Read About Ana's Day, Then Write About Yours
Read a short text about a girl's school day in Lisbon, answer four questions, then write about your own day.
- Time
- 25 min
- Length
- 50-70 words
- Includes
- Reading text
Writadia · A1 · Reading responses
NameClassDate
Read first
A Day in Ana's Life
My name is Ana and I live in Lisbon, in Portugal. I'm twelve.
On school days, I get up at seven o'clock. I have breakfast with my dad. I usually have bread with butter and a glass of milk. My mum starts work very early, so she isn't at home in the morning.
I go to school by tram. It takes twenty minutes. School starts at half past eight. My favourite subject is science because our teacher does lots of experiments.
I have lunch at school with my best friend, Rita. After school, I go to the swimming pool on Tuesdays and Thursdays. On the other days, I walk home and do my homework.
In the evening, we have dinner at about eight. Then I read or talk to my cousin in Brazil on the computer. I go to bed at ten.
142 words
Check your understanding
- How does Ana go to school?By tram. It takes twenty minutes.
- Why isn't her mum at home in the morning?She starts work very early.
- Why does Ana like science?Because her teacher does lots of experiments.
- What does she do on Tuesdays and Thursdays?She goes swimming after school.
Your task
Now write about your school day. Use Ana's text as a model, but write about your life. Include how you go to school, your favourite subject and what you do after school.
Writing toolkit
Open these only when you need them. Try the first draft on your own.
Plan it in steps
- Read Ana's text again and underline the times.
- Write your times first: get up, school, dinner, bed.
- Copy the structure: morning, school, after school, evening.
- Change every detail so it's true for you.
Useful phrases
Morning
School
After school
Evening
Tap a phrase to add it to your text. Gaps (…) are selected so you can type over them.
Vocabulary
- tram
- a kind of bus that runs on rails in the streetI take the tram to school.
- it takes
- it needs (time)It takes ten minutes to walk there.
- subject
- something you study at schoolMaths is my favourite subject.
- experiment
- a test in scienceWe did an experiment with water.
Model answer (83 words)
Read it after you’ve written your own version. Notice the highlighted parts. The numbers explain why they work.
On school days, I get up at half past six.1 I have breakfast with my sister. We usually have cheese, olives and tea.
I go to school on foot. It takes fifteen minutes.2 My favourite subject is English because we play lots of games.
After school, I go to football practice on Mondays and Wednesdays. On the other days, I do my homework and help my mum.
In the evening, we have dinner at seven. I go to bed at half past ten.
- Same opening as Ana, new information.
- "It takes" + time: borrowed from the reading.
Teacher notes
Reading to writing: this is a "frame" task. Strong students should change the structure too; support weaker students to keep Ana's structure and change only the details.
Answer key is in the teacher print version.
Extra challenge
Write three questions you want to ask Ana about her life in Lisbon.
Lesson plan
- 5 minWarm-up
Show the situation on the classroom screen and ask: “What would you write in this situation?” Take two or three quick answers.
- 12 minReading
Students read the text, then answer the comprehension questions in pairs.
- 10 minWord pool
Open “Word pool” on the classroom screen. Students make one sentence each with: tram, it takes, subject, experiment.
- 12 minModel text
Reveal the model sentence by sentence in “Model text” mode. At each sentence ask: “What job does this sentence do?” Write these phrases on the board: “On school days, I get up at ...”, “I have breakfast with ...”, “I go to school by bus / on foot.”.
- 26 minWriting
Start the timer. Students write their own text; anyone stuck can use the plan in the toolkit. (50-70 words)
- 10 minPeer review
Students swap texts and fill in the peer-review sheet.
- 5 minWrap-up
Set the extra challenge as homework.
The task’s own teacher notes give extra ideas for the warm-up and focus.
Assessment rubric
| Criterion | 4 · Excellent | 3 · Good | 2 · Developing | 1 · Beginning | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Task | All the requested information is there. | One point is missing. | Several points are missing. | Little connection to the task. | |
| Organisation | Sentences in order; and, but, because used well. | Mostly in order. | Order is confusing. | Unconnected sentences. | |
| Vocabulary | Topic words used; most spelled correctly. | Simple but enough. | A lot of repetition and spelling errors. | Words do not carry the meaning. | |
| Grammar and mechanics | Capitals, full stops and basic tenses correct. | A few errors, meaning clear. | Frequent errors, meaning sometimes lost. | Hard to understand. | |
| Total | / 16 | ||||
Each criterion scores 1–4 (total 16). Use the task checklist below to tick what the student actually did.
Task checklist
- I answered the four questions.
- I wrote about the morning, school, after school and the evening.
- Every detail is about me, not Ana.
Teacher comment
Peer-review sheet
Students swap texts and give each other feedback with this sheet.
Before you finish
Before you finish
- I answered the four questions.
- I wrote about the morning, school, after school and the evening.
- Every detail is about me, not Ana.
Answer key
- By tram. It takes twenty minutes.
- She starts work very early.
- Because her teacher does lots of experiments.
- She goes swimming after school.
Writadia · A1 · Reading responses
Assessment rubric: Read About Ana's Day, Then Write About Yours
| Criterion | 4 · Excellent | 3 · Good | 2 · Developing | 1 · Beginning | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Task | All the requested information is there. | One point is missing. | Several points are missing. | Little connection to the task. | |
| Organisation | Sentences in order; and, but, because used well. | Mostly in order. | Order is confusing. | Unconnected sentences. | |
| Vocabulary | Topic words used; most spelled correctly. | Simple but enough. | A lot of repetition and spelling errors. | Words do not carry the meaning. | |
| Grammar and mechanics | Capitals, full stops and basic tenses correct. | A few errors, meaning clear. | Frequent errors, meaning sometimes lost. | Hard to understand. | |
| Total | / 16 | ||||
Each criterion scores 1–4 (total 16). Use the task checklist below to tick what the student actually did.
Task checklist
- I answered the four questions.
- I wrote about the morning, school, after school and the evening.
- Every detail is about me, not Ana.
Teacher comment
Writadia · A1 · Reading responses
Peer-review sheet: Read About Ana's Day, Then Write About Yours
WriterReviewer
Read your partner’s text carefully. Be kind and specific: say why, not just “good”.
Task checklist
| Yes | Partly | No | |
|---|---|---|---|
| I answered the four questions. | |||
| I wrote about the morning, school, after school and the evening. | |||
| Every detail is about me, not Ana. |
Questions
- Does the text give all the information asked for?
- Does every sentence start with a capital and end with a full stop?
- Did the writer use and, but or because? Copy one example.
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Writadia · A1 · Reading responses
Lesson plan: Read About Ana's Day, Then Write About Yours
- 5 minWarm-up
Show the situation on the classroom screen and ask: “What would you write in this situation?” Take two or three quick answers.
- 12 minReading
Students read the text, then answer the comprehension questions in pairs.
- 10 minWord pool
Open “Word pool” on the classroom screen. Students make one sentence each with: tram, it takes, subject, experiment.
- 12 minModel text
Reveal the model sentence by sentence in “Model text” mode. At each sentence ask: “What job does this sentence do?” Write these phrases on the board: “On school days, I get up at ...”, “I have breakfast with ...”, “I go to school by bus / on foot.”.
- 26 minWriting
Start the timer. Students write their own text; anyone stuck can use the plan in the toolkit. (50-70 words)
- 10 minPeer review
Students swap texts and fill in the peer-review sheet.
- 5 minWrap-up
Set the extra challenge as homework.
The task’s own teacher notes give extra ideas for the warm-up and focus.
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