Dossier of Discovery: La Tomatina - Spain's Sloppiest Celebration

Learning intention:

I am learning to evaluate texts with similar content and theme so that I can understand that choices in grammar, punctuation and vocabulary contribute to the effectiveness of texts.

Success criteria:

• I can read two similar texts and make quick sketches based on the key pieces of information presented in each text.
• I can make clear statements identifying how texts can be expanded and sharpened through careful word choice.
• I can determine how using synonyms in text creates cohesion and reduces repetition
• I can apply what I have learnt from the mentor text analysis and apply it to my own writing in order to improve my compositions.

Essential knowledge:

Ensure all children have a shared understanding of the following grammatical terms or conduct explicit lessons in the features and correct identification of the following:

	NSW English Syllabus Glossary
idiom	An expression peculiar to a language, that cannot be taken literally, for example 'I've got a frog in my throat'.
verb	A verb states what is happening in the sentence.
adverb	A word class that modifies. In English, many adverbs have an -ly ending.
adverbial phrase	A group of words that provide information about where, when, what, how far, how long, with whom and about what.
adverbial clause	A dependent clause that modifies a verb, adjective or another adverb. It includes information about time,  place, condition, reason and purpose
adjective	A word that describes a noun to add extra meaning
adjectival clause	A dependent clause that operates as an adjective to give more information to a noun or a pronoun.
adjectival phrase	A group of words (with a preposition) that gives more information about a noun.

Comprehending text:

Provide students with access to the simplified text of Dossier of Discovery: La Tomatina- Spain’s messy celebration.  Give opportunity to read text as a whole class or with thinking partners.

 

Dossier of Discovery: La Tomatina – Spain’s messy celebration. ( Simplified text)

For more than 50 years now, people in the town of Buñol, in Spain, have come together in the Plaza del Pueblo for the world’s largest food fight. In the days prior to the food fight, extra from the tomato harvest is collected from surrounding areas. Then, on the morning of the food fight, lots of tomatoes are transported along Buñol’s streets into the town square.

La Tomatina begins at 11:00 am with the fireworks, and that’s when people start. Over 160 000 tomatoes and 22 000 people partake in this giant food fight, which usually lasts one hour. After the fight, participants make-up with each other and then head down to the town’s riverbank, where public showers are set up.

The tomato fight is the culmination of week-long festivities, during which music, dance and food are featured. And while the food fight is conducted in the spirit of good, clean fun some rules do apply. Tomatoes must be softened before throwing to ensure that no one gets hurt, and all throwing must stop at noon at the sound of the second blast.

 

Canvas the classroom for initial responses to this text.

Allow time for children to sketch a visual interpretation of this text quickly and highlight the key pieces of information.

Provide students with the published text Dossier of Discovery: La Tomatina- Spain’s Sloppiest Celebration from The School Magazine either print or digital.

 

Dossier of Discovery: La Tomatina – Spain’s Sloppiest Celebration

For more than half a century now, people in the town of Buñol, in Spain, have gathered in the Plaza del Pueblo on the last Wednesday of August for the world’s largest food fight. In the days prior to the squishy skirmish, surplus from the tomato harvest is collected from surrounding areas. Then, on the morning of the squabble, truckloads of squashed tomatoes rumble along Buñol’s narrow cobblestoned streets into the town square.

La Tomatina begins at 11:00 am with the burst of a firework, and that’s when people start taking aim. Upwards of 160 000 tomatoes and 22 000 residents and tourists partake in this giant fracas, which usually lasts one hour. After the fight, participants make-up with their former foes and then head down to the town’s riverbank, where makeshift public showers are set up.

The tomato warfare is the culmination of week-long festivities, during which music, dance and savoury outdoor barbecues are featured. And while the food feud is conducted in the spirit of good, clean fun—sort of—some rules do apply. Tomatoes must be squashed before becoming pulpy torpedoes to ensure that no one gets hurt, and all slugging must stop at noon at the sound of the second firework burst.

 

Again, canvas students for their initial response to this second text.

Allow time for children to sketch a visual interpretation of this text quickly, highlighting the key pieces of information.

Ask students to confer with their thinking partner using the following questions to guide their conversation and their sketches:

• Which of your quick sketches has more detail? Why?
• Which of the two texts is most successful at engaging the reader? Why do you feel this way? (Use evidence from the text)
• Examine both texts and sketches side by side to explore the specific word choice that enables one text to be more engaging than the other.

Allow time for pairs of students to share their initial investigation of the text. Elaborating on responses that highlight that it is the choice of vocabulary, and careful choice of verbs, elaborated tenses, and a range of adverb and adjectival groups/phrases that make one text more interesting to read.

Tell students that we will focus on the text elements that make the published version of La Tomatina more engaging and therefore more successful so that they can understand texts and incorporate these types of features into their own writing.

Vocabulary:

Provide students with a digital or hard copy of a Frayer diagram. Record the word “fight” in the middle of the diagram.

• Explore the definition of the word “fight”.
• Find the multiple synonyms for fight, used in the text.
• Elicit a summative response from children that using synonyms relating to the word “fight” reduces repetition, adds to the fun and festive feeling of the piece, and assists with cohesion throughout the text.

Bring student’s attention to the word-level features between the two texts:

State to children: “While the text’s theme is the same, one has choices in grammar, punctuation, and vocabulary that contribute to the effectiveness of the text”. Let’s closely compare where the texts differ at a word level and identify how these add to the overall effectiveness of the text.”

N.B: This lesson can be conducted as a whole class explicit lesson or guided and independent instruction depending on the student’s capability.

La Tomatina (simplified text)	La Tomatina(Published text)	Type of grammatical feature
50 years now	Half a century now	adverbial clause
Come together	Have gathered	adverbial phrase
No replacement	On the last Wednesday of August	adverbial clause
Food fight	Squishy skirmish	adjectival phrase
extra	surplus	adjective
Food fight	squabble	noun
lots	Truckloads of squashed tomatoes	adjectival phrase
are transported	rumble along	adjectival phrase
no replacement	narrow cobblestoned streets	adjectival phrase
over	upwards	adverb
people	residents and tourists	noun group
Food fight	giant fracas	adjectival phrase
each other	their former foes	adjectival clause
No replacement	taking aim	idiom
No replacement	burst	verb
No replacement	makeshift	adjective
fight	warfare	noun
food	savoury outdoor barbecues	adjectival clause
softened	squashed	adjective
throwing	pulpy torpedoes	adjectival phrase
throwing	slugging	verb
second blast	firework burst	adverbial phrase

Collectively review a piece of writing previously constructed as a whole class. Identify improvements that could be made to the text to make it more engaging through inclusions such as those used by the author of La Tomatina.

 

Allow time for children to review one of their most recent pieces of writing and identify at least 5-word level structures that could be improved, based on the examples of La Tomatina.