‘Way Home’ Scheme of Work

Text: Way Home (Libby Hathorn/Gregory Rogers)

Objectives:
Reading: Articulate personal responses to literature; develop inferential understanding; use evidence to support responses; explain the effect
of the ‘author’s craft’
Writing: Write in the voice and style of a text; plan quickly and effectively plot, characters and structure

Focus Reading Writing

• Understanding of • Share book cover: name and define key features • Create own book cover with the same features
presentational/textual
features • Read using Comprehension Strategies up to
dog’s appearance (…high in the night sky)

• Explaining the author’s • Identify type of language used – why has informal • Collect examples of informal language and rewrite
choice of language, language been used? What is the effect? into formal – what is the effect of changing the
sentence type and language? Use Standard English sheet to
choice of tense • What types of sentences are used and what is the reinforce
• Experiment with how effect? • Rewrite a small part into past tense - evaluate
choices of language, • Identify tense – why is this tense used and what is effect
tense and sentence type the effect?
create different effects • Complete story, using understanding of, and
• Talk partners: make predictions based on reference to, the text:
evidence so far and the significance of the title o What type of language should be used?
o What happens to Shane? o What sentence types should be used?
o What happens to the kitten? o What tense should be used?
(This activity could be done as a story board)

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• Theme • Complete the story and discuss with reference to • Write a summary of the story, emphasising the
Comprehension Strategies theme/s
• Retrieval of detail from • Setting Detective – scan text for any clues about
across the text the setting and record

• Explain effect of • Share examples of metaphors from the text –

author’s choice of explain effect and make up own to describe a • Imagination Exercise: imagine the city in the
language and scene from the text text. Imagine sights, sounds, smells etc
presentational features • Onomatopoeia – find examples • Write a description of the city. The description
• Make imaginative, • Discuss layout of text/presentation i.e. ripped should emphasise sounds, sights, smells, tastes,
precise vocabulary paper touch and include
choices when describing metaphors/similes/onomatopoeia
• How could the description be presented? (This
should reflect the content)
• Sequence details from • Replace words with synonyms and explore the
across the text • Map Shane’s journey using Story Cards and Map effect
OR sequence the journey using prepared
Sequencing Cards

Focus Reading Writing

• Inference of character • What does a characters speech tell us about them? • Write a speech bubble in role as a character
(supported by textual Improvise speech patterns for other character • Write a dialogue between two different characters
references) types e.g. a hero, magician, scientist (characters with contrasting speech patterns
• Explore techniques for could be people Shane might meet, e.g. a • Write a short script
developing characters in businessperson, a hot-dog seller etc)
own writing • Improvise scenes in which the two characters meet • Write the speech and verbs/adverbs as a cartoon
• Retrieve details from • Pick out speech from the text and perform;
across the text suggest verbs/adverbs indicating emotion (record
• Inference of character as Speech Bubbles)
• Recreate scenes from the text - touch and tell to
find out how the characters are feeling. Add
Thought and Speech Bubbles • Write an interview with Shane for a
• Create scenes not illustrated in the text e.g. when newspaper/magazine article (Big Issue)
the dog appears, how does Shane look?
• Hotseat characters from the text • Character Profile of Shane – select from a list of
characteristics and mark out of ten, providing
evidence
•
Complete an Emotion Graph, showing Shane’s • Write a diary entry for the day in role as Shane
feelings at key moments in the text
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• Use textual evidence to • (Talk partners) Share personal opinion about the • Make a book poster or write a Review using ideas
explain an opinion text, providing evidence to support views. generated in discussion
• Infer author’s view point Comment on style and content
(precise phrase as • Sentence frames
evidence) o I liked/disliked Shane because…
o I enjoyed/did not enjoy the story
because…
o I think the story was about…because…
o I would/would not recommend this book
because…
• Character Vocabulary Choices – what is the
author’s message? Choose from list and justify • Write an additional scene for the story describing
with supporting phrases from the text events before, during or after those included in the
• Probability statements – what might happen to text
Shane?
• Use understanding of • Way Home – brainstorm other story ideas with this • Writing session, emphasising ‘author’s craft’ and
ideas from reading to title use of planning to organise and develop ideas
write for different • (Talk Partners) Brainstorm ideas: who (soldier,
purposes explorer, astronaut) when (WWII, 19th century,
• Use vocabulary, future) where and why
sentence structure and • What obstacles do they encounter on the way • Examine examples of the chosen form:
language effects home? o Scan and record typical vocabulary and
identified in reading • How do they eventually arrive home safely? language features
• Other forms of writing could be: • Label the example/s with subheadings and use to
• Script; instructions for keeping a cat; report on a create a writing frame
pet; report on a city or homelessness; a poem

Resources available

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