First Draft Workshop

Overview

This lesson is lesson 6 of 10 in the unit “Gold Rush and Colonial Tales”. Students begin drafting an information report paragraph by paragraph, using explicit guidance for structure and cohesion, and conferencing with the teacher to improve factual accuracy and integration of source information.

Learning intentions

Students will:

• write a well-structured paragraph that reports a key idea about colonial life during the Gold Rush era
• use cohesive devices (e.g. firstly, additionally, this means that) to connect sentences
• include accurate facts drawn from primary and secondary sources
• check their writing against a success criteria checklist during a paragraph conference

Success criteria

Students can:

• state a clear topic sentence that matches the report section
• develop the paragraph with 2–4 factual sentences supported by source notes
• use at least two cohesive devices and maintain clear sentence flow
• self-check and improve based on teacher feedback

Curriculum links

• History learning: investigations into colonial life and the impact of British colony development, with attention to different perspectives and evidence
• Literacy in History: present descriptions and explanations using ideas, findings and viewpoints from sources, using subject-appropriate terms
• Historical inquiry skills: locate and organise information from primary and secondary sources in a range of formats
• Communication: plan, draft and refine writing that draws on evidence, using relevant conventions and terms

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Warm-up and purpose Teacher displays the paragraph success criteria and reads the daily goal aloud; students quickly turn-and-talk: “What makes a paragraph informative and connected?” Students share one idea; teacher affirms: topic sentence + evidence + cohesion.

2. 5–15 min · Explicit mini-lesson: paragraph structure Teacher models a short shared-writing paragraph on the board using “We can…” steps:

• Topic sentence (what this paragraph is about)
• Fact sentences (2–3) from notes
• Linking sentence that connects back to the topic Teacher highlights cohesive devices by underlining them and names them: firstly, for example, as a result, additionally, overall. Students use a class “Paragraph Template” to annotate where each sentence type appears in the model.

3. 15–25 min · Guided practice: source-to-sentence Teacher provides two typed sentence starters and a quick evidence bank (teacher-prepared from the unit sources):

• “A key way colonial life changed during the Gold Rush was…”
• “This affected people by… For example, the source shows…” Teacher demonstrates converting notes into accurate sentences, stressing: only include facts you can point to in your notes. Students complete 2–3 sentences on a drafting sheet using their own notes for the assigned report section.

4. 25–40 min · Independent draft: first full paragraph Teacher releases students to draft one full paragraph for their information report. Students draft using:

• success criteria checklist (tick as they write)
• sentence starters (only as needed)
• cohesive device requirement (at least two)

5. 40–52 min · Paragraph conferences (formative assessment) Teacher circulates with a quick conference focus: (a) topic sentence clarity, (b) factual accuracy, (c) evidence/source integration, (d) cohesion. Students pause drafting and complete a “Next step” target on their conference form after feedback (e.g. “Add one fact from your notes” or “Replace ‘it’ with the noun”). For accountability, students also do a 60-second peer check: partner points to one cohesive device and one evidence sentence.

6. 52–60 min · Whole-class share and exit ticket Teacher invites 2–3 students to read their topic sentence or one improved sentence (non-optional, but quick). Teacher gives a final reminder: “Every paragraph must teach one clear idea using evidence.” Students complete an exit ticket: “My paragraph has… (topic sentence / evidence / cohesion). One improvement I will make is…”

Resources

• Paragraph success criteria checklist (one per student)
• Paragraph template (topic sentence, evidence sentences, linking/summary sentence)
• Sentence starter strip (for facts, cause/effect, examples)
• Student source note sheets from earlier lessons (primary and secondary)
• Teacher shared-writing model on board or document camera
• Drafting paper or workbook page for one paragraph
• Conference form with checkboxes and one “Next step” line
• Timers for independent drafting and conferences
• Highlighters/colour pencils for marking cohesion devices

Assessment

• Formative: teacher paragraph conferences using a quick rubric-style checklist (topic sentence, evidence integration, cohesion, accuracy)
• Formative: student self-check during drafting (“tick before moving on”)
• Exit ticket to gauge readiness for next lesson (structure completion and a stated improvement)

Differentiation

• Support:
• Provide a partially completed paragraph template for students who need it (topic sentence frame and evidence sentence frames)
• Offer a word bank of historical terms used in the unit (e.g. colonial, settlement, migration, employment, convict, goldfields) in a visible place
• Use sentence starters that match the conference focus (e.g. “This affected…”)
• Targeted teacher support groups:
• Group 1: topic sentence clarity—teacher models rewriting a vague topic into a specific one
• Group 2: evidence integration—teacher points students back to specific notes (“Which source did you use for that fact?”)
• Extension:
• Students add a “cause or impact” linking sentence (e.g. “As a result,…”), and include one additional cohesive device
• EAL/SEN considerations:
• Sentence starters and checklist reduce cognitive load; allow oral rehearsal before writing during conferences
• Accept alternative drafting strategies (scribe support or word-bank options) while still requiring evidence-based sentence writing