Great Year 5 English Literacy Christmas Planning Alternative Christmas

This is some great planning for Christmas for Year 5 Literacy.

I found the kids loved it.

Advantages for you: kids are interested, it’s non religious so can be shown to everyone, you can watch the lovely short movie umpteen times so takes the strain off you.

It’s based on a great little movie, voiced by the late great John Hurt.

It will fill up the last two to three weeks nicely.

Plus there’s non literacy planning for free.

Some example planning :

To analyse and create a character and setting description for 23 Degrees 5 Minutes North.
I can express verbally what a character may be feeling, thinking or doing
I can explain why I think a character may feel, think or do something
I can describe a setting using figurative language

Starter 5 mins
Pen portrait of key characters in 23 Degrees 5 Minutes North: Children mind map/annotate information about the key characters that they know so far around an image of The Adventurer and Professor Erit. They add information about the internal feelings, thoughts and emotions within and the external information such as physical description, or known facts

Activity 1 5-10 mins
Use key questions and discussion in groups to think about answers to questions such as: Why am I here? Will I be able to find Professor Erit? Emphasise the importance of chn giving evidence to support their opinion when they give a response to these questions.

Activity 10 mins
Return to image of the Adventurer and Professor Erit. Using a different coloured pencil, chn should add information about these characters

Main 20 mins
Give chn an image of the setting and ask them to mind-map descriptive words, phrases or sentences they could use to describe the narrative setting.
Model using the different kinds of sentence-types to record a setting description, using the vocabulary recorder in the mind-map. Chn use sentences to build suspense if they can.

Plenary 5 – 10 mins
Chn share their comments about the Adventurer and Professor Erit with the class.
Chn to explain what they have now learnt about each character - using their skills of inference. Share best sentences to describe setting.
Take a moment to add any extra information after the class discussion to their own work, using another coloured pencil.