies:
  • Sentence starters available: "Dear Zookeeper, Today I…", "I felt… because…", "I said, ‘...’"
  • Word bank on desk supports vocabulary needs (e.g. zoo, emu, lion, jealous, excited, different).
• Teacher’s Role:
  • Rove, conference, prompt students:
    • "What happened that made Edward feel this way?"
    • "Can you show me where you’ve used Edward’s voice?"
    • "Have you included something Edward actually said?"

3. ✅ Early Finishers:

• Self-edit using a checklist:
  • “Did I use the word ‘I’?”
  • “Did I include something Edward said?”
  • “Did I describe Edward’s feelings?”
• Create a 'letter border' with illustrations of Edward and other zoo animals for publishing.

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⏱ Conclusion (10 mins) – Sharing & Reflection

1. Sharing: Choose 3–4 students to read their letters aloud. Ask:
   • “What helped make that sound like Edward?”
   • “What did the writer include that shows Edward’s feelings?”
2. Class Reflection:
   • Revisit the WALT and Success Criteria.
   • Thumbs up/down/sideways for:
     • "I wrote in Edward's voice."
     • "I used quotation marks for something he said."
     • "I showed how Edward was feeling."

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🎯 Teaching Adjustments & Differentiation

Whole-Class Adjustments

• Visual prompts on IWB:
  • Example letter visible during independent writing.
  • Dialogue scaffold with correct quotation mark use.
• Digital timer to structure writing periods and transitions.

Specific Learner Adjustments

• Tyrone (Supported Writer)
  • Pre-task oral planning with an aide or teacher.
  • Option to draw a simple sequence before composing.
  • May dictate his letter to a teacher aide.
• Mirim (Emerging Writer)
  • Create a storyboard of Edward’s day, labelling feelings with emojis or single words (happy, sad, confused).
• EAL Students
  • Use bilingual picture dictionaries.
  • Provide translated model letter and allow extra time.
  • Scaffold with sentence frames:
    • “Dear…,”
    • “Today I…,”
    • “I felt…,”
    • “I said, ‘…’”

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🌟 Extension & Enrichment

For Advanced Learners:

• Continue the letter as a short series – “Edward writes again!” – setting up a letter exchange between Edward and another zoo animal.
• Digital publishing: Type their letter into a classroom digital format (if devices available).
• Include more than one example of direct speech and experiment with expressive dialogue.
• Compare Edward's perspective with another animal from the story (e.g. lion or seal): How might their letters be different?

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🧩 Cross-Curricular Opportunities

• Visual Arts: Illustrate Edward’s journey to accompany their letters. Students design decorative borders inspired by zoo themes.
• Digital Technology: (If available) Publish the letters using simple word-processing software and insert digital art made by the students in art class.
• Personal and Social Capability: Reflect on feelings and identity – “Have you ever wanted to be someone else like Edward? What helped you feel proud of who you are?”

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Teacher Reflection Notes (For After the Lesson)

• Who demonstrated a strong grasp of character perspective?
• Which students struggled with the first-person voice or punctuation?
• Did the brainstorming scaffold enough ideas for EAL/low literacy students?
• Were students engaged and on-task during the writing?

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✅ Ready for Display:
Gather letters for a class “Edward the Emu Mailbox” to celebrate student writing. Add illustrated envelopes and encourage peers to write letters back to Edward!

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Let storytelling bring the zoo to life through Edward’s eyes – and your students’ voices. 🦘🐾✉️