Year 6 Literacy Lesson Plan: Writing about School Camp Experiences

Overview

This lesson plan is designed for Year 6 students in New Zealand and aligns with the New Zealand Curriculum standards for English literacy. The focus of the lesson is on writing, specifically narrative writing based on personal experiences from a school camp. This lesson encourages students to use descriptive language and structured narrative techniques to convey their experiences effectively.

Lesson Duration

27 minutes

Class Size

26 students

Curriculum Area

• Subject: English
• Strand: Writing
• Level: By the end of Year 6 (Level 3 of the New Zealand Curriculum)
• Key Competencies: Using language, symbols, and texts; Thinking; Managing self
• Achievement Objectives: Students will be able to:
  • Develop and convey personal voice in writing.
  • Use a range of text forms appropriately, with particular focus on narratives.
  • Organise texts, using a variety of sentence structures and language features appropriate for audience and purpose.

Resources

• Writing notebooks or paper
• Pens and pencils
• Example narrative texts about camping (provided by teacher)
• Whiteboard and markers

Lesson Goals

• To write a structured narrative about a personal experience at school camp.
• To effectively use descriptive language to enhance writing.
• To understand and apply narrative conventions in their writing, including introduction, build-up, climax, and conclusion.

Lesson Plan

Introduction (5 minutes)

1. Warm-Up Discussion:
   • Begin by asking students to recall their favourite moments from their recent school camp. Share these memories aloud to generate excitement and stimulate ideas.
   • Introduce the objective: "Today, we are going to write about our school camp experiences, focusing on describing our favourite part in detail."

Guided Practice (7 minutes)

2. Discussing Structure and Features of a Narrative:
   • Briefly discuss the key elements of a narrative: setting, characters, problem, solution, and conclusion.
   • Show a sample paragraph on the whiteboard that describes a camp experience, highlighting descriptive language and narrative structure.

Independent Writing (10 minutes)

3. Writing Activity:
   • Students begin writing their narratives, focusing on a specific event or experience during the camp.
   • Encourage them to start with an outline that includes the key elements of a narrative.
   • Remind them to use descriptive language to bring their story to life.

Sharing and Feedback (5 minutes)

4. Peer Review:
   • Have students pair up to share their written pieces.
   • Ask them to give each other constructive feedback, focusing on the use of descriptive language and narrative structure.

Conclusion (Wrap-Up and Reflection)

5. Class Sharing and Reflection:
   • Invite a few students to share their stories with the class.
   • Discuss what worked well in those narratives and what could be improved.
   • End with a reflective question: "How does sharing your personal experiences through writing help you connect with others?"

Assessment

• Observe students during the writing and feedback sessions to assess their engagement and understanding of narrative writing.
• Review the completed narratives to evaluate the use of narrative structure and descriptive language against the Level 3 achievement objectives.

Additional Notes

• For extension, students could turn their narratives into a short presentation or digital storytelling project.
• For students who need more support, provide sentence starters or graphic organizers to help structure their narratives.

Relevant New Zealand Curriculum Link:

• NZ Curriculum - English - Writing

This lesson plan provides a detailed guide to help Year 6 students develop their narrative writing skills, focusing on their school camp experiences, in accordance with New Zealand literacy standards.