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Year 5

Planning and writing the second main paragraph of an essay

I can write the second 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 second main paragraph of an essay

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

Download all resources
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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 and supported by evidence.
  2. Evidence can take many forms, including explanations, facts and statistics.
  3. In the second main paragraph, we will explain how deforestation can drive climate change.
  4. We will include subject-specific vocabulary and a range of linguistic features.
  5. Within a paragraph, the points we make must be in a logical order and connect to one another.

Keywords

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

  • Evidence - information or facts to show something is true

  • Climate change - a long-term change to global temperatures and weather

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

Common misconception

Pupils may struggle to adopt the formal tone required for an essay.

You may wish to provide a bank of 'essay phrases' like 'contributes to', 'has strengthened' and 'is driven by' to support some pupils.

A slide is left intentionally lined for you to complete shared writing with the class. Ensure this is an interactive process where you are asking for suggestions about how to use linguistic features to connect ideas, considering different options and selecting one.
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).

Lesson video

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which products contribute to deforestation in the Amazon?
Correct answer: mahogany wood
Correct answer: beef
Correct answer: soybeans
oak wood
Q2.
What type of evidence is shown here? 'Large areas of deforested land are used for growing soybeans.'
statistic
Correct answer: fact
expert opinion
reference to official report
Q3.
What type of evidence is shown here? 'A 2006 report stated that soybean farming was contributing to deforestation.'
explanation
statistic
Correct answer: reference to official report
expert opinion
Q4.
What can we do to sound authoritative when writing an essay?
Correct answer: include lots of evidence to support our argument
Correct answer: use subject-specific vocabulary
give our own opinions
Correct answer: present the argument in a logical order
Q5.
Which linguistic feature is used here? 'Because soybeans can be used as cattle feed, they are also widely grown in the area.'
fronted adverbial of cause
Correct answer: adverbial complex sentence
relative complex sentence
parenthesis in brackets
Q6.
Which linguistic features are included here? 'In 2006, a study found that farming soybeans, which are fed to cattle, was also contributing to deforestation.'
Correct answer: fronted adverbial of time
Correct answer: relative complex sentence
fronted adverbial of cause
adverbial complex sentence

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Put the logical steps of our argument so far in the order that they appear in our essay.
1 - Deforestation is affecting the Amazon a great deal.
2 - Deforestation in the Amazon is driven by agriculture and logging.
3 - Deforestation contributes to climate change.
Q2.
Which of the following is the main point of the second main paragraph?
Deforestation contributes in a small way to climate change.
Trees are helping to prevent climate change.
Correct answer: Deforestation contributes in a significant way to climate change.
We should plant more trees to combat climate change.
Q3.
What type of evidence is used here? 'Trees remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, storing it as carbon. This helps to reduce high greenhouse gas levels that drive climate change.'
statistic
Correct answer: explanation
expert opinion
reference to an official report
Q4.
Which linguistic feature is used here? 'Trees remove carbon dioxide, which is a greenhouse gas, from the atmosphere.'
adverbial complex sentence
Correct answer: relative complex sentence
parenthesis in brackets
non-finite (-ing) complex sentence
Q5.
Put these sentences in order to show the cause and effect.
1 - Human activity has raised greenhouse gas levels.
2 - As a result of this, the greenhouse effect has been strengthened.
3 - Consequently, more heat is being trapped in Earth's atmosphere.
4 - Due to this, global temperatures have risen.
Q6.
Which sentence correctly combines these ideas using a non-finite (-ing) clause? 'Deforestation causes 20% of global emissions. It contributes to climate change.'
Correct answer: Deforestation causes 20% of global emissions, contributing to climate change.
Deforestation causes 20% of global emissions contributing to climate change.
Deforestation causes 20% of global emissions, it contributing to climate change.