Year 5 | 60 minutes | Class of 30

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National Curriculum Links (English – Writing - Composition)

Pupils should be taught to:

• Plan their writing by identifying the audience for and purpose of the writing, selecting the appropriate form and using other similar writing as models for their own
• Draft and write by in narratives, describing settings, characters and atmosphere and integrating dialogue to convey character and advance the action
• Evaluate and edit by assessing the effectiveness of their own and others’ writing, suggesting improvements
• Use further organisational and presentational devices to structure text and guide the reader (e.g. headings, bullet points, underlining)

Pupils should also secure knowledge of:

• Use of inverted commas and other punctuation to indicate direct speech (Year 5 grammar)
• Use of contracted forms in dialogue appropriately

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WALT (We Are Learning To)

• Use dialogue effectively to convey character emotions and personality traits.
• Represent contrasting feelings between characters through speech.
• Use correct punctuation, including speech marks, commas, and new lines.
• Use contracted forms within dialogue appropriately.
• Collaborate and perform spoken dialogue to deepen understanding and engagement.

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Success Criteria

• I can write dialogue that shows how a character is feeling or their personality.
• I use speech marks and punctuation correctly in my dialogue.
• I include contracted forms (e.g. don’t, I’m) naturally in speech.
• I can show two characters feeling differently through their spoken words.
• I can perform dialogue clearly with a partner, using tone and expression.

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Lesson Preparation & Materials

• Short animation clips with clear, expressive dialogue showing character traits (pre-selected rainforest-themed animations or similar, 3-5 mins)
• Whiteboard & markers
• Dialogue examples from animations printed on worksheets (dyslexia-friendly fonts like OpenDyslexic, with coloured overlays available)
• Storyboard templates for drawing and planning dialogue
• Script writing sheets with space for character names and dialogue
• Recording devices (tablet or phone) or simply use paired reading aloud
• Visual prompts / flashcards with sentence starters, dialogue punctuation reminders
• Timer for activity pacing

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Lesson Outline

1. Introduction (10 mins)

• Starter: Procedural Dialogue Modeling (PIP approach)
  Teacher models reading a scripted dialogue aloud twice: once flat, once with emotion, gestures demonstrating kindness, bravery, and bullying.
  Example:
  Child A: "I told him not to take my book. Why won’t he listen?" (frustrated)
  Child B: "I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you." (apologetic)

• Highlight how dialogue shows character feelings and intentions without explicitly saying them.

• Briefly recap punctuation rules for speech from previous lessons using visual flashcards:

  • Inverted commas (speech marks) – start & end
  • Commas & full stops placement inside speech marks
  • New line for each speaker
  • Use of contracted forms

• Write a simple dialogue on the board together, focusing on these elements.

• Elicit from class some feelings or character traits dialogue can show (kindness, bravery, jealousy, bullying).

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2. Animation Viewing & Analysis (10 mins)

• Watch 2-3 short animation excerpts (1-2 mins each) showing rainforest characters talking, with contrasting views and emotions.
• Use guided questions to promote engagement and procedural learning through observation:
  • What does the dialogue tell you about how the characters feel?
  • Which words or phrases show kindness, anger, or bravery?
  • How does the other character feel differently?
• Invite students to repeat key expressive lines with partner echo reading to reinforce language patterns.

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3. Paired Storyboard Dialogue Activity (25 mins)

• Setting: Rainforest theme to keep continuity with the animation examples.
• Each pair receives a storyboard sheet with 3 frames representing the beginning of a story.
• Task: Create dialogue between two characters with contrasting feelings about the rainforest and money (e.g., “I love this forest – I grew up here!” / “We need money more than a forest!”).
• Step 1: Discuss ideas quietly in pairs; teacher circulates and supports planning using sentence starters and vocabulary banks on flashcards.
• Step 2: Write or draw speech bubbles in the storyboard frames – emphasising correct punctuation and contracted forms.
• Optional: Pairs rehearse dialogue aloud using expressive tone and record using device or perform live to small group.

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4. Reflection and Recap (10 mins)

• Invite a few pairs to share their dialogues by reading or performing to the class.
• Whole class provides positive feedback focusing on how well dialogue showed character feelings and used correct punctuation.
• Highlight good examples of contracted forms and tone.
• Teacher revisits the WALT and Success Criteria on the board to check understanding.

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5. Plenary & Extension (5 mins)

• Plenary question: Why is dialogue useful in stories? How can it help readers understand characters better?
• Quick quiz: Find and correct punctuation errors in a prepared short dialogue on the board.
• Extension: Independent writing challenge for advanced learners — add a third character with a different opinion, using dialogue to create a mini-conflict.
• Differentiation: Provide sentence starters and modelled examples for lower-attaining learners or those with additional needs; visual supports for dyslexic learners (coloured paper, simpler sentences, dyslexia-friendly font sheets).

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Differentiation Strategies

• Visual scaffoldings: Storyboard templates and sentence starters support procedural learning.
• Peer collaboration allows neurodivergent learners to engage through social interaction and rehearsal.
• Use of animation and expressive reading meets diverse learning styles (visual, auditory, kinesthetic).
• Dyslexia-friendly resources, such as OpenDyslexic font printouts with clear spacing and coloured backgrounds.
• Extra adult support or simplified dialogue lines for SEND pupils as needed.

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Assessment Opportunities

• Formative: Teacher observation during paired dialogue planning and rehearsal (focus on verbalising feelings and correct punctuation).
• Peer feedback during performances (guided by criteria).
• Written dialogue on storyboards instantly visible for quick marking or adjusting specific punctuation errors.
• Post-lesson written work can be collected for summative assessment against Year 5 writing standards in composition and grammar.

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Wow Factor: Procedural Implicit Pedagogy in Action

By combining animation viewing, paired rehearsal, repeated reading aloud, and hands-on storyboard creation, this lesson embeds dialogue writing through doing, seeing, hearing, and performing rather than purely abstract explanation – a multi-sensory approach fostering confidence, especially for neurodiverse learners. Its integration of arts and language aligns perfectly with the Moving Minds I-AM vision for inclusive, impactful English teaching.

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End of Plan