Spark Imagination

Overview

Duration: 50 minutes
Age Group: Year 5 (9-10 years old)
Subject: Religious Education and English (Creative Writing)
Curriculum Focus:

• Religious Education: Exploring beliefs, practices, and interfaith understanding
• English: Engaging with vocabulary, grammar, sentence structure, storytelling, and creativity

Learning Objectives

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

1. Apply their knowledge of religious story elements from various cultures to write a creative story.
2. Use effective vocabulary, varied sentence structures, and creative ideas to enhance their writing.
3. Demonstrate their understanding of characters, settings, and events in a clear narrative structure.

Materials Needed

• Whiteboard and markers
• Writing exercise books
• Pens and pencils
• "Story Starter" cards based on religious storytelling themes

Lesson Outline

Introduction (10 minutes)

1. Class Discussion (5 minutes):

   • Begin with a brief discussion on various religious stories the class has explored, such as the story of Noah's Ark, the Ramayana, or the Journey of Muhammad to Medina.
   • Encourage students to share their favourite story and identify key elements such as characters, settings, and moral lessons.

2. Objective Presentation (5 minutes):

   • Explain that today's objective is to create an extended piece of creative writing using these key elements.
   • Highlight the importance of using creative skills like vocabulary choices, varied sentences, and vivid imagery.

Main Activity (30 minutes)

1. "Story Starter" Card Distribution (5 minutes):

   • Distribute the "Story Starter" cards which have unique prompts linked to religious stories:
     • For example: "Imagine you are on an ancient ark during a great flood, how do you keep your spirits up?"
     • Ensure each student has a different prompt to foster individuality in their writing.

2. Creative Writing (25 minutes):

   • Allow students to write their extended narrative based on their given prompt.
   • Encourage the use of descriptive language, ensuring they illustrate characters, settings, and emotions vividly.
   • Walk around the class to offer guidance and support, checking they are integrating skills learned in prior lessons, such as dialogue punctuation, using connectives for cohesion, and varying sentence openers.

Conclusion and Sharing (10 minutes)

1. Peer Sharing (5 minutes):

   • Organise students into pairs to share a brief excerpt of their work. Have each student offer one piece of positive feedback to their partner, focusing on the successful elements of their writing, such as effective description or compelling action.

2. Whole-Class Reflection (5 minutes):

   • Have volunteers share highlights from their stories or feedback received.
   • Reflect on the connection between religious teachings and creative expression, asking students which stories inspired them most and why.

Assessment

• Formative: Teacher's observation during the writing process. Look for engagement with the task, creativity, and application of English skills.
• Summative: Collect students' writing pieces for assessment, ensuring feedback is provided on use of language conventions, creativity, and narrative structure.

Differentiation

• For Advanced Learners: Encourage deeper exploration of the themes, perhaps integrating symbolism or more complex narrative structures.
• For Emerging Learners: Provide additional support with a word bank containing helpful vocabulary or sentence starters.

Extension Activity

For homework, students can revise their stories, focusing on editing for spelling and grammar accuracy, and perhaps illustrating their favourite scene. This promotes continued engagement with both the English and Religious Education curriculums.

By connecting creative writing with elements of religious storytelling, Year 5 students will engage in a cross-disciplinary exercise that enhances their understanding and appreciation of cultural narratives, fostering both literacy and empathy.