Week 6 Term 2 - English Department: Unit Plan - Rain (Hone Tuwhare) (May 25 - May 29)

Hone Tuwhare's 'Rain'

The seven-week Year 10 English unit plan is a Short Text Study focused on Rain by Hone Tuwhare, culminating in a Creative Writing Common Assessment Task (CAT). The initial phase in Week 1 is the introduction of the text study, focusing on context, key vocabulary, and concepts. The key goal is for students to understand how the text is influenced by its historical, cultural, and social contexts, which in turn provides deeper insights into its themes, characters, and the author's purpose. Explicit instruction is given on key vocabulary like "Akonga" and "Metaphor," and structured scaffolding is used to practice explaining the relationship between the text's context and setting.

A preview of the Unit plan for 'Rain'

Following the introduction, Weeks 2 and 3 are dedicated to reading the text and completing chapter questions. During this phase, the focus is on students learning how features of text—such as characterization, setting, pacing, compressed plot structure, and narrative perspective—work together to shape meaning and create effects. This knowledge is built upon in Weeks 4 and 5, which center on Theme Analysis. The explicit teaching practices introduce students to defining direct and indirect themes, different perspectives. Student learning activities during these analysis weeks involve working on a Themes Presentation. 

Creative Writing Assessment for Rain

Theme Analysis for Rain

The final stage of the unit, spanning Weeks 6 and 7, is dedicated to the Summative Assessment: the Creative Writing CAT. During these two weeks, the lesson focus is on teaching and learning how to craft a narrative or creative text. The knowledge and practice from the previous weeks are applied as students work on their creative texts. The goal remains the same: using text features to support interpretation, reveal underlying themes, and allow connections with the text to emerge.