KS1 Lesson Plan Donkey Facts And Fiction

KS1 Lesson PlanDonkey Facts and FictionObjectives To research information using books, the internet and if possible, first hand experiencesTo use features of a non-fiction text in own writingResources The Wonky Donkey by Craig Smith and Katz CowleyResource Sheet 1: ‘Did you know? ’CardsResource Sheet : Donkey Fact FilePage 1 of 6

Donkey Facts and FictionKS1 Lesson planOutcomes Children will research information about donkeys to create adonkey fact file.Children will use features of non-fiction texts such as headingsand sub-headings.Lead inAfter sharing the book with your class and discussing favourite funny features, find out what yourclass already know about donkeys. Have any children seen a donkey in real life? If so, where did theysee it – in a field, on a farm, on a beach? Maybe some children have been ‘donkey riding’ at theseaside. Depending on your setting, the significance of donkeys in the Bible could be discussed. Forexample, when Mary rides into Bethlehem on a donkey. Do the children know of any other fictionaldonkeys as well as the Wonky Donkey? For example, Eeyore in the stories of Winnie the Pooh – whatsort of character is Eeyore? Is that typical behaviour of a donkey? How about the donkey in Shrek?Discuss how he wishes he was a horse? Why?Main taskExplain to the children that as they have enjoyed The Wonky Donkey book so much, as a class andindividually they are going to find out lots of information about donkeys.Before researching, ask the children to think about what they would like to find out about donkeysand make a list of these questions as a class, with space to record the answers later. These questionsmight include, what does a donkey eat? What is a baby donkey called? As a class or in small adult-ledgroups, model how to type a question into a search engine. Typing ‘donkey facts for children’ into asearch engine may reveal some additional interesting facts.When the information about donkeys has been recorded, it is time to model how to present thisinformation. Provide children with copies of Resource Sheet 1: ‘Did you know?’ Cards and highlightthat it has two spaces. In the top space, children should write an interesting fact they have found outabout donkeys such as diet, habitat, babies, etc. Explain that these sentences need to be concise andinformation needs to be factual, or ‘true’. To add some humour to this activity, after all, it has beeninspired by a very funny book, in the bottom section, children should write a fictional sentence aboutdonkeys. Referring back to The Wonky Donkey, children can choose their favourite thing aboutWonky Donkey such as ‘Donkeys are huge fans of country music’ or ‘Donkeys like coffee’ or ‘Donkeysget very cranky if they don’t have coffee’, they could also make up their own fun fictional fact. Instructchildren to cut out their ‘Did you know?’ cards in and place them on the carpet area, or on a table inthe middle of the classroom.Continued Page 2 of 6

continuedOrganise the class into two groups, standing at opposite sides of the classroom. Label one side ‘facts’and the other ‘fiction’. Challenge a child from the ‘facts’ group to come and find a fact from the pileof ‘Did you know?’ statements and a child from the ‘fiction’ group to choose a fictional statement –explain that they cannot choose their own. Repeat until each child has had a turn and all statementshave been read out and sorted correctly. You may wish to add some excitement by setting acountdown timer for each pair of children so they only have, for example, 20 seconds to find theirstatements. Alternatively, you could allow each group to work as a tag-team and once the first childhas found their statement, they can tag another team member to go and look for the next, meaningone team will be the ‘winner’ finishing first.Once the game has finished, display all of the donkey ‘facts’ can be displayed on a washing line acrossthe classroom to reinforce the factual information about donkeys that the class have found out.ExtensionUsing Resource Sheet 2: Donkey Fact File, children can use their research and reference the classwashing line to make their own Donkey Fact File. If there is a donkey sanctuary nearby, it would be awonderful opportunity to give the children first-hand experiences of donkeys and to develop theirquestioning skills when they meet a donkey expert.Page 3 of 6

Donkey Facts and FictionResource Sheet 1: ‘Did you know?’ CardsWrite a donkey fact in the first box, and a fictional sentence in the second box. Cut themout to create two ‘Did you know?’ fact and fiction cards.Donkey fact card: . . . Your name: . . . Fun fiction card: . . . Your name: . . . Page 4 of 6

Donkey Facts and FictionResource Sheet 2: Donkey Fact FileUsing all of your donkey knowledge, write a fact file. Remember to include only true facts.Diet:Habitat:What do donkeys eat?Where do donkeys live? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Key features:Describe what donkeys look like. . . . . . .Young:Picture:What are baby donkeys called? . Interesting fact: Page 5 of 6Draw or stick a picture here:

Donkey Facts and FictionCurriculum linksYear 2 English: Pupils should be taught to:Reading: comprehensionDevelop pleasure in reading, motivation to read, and understanding by: Listening to, discussing and expressing views about a wide range of contemporary and classicpoetry, stories and non-fiction at a level beyond that at which they can read independently. Discussing the sequence of events in books and how items of information are related. Becoming increasingly familiar with and retelling a wider range of stories, fairy stories andtraditional tales. Recognising simple recurring language in stories and poems. Discussing their favourite words and phrases. Discussing and clarifying the meaning of words, linking new meanings to known vocabulary.Writing: punctuation and grammarLearn how to use: Sentence structure – subordination and coordination, expanded noun phrases for descriptionand specification. Text structure – Correct choice and consistent use of the present tense and past tensethroughout writing. Punctuation – Use of capital letters, full stops, question marks and exclamation marks todemarcate sentences. Commas to separate items in a list. Apostrophes to mark where lettersare missing in spelling and to mark singular possession in nouns.Writing: compositionDevelop positive attitudes towards and stamina for writing by writing: Narratives about personal experiences and the those of others (real and fictional) About real events Poetry For different purposesPage 6 of 6

Using Resource Sheet 2: Donkey Fact File, children can use their research and reference the class washing line to make their own Donkey Fact File. If there is a donkey sanctuary nearby, it would be a wonderful opportunity to give the children first-hand experiences of donkeys and to develop