Finalizing Informative Texts

Overview

This 45-minute session is Lesson 9 of 10 in the unit Informative Writing Adventures for preschool (New Entrants to Year 1) students in New Zealand. In this lesson, students will finalise their informative sentences and illustrations, with teacher support, to put together simple informative texts that are clear and coherent.

This lesson aligns with the New Zealand Curriculum and the English learning area, particularly focusing on early writing development and oral language skills as outlined in Te Mātaiaho English in the New Zealand Curriculum (Years 0-6).

---

Learning Objectives

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

• Finalise simple sentences conveying information about a familiar topic.
• Use their own drawings or illustrations to support their informative writing.
• Demonstrate emerging understanding that sentences communicate ideas clearly and can be linked with simple words (e.g., "and," "because").
• Experience satisfaction and confidence in creating a simple informative text.
• Begin to use basic correct conventions such as spacing between words and capital letters at the start of sentences, supported by the teacher.

Curriculum links:

• English Learning Area, Level 1 (Preschool/Year 1)
  • Writing strand: Compose simple sentences and brief texts to communicate ideas and information for an audience.
  • Oral language strand: Use language to share ideas and information, and respond to others.
  • Te Mātaiaho Writing Development: Write one or more sentences sharing learned information about a topic using simple linking words and phrases.
• Key Competencies:
  • Managing self (self-monitoring their work),
  • Using language, symbols, and texts (writing and representing ideas),
  • Relating to others (sharing work with peers).

---

Resources

• Students' draft sentences and illustrations from previous lessons.
• Plain writing/drawing paper or booklets compiled from earlier lessons.
• Pencils, coloured pencils, or crayons.
• Visual sentence stems to support sentence finalisation (e.g., “I know that…”, “This is because…”)
• Example informative texts modeled by the teacher.

---

Lesson Structure

1. Warm-Up and Recap (5 minutes)

• Gather students in a circle and briefly revisit what they have written and drawn in previous lessons about their topic.
• Use an example text to remind them what an informative text looks like — clear ideas and pictures that tell us about a topic.
• Highlight key features: clear sentences, sentences linked together, and pictures that help explain.

2. Guided Finalising of Sentences (10 minutes)

• Teacher works with small groups or pairs (3-4 students), helping them say their sentences aloud clearly before writing or rewriting them.
• Use sentence stems and simple linking words (“and,” “because,” “then”) to help students combine ideas if ready.
• Support spacing, beginning capital letters, and ending full stops, modelling explicitly.
• Encourage students to listen to each other’s sentences and give positive feedback.

3. Finalising Illustrations (8 minutes)

• Students finish or enhance their drawings to support their sentences.
• Teacher prompts them to think: “Does your picture show what your sentence says?”
• For students who finish early, invite them to add detail or colour to their illustration.

4. Putting Our Texts Together (10 minutes)

• Teacher assists students in assembling their sentences and illustrations into a clear, simple text format (e.g., in a booklet or on a shared poster).
• Talk through the order of sentences to ensure logical flow (e.g., start with a main idea, then add details).
• Students can help arrange and stick down their work, reinforcing ownership.

5. Sharing and Celebrating (7 minutes)

• Invite volunteers to share their informative texts with the class or in pairs.
• Celebrate their hard work with positive, specific feedback focusing on clarity and the combination of words and pictures.
• Reinforce how their texts help others learn about the topic.

6. Review and Reflect (5 minutes)

• Ask simple questions to help students reflect:
  • What did you like about your text?
  • How did your picture help your sentence?
  • What words did you use to make your sentences better?
• Teacher notes observations to inform final lesson and assessment.

---

Assessment and Evaluation

• Observation of each student’s ability to finalise a sentence with clarity and basic punctuation support.
• Check for use of simple linking words or phrases to connect ideas.
• Review illustrations for relevance and clarity in supporting the text.
• Use an informal checklist noting each student's ability to:
  • Express one or more clear informative sentences,
  • Use basic conventions (capital letters, spacing),
  • Connect illustration meaningfully to text.
• Formative feedback to guide next steps for the final lesson.

---

Teaching Considerations

• Scaffold writing through oral rehearsal first, especially for emerging writers.
• Use explicit modelling of the writing and revision process.
• Support English language learners and students with additional learning needs by providing visuals and one-on-one support.
• Keep a positive environment to foster confidence and a sense of achievement with writing.
• Include cultural responsiveness by acknowledging students’ diverse interests or languages within their informative texts.

---

Curriculum Alignment Summary

This lesson plan addresses the New Zealand Curriculum English objectives for early writing and oral language, supporting students to compose simple informative texts using their own words and illustrations. The focus on sentence finalisation, linking ideas, and clear communication aligns with descriptors in Te Mātaiaho English for Years 0-6, especially the early development of writing to inform for young learners (years 0-1)【4:17】【4:14】【4:19】【4:16】. The teaching approach uses structured literacy and explicit teaching methods recommended for supporting younger learners in developing the constrained and unconstrained literacy skills foundational to their later success.

---

Teachers who apply this lesson in their preschool classroom will be fostering learners’ confidence and foundational writing skills through a joyful, supported process of finalising and sharing their informative adventures.

If you require, I can also help create supporting materials like sentence stems, visual organisers, or simple self-assessment sheets for this lesson.