Hawthorn Tree. Week 4 - Ireland in Schools

Literacy Hour Weekly Plan
Class: Y5/6 Autumn Term 1st half Week Beginning: 29 th September ‘03
Range: Novels by established authors.
Under the Hawthorn Tree WK 1
by Marita Conlon-McKenna
Text Level
Shared Work
Mon: Read up to Chapter 2.
Re-cap characters and their situation.
Discuss reasons for and consequences
of the Irish Potato famine. Discuss
image of Hawthorn Tree in title WHY?
Tues Read up to Chapter 3.
Re-cap on story so far. Identify main
themes: famine, blight, illness, sense of
poverty, struggling on regardless,
pulling together as a family.
Wed Read pgs. 21 – 25.
Identify how the themes discussed
yesterday are introduced and explored
further.
Thur
Fri
Share with the children the Irish
blessing poem: May the road rise
with you… Discuss importance of
togetherness and fighting in order to
achieve success – a typical Irish theme.
Extended Writing. Shared writing to
model example of diary writing.
Text Level Objectives:
Sentence level Objectives:
Word Level Objectives:
Word/Sentence
Guided
Shared Work
Reading/Writing
Revise Adjectives. Guided Writing:
Choose a famous C.T to work with one
person - describe group helping them
them using positive to use adjective in
adjectives - your hero. sentences effectively
Discuss the
importance of the
family unit, death of
Bridget, importance
of feelings/emotions.
Discuss
feelings/emotions of
passage. Identify how
feelings represented.
Sad – prayer/poem.
Discuss layout of
poems – Illuminated
letters – Monks/bible
writing.
Re-cap writing in first
person. I. In style of a
diary – personal ideas
Guided Writing:
C.T to work with less
able to support them
in completing the
sheet.
Guided Writing:
C.T to work with one
group on planning
out their poem –
content & impact.
Guided Writing:
C.T to work with
group on editing/
revising poem to a
finished version.
Guided Writing:
CT with 1 group on
diary writing style.
Independent Activity Plenary Assessment
Character study – using
knowledge of adjectives. Choose
a character from the story and
describe them using
adjectives/descriptive language.
Children to complete worksheet:
The Day We Buried Bridget.
HA – Work on sheet independent
MA – Independent/outcome
LA – Working with CT (guided)
Children to consider what they
would say to Bridget if they met
her – highlight her courage and
determination. Draft a celebration
poem of Bridget’s life.
Children to complete their
praise/celebration poem. Poems to
be copied out as a handwriting
exercise using a Celtic border and
an illuminated 1stl letter - display
Children to write a diary account
from 1 of children’s viewpoints.
Today I…I did…It made me feel.
I wish. focus=emotions not action
Children to
share writing
with group
giving views of
chacs. in story..
Children to
share ideas from
sheet – may lead
to personal
experiences.
Share draft
ideas and initial
thoughts for
celebration
poems.
Children to
share their work
– read finished
poem and show
presentation.
Children to
share their
intro/first para
of diary.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
David Jessop – Birkdale Primary School – Ireland in Schools Project 2003

Literacy Hour Weekly Plan
Class: Y5/6 Autumn Term 1st half Week Beginning: 13 th October ‘03
Range: Novels by established authors.
WEEK 2 - Under the Hawthorn Tree
By Marita Conlon-McKenna
Text Level
Shared Work
Mon Read Chapter 4
Discuss fact that people are starving
and the effect this has on people’s lives
Tues
Wed
Thur
Fri
From Ch 3. Old Language usage and
Irish dialect. Discuss use of lang in text
to represent dialect of Irish people.
How some dialects/languages die out
when usage becomes limited.
From Ch 3. Re-read the extract when
mother leaves the children. Explore
feelings and emotions of children and
how the mother would feel at leaving
her children alone.
From Drama of yesterday, develop a
script which tells the story of what
happened the day mother left us alone.
Re-cap on scripts from yesterday
ensuring all children are confident with
layout and features of script writing.
Text Level Objectives:
Sentence level Objectives:
Word Level Objectives:
Word/Sentence
Guided
Shared Work
Reading/Writing
From reading chapter
3 discuss road works
– Why is John still
away?
Lang – portrays
character. Irish words
A stor - darling
A ghile - beloved
Refer back to
children’s work on
Mon – what were
their ideas of
emotions felt.
Features of a script:
layout, stage
directions in brackets,
no description only
dialogue
Independent Activity Plenary Assessment
(Speaking and Listening opps.)
Discuss being alone – left on your
own – feelings? Thoughts and
fears. Complete ‘Alone’ sheet as
result of discussions.
Discuss/brainstorm alternative
terms of endearment. Parents
from diff areas may have dif
words. Record personal terms
onto ‘Wall of Endearment’.
Drama – Saying Goodbye.
3 Freeze-frame images of family.
Before, during and after the
mother has gone. Each has to say
line to sum up feelings each time.
Children in the same groups as
yesterday - develop script which
tells what happened in the house.
A more able group could write a
monologue of mother’s feelings.
Continue to draft and write up
scripts as finished piece. Scripts/
monologues interwoven to give 2
fold drama, ch/mothers views.
Talk through
ideas. Emphasis
on why?
Personal
opinions.
Children to read
out their
examples.
Discuss any not
heard before.
Watching the
scenes played
out in 3 images
running on from
each other.
Children to read
out scripts
taking parts –
more able to
read monologue
Read out as 2
fold drama
giving diff view
of same situatio
Are children
aware of
conventions of
scripts. Can they
write using them
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
David Jessop – Birkdale Primary School – Ireland in Schools Project 2003

Literacy Hour Weekly Plan
Class: Y5/6 Autumn Term. 1st half Week Beginning: 20 th October
Range: Novels by established authors
WEEK 3 Under the Hawthorn Tree
By Marita Conlon-McKenna
Text Level
Shared Work
Mon Read Ch 4 & 5.
Discuss children’s options – stay at
home or go on a journey.
Discuss pros and cons of each
Tues Shared Writing
Persuasive writing – model a piece to
persuade that your ideas are the right
course of action. (Follows yesterday.)
Wed
Thur
Fri
Chapter 5 – The Workhouse.
Brainstorm all info about workhouse
and read any other historically based
info about Victorian workhouses.
Shared writing – Sue Palmer Big
Books
Model how to use ideas from yesterday
to structure a balanced argument
Re-read their wishes section – as she
leaves the children
-List her wishes for her children
Text Level Objectives:
Sentence level Objectives:
Word Level Objectives:
Word/Sentence
Guided
Shared Work
Reading/Writing
Children split into groups for discussion. What would you
have done in their situation? Stay at home? Workhouse?
Journey? When each group have decided (all must agree),
Powerful words:
Superlatives
synonyms
Connectives:
What are they, how
are they used. Give
examples from the
text.
How to use
connectives correctly
in a piece of writing
list all reasons for that course of action…all benefits.
Using wr. frame plan & write
Guided Reading their argument from yesterday as
Class groups a piece of persuasive writing,
using prompts to support their
work.
Guided Reading
Class Groups
Guided Reading
Class Groups
Independent Activity Plenary Assessment
Planning a piece of writing
Good – brainstorm as many good
points for going into workhouse
Bad – offer bad points for
w’house. Decide upon one point
of view or another.
Using plan from yesterday, and
with aid from writing frame
( Sue Palmer ) children to develop
their balanced argument piece of
writing.* Complete for homework
Option 1 If book has been finished by this point – Ask
children to plan and write an alternative ending to the story
from the “Dogs attack” point onwards.
* Option 2 continue with balanced argument.
One
spokesperson
from each grp to
feedback ideas.
Ch to read their
pieces. Do you
think ch in story
made correct
decision?
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
David Jessop – Birkdale Primary School – Ireland in Schools Project 2003