Primary 4 English Composition Themes

Next week marks the start of most school for the Paper 1 SA2. Last week when I met my new students (mixed with my existing students), I did a revision on Situational Writing (SW) rules and we wrote a formal one out (for the P5s). For the composition (CW) part, I gave my P4-P5 classes a past year list of composition themes and together we planned out plots.

I concluded that part of the lesson by differentiating clearly the difference between :

• Being honest
• Being kind

The likelihood of going out of point is quite high if the student doesn’t pay close attention to the theme. While every composition for upper primary has 3 random pictures to choose from, I gave them just one – a wallet.

Using that one picture, we planned out possible plots suitable for the these two themes.

Below are 2 basic Planning – (Introduction/Body/Conclusion) for these two themes.

Being honest composition planning

Introduction – Main character & character development

• comes from a poor family

Description 

• difficulties main character faces being the only one without luxuries such as a smartphone in class
• walking home from school through his nearby park
• comes across a wallet

Body – Dilemma & Personal conflict

• keep the wallet filled with money or give it to nearby police post
• makes the right decision on being honest

Twist

• while walking to the police station
• sees his elderly neighbour, Mrs Tan, looking around the park desperately
• goes up to her and realises that it is her wallet
• money needed for important medicines
• Mrs Tan praises main character for his honesty
• Mrs Tan tells his parents who are proud of him
• Mrs Tan calls his school principal

Conclusion

• following day in school main character is called on stage and presented a plaque for Most Honest Student and presented with a cheque of $200
• honesty is really the best policy

Being Kind composition planning

Introduction – Character description & dialogue

• Main character making fun of a new student, P,  who comes from a poor family
• P sits alone everyday at recess and eats food brought from home

Body

• Main character can’t find his wallet when the bell rings for recess
• He searches desperately in the classroom and along the corridors
• He is famished and tries to borrow money from his classmates
• No one wants to lend him any money

Twist

• Main character sits miserably in the canteen without any food
• Suddenly P approaches him and offers to share his homemade fried rice with him
• Main character is filled with shame by P’s kindness
• He learns an important lesson about being kind to others

Conclusion & dialogue

• Main character turns over a new leaf
• He invites P to join him in a game of soccer and tells him that he has brought extra chocolate cake to share with P later
• Both characters laugh and play together
• Kindness brings happiness