Our Games Reflection

Overview

Students orally rehearse and write a short recap of a Commonwealth Games activity, including a feeling linked to a specific task. The teacher models a simple recount sentence on the board before students write independently in their books.

Learning intentions

• We are learning to retell an experience in the order it happened.
• We are learning to state how we felt during a specific activity.
• We are learning to write a sentence that shares a feeling or opinion.
• We are learning to use details from our own experience.

Success criteria

• I can say what I did first, next and last.
• I can name a specific Commonwealth Games task.
• I can add how I felt when I did that task.
• I can write a sentence that starts with “I felt…” or “I think…”

Curriculum links

• Communication for Learning — using comparative and explanatory language to express feelings, opinions and preferences about learning and experiences.
• Composition — Writing to persuade: sharing an opinion or feeling using phrases such as “I think…” and “I feel…”.
• Composition — Writing to persuade: writing a sentence stating an opinion, feeling or preference about a topic.
• Critical Analysis — Interpretations and connections: sharing personal feelings and thoughts drawn from experiences.

Lesson structure (45 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Revisit the experience. Teacher opens the Commonwealth Games photo and discussion slide and briefly reminds students of the activities completed, such as running, throwing, jumping or team tasks. Students turn and talk about one activity they remember, using the activity name rather than a general answer such as “the games”.

2. 5–12 min · Discuss feelings. Teacher uses the feeling discussion slides to ask, “How did you feel when you were doing that specific task?” and records children’s words on the board, such as excited, proud, nervous, tired, determined, happy or frustrated. Students share a feeling and link it to an activity: “I felt proud when I finished the race.” Invite several different experiences and explain that people may feel differently during the same task.

3. 12–20 min · Model the writing. Teacher displays the modelled writing slide and thinks aloud while writing a short recap on the board, for example: “First, I ran in the relay. Next, I passed the baton to my team-mate. I felt excited when I ran fast.” Underline the time words, activity detail and feeling. Teacher demonstrates rereading to check that the feeling belongs to a particular task. Students help identify what happened first, next and how the writer felt.

4. 20–24 min · Oral rehearsal. Teacher shows the sentence rehearsal slide and provides the frame, “When I ______, I felt ______ because ______.” Students rehearse their own sentence with a partner, then say it quietly to themselves before writing. Teacher listens to a few students and asks precise follow-up questions: “Which task made you feel that way?” and “What happened?”

5. 24–38 min · Independent writing. Teacher distributes the Commonwealth Games recap planning and writing sheet as an optional planning support, then directs students to write their recap in their English books. Students write two to four sentences, using the board model, their oral rehearsal and the displayed time words. They may draw a small picture first if this helps them remember the event, then label or write about it. Teacher conferences with individuals, prompting for a specific task and connected feeling rather than supplying the sentence.

6. 38–45 min · Share and review. Teacher opens the sharing and review slide and invites three or four students to read a sentence or show their writing. The class listens for the activity and matching feeling. Students reread their own work and use the final self-check section to check: “Did I say what I did?” and “Did I say how I felt?” Students may add one missing detail or feeling word before handing in their books.

Resources

• the Commonwealth Games reflection slide deck
• the Commonwealth Games recap planning and writing sheet
• Whiteboard and markers
• English exercise books
• Pencils and colouring pencils
• Photographs or teacher-selected images from the class activities
• Word cards or board list of time and feeling words

Assessment

• During discussion and oral rehearsal, listen for students naming a specific activity and connecting it to a feeling.
• During writing conferences, check whether each student includes an understandable event detail and a feeling linked to that event.
• Collect or quickly scan writing for a recount sequence and a sentence expressing a feeling or opinion. Note students who need further support with sentence construction or recording ideas.

Differentiation

• Support students with the oral frame: “I felt ___ when I ___.” Offer a small choice of feeling words and scribe the first sentence if needed.
• Allow students to draw the activity and dictate their sentence before attempting independent writing. Revisit the teacher model individually without changing the student’s idea.
• Provide additional challenge by asking confident writers to include three time words, a reason for their feeling using “because”, or a comparison such as “I felt more excited during ___ than during ___.”
• For multilingual learners and students needing language support, use photographs, gestures and repeated oral rehearsal. Accept spoken, dictated or emergent writing while assessing the clarity of the idea and feeling.