New
New
Year 6

Bullet points

I can use bullet points to lay out key information clearly in a non-fiction text.

New
New
Year 6

Bullet points

I can use bullet points to lay out key information clearly in a non-fiction text.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Bullet points are useful to lay out key information clearly in a non-fiction text.
  2. Bullet points space information out for the reader.
  3. Bullet points often come after a main clause or a subheading.
  4. List items only need capitals and full stops when they are complete sentences.

Common misconception

Pupils may struggle with the flexibility of punctuation for bullet points - often, it is optional.

Emphasise the importance of consistency - choosing a method and sticking to it. Only complete sentences require capitals and full stops.

Keywords

  • Bullet points - punctuation marks that lay key information out in a non-fiction text

  • Colon - a piece of punctuation placed after a main clause that can introduce a list or a question

  • Subheading - a word, phrase or sentence used to introduce part of a text

It would be beneficial to be able to show children bullet point lists from texts they have read or have access to in class; adapting tasks to reflect cross-curricular learning will also improve pupils' understanding.
Teacher tip

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which of the following might we find in a reporting clause?
Correct answer: a synonym for said
Correct answer: a non-finite (-ing) clause
Correct answer: an adverb
Correct answer: an adverbial clause
the words the person said
Q2.
Which of the following can we see in this reporting clause? 'grumbled Jun moodily as he stood back up'
Correct answer: an adverb
Correct answer: a synonym for said
Correct answer: an adverbial clause
a non-finite (-ing) clause
Q3.
Which speech second sentence is punctuated correctly?
Correct answer: Aisha asked calmly, "Are you ready?"
Aisha asked calmly "Are you ready?"
Aisha asked calmly, "are you ready?"
Q4.
Which speech first sentence is punctuated correctly?
"let's get going!" shouted Mr Martinez, flapping his arms wildly.
Correct answer: "Let's get going!" shouted Mr Martinez, flapping his arms wildly.
"Let's get going"! shouted Mr Martinez, flapping his arms wildly.
Q5.
Match the type of speech sentence to the example.
Correct Answer:speech first,"Before long, we'll have to go," muttered Alex, shrugging.

"Before long, we'll have to go," muttered Alex, shrugging.

Correct Answer:speech second,Alex muttered, "Before long, we'll have to go."

Alex muttered, "Before long, we'll have to go."

Correct Answer:speech interrupted,"Before long," Alex muttered, "we'll have to go."

"Before long," Alex muttered, "we'll have to go."

Q6.
Which speech interrupted sentence is punctuated correctly?
"I want to go," sighed Jacob "but my dad won't let me."
"I want to go" sighed Jacob, "but my dad won't let me."
Correct answer: "I want to go," sighed Jacob, "but my dad won't let me."

6 Questions

Q1.
What kind of text is most likely to contain bullet points?
a poem
a narrative
Correct answer: a science experiment
Q2.
What is the purpose of using bullet points in a non-fiction text?
it means we have to write less
Correct answer: it makes information easier to read
it means we can use more varied punctuation
Q3.
Which of the following can be used to start a bullet point list?
Correct answer: a complete sentence followed by a colon
Correct answer: a subheading
a phrase
a subheading followed by a colon
Q4.
Which of the following would be an appropriate way of starting a list of bullet points?
Correct answer: There are many impressive bridges in France:
There are many impressive bridges in France, like:
Correct answer: France has many famous bridges:
There are many impressive bridges in France, including:
Q5.
What must we always include in each list item if we have a list of complete sentences using bullet points?
Correct answer: capital letters
colon
semi-colons
Correct answer: full stops
Q6.
We __________ use semi-colons to separate items in a list of bullet points when those items are clauses.
always
Correct answer: can
never