Year 4 English Newspaper Writing Unit

This English unit is designed for year 4. The unit requires at least one copy of the book ‘Thieves of Ostia’ by Caroline Lawrence. The aim is for the children to write two newspaper articles based on the text. The unit allows the children the opportunity to become more familiar with newspaper reports and their composition. It also gives the children the chance to role-play newspaper reporters and eye-witnesses. It also develops the following skills and knowledge from the National Curriculum:

Writing (composition):

Plan their writing by:
i.Discussing writing similar to that which they are planning to write in order to understand and learn from its structure, vocabulary and grammar
ii. Discussing and recording ideas

Draft and write by:
i. Organising paragraphs around a theme
ii. In non-narrative material, using simple organisational devices

Evaluate and edit writing by:
i. Assessing the effectiveness of their own and others’ writing and suggesting improvements
ii. Proposing changes to grammar and vocabulary to improve consistency, including the accurate use of pronouns in sentences

Writing (Vocabulary, grammar, punctuation)
i. Extending the range of sentences with more than one clause by using a wider range of conjunctions, including when, if, because, although
ii. Using and punctuating direct speech

This is a 2/3 week unit which includes 9 separate lessons/activities. However, some of these lessons will often need more than a single lesson to complete (particularly the writing and planning sections).

Within this unit plan there are hyperlinks to other resources associated with the plan.