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The Ever-Changing Earth

Resource written by

Hannah Baker

Consultant

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A Vocabulary Vine for The Ever-Changing Earth

 

KS: Lower KS2

Year Group: Year 4

Literary Theme: Unearthing Civilisations

Author(s): Grahame Baker-Smith

This is a Vocabulary Vine for The Ever-Changing-Earth by Grahame Baker-Smith
 
A Vocabulary Vine is designed to be a sister resource to a Writing Root and Spelling Seed. It sits within our wider Teach Through a Text approach by explicitly identifying vocabulary from the book and providing additional opportunities for paired, small group and whole class experimentation with this vocabulary in context. Vocabulary Vines further complement spelling development too through exploration of the morphology (word structure) and etymology (origins) of words. They also provide oracy opportunities through a focus on talk tasks and on oral sentence construction. They are designed for short burst oral and vocabulary development

A Writing Root is available for The Ever-Changing Earth.

Writing Root Overview:

Outcomes:

Informal letters, explanatory leaflets, list poems, dictionary of terms

Main Outcome:

Narrative sequel as a class book

Length:

3 weeks, 15 sessions

Overview and Outcomes:

This is a three-week Writing Root for The Ever-Changing Earth by Grahame Baker-Smith in which children learn about the history of planet earth within a narrative context.  The sequence of sessions starts with the arrival of an ammonite in the classroom and a letter from the main character of the book with questions for the class to answer. Children go on to identify terminology and respond to Kûn’s questions. They create an explanation leaflet for the Northern Lights and go on to continue Kûn’s cyclical story.

Synopsis of Text:

Kûn likes to imagine life on Earth millions of years ago when the sky boomed with the wild beat of pterosaur wings. Thousands of miles away, Solveig gazes at the sky as she admires the beauty of the northern lights. Learn how these children are connected in this spellbinding journey through the evolution of Earth’s surface from water world to ice age to the familiar landscape we know today.

Text rationale:

This is from significant author and Greenaway awarded illustrator, Grahame Baker-Smith, who has created a trilogy of books about nature and the world; this is the third in the series, although they are unrelated in narrative. The book expresses awe and wonder through showing the passing of time.  The mesmerising artwork showcases natural phenomena around the world through the eyes of two children who live on opposite sides of the Earth to each other. Relevant curriculum links include themes of environment and natural disasters/phenomena, as well as understanding that the planet is a legacy. 

Links and themes:

Planet Earth, evolution, natural phenomena, dinosaurs, natural history, looking after the planet, timelines

Date written: May 2023

View The Ever-Changing Earth Writing Root

A Spelling Seed is available for The Ever-Changing Earth.

Spelling Seed Overview:

Overview:

This is a three-session spelling seed for the book The Ever-Changing Earth by Grahame Baker Smith.  Below is the coverage from Appendix 1 of the National Curriculum 2014.

Spelling Seeds have been designed to complement Writing Roots by providing weekly, contextualised sequences of sessions for the teaching of spelling that include open-ended investigations and opportunities to practise and apply within meaningful and purposeful contexts, linked (where relevant) to other areas of the curriculum and a suggestion of how to extend the investigation into home learning.

There is a Spelling Seed session for every week of the associated Writing Root.

Coverage:

Common Exception Words

centuries, guide, history, learn, material, reign, believe, different, interest, popular, exercise, opposite, position

Spelling Rules and Patterns

The /I/ sound spelt y elsewhere than at the end of words

The suffix -ous

View The Ever-Changing Earth Spelling Seed

Literary Leaves within the same Literary Theme

The Literacy Tree®, Literary Leaves®, Spelling Seeds®, Home Learning Branches® and #TeachThroughaText® are all Registered Trademarks of The Literacy Tree Ltd.
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