Choose, Read, Organise

Overview

This 60-minute English session uses short, choice-based bursts for one Year 5 learner who is working approximately three years below age expectations and concentrates for about 10 minutes. The learner reads a short, high-interest text, organises key information into categories, and sets one specific writing goal. The teacher aide selects one option from each activity menu rather than requiring every option.

Learning intentions

• WALT choose a suitable reading strategy and stay focused for a short burst.
• WALT make notes about the important information in a text.
• WALT organise notes into useful categories.
• WALT set one specific goal to improve our writing.

Success criteria

• I can choose a text or listening option that interests me.
• I can record at least three important facts or ideas.
• I can sort my notes into two or three sensible categories.
• I can choose one clear writing goal and explain how I will work on it.

Curriculum links

• English — Writing Processes: Planning: making notes and organising key information into categories.
• English — Writing Processes: Planning: using categories to make sense of key information.
• English — Writing Processes: Planning: setting specific writing goals.
• English — Reading: reading for longer periods using familiar or interesting texts, quiet spaces and reading goals.

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Choice and goal. Teacher aide opens the choice and goal slides, offers two or three high-interest texts or audio choices, and helps the learner choose a personal focus goal such as “I will listen for three important facts.” The learner chooses the text, activity position and movement break signal, then repeats the goal.

2. 5–15 min · Reading burst. Teacher aide provides a short, accessible text, audiobook or teacher read-aloud and uses the reading strategy slide to remind the learner to read in a quiet space, track words with a finger or ruler, and pause after each section. The learner reads, listens or follows along, recording or saying one interesting detail after each short section.

Choice options: independent reading; audiobook while walking or gently bouncing a ball; teacher read-aloud with the learner joining in; reading to a soft toy or recording a one-minute response.

3. 15–20 min · Move and recall. Teacher aide hides or places three note prompts around the room and asks, “What do you remember?” The learner completes a word or fact scavenger hunt, acts out one event, or draws a quick picture for each remembered idea. Teacher aide records dictated ideas if handwriting becomes a barrier.

4. 20–30 min · Sort the information. Teacher aide models one example using the category sorting slides, thinking aloud: “This fact is about where it lives, so I will put it under habitat.” Together, select two or three broad categories suitable for the text, such as appearance, food, habitat, events or interesting facts. The learner writes, draws or dictates at least three notes and sorts them on the notes and categories worksheet.

Movement option: write each note on a small piece of paper, spread them on the floor, and have the learner move each note into a category. Avoid correcting spelling during this stage; focus on meaning.

5. 30–35 min · Reset and talk. Teacher aide offers a drink, stretch or two-minute movement break, then revisits the reset and talk prompt slide. The learner explains one category using the stem, “These notes belong together because…” and identifies the most important note.

6. 35–45 min · Turn notes into writing. Teacher aide demonstrates how notes can become a sentence without copying every word: “Lives in wetlands” becomes “The pukeko often lives near wetlands.” The learner chooses one category and creates two or three sentences using the notes and categories worksheet. They may write by hand, type, use talk-to-text, or dictate while the teacher aide scribes. Offer a comic strip, labelled drawing with captions, or one headline sentence at a time as an alternative.

7. 45–55 min · Goal-focused edit. Teacher aide displays the editing and goal slides and helps the learner choose one specific goal: capital letters and full stops; adding one describing word; writing complete sentences; or using a linking word such as because, also or so. The learner checks two or three sentences, improves one, and explains the change.

8. 55–60 min · Share and exit reflection. Teacher aide asks the learner to read, show or play their best sentence and complete the final prompt on the reflection section: “Today I organised information by… My writing goal is…” Record the next option to try on the daily three-slot board: reading, writing and maths.

Resources

• the choice, reading, sorting, reset, editing and reflection slides
• the notes and categories worksheet
• One short, high-interest Year 5 text, audiobook or teacher-read text
• Pencil, coloured pens, sticky notes and blank paper
• Reading ruler or bookmark
• Device with text-to-speech, audiobook or talk-to-text
• Timer or visual countdown
• Daily three-slot choice board

Assessment

• Note whether the learner sustains attention for each burst, uses a reading strategy and can recall key information.
• Check whether notes are relevant and sorted into categories that make sense; accept spoken, drawn, typed or dictated responses.
• Use the final response to identify one specific writing goal and plan the next session. If the learner becomes overloaded, stop after one successful sentence and record the achievement.

Differentiation

• Support: use a short text with clear headings, read aloud or provide audio, pre-teach two or three essential words, reduce the text to one paragraph, and offer sentence stems: “The text is about…”, “One important fact is…”, and “These notes belong together because…”.
• Dyslexia-friendly options: use a clear sans-serif font, large print, generous spacing, cream or pale-coloured paper, audio support, finger tracking, and a choice to respond orally or by typing. Do not require copying from the text.
• Attention and sensory support: use a visible five- or ten-minute timer, one instruction at a time, movement between seated tasks, a quiet workspace and a predictable “first–then” statement.
• Extension: invite the learner to create a fourth category, combine two notes into a precise paragraph, add evidence from the text, or write a short summary with a beginning, middle and ending. A confident learner can set two related writing goals and justify which one matters most.