Lesson video

Hi, everybody and welcome to lesson three of the unit on writing our non-chronological report.

This is going to be a grammar lesson so it's a little bit different to the rest of the unit but I think it's something that you'll find really useful for all of the writing.

So let's get started.

Okay, so the lesson objective today is to develop our knowledge of the function of a colon.

On the agenda, we're going to start with a word class warmup.

Then we're going to look at colons which introduce a list.

And then we're going to look at colons which are used to separate clauses.

And then we're going to finish with a game.

For this lesson, you're going to need an exercise book or some paper, a pencil, your brain, and hopefully if you can try and find a nice, quiet, calm space for you to concentrate, now's your time to do it.

If you need to, pause the video and you can get all this stuff sorted.

Okay, a writing warmup word class game.

I want you to put these words into the correct definitions.

The definition is something which what this word means.

What's this word mean? Pause the video and have a think.

Okay, so hopefully you've had a chance to have a think about where you would put, match the words with their definitions.

These are all grammar terms that you've probably come across in the past through grammar lessons in key stage one and key stage two.

So the first one, a noun, is a PPT, a person, place, or thing.

You can also have proper nouns, which are things like names and countries, which need to have the capital letter at the beginning.

And what describes a word, it tell us what it's like? That's right, it's an adjective describes a word, tells us what it's like, usually but not always, usually found before a noun, to describe the noun.

For example, a brown dog.

Brown is the adjective.

A verb is a doing or being word.

If you do it or you are it, then the word is a verb.

If you are playing tennis, playing is the verb.

If you are happy, I am happy, am is the verb.

And finally, an adverb describes a verb.

It often ends in L-Y.

It describes how the verb is being done.

If you are running quickly, the adverb quickly tells you, describes, how you are running.

Okay, so the first type of colon we're going to be looking at today are ones you might have seen in the past.

And they are colons to introduce a list.

Which of these sentences, just to check your understanding, which of these sentences contain a colon? To make an omelette and you will need: two eggs, butter, cheese, and some mushrooms or I'm going to make an omelette for lunch.

It is my favourite.

I have to think, which of these contains the colon? That's not the colon in the second sentence.

That is a dash that comes between lunch and it.

It joins the two clauses together but it's joined together by a dash.

So this is the sentence with the colon.

And it introduces the list of ingredients you need in an omelette.

So colons are often used to introduce a list.

For example, the Loch Ness Monster has a range of features which enable it to capture its prey quickly and efficiently, colon, green leathery scales to camouflage, rotating eyes to spot prey, and sharp teeth and claws to tear through tough skin.

The colon comes in, comes just before the list of features to introduce them, to introduce the features.

Or for example, your child will need the following items for their school trip to the zoo, colon, a sun hat, water, notebook, and a pencil.

Okay, aren't we just not have a think about what do you notice about how capital letters and commas are used in a colon within a list? Have you had a look at the first sentence? And have a look at the second sentence.

This is really important because otherwise it can look a little bit weird if you don't use the correct capitals when you're using a colon.

So you're probably right.

You probably notice that after the colon, you do not need a capital letter if it's not a proper noun, okay? And you don't need them also at the beginning of each, after each comma.

It stays as a lowercase letter throughout.

And then finally, on your final feature, the final part of the list, you have an and which replaces the comma.

You don't need the and and a comma.

The same is on the second example.

After the colon, you have the letter A.

It doesn't begin with a capital letter and that's the same for every object within that list.

And then at the end, you don't have it.

You have a and instead of the final comma.

So where should the colon go in this sentence? I need someone to volunteer to help with the following: tidying the tables, handing out sheets and sorting the trays.

You can see, if you don't pause where the comma should be it's quite a long sentence.

And it's quite hard.

I mean, it feels like it does need a pause.

Yeah, you're right.

It comes after the word following.

I need someone to volunteer to help with the following: tidying the tables, handing out sheets, and sorting the trays.

It introduces that list of jobs that need to happen.

Okay, now I need you to get out your pen and your paper or pencil and your paper and complete the writing activity.

I'd like you to write your own sentence that uses a colon which introduces a list.

You don't have to but if you'd like to use my sentence starts to help you, absolutely go for it.

I've suggested you could say for this activity, comma, you will and then you can feel free to carry on.

If you'd rather use your own and use your own idea, that's also great.

Pause the video now and have a go writing your own sentence with a colon which introduces a list.

'Kay, now we're going to be developing our understanding of colons by looking at how they can also be used to separate clauses.

They can be also used to separate clauses within the same sentence.

Colons work like a conjunction but you don't need both.

And that's something that's really important.

So for example, all the teachers agreed, colon, this was the best assembly all year.

Another example, a dolphin is not actually a fish, colon, it is a warm-blooded mammal.

So have a think about these sentences and think what's conjunction is the colon replacing here, which means you don't need both a colon and a conjunction? All the teachers agreed, colon, this was the best assembly all year.

You're right.

I think it replaces the colon that, the conjunction that.

All the teachers agreed that this was the best assembly all year.

A dolphin is not actually a fish, colon, it is a warm-blooded mammal.

What conjunction does it replace? You're right, I think it's probably as or maybe because.

A dolphin is not actually a fish because it is a warm blooded-animal, mammal, or a dolphin is not actually a fish because or as it is a warm-blooded mammal.

Okay, now we need to have a think and read the sentence below and think where should the colon go in this sentence? I decided it was time to leave.

I needed to avoid the morning rush hour.

Where should that colon go to separate the clauses? You're right.

After the word leave.

I decided it was time to leave.

I needed to avoid the morning rush hour.

You could have used the conjunction because, couldn't you, and that would also have made sense.

So now, for your writing task, I want you to pause the video, take out your pencil and paper and write your own sentence that uses a colon which separates clauses.

I've given you an example just if you need a bit of a reminder.

Chocolate is my favourite food, colon, I love how sweet it is.

It's replaced that conjunction because.

Have a little think.

If you want to talk to a parent carer about this, that would be great.

Okay, it is now time for a game just to check everything we've learned from this lesson.

We're going to have a look and see whether the colon's been placed in the right place in each sentence.

So is the colon used correctly here? Pause the video and have a proper think.

There are several activities to do, colon, at the beach, build sandcastles, swim, and play cricket.

Is that used correctly? You're right.

The colon needs to come after the word beach.

There are several activities to do at the beach, colon.

Introduce the activities, build sandcastles, swim, and play cricket.

And you'll notice there is no capital letters after the colon.

Is the colon used correctly here? Pause the video.

I like to swim in the ocean every morning, colon, the cold water wakes me up.

Yeah, the colon's used correctly here to separate the two clauses.

Both are complete clauses.

That makes sense.

I'll need a slide to the colon.

And they could be, it could've been separated by the conjunction because or as.

I like to swim in the ocean every morning as the cold water wakes me up.

Is the colon used correctly in this sentence? There was no way down the cliff.

The rocks had fallen, colon, and blocked the path.

Have a pause.

Have a think.

No, you're right.

It's not used correctly.

And you could tell because after the colon and blocked the path, that's not a complete clause.

It doesn't make sense by itself.

So it needs to have had, the colon needs to have come at a different place for both sides of the colon to make sense.

And that's why it should've come after the word cliff.

There was no way down the cliff, colon.

Why? Because the rocks had fallen and blocked the path.

The colon introduces the reason why.

Okay, well done everybody for a great lesson.

We've done a word class warmup if we catch nouns, adjectives, adverbs, and verbs.

We've had another look at colons which introduce a list, colons after a noun, and then game time.

Okay, I really hope you found this lesson useful.

I think the colon is going to be a brilliant use of punctuation you can use in a non-chronological report because there's going to be lots of examples where you will have to introduce a list of things.

Perhaps they have characteristics, their diet or their diet or things they eat.

It's a really good use of formal language.

And it's something that always does look very impressive if it's used correctly.

So hopefully it's going to be something we can see later on in your writing.

Well done for a brilliant lesson.

I really hope you've enjoyed it.

And I'm looking forward to seeing you soon to carry on with our unit on non-chronological reports, bye.