Lesson video

Hi there.

My name's Mr. Byrne-Smith.

And today we are going to be doing some English together.

In particular today, we're going to be looking at the features of a non-chronological report.

Now the report will eventually write is all about a monstrous creature that lives in the deep, deep ocean.

It's really fascinating and the report is going to be lots and lots of fun.

So let's make a start.

Okay.

Here's the agenda for today's lesson.

First, we're going to introduce non-chronological reports and we're going to discuss exactly what they are and what they look like.

Then we're going to chat about the purpose, audience, language and layout of the non-chron report.

After that we'll identify some features before finally completing our task, the lesson.

In this unit, we're looking at non-chronological reports.

Now that's quite a mouthful, so you might find that occasionally I refer to these as non-chron reports.

If I do this, you know that I'm referring to the exact same thing and I recommend that you do too if you find it easier.

In this lesson, you'll need an exercise book or paper, a pencil and of course, your brain.

You can't forget that.

So if you need to go off and get any of these things, pause the video now.

Okay.

Let's introduce non-chronological reports and have a think about exactly what they are.

So what is a non-chronological report? Now, I'd like you to have a think for yourselves first in order to do this, I'd like you to pause the video and see if you could define a non-chronological report.

Now you might not know, which is absolutely fine.

Let's just have a think.

Pause the video now.

Okay.

So when we talk about non-chronological reports, we're talking about a type of non-fiction text.

And when I say non-fiction, I'm referring to texts, which contain truths.

So facts.

Facts about the real world, the world that we live in.

This is not a text containing stories, which are born of our imaginations.

That is fiction.

So when we refer to fiction, we're talking generally about stories which have been made up or created in the mind or imagination of an author.

Non-fiction texts refer and relate to the real world and they contain facts about it.

Here's an example.

This is a book about the human body.

And you can see, you can just tell by looking at it that this text is going to contain facts about the human body.

A non-chronological report provides factual information about a subject, person or event.

So they're generally aimed towards a specific subject person or event.

And then finally, they're not written in time order.

Now this is quite important 'cause this is one of the biggest things that separates them from a piece of fiction.

The word chronological is made up of multiple parts.

The first part is the word chron, which actually comes from Greek.

And it means time.

When we're talking about things that are chronological, we're talking about things that are in time order.

Something that's not chronological, is not in time order.

So the information within a non-chronological report does not follow a particular time order.

It's ordered according to what the author thinks is most important to include at which point in the report.

Okay.

Here, we have two texts.

Now I'd like you to help me decide which of these is fiction, and which of these is non-fiction.

We're going to do it on the basis of the covers alone.

Now, fortunately for us, there are lots of clues which let us know whether or not a text is fiction or non-fiction.

And you can often do this before, even opening the cover.

So have a careful look.

We have "Greek Myths for Young Children", and then we have "Ancient Greece".

Pause the video now.

Okay.

So two texts, one of these is fiction, one is non-fiction.

How do we know Which is which? So the "Greek Myths for Young Children", that is the fiction text.

And there are a few clues telling me that this is the case.

Now the first biggest clue is perhaps the name, Greek Myths, and myth is made up story.

So therefore we know that this book is going to contain a variety of made up stories.

Stories are fiction therefore, this is most likely a fiction text.

But there are other clues as well.

The front cover is illustrated.

Now it's been decorated very beautifully, but everything on this front cover has been drawn from the imagination of somebody in an attempt to depict what's happening in the book.

Now, if we look at a "100 Facts, Ancient Greece", on the other hand, we can see that there's a real life artefact on the front cover.

Now it's a photograph.

When it comes to non-fiction, it's rarely necessary to draw the things you're talking about.

Since they exist in real life, it's often possible to take a photograph of them.

If you do draw things in a non-fiction text, it's normally a quite accurate detailed scientific drawing rather than a highly decorative, colourful, artistic drawing.

Like the cover of the "Greek Myths" text.

On the "Ancient Greece" book, we also have another big clue, which is 100 Facts, which it says along the top there.

If you want to get really detailed, you can even tell by the font used.

So that's the design and the various letters on each of the covers.

The "Ancient Greece" font looks quite formal and serious, whereas the "Greek Myths" font looks a bit more relaxed and more akin to something you are likely to find on the cover of a fiction text.

Okay.

Two more.

Pause the video, and have a go.

Okay.

So "The Fish with the Deep Sea Smile" and "Creatures of the Deep." Now you'll notice that these are both about roughly the same thing, creatures of the deep.

"The Fish with the Deep Sea Smile", is quite obviously to me, the fiction text.

Once again, we have a illustrated cover.

It's been very nicely illustrated, it's quite obviously depicting a story rather than a real life factual recount of something.

We even have the illustrator's name as well as the author's name, which kind of gives us that clue.

Also the title of the text, "The Fish with the Deep Sea Smile" that suggests some element of kind of emotional investment, which you wouldn't typically find with a non-fiction.

Non-fictions aren't expecting you to become emotionally invested in a text.

They're mostly just trying to teach you something.

"Creatures of the Deep", makes use of a photograph, which is a quite striking photograph for a front cover, it really captures your attention, but it is still a photograph.

Therefore, from the offset, it's very factual.

Once again, we have this very formal font, "Creatures of the Deep: In Search of the Sea's Monsters and the World They Live In." Everything about this is quite formal and factual.

It's explaining exactly what's happening in the text because non-fiction texts aim to inform primarily, which means, tell you things and teach you things.

Okay.

Let's think about the purpose, audience, language and layout of a non-chronological report.

So the purpose of a non-chron report is the reason a text is written.

When we talk about the purpose of the text, we're talking about why it's been written.

What's the point of the text existing? The audience refers to the type of people that read a text, so who's likely to pick it up and read it, who it's intended for.

The language is the vocabulary that's chosen, and layout the is the way in which a text is organised and structured.

Another way of thinking about layout is thinking about the shape of the text.

Different types of texts have very distinctive shapes.

This is another way of talking about their layout.

How about in relation to a non-chron report in particular, I need your help for this one.

So what do you think is the purpose, audience, language and layout of a non-chronological report in particular? Pause the video and have a think.

Okay.

So the purpose of non-chron report is to inform and provide information that's true of all non-fiction text.

The idea is that you're informing people about something in particular, a particular subject.

You're teaching them.

The audience is anybody that's interested in the subject.

Now, non-chron reports are often pitched for a particular age.

However, a non-chron report intended for a younger audience is still informative and engaging for adults and vice versa.

A non-chron report intended for adults is often accessible, and engaging, and interesting for a younger audience as well.

Language in an non-chrom report is formal, first and foremost, it's formal.

And then we also have something we refer to as subject specific-language.

This is vocabulary that you are only likely to find when speaking about a particular subject.

Since a non-chron report focuses on a particular subject, it often contains this type of vocabulary.

Finally, we have the layout.

Now a non-chron report is generally laid out with an opening, then some main paragraphs between one and three, and then a closing paragraph.

The size and length of the report just depends on the author and it depends slightly on the subject.

But often you'd have an opening, one, two or three main paragraphs, and then a closing paragraph.

Okay.

Let's identify some features.

Here's a non-chrom report.

Now this one's about polar bears.

I'm not expecting you to be able to read this, the idea is more to give you an understanding of the shape and layout of a non-chrom report.

Here's the opening, here are the main paragraphs, in this instance we have two.

And there's the closing.

That structure is quite straightforward and quite reliable.

It's a really nice way of making it clear to the reader what's happening at each point in the text.

What I'd like you to do now is pause the video and have a very careful think about this question, which features would you find in a non-chronological report? So what kind of things are you expecting to find? I'd like you to think about the layout and structure of the report, id like you think about the language, and the punctuation.

So what examples of each of these are you likely to find in a non-chrom report? Pause the video and have a go.

Okay.

It's time for us to go through some of the things that you are likely to find in a non-chrom report.

First, going to look at the opening, which makes sense since it's the first thing that you come across when reading a non-chron report.

Okay.

Here's the opening.

Any second, I'm going to read it out loud and then we're going to seek out each of the features on the right hand side.

The features are, title, subjects-specific vocabulary, brackets, question and a linking sentence.

Okay.

As I read, please, please feel free to read along with me.

"Polar Bears.

Polar bears are one of the largest land animals in the world.

Their bodies have ingenious adaptations to help them survive in their Arctic habitat and hunt for prey.

Did you know, they can measure up to three metres and weigh up to 800 kilogrammes? This fascinating creature can be found in many countries across the globe.

Read on to find out more interesting information about this amazing animal's appearance and diet." Rightio.

Let's see if we can identify each of the features on the right hand side.

Now these are features that you are likely to find and include in a non-chronological report.

That is why we're looking at them.

The first thing I'd like to help you find is the title.

Pause the video now and a have ago.

Okay.

So the first of these features is quite a straightforward one.

There's our title.

In this instance, the title of the report is, Polar Bears.

That's because the report is about polar bears.

Quite simple, really.

Next we're going to look for subject-specific vocabulary.

This is vocabulary that is linked to this specific subject.

Generally, the way I think about this type of vocabulary is am I likely to hear it on a day-to-day basis? If the answer's no, that's probably because it's subject-specific vocabulary.

Pause the video and have a careful look, see if you can spot any.

Okay.

Now I've highlighted the subject specific vocabulary that I found.

Land animals, ingenious adaptations, You don't generally talk about adaptations on a day-to-day basis.

Then I've referenced their Arctic habitat, which is quite specific to this type of text about this particular subject.

And then we have the term prey.

I think the time pray again, is quite specific to a kind of a scientific report on animals.

Right.

Let's look for brackets.

So brackets typically contain extra information.

I'd like you to pause the video and have a look.

Rightio.

let's see if we can find any brackets.

I found some here.

, I'm going to read the sentence out loud and then let's think about what role the brackets are playing in the sentence.

"This fascinating creature can be found in many countries across the globe ." You can see the information contained within the brackets is extra information.

It adds to the sentence that it's contained within.

It's contained within the sentence, "This fascinating creature can be found in many countries across the globe." The key to brackets, is that the sentence containing them make sense.

So the sentence should make sense by itself without the brackets and by adding them in, you should be adding extra information, which can be removed without any detriment to the original sentence.

That means without effecting the original sentence in a negative way.

Now let's look for a question.

This is a question to the reader, and it's a rhetorical question.

So it's a question that you're not expecting a response to.

So whoever wrote this report has written a question they're not expecting to be answered.

Pause the video and have a look.

Okay.

The question is, there.

"Did you know, they can measure up to three metres and weight up to 800 kilogrammes?" Now the author of this report is not expecting this question to be answered.

They're phrasing it in this way, in the attempt to make the fact sound even more interesting.

It's also a really good way of having the reader think about things for themselves.

Finally, let's see if we can find a linking sentence.

Now, a linking sentence links between one paragraph and the next.

For this reason, they generally come at the end of a paragraph.

There's a big clue.

Pause the video and have a look.

Okay.

The linking sentence is here, "Read on to find out more interesting information about this amazing animal's appearance and diet." That sentence is linking to what's coming next, which is the main paragraph.

And it's making the reader feel as though there's more to come and it's making them feel intrigued about what that might be.

Okay.

Let's look our main paragraphs.

So in this instance, there are two.

There's an appearance paragraph and a diet paragraph.

Main paragraph.

"The polar bear is the largest species of bear found on earth.

They ave thick fur and to have a layer of fatty blubber underneath their skin so that they are insulated and can float in water.

This helps them when they are hunting on ice and in water.

In addition to this, these huge mammals have flat feet with web toes and long sharp claws, up to 5.

1 centimetres.

As a result, they can balance and grip on the ice and are very strong swimmers." So the main paragraph often contains these features, a subheading, and opening sentence, formal conjunctions, and then finally synonyms for the animal that's being studied.

You're not always studying animals, of course, you're generally are though studying a particular subject or person or topic In which case this thing will be described in a number of ways.

This is a very important aspect of non-chronological reports that I'll talk about in a second.

Firstly, let's see if we can find a subheading.

Pause the video now and have a look.

Okay.

Our subheading is there.

In this instance, the subheading is, appearance.

Subheadings often come at the beginning of paragraphs throughout the text.

The reason they're included is to signpost to the reader what's happening in each paragraph.

This way, if a reader is just interested in appearance they can flick through the report until they can get to and find the appearance paragraph.

So it's a really helpful way of explaining to the reader what's contained within each paragraph.

Now let's find our opening sentence.

Big clue, the opening sentence opens the paragraph.

That's a big clue Pause the video now.

Okay.

Our opening sentence is here.

"The polar bear is the largest species of bear found on earth." The opening sentence is generally a very general sentence, which introduces the theme of the paragraph.

In this instance, we're talking about appearance.

This opening sentence, lets the reader know that the polar bear is big.

Now this is a general fact because we're not really learning anything specific about the bear.

We're just learning about it size which is quite a general aspects of it.

It's really important that opening sentences do this because it allows them to then zoom in on more finer details of the thing being studied.

Let's see if we can find any formal conjunctions.

I'd like you to have a careful look for these.

Formal conjunctions, generally come at the beginning of a sentence and they're followed by a comma.

Their job is to link two sentences together.

Pause the video and have a go.

Okay.

Our formal conjunctions are there.

So we have two.

We have, in addition to this, and we have, as a result.

We generally have three types of formal conjunctions formal and conjunctions, formal but conjunctions and causal conjunctions.

They all perform a slightly different role.

We're going to look in some detail at these in a future lesson.

Here we have, in addition to this, which is a formal and conjunction.

We're joining two sentences together in a way that creates flow.

This makes the report easier and more pleasant to read because there is flow and cohesion between sentences.

It also elevates the level of writing to a slightly more formal level.

This makes the text more appropriate for the text type, which is a non-fiction.

Okay.

Let's see if we can find any synonyms for animal.

Now in this instance, the animal we're looking at is a polar bear.

So we're looking for synonyms for polar bear.

A synonym is another word for something.

So it's another word, which means the same thing.

Pause the video and have a go.

Okay.

The synonyms for a polar bear are, well, there's only one.

These huge mammals.

That's a nice way of referring to polar bears without saying polar bear again.

This is one of the biggest reasons we come up with synonyms for the word or thing we're looking at.

To avoid repetition.

Since we're referring to this animal often, we don't want to use the same term again and again and again and again.

If we're not careful, the phrase polar bear is likely to repeat in every sentence.

By coming up with synonyms, we're able to avoid this, which once again creates a more pleasant and flowing read for the reader.

Okay.

Time to look at our closing.

Closing, "To conclude polar bears are fascinating creatures with many interesting features.

This species is superbly adapted to suit the environment in which it lives.

Despite this, the future survival rate of these animals is under threat due to the destruction of their habitat, environmental change and poor treatment.

Hopefully conservation efforts will save these legendary hunters." Okay.

Now we are going to seek out each of these three features, concluding word or phrase, future tense, and then closing sentence.

The first one we're going to look for is a concluding word or phrase.

This is a phrase or word that comes at the beginning of the closing paragraph.

Top tip.

See if you can find it.

Pause the video now.

Okay.

Our concluding word or phrase is, to conclude.

These are often found at the beginning of closing paragraphs, just to make it clear that the report is coming to an end.

Another example would be, in conclusion.

Let's see if we can find any future tense.

Future tense is often using the closing paragraph of a non-chron report to refer to the subject and what it's likely to look like in the future.

Since we're talking about polar bears, in this instance, the future tense will likely refer to how polar bears will be doing in the future.

Pause the video now.

Okay.

The future tense is here.

It often comes towards the end of the closing paragraph.

"Hopefully, conservation efforts will save these legendary hunters." So this is a reference to what might, hopefully, in this instance, happen to polar bears in the future.

Finally, we have a closing sentence.

Pause the video and have a look.

Here it is.

"Hopefully, conservation efforts will save these legendary hunters." This is a way of concluding the report of concluding the paragraph and wrapping things up.

Okay.

Let's have a think about today's task.

So we're going to write down the features of a non-chronological report.

I'd like you to write down as many as you can think of.

You can write them down in a number of ways, you might like to list them or create a mind map containing the various features.

If and when you finish, as a bonus, I'd like you to write an example of each type.

For example, if you write down formal conjunctions, there's one for you.

You might want to write down some examples.

In addition to this, however, as a result.

Remember, we've actually seen most of the features today and we've seen examples of them.

So there's lots for you to pinch from.

Pause the video and have a go.

Okay.

Congratulations.

That's the end of the lesson.

And today we have, introduced non-chrom reports and discussed them.

We have thought about purpose, audience, language and layout.

we've identified features and we've done our task.

So well done.

That's the end of the lesson.

Well done for all of your hard work.

Bye.