My Pet Moon
, illustrated by Cheryl Orsini
Note: Students will require an A4 paper folded into thirds to use as a pamphlet. This can either be done before or during the lesson, depending on your class’s capabilities.
Note: For a closer look at information writing and paragraphs, see the learning resource for Marking Your Mark in this issue of Countdown.
Learning Intention:
I am learning to identify the features of informative writing so that I can design a pamphlet.
Success Criteria:
- I can identify the features of a procedural text
- I can identify the features of descriptive writing
- I can compose an information text using the features of a procedure and description.
Essential knowledge:
For more understanding about text types, view The School Magazine’s video on Genre.
For more understanding about structural features of texts, view The School Magazine’s video on Code and Convention.
Oral language and communication:
Survey students to find out who has a pet. Create a chart on the board to identify the different ways to look after different pets.
For example:
| Dog | Cat | Fish |
| Take it for walks every day
- Feed it every day - Provide it with water - Brush its fur - Clip its nails - Take it to the vet |
Provide it with food and water
- Take it to the vet - Provide it with toys
|
Clean out its tank regularly
- Feed it - Provide it with interesting objects in its tank - Maintain the correct water temperature
|
Understanding text:
Read through My Pet Moon as a class, or, if you have a digital subscription, listen to the audio recording. Ask what students think the poem is about. Allow them to use the illustration to help with meaning. Students should understand that the poem is playing with the idea that the moon has followed the narrator home, much like a stray animal would, and the narrator has decided to keep the moon as a pet.
Return to the chart where students identified how to take care of various pets. Add another column and ask students to come up with some ways to look after a pet moon. Write their ideas down.
Creating text:
Explain that students will be creating a pamphlet that contains both instructions and information to help new pet moon owners. Encourage them to use the poem My Pet Moon as a starting point for their ideas. Hand out the pre-made pamphlets or have students fold an A4 page into thirds.
Information
For one of the pages of their pamphlet, students will be writing a descriptive text on pet moons. Explain that descriptive texts include sensory details, such as smells, tastes, feels, sounds and sights. Encourage students to start with a thesis statement that includes a point of view. For example: “Moons are fun, clean and easy pets as long as you know what to expect.” Illustrations are encouraged.
For an extended example of a descriptive text, display the Kids Britannica page on Dogs.
Instructions
Students should also include a set of instructions for a task that is needed to look after a moon. This could be something like grooming its moonbeams, playing a specific moon-based game or taking it for a walk.
Ensure students know the features of a procedural text. They will need to include a list of materials at the beginning and a set of steps for completing the task. A diagram or illustration at the end is also encouraged.
For an example of procedural steps, see part one of the WikiHow article How to Walk a Dog.
For any blank pages remaining on the pamphlet, encourage students to design phrases and slogans to encourage people to buy a pet moon. Examples include:
Pet moons are the best!
Don’t delay – grab yourself a pet moon today!
Assessment for/as learning:
Students swap their pamphlets with a peer, who can use the following checklist for feedback:
- Pamphlet includes a description of a pet moon
- Descriptions use the senses to describe a pet moon
- Pamphlet includes at least one illustration of a pet moon
- Pamphlet includes a set of instructions
- Instructions begin with a list of materials
- Instructions include numbered steps
- Instructions are clear and easy to follow
- Instructions include an illustration or diagram
- Other pages on the pamphlet have slogans or phrases to persuade people to buy a pet moon