Portuguese Year 3: Planning and writing: telling a story and giving information
Portuguese, Year 3 (Portugal): Decide why you write, note your ideas and organise them into introduction, development and conclusion before writing.
Plan first, then write
Before you write, plan. First decide why you write: to narrate (tell what happened, in order, with characters) or to inform (say what something is like, with true facts). Then jot down loose ideas and organise them in three parts: introduction (you say what you will talk about), development (the ideas, one by one) and conclusion (you close the text). Only then do you write. The medium can be a notebook, a poster or a screen.
A plan is a map for your text
Without a plan, the ideas come out mixed up and the reader gets lost. A plan is like a map for a journey: it shows where you are going. With an introduction, a development and a conclusion, the reader always knows where they are. And if you know whether you want to narrate or inform, you choose the right words: to narrate you use «primeiro», «depois», «por fim» (“first”, “then”, “finally”); to inform you use facts and the present tense, such as «tem», «é» (“has”, “is”).
Two plans for one theme: the school library
Example of a child's plans. Loose ideas: many books, silence, take books home, I like going. INFORM. Introduction: «Vou falar da biblioteca da minha escola.» (I will talk about my school library.) Development: it has many books; it is quiet; we can take books home. Conclusion: «Gosto muito de lá ir.» (I really like going there.) NARRATE. Introduction: «Ontem fui à biblioteca com a turma.» (Yesterday I went to the library with my class.) Development: first I chose a book, then I read a chapter, finally I took it home. Conclusion: «Voltei a casa contente.» (I went home happy.)
Writing at once, or mixing the two purposes
The commonest mistake is to start writing at once, with the first idea that shows up: the text comes out messy, with repeated ideas or no ending. Another mistake is to mix the two purposes without meaning to: you begin informing about the library and halfway you start telling a rainy afternoon, and the reader does not know what you are doing. First decide whether you want to narrate or to inform, and write the plan in a few words, not in full sentences.
Where you plan what you write
You plan when you prepare a poster for the classroom, a message to your grandparents, an account of a school trip or a short text for your science notebook. On a computer or a tablet you can also write a text, but the plan is the same. Many people who write, such as authors and journalists, make a plan first.
Test what you learned
«Primeiro fomos ao parque, depois brincámos e por fim lanchámos.» (First we went to the park, then we played and finally we had a snack.) What is this text for?
- a) To inform: to say what a park is like
- b) To give an opinion about the park
- c) To narrate: it tells what happened, in order
Correct answer: c) To narrate: it tells what happened, in order — Yes: «primeiro», «depois» and «por fim» put the events in order. That is narrating.
Rui will write about «A minha rua» (My street). Loose ideas: «tem árvores · há um café · vou a pé para a escola · é sossegada» (has trees, there is a café, I walk to school, it is quiet). What is the best introduction?
- a) «Vou falar da minha rua.» (I will talk about my street.)
- b) «Gosto muito de lá viver.» (I really like living there.)
- c) «Tem árvores e há um café.» (It has trees and there is a café.)
Correct answer: a) «Vou falar da minha rua.» (I will talk about my street.) — Yes: an introduction says what the text is about, before the ideas come.
Lia wrote everything that came into her head and her text came out confusing. What would have helped her most?
- a) Writing faster
- b) Organising the ideas into introduction, development and conclusion before writing
- c) Using longer words
Correct answer: b) Organising the ideas into introduction, development and conclusion before writing — Yes: a plan puts the ideas in order, so the reader does not get lost.
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