Regan Aspden Observation - Wednesday 29th June 2016

Observation - Regan Aspden (Gail Loane)
Literacy Lesson - Wednesday 29th June 2016
Previous session - Annotated writing model, chose characters to write about, brainstormed

WALT: To paint a picture (technique to zoom in)

Writing Model: Extract from Boy by Roald Dahl

- Revise success criteria - Comparisons - similes, specific nouns (hag), powerful verbs (clung), magic three - adjectives (small, skinny)
- Warm-up - Shown a model brainstorm - ideas have been refined against success criteria. What does it mean to refine against the success criteria? (wait time) - Jacob "to sculpt your writing to fit your success criteria"
- Refine ideas further before crafting - Identify the language features used in the model brainstorm.
- Link to prior learning - hyphenated adjectives
- Split into groups - task delivered to groups and time period specified (I will check in with you in 15 minutes)
HA Group - 8A - independent sheet
MA Group - in class - 10 ideas about your character

Target Group:
- Bring group down to the carpet (horseshoe seating arrangement - helping circle)
- WALT displayed
- Have chosen a character to base their writing on. ELL writing about themselves.
- Come up with a simile - time period of 5 minutes given - conferences with individuals during this time. Encourages to look back at prior ideas and improve on these.
- Extension given for those who had completed the task - "If you have completed one simile try making another for something/someone else"
- Share back to the group - "explain your simile, can anyone else explain Nate's simile?"
- Peers give feedback and help each other to craft ideas - not directed to do this but must have been scaffolded to do this in prior lessons.
- Check in with each peer - questions to gain further understanding
- Come up with 3 adjectives describing a feature - gives example 'black, grey and silver'

Next session write first paragraph. Refer back to the writing model - look at structure (take four parts of the body to describe)

Relationships
- Placement in the classroom
- Learning conversation
- Being involved with learners
- Authority figure - expectations known

Goals:
- Breaking down planning stage
- Developing a clear success criteria
- Scaffolding and facilitating lower group to be more independent and helping each other

Post discussion with Gail:
- Importance of structure and organisation for the criteria. Looking at the sentence level.
- Criteria for a certain moment of learning or lesson.
- Getting inside the sentences - some students will not be able to deal with the abstract.
- Make sure learning is always within context.
- Importance of the five expressive arts.