Nana's Story
, illustrated by Noela Young
Learning Intention:
I am learning to develop ideas using visual features so that I can structure and sequence a persuasive text.
Success Criteria:
- I can compose a visual outline for a persuasive text.
- I can group related information into sequential paragraphs.
- I can consider logos and ethos when writing a persuasive text.
Essential knowledge:
More information about Grandparents Day can be found on the NSW Government’s webpage Grandparents Day.
Activities and useful books can be found on the NSW Government’s webpage Grandparents Day Resources.
More information about text structures can be found in The School Magazine’s video on Code and Conventions.
Oral language and communication
Ask the class to consider their relationship with their grandparents. Remind them that everyone will have a different response, and that some students:
- Will have four grandparents
- Will have step-grandparents
- Will have experienced the loss of one or more grandparent
- Will have a loving relationship with one or more grandparent
- Will have a complicated relationship with one or more grandparent
- Will have grandparents living with them
- Will have grandparents living interstate or overseas
- Will have a situation not listed above
Ask willing students to share an experience or their thoughts on their relationship with their grandparents. Invite students to share more answers with their partners if they are willing.
Ask students the following questions:
- Do you know the names of your grandparents?
- Do you know what your grandparents’ jobs were?
- Have you ever seen pictures of your grandparents when they were children?
- Do you know anything about your grandparents’ parents and siblings?
For those who still have a connection with their grandparents, encourage them to ask these questions next time they meet if they don’t know the answers.
Understanding text:
Read the poem Nana’s Story or listen to the audio recording if you have digital subscription. Display the following questions:
- Who do you think Nana used to be?
- What do you think Nana might have laughed about?
- What surprises do you think Nana and her grandchild have shared?
- What do you think Nana worried about?
- What kind of life do you think Nana used to live as a young adult?
- What kind of mother do you think Nana was?
- What kind of grandparent do you think you’ll be?
In small groups, students can discuss these questions one at a time. Afterwards, they can share their group answers with the class.
Creating text:
Explain that there’s a special day called Grandparents Day, celebrated in October. Pose the following question to the class: Why is it important to celebrate Grandparents Day?
In their workbooks, students write at least five reasons for the importance of celebrating Grandparents Day. Students can refer back to the poem and their previous discussions in the lesson for pathos responses, as well as look at additional personal stories on the NSW Government webpages on Grandparents Day stories (scroll down to find more links to stories on the right-hand side). For logos responses, encourage students to think about how celebrating Grandparents Day might benefit individuals, the school community, the wider community and the state.
Explain that students will be writing a persuasive text to call for all schools in Australia to celebrate Grandparents Day. Have them first draw a concept map in their books (page 7 of the concept map slide is the best example) with their five reasons for the importance of celebrating Grandparents Day being the subheadings. Students can then branch out from the subheadings with three supporting arguments for each subheading.
For example:
Subheading – Grandparents are people with rich histories and stories to pass on.
Supporting point one – Grandparents have lived through historical events and can recall personal experiences to help enrich our knowledge.
Supporting point two – Our grandparents raised our parents, so asking them about our parents’ childhoods might give us more insight into our present lives.
Supporting point three – If we were grandparents, wouldn’t we want to pass on our stories, so they were never lost?
For more capable students, invite them to present an opposing point of view in their concept map, with rebuttals as the supporting points, to show they have considered both points of view. For example, an opposing point may be that some students don’t have grandparents, or have complicated relationships with their grandparents, and don’t want to celebrate Grandparents Day. Their rebuttals may include that those with loving relationships with their grandparents shouldn’t miss out and a suggestion that the school could reach out to the local old-aged community to invite lonely residents to be surrogate grandparents for the day.
When the concept map is complete, students choose their three strongest subheadings and draft a persuasive text using each point as a paragraph. They should also include an introductory and concluding paragraph.
Assessment for/as learning:
A rubric can be found on The School Magazine’s webpage Stage 3 Comprehending and Creating Persuasive Texts using Ethos, Pathos and Logos to assess and evaluate. This can be used to guide students with their writing and/or as a marking guide.