Lesson video

Hi everyone.

It's me, Ms. Chu.

In this lesson, lesson 4, we are going to be retrieving information from a text, a nonfiction text, and more specifically a text about Charles Darwin because that's what our biography is going to be about.

So, you need to be in a quite space, have your thinking head switched on, have all the things that you need and then when you're ready, we can begin.

In this lesson, you will need an exercise book or paper, pen or pencil, and be super focused.

What's the agenda for today? We're going to start with a writing warm up, then we will look at how to gather information.

Then we will need to read some text and retrieve the information.

And from that, we will make our own notes.

What's our writing warm up today? Mm.

Which of these sentences is written in 3rd person? Let's have a look.

You should fill your notebooks with descriptions of new places, people, plants and animals.

Charles Darwin filled notebooks with his descriptions of new places, people, plants, and animals.

I would like you to pause the video, and decide which one of these sentences is written in 3rd person, and tell me why as well.

Off you go.

Brilliant.

I'm glad you had a go at doing that.

I knew you would get that right.

It's the second sentence.

Why is it the second sentence? Charles Darwin filled notebooks with his descriptions of new places, people, plants and animals.

What in that sentence tells us that it's written in 3rd person? Yes, it's the fact that we have his name in there, Charles Darwin.

And we've got his, the word his, that too.

And that indicates that it's in 3rd person.

In the first sentence, you should fill your notebooks with descriptions.

The word you and your is referring to someone in 2nd person.

But the second sentence is the one that's written in 3rd person.

Well done.

Now it is your turn to write the sentence in 3rd person.

I could get really close to the iguanas on the Galapagos Islands.

I even picked one up and threw it in the sea, but it swam straight back to me.

What could you do to this sentence to change it into 3rd person? Pause the video now, and have a go.

Write it down on your paper.

Change it into 3rd person.

Go.

Brilliant.

Well done for giving that a go.

So, a sentence that's written in 3rd person, my sentence.

Let's have a look.

Charles Darwin could get really close the iguanas on the Galapagos Islands.

He even picked one up and threw it in the sea, but is swam straight back to him.

So the words we have to change were the words written in 1st person, and we have to change them into 3rd person.

So instead of I, it would be Charles Darwin.

And instead of I again, it could be he or him.

How do we gather information for a biography? Where can we find information? We could find them from articles, documentaries, books, films and websites.

Your turn.

Articles, documentaries, books, films and websites.

Great.

That was really good.

All od these places where we can find information are places where we would find information about nonfictions, so facts.

And that's what we are looking at today.

We are looking to find out some facts about Charles Darwin.

So how do we collect this information? First of all, we've got to read if it's from a book or an article.

If you're not watching it, if it's not a documentary, we have to read to find the information.

We've got to identify the key words after we read it.

Then we've got to take notes of the key words phrases.

And then, we've got all these words and all these notes, we've got to group them into the right categories.

Because otherwise, it won't make sense where we got it from, and which part of the biography it relates to.

So it's really important that we group.

And then, how can we collate them? So we've got all this information, we want it to be clear to us.

We could use a mind map.

So here is a diagram of a mind map where we have.

the central word in the middle, for us it would be Charles Darwin.

Then coming out from that point would be various categories.

So if want to look at his early life, we would have one line coming out saying early life, another line coming out saying school life, and so on.

And that helps us to categorise our information.

We could also.

categorise it into.

boxes or a table.

So you can see here, you can split your page into quarters, into four parts, four equal parts, quarters, and label it with sub headings that way too.

It is completely up to you how you would like to lay out your information.

It's whatever works best for you.

So have a think now as how you would like to do it because we've got to now choose whether you want to make a mind map, or divide a page into the following categories.

We're going to have an introduction, his early life, and his school life.

Pause the video, think about how you'd like to show your information, and then click play once your finished.

Great.

Reading and retrieving information for the introduction.

Here there's some information about Charles Darwin from a nonfiction text.

I will read it to you now, but you may pause the video after I've read it to you if you'd like to read through it again, on your own.

Meet Charles Darwin.

You've probably heard of Charles Darwin, serious scientist, bushy beard, famous for collecting beetles.

But that's only half the story.

Did you know that Darwin was a stinky schoolboy, brilliant with barnacles, a seasick sailor, a doting dad, a dropout doctor, and potty about pigeons? Why read about Darwin? Because he provided an answer to the hardest question in the world.

How did we all get here? How did we get here? Darwin's theory of natural selection is an explanation of how so many different plants and animals came to be in the world.

From a barnacle on a blue whale to you seating with this book in your hands.

It also shows you how the whale, the barnacle, and every other living thing on earth are connected.

Pause the video, and read it through on your own.

Brilliant.

I hope you've read the text.

Now I would like you to pause the video again, and write down any key words or phrases that you have found from this bit of text.

Excellent.

I'm so glad that you had a go on doing that.

I identified serious scientist, theory of natural selection, explanation of how so many different plants and animals came to be in the world.

And then I also underlined every other living thing on earth are connected.

I thought that those were the key things that would be important for our introduction.

Pause the video now if you'd like to write down the things that I have underlined as well, if you haven't got those.

Let's make notes now from the information that we have collected.

On your paper, you either have your mind map, or you could have your category.

I've chosen to put my information in just a category or a table.

I've labelled it with my sub heading, introduction, and I've written my first bullet point, is that he's a serious scientist.

Second bullet point, theory of Natural Selection, that's what he came us with.

Third one explains how so many different plants and animals came to be, and shows how every living thing is connected.

Now have it written in full sentences because these my notes.

And you should do the same.

Reading and retrieving information about his early life.

You may pause the video to read the text.

Then after that, write down any key words or phrases.

Or I can read it to you.

I'm going to read it now.

Charles' parents were seriously rich.

His father, Robert Darwin, was a successful doctor, and his mother, Sukey Wedgwood inherited a fortune from her family's poultry business.

Their huge house in Shrewsbury, and it tells you how to say it, shrowsbury, had plenty of room for six people, and plenty of servants to do all the cooking and cleaning.

Charles grew up doing the things that rich 19th century kids loved to do, like riding horses and learning how to shoot and hunt.

But his favourite hobby was collecting things.

Here was a quote from Charles Darwin.

"I collected all sorts of things, shells, seals, franks, coins and minerals." There is a photograph of The Mount.

Charles grew up in a house called The Mount.

Today, it's a government office.

Pause the video if you haven't had a chance to write down some key words or phrases.

Brilliant.

This is what I came up with.

Father, Robert Darwin, successful doctor.

Sukey Wedgwood inherited a fortune, poultry, Shrewsbury.

Favourite hobby was collecting things.

And from the caption of the photograph, I've written The Mount.

I've underlined The Mount.

Pause the video if you'd like to also write down a few of the things that I have underlined.

Now we will make notes about his early life.

I've got my sub heading, early life.

So if you've chosen to use a mind map, you now want to draw a line coming out with sb heading, early life, and your bullet points underneath.

From the information that I have underlined, I'm now going to put it into bullet points 'cause I'm going to use these notes to help me to write my biography.

Father: Robert Darwin - doctor.

Mother: Sukey Wedgwood - inherited poultry business.

Huge house - The Mount.

Favourite hobby collecting things: shells, seals, coins and minerals.

Pause the video if you'd like to write some of these notes down.

Now we are onto the second part of his early life.

So we're still in the same sub heading of early life, and this is just the second part.

So we might want to split this into our second paragraph of the same sub heading.

Pause the video to read the text, and you can write down any key words or phrases after.

Now I'll read it to you.

Sadly, his mother, Sukey, died when Charles was eight years old.

His sisters had been teaching him at home.

But now, it was time for Charles to start school.

He was miserable.

He just wanted to be outside exploring and collecting.

There is a picture of Charles.

Let's read the caption.

Charles, aged six, with his younger sister, Catty.

Charles had four sisters and one brother.

Charles loved his elder brother, Ras.

Ras was a year older than Charles, and was very lively and mischievous.

They setup a lab in a tool shed, and did experiments like burning chemicals and growing crystals.

Ras also looked after Charles at school, and when he moved to Edinburgh and London.

So they were obviously very close.

This is what I chose to underline.

Sukey died, eight years old.

Sisters teaching him at home, start school, miserable.

Outside, exploring and collecting.

Elder bother Ras, year older than Charles, very lively and mischievous, did experiments, burning chemicals, growing crystals.

Pause the video if you'd like to write down some of the things that I have underlined.

Great.

So these are my notes.

My first bullet point, Mother died when Charles eight years old.

Sisters taught him at home.

Started school - miserable.

Wanted to be outside exploring and collecting.

Elder brother, Ras lively and mischievous.

Set up experiments - burned chemicals and grew crystals.

You may pause the video if you'd like to write down a few more things.

Reading and retrieving information about his school life.

I would like you to read this text.

Then after, write down any key words or phrases.

Pause the video.

Brilliant.

I hope you've had a chance to read the text on your own.

I'm now going to read it to you.

In 1818, nine-year-old Charles was sent away to boarding school.

This wasn't an exciting, magical place like the schools in stories.

It was just down the road in Shrewsbury.

The school didn't teach interesting subjects like science.

Charles had to learn things that left him snoring, like Latin and Ancient Greek.

Without top marks in Latin and Greek, it was out of the question for Charles to study subjects like law or science at university.

Charles didn't really care.

He preferred being outdoors.

Anyway, did he really need a job when his family was so rich? His father, Robert Darwin, decided he did.

Charles would have to become a doctor like him.

Charles was allowed to leave school early at 16, but he had to spend the summer following his dad around seeing patients.

These are the key words and phrases that I found in the text.

1818, nine year old sent away to boarding school.

Latin and Ancient Greek.

Without top marks, out of the question.

Study subjects like law or science at university.

Father, Robert Darwin, doctor like him.

Leave school early at 16, spend the summer following his dad.

Let's make some notes now about his school life.

So like I mentioned before, 1818 - nine years old - sent to boarding school.

Found it boring studying Latin and Ancient Greek.

Without top marks - University out of the question.

Left school at 16.

Father wanted him to be a doctor like him.

Spent the summer following him around.

The next part of his school life, when he goes to university.

This could be broken up into our second paragraph under the same sub heading, school life.

I would like you to read the text, and write down any key words or phrases after it.

Pause the video and have a go.

Now I will read it to you.

Charles liked visiting patients and watching how his father solved their problems. But when he started training to be a doctor in Edinburgh University, he hated it.

After two years, Charles abandoned his medical studies and returned home.

His dad came up with Career Plan B, studying to become a clergyman at Cambridge University.

Charles loved Cambridge, but not for the reasons his father hoped.

He focused on his number one hobby, bug collecting.

Charles paid someone to scrape gunk off the bottom of boats and hunted through it for beetles.

This is what I thought would be important.

Training, doctor in Edinburgh University, hated it.

After two years, abandoned medical studies.

Studied to become a clergyman at Cambridge University.

Loved Cambridge.

One hobby, bug collecting.

Boats and hunted through for beetles.

You may pause the video and write down some extra words or phrases that you might not have come up with on your own.

Great.

Now we're going to put them into notes.

My first bullet point, started training to be doctor Edinburgh Uni - hated it.

After two years, abandoned then studied to be clergyman - Cambridge Uni.

Loved Cambridge Uni.

Focused on bug collecting.

Hunted through gunk at bottom of boats for beetles.

You may pause the video and write down a few things if you haven't got them.

Well done.

So in this lesson, you have learnt mainly how to gather information from a nonfiction text, by retrieving the information, reading it, retrieving it, and then making them into your own notes, and separating them into categories.

Congratulations.

You have completed this lesson.

Make sure you have your notes in a safe place because you will need them to write your biography.

And I look forward to teaching you your next lesson.