How to Care for a Bird

Writing an information leaflet

Lesson length: 1 session

Lesson from Grandma Bird series

Required reading: Whole book

Text potential

Writing opportunities: Leaflet: information leaflet

Subjects

English
Writing

Purpose

This writing lesson uses questioning to identify information about caring for a bird, which is implicit in the story. After locating and discussing the relevant information, the knowledge acquired can be transformed to a different form of writing. Part of the process should be the consideration of who might need to know about caring for birds and who the guide is being written for (purpose and audience).

Preparation

Have available:

Copies of Grandma Bird at least one between two.
Download and print copies of the table ‘How To Care For a Bird’.
Make an enlarged version for modelling.

Process

The focus for this lesson is on the section where Noi finds the bird. There is a short series of questions, the answers to which can be recorded on the How To Care For a Bird table. An adult can record the children’s ideas for reference to support the writing.

Begin with the page, ‘Noi listened as the sea thrashed…’

When the bird lands in the cave, what does Noi do? (Answers should refer to him being quiet and still).
How does Noi go to the bird? (Answers should refer to him moving carefully which is inferred and staying low).
How does Noi pick the bird up? (Look carefully at the picture to notice he is using both hands to hold it carefully).
What do the birds eat? (Seaweed soup – tell the children that seaweed is full of vitamins and minerals).
What is it like inside the room? (warm and dry).

Can the children now use a combination of text and images to create their guide to caring for a bird? You could use the How to Care for a Bird resource as a writing frame or create a leaflet.

You may also like to read Fiona Roberton The Perfect Pet, which shows how a pet dog could be cared for. The book could be used as a model for writing the Caring for a Bird leaflet

Final reflection

Ask:

Do you think looking after a seabird would be different to looking after a garden bird? In what way might it be different?

You could carry out further research or challenge the children to find out more at home.

Key vocabulary

information, guide

Resources

The Perfect Pet

Published by Hachette. Authored by Fiona Roberton.

Once upon a time, there lived a boy called Henry. What Henry wanted more than anything in the whole wide world . . . MORE than chips . . . MORE than a cowboy costume . . . MORE than an all-expenses-paid trip to the moon . . . was a DOG. …

Contributors

Sam Keeley

Formerly a teacher and local authority advisory teacher, Sam now works with Just Imagine as an English consultant and manager of the year 6 Reading Gladiators programme.

Nikki Gamble

Nikki Gamble
Director, Just Imagine
Nikki has worked extensively in schools across the UK and internationally. She is the author of Exploring Children’s Literature (4th edit) (2019) and co-author of Guiding Readers (2016) which was awarded the UKLA Academic Book of the Year Award 2017. Nikki is KS2 reading advisor and series consultant for Oxford University Press and content creator for the Oxford School Improvement and Oxford Owl websites. Nikki is Associate Consultant at the University of London, Institute of Education and Honorary Fellow at the University of Winchester