Lesson video

Hi everybody, and welcome to our lesson today.

My name is Ms. Mullins.

I've been so impressed with all of the learning we've been doing throughout our unit so far.

Today, we've got our writing lesson, so I'm really looking forward to seeing what you achieve.

In today's lesson, you will be using a plan to write the adaptations section of a non-chronological report about aye-ayes.

Here are some keywords we will be using, specific information, parenthesis, brackets, text cohesion, adaptations.

Well done.

Specific information is clear, exact, and particular information.

Parenthesis is additional information that can be removed without compromising grammatical accuracy.

Brackets are a punctuation mark used to add extra, factual information in a clause.

Text cohesion refers to how text flows to maintain the interest of the reader and achieve the text's purpose.

Adaptations are special features that animals and plants develop to help them survive where they live.

In our lesson today, we will be writing the adaptations section of a non-chronological report about aye-ayes.

Firstly, we will be preparing to write the adaptations section, and then we will write the adaptations section.

Non-chronological reports often follow the same structure.

They have a title, an introduction, main sections, and a conclusion.

The introduction is the first paragraph that encourages the reader to read on.

The sections contain paragraphs of information related to a particular aspect of the subject.

In our non-chronological report, we have been writing about the diet and the adaptations.

And finally, the conclusion is the last paragraph that summarises the key information of the text.

So far throughout our unit, we have already written the introduction and we have written the diet section.

Today, we are writing the adaptations section.

The purpose of the adaptations section is to engage the reader and give the reader specific information about aye-ayes' adaptations.

The structure of the section is like this.

We have a subheading, introductory sentence, specific information, and a linking sentence.

The introductory sentence introduces what the paragraph will be about.

Specific information gives the reader detailed information about an aspect of the topic.

And the linking sentence links on to the next paragraph.

Let's review the cohesive devices we have used to build text cohesion so far in our report.

Fronted adverbials, subject-specific vocabulary, relative complex sentences, and parenthesis marked using brackets.

All of these help build text cohesion, which is how a text flows and how we as authors keep our reader engaged and achieve the text's purpose.

Match each cohesive device to its definition.

Pause the video while you do that.

Well done if you spotted that a fronted adverbial is a sentence starter followed by a comma, subject-specific vocabulary is vocabulary used when writing about a particular subject, a relative complex sentence is a sentence formed of a main clause and a relative clause, and parenthesis is additional information that can be removed without compromising grammatical accuracy.

Circle the parenthesis in this sentence.

Aye-ayes are omnivores, plant and meat eaters, so their diet is varied.

Now, from my example, I know that the parenthesis in a sentence is additional information that can be removed without compromising grammatical accuracy.

I know that the word omnivores is a tricky bit of subject-specific vocabulary.

"Plant and meat eaters" could be given as parenthesis to help my reader understand what the word omnivores means.

In this sentence, the parenthesis is "plant and meat eaters" because if I were to remove it from the sentence, the sentence would still make sense.

The sentence would just be, aye-ayes are omnivores, so their diet is varied.

Therefore, "plant and meat eaters" is the parenthesis in this sentence.

Now it's your turn.

Circle the parenthesis in this sentence.

Let's read it together first.

Aye-ayes are nocturnal, active at night, so they require excellent night vision when hunting.

Pause the video while you decide which part of this sentence is the parenthesis, and then circle it.

Well done if you spotted that the parenthesis in this sentence is "active at night." This parenthesis is giving a definition of what the word nocturnal means.

If we removed "active at night" from the sentence, the sentence would still make sense.

Aye-ayes are nocturnal, so they require excellent night vision when hunting.

The parenthesis in this sentence is "active at night." Which of these sentences uses brackets to demarcate parenthesis correctly? Pause the video while you decide.

Well done if you spotted that the correct answer was B.

Aye-ayes are nocturnal, active at night, so they require extra night vision when hunting.

The parenthesis in this sentence, as we identified in our last activity, was "active at night." The brackets have gone either side of the parenthesis to separate it from the rest of the sentence.

Now it's time for your task.

Insert a pair of brackets around the parenthesis in the sentence below.

Let's read the sentence through together, and then you can pause the video to complete your task.

Aye-ayes possess a range of adaptations, special features that enable them to survive, making them unique to other animals.

Pause the video while you complete the task.

Well done, everyone, if you spotted that the parenthesis in this sentence was "special features that enable them to survive." This is a definition of the word adaptations for the reader.

The brackets go either side of the parenthesis to separate it from the rest of the sentence.

Now it's time for second part of your task.

Which of these sentences uses brackets to demarcate parenthesis correctly? Pause the video while you decide.

Well done if you spotted that the correct answer was C.

Aye-ayes locate grubs, primarily beetle larvae, inside trees' trunks by tapping on the tree bark and listening to the echo inside.

"Primarily beetle larvae" is the parenthesis in this sentence.

It gives the reader more detail about which type of grubs aye-ayes eat, and the brackets are used to separate this parenthesis from the rest of the sentence.

What a fantastic start to our lesson, everyone.

Now we're onto the second part of our learning, which is writing the adaptations section.

Now you are going to write the adaptations section.

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

We plan and say each sentence before we write it.

We use punctuation when we know the rules.

We showcase each sentence type we know.

We write letters neatly on the line in joined handwriting.

And we use spelling strategies to spell words accurately.

We also check and improve our writing when we think we have finished.

Here is today's success criteria.

These can act as a guideline for us to help us understand what to include in our writing to make it as successful as possible.

Let's read our success criteria together.

I have written an introductory sentence which explains what the paragraph is about.

I have included specific facts about aye-ayes' adaptations and their functions.

I have used a relative complex sentence.

I have used parenthesis demarcated with brackets.

Which of the below will help you today? Pause the video while you decide.

Well done if you spotted that all three of these are necessary to help you today.

You will need your plan, your success criteria, and a growth mindset to build on the ideas in your plan and develop them even further.

We are now going to be writing the adaptations section, so let's take a moment to remind ourselves of its structure.

We have a subheading, an introductory sentence which introduces what the paragraph will be about, specific information which gives the reader detailed information about an aspect of the topic, in this case, it'll be about key adaptations we want our reader to know about, and then a linking sentence which links on to the next section.

We're going to begin by writing our introductory sentence to introduce what the section will be about.

Make sure you're looking at the relevant part of your plan.

When I'm writing this section, I need to make sure that I'm looking at the relevant part of my plan, which has my subheading and my ideas for my introductory sentence.

Okay, everyone.

So you can see that I have got my success criteria stuck into my book, and I've also written my subheading.

I've written it as a question.

And let's just do a very quick check, have I remembered a capital letter and a question mark? Yes, I have.

Let's read my subheading together.

How do aye-ayes' adaptations enable them to survive? I've chosen to use plural possession in my subheading.

The adaptations belong to the aye-ayes, so I use my apostrophe for plural possession after the word aye-ayes.

I'm now going to write my introductory sentence.

I'm going to try and link my introductory sentence of this section back to the content of the previous section, which was about the diet.

So here, I'm going to use a formal "and" fronted adverbial to show that as well as learning about the diet, we are also now going to be learning about aye-ayes' adaptations.

Now, just thinking about some of the "and" formal fronted adverbials, we could use "also," "in addition to." I'm going to use "as well as." So as well as their fascinating eating habits, aye-ayes are highly adapted to survive in their environment.

So remembering my indentation.

So as well as their fascinating eating habits, now, as well as their fascinating eating habits, comma, aye-ayes are highly adapted to survive in their environment.

Now, one of my success criteria is to use parenthesis within brackets.

I'm going to take this opportunity to remind the reader what the aye-ayes' environment is, which is Madagascar's rainforests.

So I'm going to open my brackets, remembering a capital for Madagascar because it is a proper noun, Madagascar's rainforests.

And then full stop.

Now, the rainforests belong to Madagascar.

That is one owner.

Madagascar's the singular owner.

So this is singular possession, so I will use an apostrophe for singular possession here.

Let's reread my introductory sentence.

As well as their fascinating eating habits, comma, aye-ayes are highly adapted to survive in their environment, Madagascar's rainforests.

Oh, and I need to remember to close my brackets, and there is my parenthesis.

So I have written an introductory sentence which explains what the paragraph is about, and I've also used parenthesis demarcated with brackets.

Now I'm going to move on to my specific information where I'm going to name one specific adaptation.

We could be writing about the aye-aye's long middle finger, its camouflaging brown fur, its dish-like, hypersensitive ears and eyesight.

For my example now, though, I've decided to write about the aye-aye's continuously growing incisor teeth.

So, now I'm going to actually.

I think that's a really, really important adaptation of this animal, so I'm actually going to use a viewpoint fronted adverbial.

I'm going to go with "of significant interest." So, of significant interest, of significant interest, the aye-aye's teeth.

Well, it's actually their incisor teeth.

Now, my reader might not be clear on what incisor teeth are, so I'm actually going to explain what the incisor teeth are using a "which" relative clause.

So my main fact is that the incisor teeth continuously grow through their lifetime, but I'm also going to give the fact here in my "which" relative clause, which is that they are the front two teeth.

So of significant interest.

Oh, and I forgot my comma after my viewpoint fronted adverbial, so add that in now.

Of significant interest, comma, the aye-aye's incisor teeth, comma, which are its two front teeth, comma, continuously grow throughout its lifetime.

Okay, full stop.

Now, let's just go back and reread that sentence.

Of significant interest, comma, the aye-aye's incisor teeth, comma, which are its two front teeth, comma, continuously grow throughout its lifetime.

I'm really happy with the structure of this relative complex sentence with my "which" relative clause where my "which" is the relative pronoun, but I think I might have made a few mistakes with my apostrophes.

Firstly here.

The incisor teeth belong to the aye-aye.

I'm talking about a singular aye-aye in this sentence.

I can switch between singular and plural as long as I maintain it throughout one sentence.

So the incisor teeth belong to the aye-aye, so I need to show an apostrophe for singular possession.

And you're absolutely right, it needs to go after the word aye-aye and before the S.

Incisor teeth, which are its two front teeth, continuously grow throughout its lifetime.

Now I want to talk a little bit about this apostrophe in its.

The its doesn't own anything, so it's not an apostrophe for plural possession.

And this isn't a contracted word.

This shouldn't be "it is lifetime." "Its two front teeth continuously grow throughout it is lifetime" wouldn't make sense.

I've actually just made a mistake here.

This is a really common mistake.

Sometimes people write the word it's when they're just talking about the possessive form of the word its, not it is, and they add an apostrophe by accident.

So I need to cross that out.

It should just be I-T-S because it is the possessive form of the word its.

Now, I have written my specific fact about my aye-aye's adaptation, and I have also used my relative complex sentence.

But it is really important for me to explain why this adaptation is so important and what the function of this adaptation actually is.

Otherwise, my reader won't understand how the aye-aye's continuously growing teeth help it to survive.

So, I'm going to show cause and effect here.

How do the aye-aye's continuously growing teeth help it survive? I'm going to go with "as a result." So, as a result, ooh, misspelt that word, result, comma, remembering my comma after my fronted adverbial of cause, the, hmm, the aye-aye's teeth, although we've used aye-ayes a lot, so I'm going to go with the lemur's teeth, and remember, we're talking about one lemur here, so lemur, apostrophe, S, lemur's teeth can be relied upon throughout its life, can be relied upon throughout, and remember again, the possessive its doesn't need an apostrophe, life to bite through trees' bark, now, the bark belongs to the trees, it's not just one tree in the forest, it's plural, so trees', apostrophe, bark and coconuts' shells.

Again, the shells belong to more than one coconut, so it's coconuts', so the shells belong to the coconuts, so coconuts', apostrophe, shells, full stop.

Okay, let's just reread the entire paragraph and make sure we're happy with it.

So how do aye-ayes' adaptations enable them to survive? As well as their fascinating eating habits, aye-ayes are highly adapted to survive in their environment, Madagascar's rainforests.

Of significant interest, comma, the aye-aye's incisor teeth, which are its two front teeth, continuously grow throughout its lifetime.

As a result, comma, the lemur's teeth can be relied upon throughout its life to bite through trees' bark and coconuts' shells.

I am really, really happy with my diet paragraph.

I have met my success criteria.

Now that you've helped me write my adaptations section, it's time for you to write yours.

Use your plan to draught your subheading and introductory sentence.

You might want to use my scaffold to help you, but you do not have to use it if you would like to use your own ideas.

Pause the video while you do that.

Great work, everyone.

Here are some ideas you might have used.

Bear in mind that these ideas will probably be different to your own.

You might have written a question such as, how are aye-ayes adapted to survive? If you used my sentence opener, you might have written something similar to this.

In addition to their intriguing diet, aye-ayes are highly adapted creatures with a range of physical features that are vital for survival.

Check through your success criteria now.

I have written an introductory sentence which explains what the paragraph is about.

Now check your success criteria to tick off any that you have already met.

Now we're going to be writing our specific information section.

This is where we give our reader detailed information about an aspect of the topic.

What information do we need to include here? Check your plan and make sure you're looking at the relevant part of your plan where you jotted down original ideas for adaptation one and its function and adaptation two and its function.

Here's what my plan looks like.

Now, use your plan to draught your specific information for adaptation one.

If you would like to, you can can use my sentence starter.

One of the aye-aye's primary adaptations is its.

You do not have to use my scaffold if you would rather use your own ideas.

Pause the video now while you complete the task.

Great work, everyone.

Here is an example of what you might have written, but it's also likely you may have written about a different adaptation.

In my example, I wrote: One of the aye-aye's primary adaptations is its dark brown fur.

This enables the aye-aye to remain camouflaged, blended in with its surroundings, and protected from predators.

In this sentence, I have included specific facts about aye-ayes' adaptations and their functions.

I have also used parenthesis demarcated with brackets.

Now it's time for you to draught your specific information for adaptation two.

You might want to use an "and" formal fronted adverbial.

I've suggested, "As well as this," but you might use something different.

Pause the video now while you draught your specific information for adaptation two.

Great work, everyone.

Here's my example: As well as this, the aye-aye's middle finger, which is noticeably long and slender, is used to pierce grubs and scoop them out from inside trees' trunks.

In my sentence, I have included specific facts about aye-ayes' adaptations and their functions, and I have used a relative complex sentence.

Excellent work, everyone.

Now, this brings us on to our final section of the paragraphs, which is our linking sentence.

What information do we need to include here? Look through your plan.

Check which sentence opener you decided to use and how you've decided to summarise the importance of the adaptations.

Now use your plan to draught your linking sentence.

You could use "Having this range of adaptations means that aye-ayes" as way to start your sentence.

You might also choose to start your sentence in a different way.

Pause the video now while you do that.

Great work, everyone.

Take a moment to reread your linking sentence.

Here is my example: Having this range of adaptations means that aye-ayes are highly adapted for their environment, and these features are essential to their survival.

Now that you have finished writing, check your writing and make any edits or improvements.

Then rewrite your sentences as a full adaptations section with a subheading, and use the success criteria to help you.

Pause the video while you do that.

Excellent work, everyone.

I hope you're feeling so successful with what you have achieved.

Here is my outcome for my adaptations section.

I have split the section into two paragraphs.

The first paragraph is all about the first adaptation.

My second paragraph is all about the second adaptation.

Let's read my example together: How are aye-ayes adapted to survive? In addition to their intriguing diets, aye-ayes are highly adapted creatures with a range of physical features that are vital for their survival.

One of the aye-aye's primary adaptations is its dark brown fur.

This enables the aye-aye to remain camouflaged, blended in with its surroundings, and protected from predators.

As well as this, the aye-aye's middle finger, which is noticeably long and slender, is used to pierce grubs and scoop them out from inside trees' nests.

Having this range of adaptations means that aye-ayes are highly adapted for their environment, and these features are essential to their survival.

I have written an introductory sentence which explains what the paragraph is about.

I have included specific facts about aye-ayes' adaptations and their functions.

I have used a relative complex sentence.

And I have used parenthesis demarcated with brackets.

When you reread your writing, are you sure that you have met all of your success criteria? Well done, everyone.

I am so impressed with the learning and the writing that we have produced in our lesson today.

Today, we have been writing the adaptations section of a non-chronological report about aye-ayes.

Here's a summary of what we've learned.

Fronted adverbials, subject-specific vocabulary, relative complex sentences, and parenthesis are all cohesive devices used to improve text flow.

Parenthesis is additional information that can be removed without compromising grammatical accuracy.

Success criteria helps us identify what a successful piece of writing includes.

Planning, drafting, and editing allows for a successful writing process.

Well done, everybody, again, and I'm really looking forward to seeing you again soon.