Lesson video

Hi everybody.

I'm Ms. Gardner.

Thank you so much for joining in on this today's learning.

This is our first lesson of our new unit on how bees make honey, and we're gonna be writing an explanation text all about this really interesting process and I'm really excited and I hope you are too.

So let's get started with our first lesson.

In today's lesson, we are going to be identifying the key linguistic features of an explanation text.

So your learning outcome is, I can identify important linguistic features of an explanation text.

So let's have a look at the star words.

We are going to do My Turn, Your turn.

So I'll say the word first and then you can say it back to either the screen or to a partner or to anyone who you're doing the lesson with.

Explanation.

Linguistic feature.

Chronological order.

Subject-specific vocabulary.

Fronted adverbial.

Okay, lots of keywords today.

So let's have a look at what they mean.

An explanation is a set of details and reasons given about how a process works.

A linguistic feature is a structure of language that uses words.

We're gonna be looking at the different linguistic features of an explanation text today.

Chronological order follows the order in which a series of events happens.

Subject-specific vocabulary is vocabulary used when writing about a particular subject.

And a fronted adverbial is a sentence starter followed by a comma.

So there are three sections of our lesson today.

In the first, we'll be focusing on subject-specific vocabulary for an explanation text on how bees make honey.

Then secondly, we'll be looking at fronted adverbials of cause, and then finally, ordering fronted adverbials.

So let's start with looking at subject-specific vocabulary/ Explanation texts use subject-specific vocabulary.

Subject-specific vocabulary are words that are related to the topic of the text.

It's factual, and often found in non-fiction texts.

So here are some images of important elements of the honey-making process.

Have a look at the images now, and I wonder if you can have a guess at what might be the subject-specific vocabulary related to these images.

So let's have a look.

The first, we've got a bee collecting nectar, okay? And nectar is the transparent, sticky liquid in flowers that bees collect to turn into honey.

In the middle picture, we have the honeycomb cell.

This is where the honeybees place the nectar to turn it into honey.

And you can see that they are a hexagonal-shaped, a six-sided shape.

Really, really tiny little cells, but they're the honeycomb cells.

And then finally, we have our hive, the home of the honeybees.

So these are really important examples of subject-specific vocabulary that we're gonna be using in our explanation text.

So let's just check for understanding.

What is subject-specific vocabulary? A, words that describe a noun.

B, words related to a specific topic or subject, or C, a general word used in the English language.

Pause the video now.

That's correct.

Subject-specific vocabulary are words related to a specific topic or subject.

Well done, everyone.

So it's time for task A.

You need to circle the words that are specific to the topic of honeybees.

So you've got seven words there, worker bees, honey, nectar, nature, food, tree, and hexagonal.

And I wonder if you can circle the words that are really specifically related to honeybees.

Pause the video now.

And off you go completing task A.

Okay, welcome back, everybody.

Let's go through the answers.

You would definitely use the phrase, "worker bees", okay? Because they are a type of honeybee that do a lot of work in the honey-making process.

Honey, definitely, because that is what the whole text is about, about how honey is produced.

Nectar.

Honey can't be produced without nectar because it's nectar that turns into honey.

And hexagonal, that is the shape of the honeycomb cells.

Nature, food, and tree, they're all, you know, you could possibly find them.

They're not completely off task, but they're not quick, they're not specific enough to be considered subject-specific vocabulary.

Well done, everybody.

It's now time for our second section of the lesson, looking at fronted adverbials of cause.

So a fronted adverbial is a sentence starter followed by a comma.

There are different types of fronted adverbials and some of them might already feel quite familiar, but let's just have a look.

A formal fronted adverbial, you'd find these in non-fiction types of writing.

For example, a non-chronological report and they build on a point from a previous sentence, or they give an opposing idea to a point in a previous sentence.

For example, "in addition" or "however".

A viewpoint fronted adverbial gives the point of view of the writer, shows their opinion about a point in a sentence.

For example, "interestingly" or "amazingly".

A fronted adverbial of cause, we're going to look at that in this lesson.

And an ordering fronted adverbial, which we're also going to look at in this lesson.

So let's look at fronted adverbials of cause.

What is a cause? A cause is an event or action that brings about another event or action.

It causes something else to happen.

It is what leads to something else happening.

It causes an effect.

An effect is the result that occurs as a result of the cause and it's what happens because of the cause.

Might sound a bit confusing right now, so just stay with me.

A fronted adverbial of cause is a sentence starter that tells the reader the cause and effect of something.

That is the definition of a fronted adverbial of cause.

So we have our cause and that leads to an effect.

Let's just check our understanding here.

True or false, an effect always follows a cause.

Pause the video now.

That's correct.

It is true.

Can you use A or B to justify your answer? A, a cause comes before an effect, or B, a cause and effect are linked.

Pause the video now.

That's correct.

A cause always comes before an effect.

It causes the effect.

Well done, everyone.

So let's have a look at an example now.

Here is a fronted adverbial of cause that you could use in your writing, "as a result".

It links a cause in one sentence to its effect in the next sentence.

So, processor bees rapidly flap their wings.

That is our cause.

And the effect of this is that the water in the sticky liquid evaporates.

So as a result, the water in the sticky liquid evaporates.

Let's have a look at this in a sentence or two sentences actually.

Processor bees rapidly flap their wings.

As a result, comma, the water in the sticky liquid evaporates.

So as a result, the fronted adverbial of cause shows or comes before the effect.

As a result, the water in the sticky liquid evaporates.

So "as a result" links the first sentence to the second sentence.

The first sentence is the cause.

Processor bees rapidly flap their wings.

That is the cause.

The second sentence is the effect.

As a result, the water in the sticky liquid evaporates.

That's quite a lot of information to process.

So let's check our understanding here.

Which of these are true for a fronted adverbial of cause? A, it links a cause to its effect.

B, it lists two adverbs to describe a noun, or C, it links one sentence to the next sentence.

Pause the video now.

That's correct, it is A, it links the cause in the first sentence to the effect in the second sentence.

So also C, really, A and C.

It links two sentences together, but it also links the cause and the effect in two sentences.

Really well done, everyone.

It's now time for task B, where we're gonna be looking practising using a fronted adverbial of cause.

So you need to link the two sentences and you need to do this by using a fronted adverbial of cause followed by a comma.

So here are your two sentences.

First, the cause.

The honeybee carefully seals the honeycomb cell with a wax lid.

Your second sentence, the effect, the honey will not spoil.

Can you link these two sentences using the fronted adverbial of cause "as a result"? Pause the video now and write down these two sentences using the fronted adverbial of cause to link them together.

Off you go.

Well done, everybody.

Here is the two sentences linked together using a fronted adverbial of cause.

The honeybee carefully seals the honeycomb cell with a wax lid.

As a result, comma the honey will not spoil.

Well done, everyone for working so hard on task B.

It's now time for our third and final section of the lesson where we are going to be looking at ordering fronted adverbials.

So an explanation text explains a process in chronological order.

That means, it shows the order in which it happens, the time order of which each step happens.

Ordering fronted adverbials indicate the chronological order.

Here is an example.

First, a bee collects nectar.

Then, the bee returns to the hive.

Finally, bees work in the hive.

That's a much simplified version of the honey-making process, but it shows the chronological order of how the steps happen.

So what comes first, then what comes next, and then what happens finally at the end.

And they're really useful, ordering fronted adverbials because they help the reader learn the steps of a process like honey-making.

It helps the reader really understand the order in which each step happens.

So there are four ordering fronted adverbials to use in the honey-making explanation text.

"First", and this indicates the first step in a process.

"Then", and this indicates a following step in a process.

"Next", this also indicates another following step in a process.

"Finally", this indicates the final step in a process.

So let's check for understanding here.

Match the ordering fronted adverbial to its meaning.

You've got four fronted adverbials to choose from.

"Finally", "then", "first", and "next".

And four options to draw lines to.

Indicates the first step in a process, indicates a following step in a process, indicates the final step in a process, and indicates a following step in a process.

Pause video now and match the fronted adverbial to its meaning.

Okay, let's go through it.

"Finally" indicates the final, the last step in a process.

"Then" indicates a following step in a process.

"First" indicates the first step in a process, and "next" also indicates a following step in a process.

Well done, everyone.

So let's have a look at these in sentences.

"First", this indicates the first step in a process.

The first step of the honey making process is this.

First, the worker bee flies to flowers to collect nectar.

"Then", this is another ordering fronted adverbial, and it indicates a following, the next step in a process.

So in a sentence, then, the nectar is transported back to the beehive when the bee has collected enough nectar.

"Next" is another ordering fronted adverbial, which indicates a following step in a process.

So in a sentence, next, the processor bees flap their wings because they need to evaporate the water.

And "finally", and this indicates the final step in a process.

Finally, the honey is stored in a honeycomb cell and the process is complete.

You'll see these ordering fronted adverbials really help give a really clear understanding for the reader about what happens first in the process, and then what happens next, and then next, and then finally.

It shows the order, the chronological order really clearly.

So let's just check for understanding.

Which of these are ordering fronted adverbials? A, however.

B, finally.

C, next, or D, as a result.

Pause the video now.

That is correct, it is B and C.

A, "however", is a formal fronted adverbial that gives an contrasting idea to a point in a previous sentence.

And "as a result" is a fronted adverbial of cause.

Well done, everyone.

It's time for task C.

You need to write a sentence using the ordering fronted adverbial, "first".

Make sure you use a comma after the fronted adverbial.

And you're going to include this fact, worker bee searches for nectar from flower to flower.

You can see when I just said that now, that's not a complete sentence, it's just the fact.

So you need to write this in a complete full sentence with a capital letter at the start and a full stop at the end, and using your ordering fronted adverbial "first".

So pause the video now and off you go writing this sentence using an ordered fronted adverbial, ordering fronted adverbial, "first".

Okay, well done, everyone.

Welcome back.

Let's just go through this sentence.

First, the worker bee searches for nectar from flower to flower.

You can see I've got my ordering fronted adverbial at the start.

It's followed by a comma.

And I've included the fact, and I've made sure I've got a fronted, capital letter at the start and a full stop at the end.

You could write it a slightly different way.

First, the worker bee flies from flower to flower in search of nectar.

Or you could even add an adjective and add a little bit more detail.

First, the work could be searches for sweet nectar that is found in flowers.

So there's different options, and I'm sure you've all done brilliantly.

Just making sure you have included that ordering fronted adverbial with a comma after it.

Well done, everyone.

So let's just summarise everything we've done in today's learning.

We've learned that an explanation text explains the process of how something happens.

An explanation text uses subject-specific vocabulary.

Fronted adverbials of cause link an effect to a cause.

Ordering fronted adverbials indicate the chronological order of steps in a process.

And that was how we can, these were all the features that we can identify in an explanation text.

So really well done for an excellent lesson, everybody.