Reading and Analyzing Procedures

Year Level

Years 1-3 (Australian Curriculum English)

Duration

60 minutes

Class Size

6 students

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

Understand the purpose and structure of procedural texts such as recipes and how-to guides.
Identify key features of procedural texts including sequence, imperatives, and materials.
Read and comprehend simple procedural texts.
Discuss in groups what makes a procedural text effective.
Use comprehension skills to retell or sequence procedural steps.

Australian Curriculum Links (v9)

ACELY1660 (Year 1): Understand the use of vocabulary about familiar and new topics including verbs to describe actions and events in texts.
ACELY1671 (Year 2): Understand how texts are structured to achieve particular purposes, including procedural texts that use illustrations and diagrams.
ACELY1682 (Year 3): Understand how paragraphs and images are used to separate ideas in texts.
ACELY1665: Use comprehension strategies to understand and discuss texts.
ACELA1449: Understand that procedural texts have specific language features such as sequencers and imperative verbs.
ACELY1672: Identify text structures and language features that create cohesion and guide readers through texts.

Resources

A selection of simple procedural texts suitable for Yr 1-3 (e.g., step-by-step recipe cards, how-to guides with images).
Whiteboard and markers.
Printed copies for each student, including dyslexia-friendly fonts (e.g., OpenDyslexic) and texts with clear spacing and visuals.
Visual sequencing cards showing a procedure (optional).
Group discussion prompt cards.

Lesson Breakdown

1. Introduction (10 minutes)

Brief discussion: “What is a procedure?” Introduce procedural texts and their purpose (to explain how to do or make something).
Show examples of procedural texts (a recipe, a how-to guide).
Highlight features such as title, materials needed, steps, and use of imperative verbs.
Use simple language and visuals to support diverse learners.

Differentiation: Use visual aids and gestures to support understanding. Provide sentence starters for discussion for students needing additional support.

2. Reading Activity (15 minutes)

Students work individually or in pairs to read different procedural texts.
Texts will be selected based on reading ability:
Beginners receive texts with short sentences and lots of pictures.
Advanced learners receive more complex texts with detailed steps and fewer images.
Provide dyslexia-friendly versions for identified students:
Use clear fonts, colour overlays if needed, and spacing.
Teacher circulates to support and prompt comprehension questions, e.g., "What do you need first? What is the next step?"

3. Group Discussion (15 minutes)

In groups of three, students discuss their procedural texts using guided questions:
What is the text about?
What makes the instructions easy or hard to follow?
Are there pictures? How do they help?
What words help understand the steps? (Look for sequencers like “first”, “then”, “finally” and imperative verbs like “mix”, “cut”, “pour”.)
Groups share key points back to the class.

Differentiation: Provide visual discussion prompts and sentence starters (e.g., “I think this step is important because...”).

Extension: Ask advanced learners to identify any tricky words and suggest alternative clearer words or phrases.

4. Sequencing and Retelling (15 minutes)

Each student chooses one procedure they read.
Using sequencing cards or drawing pictures, they organise the steps in correct order.
Students then orally retell the procedure to a partner or small group using their pictures or cards.
Teacher reinforces the language of sequencing and imperatives during retelling.

Differentiation: Allow students to retell via recording on tablets or use role-play to demonstrate the procedure if verbal expression is challenging.

Extension: Encourage advanced learners to write a simple modified procedure by changing one step or adding an additional step.

5. Conclusion and Reflection (5 minutes)

Recap important features of procedural texts: clear steps, sequence words, pictures for clarity.
Quick feedback: ask students what they learned about reading procedures.
Explain that next lesson will focus on writing their own procedural texts.

Assessment

Teacher observation during reading and discussion for comprehension and engagement.
Check sequencing activity for understanding of order and language.
Oral retelling to assess ability to communicate procedural steps.
Informal formative assessment recorded in teacher notes.

Differentiation Strategies

Use multimodal texts (images, oral reading, videos).
Provide dyslexia-friendly versions of texts.
Sentence starters and visual aids for discussions.
Adapt texts to reading levels.
Promote peer support in pair/group activities.
Allow alternative demonstration forms (drawing, acting).

Extension Activities

Advanced learners create a simple “How to” poster for a familiar task at home.
Develop a class book of favourite procedural texts with illustrations.
Use digital tools to record a “how-to” video.

This lesson plan aligns closely with the Australian Curriculum English content descriptions and elaborations for Years 1 to 3, focusing on understanding procedural texts, their structure, language features, and purposes. It supports diverse learners with differentiation strategies and offers rich opportunities for interactive and multimodal activities to engage young learners effectively. This promotes foundational literacy and comprehension skills critical in mastering procedural texts.