Narrative Focus:

Short narratives

Key Text/Stimulus:

Kensuke's Kingdom

Narrative Writing Outcomes:

Short Narrative (with Dialogue to Advance the Action)

Overview: Michael has just discovered he is not alone on the island. This moment is tense, uncertain, and potentially dangerous.

Writing Task: Write a short narrative describing Michael’s first proper interaction with Kensuke. Use dialogue to move the story forward as the two begin to understand each other.

Writing Focus: Use dialogue to reveal character and advance the plot, not just for conversation. Include action beats alongside speech (e.g. gestures, reactions). Show misunderstanding and gradual trust-building. Punctuate speech accurately.

Descriptive Narrative (Focus on Setting, Character, Atmosphere)

Overview: The island is both beautiful and dangerous, and Kensuke is a mysterious presence within it.

Writing Task: Write a short narrative describing a moment where Michael explores a new part of the island and senses Kensuke watching him.

Writing Focus: Develop atmosphere (tension, mystery, isolation). Use precise description of setting and character. Include show, don’t tell techniques. Vary sentence structure for effect (short sentences for tension, longer for description)

Focus Grammar

• Revisit previous content

Hot-seating as characters

Freeze frame

Conscience alley

Non-narrative Focus:Short Non-narrative (Mixed genres)

Key Text/Stimulus:Kensuke's Kingdom

Non-narrative Writing Outcomes:

Explanation Text (with Cohesion & Parenthesis)🔗

Overview: Surviving on the island requires careful routines and knowledge of the environment.

Writing Task: Write an explanation text titled How to Survive on a Desert Island, based on what Michael learns from Kensuke.

Writing Focus: Use cohesive devices to link ideas (e.g. Firstly, In addition, As a result). Include parenthesis (brackets, dashes, commas) to add extra detail. Maintain a clear, logical structure (sections or paragraphs). Use formal, instructional tone

Formal Letter (with Modal Verbs) 🔗

Overview: Michael has been rescued and is now reflecting on his experience.

Writing Task: Write a formal letter from Michael to a wildlife protection organisation, explaining why the island (and Kensuke’s work) should be protected.

Writing Focus: Use formal language (no contractions, precise vocabulary) Include modal verbs to suggest necessity or possibility (e.g. must, should, could). Present clear, reasoned arguments. Structure appropriately (address, introduction, conclusion)

Diary Entry (Informal but Controlled Tone) 🔗

Overview: Michael is keeping a personal record of his time on the island.

Writing Task: Write a diary entry from Michael’s perspective after a significant event (e.g. the storm, illness, or a breakthrough moment with Kensuke).

Writing Focus: Use informal language appropriately (contractions, personal tone). Reflect thoughts, feelings, and reactions. Show awareness of audience (self) and purpose (reflection)Include varied sentence structures to convey emotion

Cross-curriculum support genres:

Non-chronological Report (See History)

Pathway: 2D Drawing to 3D Making 🔗

This pathway contains two choices: 1) working towards a piece of sculpture, or 2) working towards graphic design/packaging. Both options allow children to explore the idea that drawing as a 2 dimensional activity can be used to transform surfaces which can then be manipulated into a 3 dimensional object.

Disciplines:

Drawing, Sculpture, Graphic Design, Collage, Sketchbooks

Medium:

Card, Paper, Drawing materials.

Artists:

Lubaina Himid, Claire Harrup

Feedback/critique work

How can artists turn a 2D drawing into a 3D sculpture?

Artists begin with a 2D drawing to plan ideas, shapes, and structure, then use this as a guide to build a 3D form by manipulating materials such as wire, card, or clay. They translate lines and shapes into structures, considering balance, form, and how the sculpture stands and occupies space.

Structure – The way a sculpture is built and held together.

Form – The 3D shape of an object, including its height, width, and depth.

Armature – A framework used to support a sculpture while it is being made.

Context Link

As authors working for Portal Publishing, you will contribute to The Book of Wonders, helping Regina Flowerton uncover the fascinating world of the Ancient Maya. Using your own research, you will create a non-fiction, non-chronological report arranged across a series of themed pages, each answering key questions Regina has set. Your book should explore important aspects such as where the Maya lived, their society, achievements, daily life and beliefs. Write in a formal, factual tone, using subject-specific vocabulary, expanded noun phrases and clear organisational features (headings, subheadings and paragraphs) to ensure your information is accurate, engaging and easy to navigate for the reader. Present your books to Regina at an in person feedback meeting.

Cross Curricular Writing Opportunity:

Write a recount to use in your The Book of Wonders: Ancient Civilisations. Step into the role of an Ancient Maya person and write a recount in the form of a diary entry or letter, describing a day in your life. Drawing on your history learning, include details about Maya society, daily routines, beliefs, or rituals, while carefully shaping your writing for a modern audience who will read and learn from your account. Focus on balancing an authentic first-person voice with clear explanations, selecting details and vocabulary that help today’s reader understand your experiences, and using cohesion to guide the reader smoothly through your recount.

How was life in Mayan society different from life in Britain at the same time?Around AD 900, the Mayans had developed writing, mathematics, astronomy, and complex religious beliefs. Their cities were carefully planned and built from stone, with palaces, pyramids, and ball courts. In contrast, Anglo-Saxon Britain had mostly wooden buildings, no writing system of its own, and a different way of ruling and living. Comparing these societies helps us understand how cultures can develop in very different ways.

What questions can we ask about Mayan civilisation and why it changed?Historians ask why many great Mayan cities were abandoned after AD 900 and what caused these changes. Some think it was because of drought, war, or food shortages. Asking questions about change, cause and consequence helps us investigate why the past happened the way it did. It also shows that civilisations can rise and fall for many different reasons.

What does Mayan art and culture tell us about their civilisation, and how do we learn from it?The Mayans created impressive art and architecture, including temples, carved stone panels, painted pottery, and decorative masks. Masks were made from jade, wood, and stone, and were used in religious ceremonies, burials, and performances to represent gods, animals, or important people. These cultural objects help us understand Mayan beliefs, values, and daily life, especially since many of their books were destroyed by the Spanish. By studying Mayan art and artefacts, we learn about their civilisation in ways that are different from how we study British history.

Civilisation – A large, organised group of people with cities, laws, art, writing, and religion.

Temple – A special building used for religious ceremonies and worship, often built high in Mayan cities.

Artefact – An object made by people in the past, like masks or pottery, that helps us learn about their lives.

Compare – To look at two things (like the Mayans and Anglo-Saxons) and see how they are similar or different.

Change – What happens over time in history; Mayan cities changed and many were later abandoned.

How can a balanced meal be planned and prepared using a range of cooking techniques?

A balanced meal is planned by selecting ingredients from different food groups (such as carbohydrates, protein, dairy, fruit and vegetables) to ensure the body gets the nutrients it needs. It is then prepared using a range of cooking techniques (such as chopping, mixing, heating or baking), while considering flavour, texture and presentation to create an appealing and nutritious dish.

Balanced Diet – eating a variety of foods in the right proportions to stay healthy

Nutrients – substances in food that help the body grow, repair and function

Preparation – the process of getting ingredients ready before cooking (e.g. chopping, measuring)

Investigations:

Sun Bleaching (Artefact Damage):  Explore how materials change over time through observation. Place coloured layered paper or fabric in sunlight and shade, leaving them for several weeks and checking for fading or discolouration. Compare results and consider how artefacts may have changed over time and why some materials survive better than others.

Rainforest in a Jar: Explore how a rainforest sustains itself through an observation over time enquiry. Children will create a sealed environment using plants, soil, and a small amount of water, then will leave it undisturbed for several weeks, observing changes such as condensation, plant growth, and water movement. They will use this to understand how rainforests recycle water and resources, linking their observations to how real ecosystems maintain balance without external input.

Context Link

Working as researchers for Regina Flowerton’s Book of Wonders, pupils will investigate how environments change and sustain themselves over time. By creating a sealed “Rainforest in a Jar,” they will explore how rainforest ecosystems recycle water and support plant life, helping Regina understand how these rich environments thrive. Alongside this, pupils will test how sunlight causes materials to fade, linking their findings to the Ancient Maya and how artefacts may have changed over time due to exposure to the environment. Their discoveries will help explain how both natural systems and historical objects are shaped by their surroundings.

Online Safety

Lesson 5: Password protection 🔗

Learning what makes a strong password, how to manage them and what to do if someone hacks an account.