🎯 WALT & Success Criteria

We Are Learning To: Identify features of recount texts and write a clear, coherent recount about an ANZAC Day event using time connectives and descriptive language.

I can...

Tick each box when you feel confident you have achieved it!

📖 Part 1: Read the Text

Read the recount below carefully. Look for time connectives and descriptive words as you read.

A Letter Home from Gallipoli

25th April, 1915 — Gallipoli, Turkey

Early that morning, before the sun had even risen above the hills, our small boat cut silently through the dark water. My heart was pounding so loudly I was sure the others could hear it. Around me, hundreds of young New Zealand and Australian soldiers sat quietly, gripping their rifles. We all knew what was coming.

As soon as we reached the shore, everything changed. Loud gunfire cracked through the air and we scrambled up the steep, rocky cliffs as fast as we could. The ground was rough beneath my boots and the air smelled of smoke. I stayed close to my mate, Hemi, who had grown up in Rotorua. We had trained together back home in New Zealand, and I was glad he was beside me.

Later that day, when the fighting had quietened a little, we found a small hollow in the hillside and rested. Hemi pulled out a crumpled photograph of his whānau and stared at it for a long moment. Neither of us spoke. We were both thinking the same thing — we missed home terribly.

After that, the weeks at Gallipoli were long and difficult. We faced scorching heat, illness, and sadness at losing friends. But we also showed incredible courage, loyalty, and mateship. Every soldier looked out for one another, no matter what.

Finally, when I think back to that day on the shores of Gallipoli, I understand why it matters so much. It was not just a battle — it was a moment that shaped who New Zealanders are. Every year on the 25th of April, we remember those who served and those who never came home. We gather at dawn, we lay poppies, and we say together: Lest we forget.

✏️ Part 2: Comprehension Questions

Answer the questions below using evidence from the text.

a) _______________________ b) _______________________ c) _______________________

🖊️ Part 3: Plan Your Own Recount

Use the planner below to organise your ideas before you write. You can retell an ANZAC event from the text, imagine you are a soldier, or write about attending an ANZAC Day dawn service.

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_______________________________________________

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First:

Then:

After that:

Finally (and why it matters):

💡 Helpful time connectives: Early that morning / As soon as / Later / After that / Eventually / Finally / Looking back

💡 Descriptive word bank: silent, courageous, muddy, exhausted, proud, solemn, loyal, chilly, misty, heartfelt

⭐ Extension: Add a line of dialogue (speech) from one of the people in your recount to make it more vivid and engaging.