English lesson plan · 4th grade (Year 5 in England) · 45 minutes
Poem, play or prose? Spot the features
Reading Comprehension
CCSS RL.4.5England: Y3/4 Reading (poetry and play scripts)England: Y4 Reading
Objective and success criteria
Students will: Poem, play or prose? Spot the features.
- I can answer questions on today's skill on my own, without help.
- I can explain each step and say why it works.
- I can check my answer and spot a mistake.
Before and after
Needs first: What kind of text is it? Fable, myth, biography, instructions…; Poems: rhyme, rhythm and repeated lines
Leads to: the next skill in this area.
Materials: A short text or extract (one copy each), Highlighters, Question cards, Mini whiteboards, A short model text on the board, Printed student sheet (below).
Warm-up · 5 min
- Quick retrieval from earlier learning (What kind of text is it? Fable, myth, biography, instructions…; Poems: rhyme, rhythm and repeated lines). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
- Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
- Which kind of text is this? Numbered steps that tell you how to make or do something. (biography / instructions / myth / poem) → instructionsPrompt: Is it true (non-fiction) or made up (fiction)?
- Leaves are falling, red and brown, Twirling, swirling, floating down. I will catch one in my hand Before it lands upon the land. Which word rhymes with 'brown'? (down / red / leaves / falling) → downPrompt: Rhyming words have the same sound at the end: cat, hat.
- The tiny dragon sneezed, and the whole library filled with glittering purple smoke. When it cleared, every book had sprouted wings. What kind of text is this? (realistic fiction / news report / biography / fantasy) → fantasyPrompt: Is it true or made up?
Hook · 5 min
- Read the first lines of a short text aloud and ask what students predict will happen and why.
- Share the objective: Poem, play or prose? Spot the features. Read the success criteria together.
I do: model it · 10 min
- Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
- Example: The beach was turning gold as the sun went down. Captain Rosa ordered her crew to pull the boat higher up the sand. Finn, gasping, complained that it was too heavy, so they counted to three and heaved together. Is this a poem, a play or prose?
- Step 1: Poems, plays and prose are set out in different ways.
- Step 2: It is a paragraph of sentences, with the speech reported by a narrator.
- Step 3: So the answer is: prose
- Answer: prose
- Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.
We do: guided practice · 10 min
- Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
- Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.
- SCENE 2: A rocky beach at sunset. CAPTAIN ROSA: Pull the boat higher, crew! FINN: (out of breath) It's too heavy, Captain. CAPTAIN ROSA: Then we pull together. One, two, three! Is this a poem, a play or prose? (poem / play / prose) → playPrompt: Look at how it is set out on the page.
- Choose the right word. A group of lines in a poem is called a… (paragraph / verse (or stanza) / cast / scene) → verse (or stanza)Prompt: Think about what each kind of text looks like.
You do: independent practice · 10 min
- Students work on the student sheet. Circulate and check the first two answers of every student early.
- Students who finish: write a question of their own for a partner, with the answer.
The 8 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.
Exit ticket · 5 min
- Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.
- SCENE 2: A rocky beach at sunset. CAPTAIN ROSA: Pull the boat higher, crew! FINN: (out of breath) It's too heavy, Captain. CAPTAIN ROSA: Then we pull together. One, two, three! Is this a poem, a play or prose? (poem / play / prose) → playPrompt: Look at how it is set out on the page.
- Choose the right word. In a play, the words in brackets that tell actors what to do are called… (verses / chapters / stage directions / captions) → stage directionsPrompt: Think about what each kind of text looks like.
Watch out for
- Answering from memory or opinion instead of evidence in the text.
- Copying a long quote without explaining what it shows.
Support and stretch
Support
- Review first: What kind of text is it? Fable, myth, biography, instructions….
- Use concrete materials: a short text or extract (one copy each).
- Give the first step of each question, or a partly worked example to finish.
- Pair with a confident partner for the guided practice.
Stretch
- Explain a common mistake in writing and how to fix it.
- Write a word problem that uses today's skill, then solve a partner's.
Homework and more practice
Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/english/grade-4.
Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder