Year 6 - English
Generating ideas for the diary entries of a Windrush passenger
The Empire Windrush: diary writing
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
In this unit, pupils use research around the Empire Windrush and an account of a fictional passenger to write a diary entry from a Windrush passenger's perspective. They use a conversational tone and informal devices, including exclamatives and verbless sentences, to meet the writing purpose.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to empathise with a Windrush passenger at different points in their journey, describing your feelings at each point.
Key Notes
- Knowing the events we are going to retell really well before we write frees up our brain to focus on writing.
- Using a text map to tell the events of a story is a great way of embedding these events in our memory.
- In a diary, we are writing about our experiences and feelings in the past and present.
- To write a diary in role as another person, we need to try and empathise with that person.
- Role-play and drama are good ways of trying to empathise with a person and consider their emotions.
Vocabulary To Learn
- text map: a visual representation of a series of events, where pictures represent events; it can be used to orally rehearse events to embed them in our memory
- diary: a book in which you keep a record of events, experiences and feelings
- empathy: the ability to understand other people's feelings and points of view
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Pupils may not take drama activities seriously or may give only surface-level responses.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain this English learning goal in two key points.
Knowing the events we are going to retell really well before we write frees up our brain to focus on writing. Using a text map to tell the events of a story is a great way of embedding these events in our memory.
2. Define this language term and use it in a sentence. 'text map'
a visual representation of a series of events, where pictures represent events; it can be used to orally rehearse events to embed them in our memory.
3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.
Mistake: Pupils may not take drama activities seriously or may give only surface-level responses. Correction: Model the standard of response you expect and clarify expectations; remind pupils that we are empathising with real people and we should respect their experiences. Constantly showcase good examples from the class.
More Lessons In This Unit
- Exploring the Empire Windrush and the experiences of its passengers Study Guide
- Planning the diary entries of an imagined Windrush passenger Study Guide
- Retelling a Windrush story Study Guide
- Writing the diary entry of a Windrush passenger after their arrival in the UK Study Guide
- Writing the diary entry of a Windrush passenger before their arrival in the UK Study Guide
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