This story evolves around CJ and his Nana on their weekly bus journey through the city. Centring on the  local community, from disappointment and dissatisfaction, Nana opens CJ’s eyes to the beauty all around him with her thoughtful observations and insights. 

We will begin this unit with a bus ride through our local area, then the children use their senses to describe their experience. The poetic language of the text is then used to inspire children to write their own poetry. The children will write interview questions for the passengers on the bus to find out more about them, and use their senses to create further poetry to describe sights, sounds and smells of the journey. The unit culminates in the children creating their own narrative based on a journey to help others using the poetic devices and language techniques explored.

This beautifully illustrated book tells the poignant story of a group of animals who set out to look for new habitats. This text is a powerful springboard into discussions about global warming, the environment and conservation with children – it is a call to action. 

The children will create fact files on endangered animals as well writing short persuasive pieces on why we need to save a particular endangered animal. Children will be able to identify how a sentence is formed by its grammatical structure as a question, a command, a statement or an exclamation. The children will be encouraged to edit their work, being aware of tense and word choice.

A magical tale of a talented bear who discovers fame and fortune through his piano playing skills. This text explores themes such as belonging, exploration and overcoming fears. It can encourage healthy discussions with children around what is important in life. 

The children will begin by watching a concert of piano music online before making predictions about the story. After drawing on the author’s use of language they will write descriptions the concert, followed by  a short news report. To end the unit, the children will create a short non-fiction piece where they will research their chosen member of an ‘Animal Orchestra’. This new character becomes the main protagonist in their own version of the narrative.