Academic Writing Unit Unit: The versatile verb Duration: 8 lessons About the unit: The purpose of this unit is to support the creation of a more academic style of writing from students.
Prior Learning
In order to complete this unit successfully, pupils should be Some pupils will not have progressed so far and will: able to draw on their experience of: Be able to identify verbs in sentences within a sentence - Parts of speech based on the tense - Tenses Be able to use the simple present tense - What a sentence is Be able to use some verbs for analytical writing - Writing for different audiences Be able to nominalise some verbs - Analysing texts Be able to use modal verbs in writing to show certainty or uncertainty
Expectations
Some pupils will have progressed further and will: Most pupils will: Be able to use a range of verb forms with precision Be able to change the verb within a sentence based on the Be able to use the historical present tense consistently tense Be able to use a range of verbs for analytical writing Be able to use the historical present tense Be able to nominalise verbs in order to write about abstract Be able to use verbs for analytical writing concepts Be able to nominalise verbs by turning them to nouns Be able to use modal verbs to explore multiple Be able to use modal verbs in analytical writing interpretations
1 Academic Writing Unit Unit: The versatile verb Duration: 8 lessons
OUTCOMES:
Assessment 1 – Peer assessed writing about a text in the historical present tense (where appropriate), using verbs for analysis, nominalisations, and modal verbs and modifiers
Assessment Criteria
AF6 – write with technical accuracy of syntax and punctuation in phrases, clauses and sentences
AF7 – select appropriate and effective vocabulary
2 Academic Writing Unit Unit: The versatile verb Duration: 8 lessons
Glossary
Verb the most important word in a sentence which expresses an action, event or state of being along with when such events have taken place
Tense the location of a situation in time, an indication of when the situation takes place
Conjugate the modification of a verb from its most basic form
Subject the SUBJECT of the SENTENCE is the person or thing that the information is about
Object the OBJECT is the person or thing that is affected by the SUBJECT
3 Academic Writing Unit Unit: The versatile verb Duration: 8 lessons
Simple past tense is formed for most regular verbs by adding ‘d’ or ‘ed’ to the root verb
Perfect past tense is formed by combining the simple past tense form of the verb ‘to have’ with the past tense form of the root verb
Simple present tense is formed through the use of the root verb alone unless referring to the third person singular noun (he, she, it) in which case the suffix ‘s’ or ‘es’ is added
Historical present tense is used when talking about history, literary or media texts in the present tense
Nominalisation turning a verb into a noun
Modal verbs a verb that combines with another verb to indicate mood or tense
Lesson 1 – Verbs and tenses (Knowing your tenses)
Starter
Show students the two examples of tense confusion on Slide 2. Students discuss where and why the speakers are getting the tenses wrong. Can students put the verbs ‘leave’ and ‘leaves’ into legitimate sentences on the same topic?
Introduction
4 Academic Writing Unit Unit: The versatile verb Duration: 8 lessons Improve your writing exercises: Follow the link on Slide 3 to the ‘Verb inconsistencies exercise’ (or you may find your own).Students could do this on laptops in pairs / groups, or as a class discussion. Notice sentences in which verb tenses are inconsistent and try to amend
Development Individually, students write a general account their morning routine in the present tense.“I wake up at 7 o’clock, but I don’t get out of bed for an hour. I see if the bathroom is free…” *Do not give students any more support than the info. on Slide 4. The aim of this exercise is for students to notice their mistakes. Sticking to the simple present tense is difficult.* In pairs or as a class, identify the verbs that are out of place on Slide 5. Teacher to highlight. Can students amend with correct present tense verbs? Students to note different tenses in re-drafted version of the opening. See Slide 6.
Plenary
Slide 7: Can students change past tense verbs to present tense in amended book blurb?
Lesson 2 – The historical present tense
Starter
Slide 1: As students are noting objective ask them if they know / can guess what the historical present tense is. The picture is a clue. Students to look at the ‘Season of Secrets’ book blurb from Lesson 1 on Slide 2. Discuss why blurbs are written in the present tense.
Introduction
In pairs, students to identify where Charles Dickens uses the present tense (Slide 3) and discuss the effect it has. Feedback. Discuss the rules of the historic present tense. Students could try using it by writing sentences about a text they know.
Development
5 Academic Writing Unit Unit: The versatile verb Duration: 8 lessons Hand out Slide 5. In groups, students to infer and deduce details of the story and annotate their text. Slide 6: Analysing the ending of the story, but referring to their knowledge of the beginning. Students to a discuss questions in pairs and answer in books, using the features of the historic present tense.
Plenary
Read another pair’s answers. Have they used the historical present correctly?
Lesson 3 - (Great) Verbs for analytical writing
Starter
Handout a copy of Slide 9 to each student. They will do an ‘audit’ of analytical verbs they use. Highlight ones they do, underline ones they recognise. Discussion of use of these verbs on Slides 2 & 3.
Introduction
Slide 4 & 5: Pairs / groups / class choose appropriate verbs. Does more than one active verb make sense in each of the examples? Can students use plural verb forms and can they turn verbs into nouns? Slides 6 & 7: As above.
Development
Students to create sentences(referring to a text or not) using the verbs they are confident using. In groups, compare variety of sentences and verb uses.
Plenary:
6 Academic Writing Unit Unit: The versatile verb Duration: 8 lessons Hear examples from class. What do they mean?
Lesson 4 – Nominalisation (Turning Verbs into nouns)
Starter
In pairs, students to discuss speech on Slide 2 and decide which is more formal. As well as noticing the absence of the pronoun ‘we’ in the second e.g., students should be made aware of the fact that the verb ‘walked’ has been changed into a noun.
Introduction
Discuss the process of nominalisation on Slide 3. Can students give examples? Pairs / class: Complete nominalisation exercise on Slide 4. Pairs / class: Complete nominalisation exercise on Slide 5. Discuss the nominalisation in formal essay writing on Slide 6. Can students give examples?
Development
Slide 7: Students to use 3 or 4 active verbs and create sentences with them. On Slide 8, teacher to model how these sentences can be changed so the verb is the head of the noun phrase. Now do ‘denote / connote’ or similar activity with Dali painting on Slide 9. Encourage students to verbs like ‘suggests’, ‘symbolises’ and ‘represents’ Write up findings using analytical verbs (Slide 11)
Plenary
Slide 12: Which analytical sentences can you nominalise to give your writing more variety and authority?
Lesson 5 – Modal verbs and modifiers (Certain or uncertain?)
7 Academic Writing Unit Unit: The versatile verb Duration: 8 lessons
Starter
In pairs or groups, students to look at an example of abstract art or an ambiguous picture etc.) like the e.g. on Slide 1 (Encourage them to use modal verbs (Slide 2) As a class, students to recognise that there are negative forms of these modal verbs. Record on Slide 3. Show Slide 4 and model how modals can be modified by adverbs like ‘probably’, ‘possibly’ and definitely’ ‘perhaps’ and ‘certainly’.
Introduction
Slide 5: In pairs students predict what’s going to happen to each other this week. Encourage them to use modal verbs and modifiers. Record good examples on IWB. In groups, complete the statements on Slide 6 and discuss. Again, notice use of modal verbs and modifiers.
Development
Group or pairs look at the first line of a poem by Emily Dickinson on Slide 8. Using modal verbs and noticing figurative language, discuss possible meanings. Students decide on 3 ideas or interpretations then write up their ideas in a mini paragraph using modal verbs, adverbs and active verbs for analysing. Remind students to use the historical present!
Plenary
Swap pieces and identify modal verbs, adverbs and active verbs for analysing. Hear examples.
Lesson 6 – Analysing a poem – Strange Fruit
Starter
8 Academic Writing Unit Unit: The versatile verb Duration: 8 lessons
In pairs students to brainstorm what they’ve been working on during this unit to complete their Learning Objective (Slide 1). Ask students what they think the image behind the text box is. Show students actual image on Slide 2 if you wish. Show contextual info. on Slide 3 and get students to write 3 bullet points in the past tense about the history / context of the song / poem. Introduction
Slide 4: Show verbs for analysing images. Students (class, group or paired) to annotate images (Slides 5, 6, 7) using active verbs for analysis.
Development
Play Billie Holliday’s Strange Fruit as students read handout of the poem (Slides 8 & 9). Class / group / paired: Analysis of aspects of language in Strange Fruit and whole class feedback and annotation (Slides 10, 11, 12). Share mini-essay question.
Plenary
Model planning of mini-essay while students plan their own. Share plans.
Lesson 7 – Write mini-essay. 45 mins.
*Encourage students to refer to the work they have done during this unit and to use the skills they have developed.*
Lesson 8 – Peer Assessment
Starter
Students swap work with a partner. Discuss APP AFs (Slide 1) and why they are important in academic writing.
9 Academic Writing Unit Unit: The versatile verb Duration: 8 lessons Introduction
Use Slides 2-7 and worksheets and forms available for this lesson so students can peer assess each other’s writing. Students to identify where their partner has used the skills addressed during this unit and comment on whether they have used accurate tenses, verbs and nouns for analysis, modal verbs and modifiers.
Development
Use Slide 9 and self and peer assessment forms so students can comment on their work and their partner’s.
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