Year 3 Non-fiction Unit 2 – Instructions

Instructions (3–4 weeks)

This is the second in a block of three non–fiction units in Year 3. It can be readily linked to other curriculum subjects and themes. The unit has three phases, with oral or written outcomes and assessment opportunities at regular intervals.

Phase 1

Analyse varied instructional texts, revising key organisational features and identifying language conventions.

Phase 2

Children plan and orally rehearse instructional sequences. They record a process and use this to draft instructional texts.

Phase 3

The teacher demonstrates how to write an instructional text. Children revise and finalise draft texts, evaluating their effectiveness as instructional sequences.

Overview

• Read and compare examples of instructional texts. Review the common features and make critical judgements about how effective the instructions are. Analyse more complicated instructions and identify organisational devices to make them easier to follow.
• Research a particular area, for example playground games, and work in small groups to prepare a set of oral instructions. Try out with other children and evaluate effectiveness. Prepare clear written instructions, for example for a playground game, to contribute to an alphabetically ordered class text.

1998 Framework objectives covered:

Year 3, Term 2: T12, T13, T14 and T15 read and follow instructions; identify different purposes of instructional texts, evaluate usefulness and make comparisons; understand different ways to organise instructional texts; T16 write instructions using a range of organisational devices and sequencing correctly.

Year 3, Term 3: T24 make alphabetically ordered texts. Use IT to bring to a published form.