Overview

Students investigate how an author organises ideas in narrative: what makes paragraphs “fit”, how signal words create cohesion, and what changes when story pieces are reordered. This builds toward later work refining sentence structure, vocabulary, and punctuation for effect.

Learning intentions

• Students will use WALT: use narrative organisation and structure (including time-linking signal words) to meet a purpose and explore how authors organise ideas to develop and shape meaning.
• Students will identify narrative structure and cohesive ties that guide readers through the story.
• Students will test understanding by re-ordering cut-up story paragraphs and adjusting cohesive devices to match the new sequence.

Success criteria

• I can explain the narrative structure (e.g., orientation, sequence of events, complication, resolution).
• I can point to cohesive ties (especially time-linking signal words) and describe how they help the reader follow events.
• I can re-order story pieces and rephrase or reposition cohesive devices so the story still makes sense.
• I can justify choices using evidence from the text (words/phrases).

Curriculum links

• analyse how authors organise ideas to develop and shape meaning, including identifying structure of ideas and examining effectiveness.
• understand how cohesion in texts is improved by strengthening internal paragraph structure with examples and substantiation of claims.
• explain how texts are structured depending on their purpose, including how language features vary.

Lesson structure (75 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Hook (Do paragraphs “fit”?) Teacher displays two shuffled paragraphs from “Tea-Party” (printed on separate strips). Students predict: “What would be confusing for a reader, and why?” Students turn-and-talk, then share 1 prediction.

2. 5–15 min · Direct teach (narrative organisation + cohesion) Teacher models a quick “fit check” using a short example: highlight time-linking signal words (e.g., first, then, after that, meanwhile, later, finally) and other cohesive devices (pronouns, repeated key nouns, referents). Students annotate on their copy with two colours: (1) structure markers, (2) cohesive ties.

3. 15–25 min · Plot map review (messed up = reader lost?) Teacher revisits a familiar plot map template (Orientation → Events → Complication → Resolution). Shows an incorrect plot order version and asks what changes in meaning/clarity. Students complete a 3-question micro-check: “What happened first? What is the complication? What changed when the order was wrong?”

4. 25–40 min · Guided investigation (Tea-Party cut-up story build) Teacher groups students (5 groups of 7). Each group receives cut-up story paragraphs/sections (one per piece) plus a simple plot map. Students collaborate to assemble the most logical order, placing pieces onto the plot map.

5. 40–52 min · Cohesion surgery (re-phrase cohesive devices) Teacher gives a rule: “If you move a piece, you must check its time-linking signal words and cohesion.” Students choose 2 moved pieces and rewrite the signal words/phrases so they match their new position (e.g., “After that” may become “Before then” or “Later that day” depending on placement). Teacher circulates with a checklist.

6. 52–65 min · Author-effect discussion (How organisation shapes meaning) Teacher prompts: “Which cohesive devices do the author’s paragraphs rely on most—time-linking, pronouns, repeated nouns, or cause-effect links? How effective are they after the re-ordering?” Students do a gallery walk: one group displays their assembled story and explains 2 evidence points (exact words) to another group.

7. 65–75 min · Exit ticket (quick justification) Individual exit ticket: students answer one sentence frame: “When I re-ordered the story, I changed __ because the time-linking cohesive tie needed to match the new sequence.” Teacher collects for formative assessment.

Resources

• Cut-up “Tea-Party” story paragraphs on card strips (multiple sets)
• Plot map template (Orientation/Events/Complication/Resolution)
• Coloured highlighters or annotation pens
• Cohesion checklist (time-linking words, pronouns, repeated key nouns)
• Student copies of the story excerpt (original intact version for comparison)
• Exit ticket slips/paper

Assessment

• Formative checks during group assembly: teacher listens for correct identification of narrative structure and cohesive ties.
• Formative check during cohesion surgery: monitor students’ rewritten time-linking devices for accuracy with the new order.
• Exit ticket: evaluates individual ability to justify changes with evidence from the text.

Differentiation

• Support: provide sentence starters for rephrasing cohesive devices (e.g., “Before that, … / Later, … / After the party started, …”) and a word bank of time-linking signal words.
• Support: offer an exemplar plot map already partially completed (orientation identified) for students needing a scaffold.
• Extension: challenge groups to also adjust referents (e.g., change “she”/“it” to the clearer noun) and explain how it improves clarity.
• EAL/SEN: allow alternative responses such as a brief oral explanation recorded by a peer, plus a focused requirement to fix only 1–2 cohesive ties rather than all of them.

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Vocabulary & cohesion focus (Lesson 2)

Overview

Students focus on how sentence structure, noun groups, embedded clauses, and punctuation can be selected and varied for effect. They will draft and edit a short narrative paragraph building on their reorganised “Tea-Party” work.

Learning intentions

• Students will use WALT: select and vary vocabulary, sentence structures and punctuation for effect to express ideas, with a focus on noun groups and embedded clauses.
• Students will strengthen sentences to improve meaning and cohesion, using commas correctly to punctuate embedded clauses where appropriate.
• Students will revise their writing to make the narrative voice clearer and more engaging for an intended audience.

Success criteria

• I can identify noun groups in my writing and improve them (adding qualifiers, precise nouns).
• I can use embedded clauses to add detail and vary sentence structure.
• I can punctuate embedded clauses appropriately and check that meaning stays clear.
• I can improve my paragraph by editing for vocabulary precision and sentence variety.

Curriculum links

• plan, create, edit and publish written and multimodal texts by organising and expanding ideas and selecting language features.
• understand cohesion by strengthening internal paragraph structure with examples and substantiation of claims.
• analyse how authors organise ideas and how structure shapes meaning (to guide editing decisions).

Lesson structure (75 minutes)

1. 0–10 min · Warm-up (sentence upgrade) Teacher writes a plain sentence from the story on the board. Students upgrade it in pairs using a noun group and an embedded clause suggestion. Students share 1 upgraded version; class notes the changes.

2. 10–22 min · Direct teach (noun groups + embedded clauses) Teacher models:

• noun group expansion (e.g., “the table” → “the long, scratched wooden table”)
• embedded clauses (e.g., “The host, who smiled nervously, poured tea.”) Teacher emphasises punctuation needs and cohesion (how sentences connect to time-linking in the paragraph).

3. 22–45 min · Draft (rewrite one paragraph) Students choose one paragraph from their re-ordered story and rewrite it. Requirements:

• include at least 2 improved noun groups
• include 1–2 embedded clauses
• keep time-linking coherent with their new plot order Teacher circulates with an editing checklist.

4. 45–60 min · Edit sprint (effect + accuracy) Students swap with a partner to check: punctuation accuracy, clarity, and whether sentence variety improves the reader’s experience. Partners leave 1 “glow” and 1 “grow”.

5. 60–70 min · Whole-class debrief (what worked?) Teacher selects 2–3 anonymised examples and discusses: How do the new noun groups and embedded clauses create tone, precision, and readability?

6. 70–75 min · Exit ticket Students answer: “Which single edit improved clarity the most, and what evidence shows it?” (one sentence).

Resources

• Students’ re-ordered story versions from Lesson 1
• Editing checklist for noun groups/embedded clauses/punctuation
• Sentence stems and embedded clause starters
• Highlighters for identifying noun groups and clauses
• Peer feedback strips (glow/grow)

Assessment

• During drafting: teacher checks students include required structures (noun groups and embedded clauses) and maintain coherence.
• During peer editing: listens for specific feedback tied to punctuation and clarity.
• Exit ticket: assesses ability to evaluate editing impact with evidence.

Differentiation

• Support: provide a “menu” of embedded clause types and punctuation reminders; allow students to write one embedded clause only.
• Support: highlight the paragraph they must rewrite and provide a model paragraph with annotated noun groups/clauses.
• Extension: require an additional cohesive tie (e.g., a pronoun replaced with a precise noun) and justify the choice in one sentence.
• EAL/SEN: allow word-level scaffolds (noun group starters) and sentence-level frames; encourage oral rehearsal before writing.