Lesson video

Hello, I'm Ms. Chu, and I know you're going to have a fantastic time learning with me in this lesson today.

So let's get started.

The lesson outcome for today is I can write the introduction of a non-chronological report about Ancient Greeks.

Here are our keywords.

My turn, and then your turn.

Introduction, general facts, text flow.

Great.

Shall we have a look at what they mean? The introduction is the opening section of a nonfiction text that encourages the reader to read on.

General facts are the most basic or necessary facts, and text flow is how a text is written to keep the reader engaged.

The lesson outline for today looks like this.

We are going to prepare to write and then we're going to write the introduction.

So let's start preparing.

A non-chronological report can be structured into four sections.

Shall we have a look at what they are? First, we have the introduction.

Then we have section one, which in our report is about religion.

Section two is on warfare.

And then the final fourth section is the conclusion.

Today we are writing the introduction.

When we write, we always try to do these things.

We plan and say each sentence before we write it.

We use punctuation where we know the rules.

We showcase each sentence type we know.

We write our letters neatly on the line in joined handwriting, and we use spelling strategies to spell words accurately.

Then finally, we check and improve our writing when we think we have finished it all.

Before we write our introduction, we need to know who the Ancient Greeks were.

The Ancient Greeks were a civilization that existed a long time ago in the period of around 1200 BCE to approximately 600 CE.

You can see on the map the Greek states are highlighted in different colours.

So we have the lines, areas, those were the areas of Greek settlement.

The areas in pink were the Athenian states, and then the areas in pink were the Delian League members.

And the orange parts are the Sparta states.

We don't need to know so much in detail about those, but it's quite good to have a look at the map and just see what each of those areas are.

Why were the Ancient Greeks important? Well, they were important because they were known for their significant contributions to philosophy, science, maths, art, and literature.

Some significant Ancient Greek events can be written on a timeline.

The first Olympic Games happens around 776 BCE.

Then Athens becomes a very powerful city around 450 BCE.

The Parthenon, which is a very significant building in Athens, is built around 432 BCE.

And the war between Athens and Sparta was between 431 to 404 BCE.

And finally, the Romans conquer Greece, marking the end of the Greek Empire in 146 BCE.

True or false? The Parthenon was built in Rome.

Is this true or is this false? I want you to have a think.

Pause the video now and then press play once you've worked out the answer.

So have you worked out the answer? The answer is, get ready to point, in three, two, one, is false.

That's right.

It is false.

Why is it false? The Parthenon was built in Rome, a city in Italy.

Was it? Or the Parthenon was built in Athens, a city in Greece.

Yes, it's B.

The Parthenon was built in Athens, a city in Greece.

So that's why that is false because it wasn't built in Rome.

Let's plan now what we're going to write.

There are some general facts that the reader needs to know about Ancient Greeks in our introduction.

Firstly, we know it's an ancient civilization that existed from around 1200 BCE to approximately 600 CE.

They made significant contributions to various fields like philosophy, science, mathematics, art, and literature.

And they were pioneers of intellectual thought.

Which of these are true about Ancient Greeks? A, they were a modern civilization.

B, they were from Greece.

C, they were an ancient civilization.

Or D, they made no significant contribution to society.

Pause the video now and have a think about which of those are true.

Okay, let's have a look, shall we? They were from Greece.

Well done if you got that right.

And then is there another one in there? Yes, they were an ancient civilization.

Well done.

Let's now look at the purpose of an introduction.

Well, the purpose of an introduction is to give the reader the most basic and general information, and then tell the reader what they are going to learn in the report.

And really, they need to inspire or motivate the reader to read on.

The first sentence of the introduction must always be general, giving a general overview of what it's about.

Let's do a quick true or false.

The purpose of the introduction is to provide general information.

I wonder if you remember what I had just said about the introduction.

Pause the video and have a think as to whether this is true or false.

Okay, should we have a look to see if this is true or false? Get ready to point in three, two, one.

Yes, it's true.

Why is it true? It provides a clear overview of the topic or subject, or it provides specific details about a topic or subject.

Well, yes, it provides a clear overview of the topic.

We don't go into the specific details until later on in the report.

Let's look back at the general facts that the reader needs to know.

We said that they were an ancient civilization that existed from around 1200 BCE to approximately 600 CE.

They made significant contributions to various fields like philosophy, science, mathematics, art, and literature, and they were pioneers of intellectual thought.

Let's now just focus on the first bullet point.

Your first task of the day is a talk task.

You're going to say the sentence aloud and your sentence must give a general fact.

The Ancient Greeks were mm.

Pause the video and have a go at saying your first sentence aloud.

Okay, did you give that a really good go? I bet you did.

The Ancient Greeks were mm.

The Ancient Greeks were an ancient civilization.

Let's say that together.

The Ancient Greeks were an ancient civilization.

Well done.

Now let's look at sentence types.

These two sentences are both simple sentences.

So this is the first one that we've got.

This period in history started around 1200 BCE.

We've got our second simple sentence.

It ended in approximately 600 CE.

Do you remember those were the two facts that were in our notes at the beginning? We're going to join them with a coordinating conjunction.

And there we've got our block, our LEGO block, which joins our two simple sentences together.

And when we join them together, we turn two simple sentences into a compound sentence.

And that has to be joined with that coordinating conjunction.

True or false? A compound sentence is formed only of one main clause.

Pause the video and have a go.

Let's have a look, shall we? See if that's true or false.

A compound sentence is formed of one main clause.

It is false because why? Compound sentences have at least two main clauses and simple sentences have one main clause.

So that is the answer for that true or false.

Quick look back at the general facts again.

We have said our first sentence aloud about Ancient Greeks were an ancient civilization.

So we can tick that one off.

And now we're going to focus on the second bullet point, the fact that they existed from around 1200 BCE to approximately 600 CE.

We're going to do an I do, we do.

I'm going to show you how to stretch the first main clause with an and, and a second main clause.

This period in history started around 1200 BCE, and, so here I'm using my joining, coordinating conjunction and, and it ended in approximately 600 CE.

So I'm joining my first simple sentence with my second simple sentence and that's how I form my compound sentence.

Now it is your turn.

I want you to do the same thing.

I want you to stretch the first main clause with the second main cause.

Join them with an and.

Pause the video and have a go at joining the first sentence onto the second fact.

Great.

Did you have a go at saying your compound sentence? I'd like to hear it again.

Say it with me.

This period in history started around 1200 BCE.

And what was the second part? It ended in approximately 600 CE.

Really, really good.

We are now onto task A.

You're going to say the first two sentences of the introduction.

The first sentence must be a general fact, and the second sentence must be a compound sentence.

Use these sentence scaffolds to help you to say your first two sentences.

The Ancient Greeks were mm.

This period in history mm and mm.

Remember, this is a talk task.

Pause the video and have a go at saying it.

Okay, let's have a look at how you said your two sentences.

The Ancient Greeks were an ancient civilization should have been your first sentence.

This period in history started around 1200 BCE and it ended in approximately 600 CE should have been your second sentence.

Really well done that you said those two sentences.

Let's look back at our general facts again.

We have already said that the Ancient Greeks are an ancient civilization, and we have already said that they existed from around 1200 BCE to approximately 600 CE.

So now we're gonna focus on the last two bullet points, and we're gonna try and see if we can join those two points together.

Bit tricky, but I think we can do it.

Before we do that, let's have a look at what viewpoint fronted adverbials are used for.

They are helpful to introduce facts.

This first viewpoint fronted adverbial, impressively, can you say impressively? Great.

Impressively is used before a fact that makes you think, wow, you're impressed by this fact.

This second viewpoint fronted adverbial, intriguingly, your turn, is used to introduce a fact that is curious.

The third viewpoint fronted adverbial, significantly, your turn, introduces a fact.

That is very important.

So now what we're going to do is we are going to choose one of these viewpoint fronted adverbials to introduce these facts.

And we're going to link the second point.

I do and then a we do task.

We're going to use the viewpoint fronted adverbial significantly to say the next sentence.

Significantly, the Ancient Greeks made a huge contribution to various fields, such as philosophy, science, mathematics, art, and literature.

Now it's your turn to say the sentence using the viewpoint fronted adverbial significantly.

Pause the video and have a go at saying the next sentence.

Okay, now that you've had a little practise, shall we say it together? Because it's a we do.

So let's try it together.

Start with our viewpoint fronted adverbial.

So let's say it together.

Significantly.

Well done.

The Ancient Greeks made a huge contribution to various fields, such as philosophy, science, mathematics, art, and literature.

Well done.

What a really incredibly long sentence, but you did that so well.

We are now onto task B of this lesson.

You will say the next sentence of the introduction.

This time, you're going to use a viewpoint fronted adverbial to start the sentence.

And then I want you to use because to join the two clauses.

Here is a sentence scaffold to help you to say your next sentence.

Significantly, the Ancient Greeks made a huge contribution mm because they were mm.

Do you remember what goes in those blanks? Pause the video and have a go at saying your sentence.

Okay.

So let's have a look at how we say the next sentence.

Significantly, the Ancient Greeks made a huge contribution to various fields such as philosophy, science, mathematics, art, and literature because why? They were pioneers of intellectual thought.

Now, we've done so much practising and we are now onto the second part of our lesson, which is writing the introduction.

Are you ready? Let's look at the success criteria.

This helps us to write our introduction really well and effectively and make sure that we are successful.

I have written a general fact about the Ancient Greeks.

I have written three different sentence types, simple, compound and adverbial complex.

I have written a viewpoint fronted adverbial, and I have written a final sentence at the end that tells the reader what they will learn in the report.

Do you remember I said that there were different sections of the report? There was the introduction, a section about religion, another section about warfare, and then the final section, which is the conclusion.

We will use these facts to help us write the introduction.

Don't worry, you're not meant to remember every single fact.

You will have your facts in front of you to help you to write your introduction.

And let's remember to link the last two bullet points together.

So before you start, you're going to have a look at how I write the introduction or the first part at least of the introduction.

And I'm going to show you how to use the success criteria as well to help me to write.

My notes and my success criteria together help me to write my introduction.

Right, I'm ready to write.

I've stuck in my success criteria, and I just need to do the first thing, which is write my subheading of introduction.

So I'm going to do that now.

Happy with that.

I just need to make sure that I've underlined it with a ruler and I've joined.

Perfect.

My first sentence is a general fact about the Anglo-Saxons.

I've practised saying my first sentence.

So the Ancient Greeks were an ancient civilization.

I'm going to start here.

I'm gonna do an indent and start here.

Start with a capital letter, the, and then I need a capital letter for Ancient, and then Greeks were an Ancient civilization.

Civilization.

Ooh, long, tricky word.

And then I need my full stop at the end.

Okay, I've written a general fact.

Can tick that one off.

The next part that I need to think about is writing three different sentence types.

I'm just gonna look at my notes.

And my second bullet point says that it's a period in history which started.

So that's going to be my compound sentence.

So I'm going to start here.

This period in history started around.

I need to just look at my notes and make sure that I've got the right date.

B, capital, capital and a capital for BC.

And, and here I'm going to use my coordinating conjunction and to join my next point on.

It ended in approximately 600.

And then I need to make sure I do my capitals again and a full stop.

So I've got my compound now.

So the first sentence is a simple sentence so I can tick that.

Got now my compound, so I can tick that one off.

Need to think about my third sentence.

Something about their contribution to various fields.

The Ancient Greeks made a huge contribution.

Yes, I could write a sentence starting with the Ancient Greeks made a huge contribution to various fields.

Oh, my pen.

Just need to make sure that my pen is working.

Give it a little shake.

Such as philosophy.

And because I'm listing, I just need to make sure that I am using my commas.

Philosophy, comma, science, mathematics, art.

And one last one and literature.

Okay.

The Ancient Greeks made a huge contribution to various fields such as philosophy, comma, science, comma, mathematics, comma art and literature.

I've got my and before my last item in the list, I haven't written an an adverbial complex sentence.

So I think I might just change this one.

So I'm going to take off the full stop and I'm going to add a because here, and let link my second bullet point because they were pioneers of intellectual thought.

And now I can tick off my adverbial complex sentence.

The next thing on my success criteria is I have written a viewpoint fronted adverbial.

I haven't done that, and I wonder if I could just pop it in here.

So I'm going to pop in significantly in here.

I'm going to just edit this, significantly, comma, and I'm going to change the capital T here to a lowercase t.

Significantly, comma, the Ancient Greeks made a huge contribution to various fields, such as philosophy, science, mathematics, art, and literature.

We've taken off that full stop, because they were pioneers of intellectual thought.

Great.

So I can tick that one off, my viewpoint fronted adverbial.

And the final thing that I need to do, I can see that I've done all but one, I've written a final sentence that tells the reader what they will learn in the report.

So in this report, comma, you will, and I'm going to let you finish this off.

You will learn about or be educated about Ancient Greeks' religion and warfare.

So when I've done that, I can then tick my final point off in my success criteria.

So now it is your turn to write the introduction.

How exciting.

You're going to use the success criteria and the facts, the general facts to help you to structure your paragraph.

Read through each point in your success criteria carefully, and then just give it a really good go.

And I can't wait to read your introductions.

Pause the video, and have a go.

Now that I have finished writing my introduction, I need to check that I've done everything on my success criteria.

Have I written a general fact about the Ancient Greeks? The Ancient Greeks were an ancient civilization.

Yes, I have.

So I can tick that one off.

That's my first sentence.

I have written three different sentence types, simple, compound, adverbial complex.

So those are my three.

Well, the first sentence, my general fact sentence is a simple sentence.

I can tick that one off.

My second sentence is a compound sentence because it has two main clauses joined with the coordinating conjunction and, so I can tick that one off.

And then let's just have a quick look to see if I've got my adverbial.

Oh yes, I have.

My third sentence, which starts with significantly has my two clauses, my main clause and my subordinate clause and my subordinating conjunction because, so I can tick that one off.

Have I written a viewpoint fronted adverbial? Yes, I have.

I've used significantly.

So again, another one I can tick off.

And then the final thing is a sentence that tells the reader what they will learn.

Yes, I've done that.

In this report, you'll be educated about Ancient Greeks, religion and warfare.

So great job me.

I would like you now to just go through your introduction and just tick off all the things in the success criteria and find examples of where you have done that.

To summarise, the introduction is the opening section of a nonfiction text that encourages the reader to read on.

The purpose of the introduction is to give the reader the most basic information and to tell the reader what they are going to learn in the report.

The introduction is written using a variety of sentence types.

I really hope that you enjoyed writing your introduction as much as I did.