Favourite Dish Descriptions

Overview

In this lesson (Lesson 7 of 25) students write descriptive sentences about a Japanese food, building on earlier lessons where they explored food culture and learnt model language. Students will draft a short paragraph and use peer feedback to improve clarity and culturally appropriate language.

Learning intentions

Students will:

• Write descriptive sentences about their favourite dish using culturally appropriate Japanese language
• Apply sentence structure from modelled examples to create meaning (who/what + description)
• Give and receive simple peer feedback using a checklist
• Read their own writing aloud to check pronunciation and accuracy of key words

Success criteria

Students can:

• Write a paragraph (4–6 sentences) about their favourite dish
• Include key details: name of dish, taste/texture, and one reason they like it
• Use correct basic word order and respectful/culturally appropriate phrases
• Use peer feedback to make at least two improvements

Curriculum links

• ML4-CRT-01: Students create a range of texts for familiar communicative purposes by using culturally appropriate language (Creating texts)
• MLLS-CRT-01: Students create texts for a range of purposes using culturally appropriate modelled language (Creating texts)
• MLLS-UND-01: Students respond to information and ideas in texts to demonstrate understanding (using a model paragraph as input for writing)
• MLLS-INT-01 (informal): Students interact with others in familiar contexts using culturally appropriate language (peer feedback conversation)

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Warm-up: model recall. Teacher displays 2 short model sentences about food and reads them aloud; students chorally repeat and then identify one describing word (taste/texture) in pairs.

2. 5–15 min · Guided writing: planning. Teacher co-constructs a simple paragraph plan on the board: Dish name → taste/texture → appearance → reason (because…). Students choose their own dish and complete a quick “think plan” sheet with 4 sentence starters (sentence frames provided).

3. 15–30 min · Independent writing: first draft. Students write their paragraph (4–6 sentences) using sentence frames and a word bank (food items, taste/texture adjectives, linking word for “because”). Teacher circulates to support structure and culturally appropriate phrasing.

4. 30–40 min · Teacher micro-teach: accuracy focus. Teacher gives targeted feedback on 1–2 common issues noticed during drafts (e.g., missing linking phrase, adjective placement, repetition without detail). Students revise one sentence immediately.

5. 40–52 min · Peer feedback: checklist. Students exchange drafts with a partner and use a simple checklist: (1) Dish named, (2) at least 2 description details, (3) reason included, (4) understandable (partner can read aloud), (5) one improvement suggested. Partners write one “Glow” and one “Grow”.

6. 52–57 min · Finalise: improve and proofread. Students return to their own work, make at least two improvements, and do a dyslexia-friendly proofread pass (see Resources).

7. 57–60 min · Exit ticket: evidence of learning. Students submit their final paragraph and answer: “One describing word I used well was…” and “One thing I improved was…”

Resources

• Sentence frames handout (e.g., “私は＿＿が好きです。”, “＿＿は＿＿です。”, “なぜなら＿＿だからです。”)
• Word bank: common Japanese food names and describing adjectives (taste/texture/appearance)
• Model paragraph (teacher-provided) for students to refer to
• Peer feedback checklist (Glow/Grow) with “check” boxes and space for one comment
• Draft paper and final writing sheet
• Timer for timed writing and feedback
• Dyslexia-friendly supports: coloured overlay option, dyslexia-friendly font template, and “read aloud” strip cards (chunked lines)
• Teacher observation checklist (structure + checklist alignment)

Assessment

• Formative assessment: teacher observation during drafting (focus on presence of dish name, description details, and reason)
• Formative assessment: peer feedback checklist shows whether success criteria elements are met
• Summative-in-class check: final paragraph against success criteria (paragraph length, details included, modelled structure used, improvements after feedback)
• Exit ticket confirms students’ self-reflection on at least one adjective and one edit

Differentiation

• Support for lower-level writers: provide a full sentence-frame set plus a shortened “minimum success” version (4 sentences only); allow copying/discussing a model then substituting key words from the word bank
• Support for dyslexia-friendly access: chunked writing strips (one sentence per line), reading aloud for each sentence before final copy, and colour-coding for sentence parts (Dish / Description / Reason)
• Support for EAL learners: allow a bilingual draft plan (English key words) that students convert into Japanese using the frames and word bank; sentence starters include prompts for “because”
• Extension for advanced learners: add one extra descriptive sentence (e.g., “It looks…” or “It smells…”) and include a more precise reason (e.g., comparing to another dish using a model structure such as “〜より” if taught previously)
• Extension challenge (optional within time): students add one cultural detail from the unit (e.g., how it is eaten/occasion) using a taught phrase or adapted model