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Year 5

Planning and writing the first main paragraph of an essay

I can write the first main paragraph of an essay, including a range of linguistic features.

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New
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Year 5

Planning and writing the first main paragraph of an essay

I can write the first main paragraph of an essay, including a range of linguistic features.

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Share activities with pupils
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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Our essay will give one side of an argument, using a logical order that is supported by evidence.
  2. Evidence can take many forms, including explanations, facts and statistics.
  3. In the first main paragraph, we will explain why deforestation has occurred in the Amazon.
  4. We will include subject-specific vocabulary and a range of linguistic features.

Keywords

  • Subject-specific vocabulary - vocabulary that relates to a particular subject

  • Evidence - information or facts to show something is true

  • Agriculture - the practice of farming - growing crops and rearing animals to sell

  • Logging - the practice of cutting down trees for timber

  • Linguistic features - the language structures that are used within a text

Common misconception

Pupils may struggle to connect complex ideas with appropriate linguistic features.

Model and encourage oral rehearsal and use shared writing to model the process of selecting between various possible linguistic features you could use.


To help you plan your year 5 english lesson on: Planning and writing the first main paragraph of an essay, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

A slide is left intentionally lined for you to complete shared writing with your class. You may want to have examples of the possible linguistic features displayed for pupils to use during their own writing.
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Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which of the following was not included in the introduction to our essay?
subject-specific vocabulary
formal tone
evidence
range of linguistic features
Correct answer: first person
Q2.
Sam says, 'Statistics are the only form of evidence.' What other forms of evidence can we use in an essay?
Correct answer: explanations
Correct answer: facts
our own views
Correct answer: expert opinions
Correct answer: references to official reports
Q3.
Which of these points were not included in our introduction?
Correct answer: an explanation of what climate change is
a definition of deforestation
statistics about the level of deforestation in the Amazon
Correct answer: an explanation of how deforestation drives climate change
Q4.
What does it mean to orally rehearse a piece of writing?
read what you have written
read what your teacher has written
Correct answer: say out loud what you plan to write
say your plan out loud
Q5.
Which linguistic feature has been used here? 'In addition, an area the size of 11 football pitches is lost every minute.'
relative complex sentence
Correct answer: formal fronted adverbial
compound sentence
fronted adverbial of cause
Q6.
Which linguistic feature is used here? 'Deforestation is the removal of trees from an area, allowing it to be used for another purpose.'
parenthesis in brackets
adverbial complex sentence
relative complex sentence
Correct answer: non-finite (-ing) complex sentence

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which of the following are key causes of deforestation in the Amazon?
Correct answer: logging
climate change
Correct answer: cattle ranching
Correct answer: agriculture
Q2.
What type of evidence is shown here? '70% of deforested land is used for cattle ranching.'
expert opinion
fact
Correct answer: statistic
reference to official report
Q3.
What type of evidence is shown here? 'There is huge demand for Brazilian beef, leading to large areas of forest being converted to farmland for cattle.'
Correct answer: explanation
statistic
reference to official report
expert opinion
Q4.
What is the purpose of using subject-specific vocabulary in our essay?
It makes us sound posh.
Correct answer: It makes us sound authoritative.
It helps us learn new words.
It makes our writing less clear.
Q5.
Which linguistic feature is used here? 'In addition, logging contributes to deforestation in the Amazon.'
fronted adverbial of cause
fronted adverbial of time
Correct answer: formal fronted adverbial
compound sentence
Q6.
Which linguistic features are included here? 'As a result, huge areas of land (particularly in Brazil) have been converted into ranches.'
Correct answer: fronted adverbial of cause
adverbial complex sentence
relative complex sentence
Correct answer: parenthesis in brackets