Writing the first half of a biography about Darwin and his theory of evolution
I can write the first half of a biography, using a range of language features.
Writing the first half of a biography about Darwin and his theory of evolution
I can write the first half of a biography, using a range of language features.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- In a biography, we write using a formal tone in the third person; our writing is mostly, but not all, in the past tense.
- We use a range of cohesive devices to connect ideas together.
- We orally rehearse our sentences before we write.
- We use our notes from our plan to help us write (including the subject-specific vocabulary we planned to use).
- We give a title for the biography as a whole and subheadings for each paragraph. Each paragraph is indented.
Keywords
Formal tone - the effect created by choosing serious, factual language
Cohesive devices - language structures that develop text cohesion
Subject-specific vocabulary - vocabulary we use when writing about a particular subject
Common misconception
Pupils may struggle to connect ideas together using cohesive devices.
Provide plenty of time for oral rehearsal using the bank of cohesive devices and model selecting different options for connecting ideas together.
To help you plan your year 6 english lesson on: Writing the first half of a biography about Darwin and his theory of evolution, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 6 english lesson on: Writing the first half of a biography about Darwin and his theory of evolution, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 2 english lessons from the Charles Darwin: biographical writing unit, dive into the full secondary english curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
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Lesson video
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Starter quiz
6 Questions
a privileged childhood
an incredible voyage
an amazing archipelago
a groundbreaking discovery
samples of animals or plants
things a scientist notices
what you study at university
a group of islands
what a person does that is significant or important
a species found only in that particular place
a set of ideas to explain why something happens
go all the way around