Will Wonders Never Cease? Chocolate Surprise

Learning intention

I am learning to identify adverbial phrases and to experiment with using them.

Success criteria

I can:

• identify adverbial phrases
• analyse their purpose
• experiment with constructing adverbial phrases
• examine the functions of adverbial phrases

Essential knowledge

View the following definition of adverbial phrases from the English K-10 Glossaryungroup from the Department of Education: 

• A group of words that provides information about where, when, with what, how far, how long, with whom, about what or as what.

Examples include:

• He swept the floor with an old broom.
• Throughout time people have attempted to halt old age.

Introduction

Display the following version of the beginning of the article, Will Wonders Never Cease? Chocolate Surprise, with the adverbial phrases removed:

Who loves chocolate? 

Can you guess why the Black Sapote is also known as Chocolate Pudding Fruit? Black Sapote mimics chocolate pudding! In Mexico, the fruit is often mixed with other ingredients. There are many recipes that take advantage of the fruit’s chocolatey goodness. This way, you can get your chocolate fix!

Read the extract with students. Emphasise that the information is quite limited. Discuss questions students may have about Black Sapote. Note the questions students suggest on the board. Sample questions include:

• In what ways does Black Sapote mimic chocolate pudding?
• What other ingredients is it often mixed with?
• Why is it mixed with other ingredients?
• What can you add it to?
• How can you get your chocolate fix?

Explain that readers expect to find answers to their common questions when they read an article. Inform students that you will now read the original version of the article. Read Will Wonders Never Cease? Chocolate Surprise or listen to the audio version.

Teacher modelling – 10 minutes

Re-read the first section of the article, under the sub-heading ‘Who loves Chocolate?’ to students. Refer back to the students' questions and model identifying responses to them, using information found in the article. Sample responses include:

• In what ways does it mimic chocolate pudding? (In its colour, flavour and texture)
• What other ingredients is it often mixed with? (Orange juice, cinnamon, cream and sugar)
• Why is it mixed with other ingredients? (To make a delicious dessert or a sweet drink)
• What can you add Black Sapote to? (Cakes, muffins, mousses and even smoothies)
• How can you get your chocolate fix? (While still getting part of your daily fruit intake)

Use the think-aloud strategy to emphasise that this additional information is provided using adverbial phrases (groups of words that add further information to the verb). Draw students' attention to the fact that providing further information, by using adverbial phrases, minimises the number of questions readers might be left with after reading a text.

Guided practice – 15 minutes

Place students with a partner. Instruct them to reread the remainder of the text to locate further adverbial phrases. Students can either underline these on a photocopy of the article or place a post-it-note next to each adverbial phrase they identify, on the original copy of the magazine. Pause students after five or so minutes and review their understanding. Challenge any misconceptions before directing students to continue with the paired task. Responses include: 

• As with all fruit
• at least seven days to ripen
• depending on the temperature
• when most would assume it is ready to throw away
• when it is black mush that falls apart in your hands
• resembles a melted brownie
• be in for a very unpleasant surprise!
• an unripe Black Sapote
• for hours afterwards as a nasty reminder that you tried it too soon
• to eat the fruit, go ahead and try some.
• have fun adding it to your favourite dessert recipes

Independent activity – 15 minutes

Tell students that they will be experimenting with constructing sentences that include adverbial phrases. Inform them that first the class will compose examples collaboratively. View the webpage Weird But True!: Foodungroup from National Geographic Kids. Select one of the facts, for example:

• Apple sauce was the first food eaten in space, by an American astronaut.

Discuss questions students have about the statement:

• Who ate the apple sauce?
• What type of apple sauce was it?
• When was it eaten?
• How much of it did the astronaut eat?

Inform students that they will be making up responses to their questions. Tell them that they will then use these ideas to construct adverbial phrases that will be included in a text. Tell students that they can be as creative as they wish with their ideas. Discuss examples, such as:

• Why did they eat the applesauce? (They had forgotten to bring any other food)
• What did it taste like? (The smoothest, most delicious apple sauce ever tasted)
• When was it eaten? (Over one thousand years ago)
• How much of it did the astronaut eat? (Over 500 KGs of the stuff. In fact, it was the only thing she ate)

Jointly construct a passage that includes the ideas students have suggested. Include the ideas as adverbial phrases where possible. A sample response is:

Over one thousand years ago, the strangest thing happened. An astronaut became the first person to eat in space, and what did they eat? Applesauce! The reason she ate applesauce was because she had forgotten to bring any other food. She managed to eat a whopping 500 KGs of the stuff. In fact, it was the only thing she ate the whole time she was orbiting Earth!

Instruct students to complete the following steps:

• Select a fact about food from Weird But True!: Foodungroup from National Geographic Kids
• Identify questions you have about the information
• Create fictitious responses to the questions
• Construct a brief text
• Include your responses to the questions as adverbial phrases

Instruct students to write their texts in their workbooks. Students may work with a partner or independently for this task.

Differentiation

Provide students who require support with the following scaffold for completing the writing task:

• The fact about food that I have selected is:
• One question I have about this is:
• A second question I have about this is:
• My made-up answer for question 1 is:
• My made-up answer for question 2 is:
• Include your ideas in a sentence. Try to include an adverbial phrase (a group of words that provides more information about the verb)

For students requiring further extension, refer back to the list of functions of adverbial phrases from the English K-10 Glossary (that they provide information about where, when, with what, how far, how long, with whom, about what or as what). Identify the function each of the adverbial phrases in the first section of the article serves. For example:

• in its colour, flavour and texture (what)
• such as orange juice, cinnamon, cream and sugar (what)
• to make a delicious dessert or a sweet drink (what)
• adding it to cakes, muffins, mousses and even smoothies (what)
• while still getting part of your daily fruit intake (when)

Instruct students to identify further functions for the adverbial phrases in the text that they identified. For example:

• As with all fruit (what)
• at least seven days to ripen (how long)
• depending on the temperature (about what)
• when most would assume it is ready to throw away (when)

Assessment

As students complete the activities, use targeted questioning strategies to establish students’ understanding. View the webpage, Using Effective Questioning,ungroup from the NSW Department of Education, for further information. Instruct students to respond to the following exit-ticket prompts in their workbooks:

• What are adverbial phrases?
• Circle your favourite adverbial phrase in your work.

Mark the students' work samples and provide individualised targets for next steps where appropriate.