Lesson video

Hello, I'm Ms. Corbett and welcome to today's English lesson, "The features of instructions." Today you are going to be like detectives and spot all of the features of what makes up a set of instructions, as well as thinking about what instructions might be used for.

So for this lesson, I need you to have your listening ears, your looking eyes and your thinking brain.

As well as that, if you can, it would be great to have someone to talk to and it would be great if you could have a copy of this set of instructions here.

If you haven't got a copy, don't worry too much because you can use what is on the screen.

But if you do have a copy or can get a copy, pause the video now and make sure you've got it.

Off you go.

Great job, I think we're ready to get started.

And here is the outcome for today's lesson.

I can name and understand some features of instructions.

And these keywords will help us to get there.

First of all, I just want you to repeat them after me in your loud and proud voice.

My turn, then your turn.

Instruction, command, verb, sequence.

Brilliant joining in.

Let's have a think about what those words mean.

An instruction tells us how something should be done.

A command is a type of sentence that tells someone to do something.

A verb is a doing or a being word.

And a sequence is when you follow the order in which a series of events happen.

Let's get started with the first part of our lesson, "What are instructions?" We will look at some instructions for how to make a sandwich.

So before we do that, what do you think instructions are? Could you pause the video and share your ideas? Maybe think about the instructions that you've had to follow before or where you might have heard that word, instructions, before.

What do you think instructions are? Pause the video now.

Great job, everybody.

Instructions are a list of steps to tell you how to do something.

Instructions are in steps so that you know what comes first, next, and after that.

Instructions are really, really useful for lots of reasons.

They tell you what you will need.

They help you to achieve something.

And they help you know what to do first.

So how can instructions help you? Do they, A, tell you what you need? Do they help you to follow steps in the correct order? Are they funny? They are exciting to read.

Hmm.

Pause the video now and share what you think.

Let's see, we know that instructions tell you what you will need.

Maybe that's ingredients in a recipe.

And they also help you to follow steps in the correct order.

They might be funny, but that's not why they're helpful.

They might exciting to read because they might get you excited about what you're going to make, but that's not particularly why they're helpful.

Here are some things you might follow instructions for.

Cooking, building something, steps to do something in your learning, learning the rules of a game, or learning a new skill in a sport.

So let's have a look at some examples in more detail.

"I follow instructions to build with my favourite blocks." "I followed instructions to bake a cake, and this type of instruction is called a recipe." I wonder if you've ever followed a recipe.

"It's really important to follow instructions to learn things, like how to wash your hands." Such good examples.

Now it's your turn.

You are going to describe a time when you followed instructions.

Then you're going to listen to someone else's idea so we can hear about all of the times that instructions might be used.

So you will say, "I followed instructions to.

." and then listen to somebody else's idea.

Pause the video now.

Great job, everybody.

I loved hearing about all the different ways that you might have followed instructions.

Here are some of those ideas.

"I followed instructions to build a transformer car.

It was tricky, but the instructions helped me." "I followed instructions to learn how to tie my shoelaces.

If I didn't have those instructions, I would not have known what to do first." So we now know that instructions are really, really helpful in helping us to follow a sequence of steps.

Now let's have a look at what make up instructions by looking at the features of instructions.

Here is an example of a set of instructions.

Have a look closely.

I'm going to read them to you first.

Are you listening? "How to make a cucumber sandwich.

You will need two slices of bread, cucumber, and a knife.

Number one.

First, put fresh cucumber onto one slice of white bread.

Number two.

Then, put the other slice of bread on top.

Number three.

Next, cut the bread into four pieces.

Number four.

Finally, eat the tasty sandwich." So there is a full set of instructions.

Can you have a look at it and share with your person nearby, what can you see on those instructions? Pause the video now.

Brilliant spotting.

By doing this, you're spotting features of instructions.

Can I tell you what I can see? I can see a title, the name of the instructions, "How to make a cucumber sandwich." I can see a list of what you will need.

Two slices of bread, cucumber, and a knife.

And I can see some instructions with photos.

So that tells us that instructions start with a title.

Here are some examples.

"How to make cucumber sandwiches." "How to bake a chocolate cake." "How to make a holiday decoration." It's useful to underline a title so it's really obvious what the instructions are for.

A title tells the reader what those instructions are for.

Then, instructions often have a list of what you will need, such as ingredients for a recipe, materials for a building project, equipment for a science experiment.

This is so that the reader knows what they will need before they start.

Because imagine you're trying to follow some instructions, then all of a sudden you realise that you need all these things that maybe you don't have, maybe you need to go and collect or go out and get.

So which of these so far are features of instructions? Is it A, a title; B, a contents page; or C, a story with a beginning, middle, and end? I'm going to give you 10 seconds for this one, 10.

Five.

And zero.

We know that a feature of instructions is a title.

Lots of nonfiction books might have a contents page to tell you which page to go to for different types of information, but not instructions.

And a story with a beginning, middle, and end is a fiction book.

Have a look at these instructions.

Are they in the correct sequence? And how do you know? Number four.

Finally, eat the yummy sandwich.

Number three.

Next, cut the bread into two pieces.

Number one.

First, put sweet jam on one slice of bread.

And number two.

Then, put the other slice of bread on top.

Are those instructions in the correct sequence, the correct order? And how do you know they're not? Pause the video now and share.

I think this is a silly set of instructions.

I know that they are not in the correct sequence.

I know that straight away by looking at the numbers.

The numbers aren't in order.

Four, three, one, two.

I also have some language there that tells me when things might happen.

Here, the first instruction says, "Finally." I know that the word finally is the last thing that should happen.

But also, when I read the instructions, they don't make sense in that order.

I can't eat a sandwich first that I haven't eaten.

That doesn't make any sense.

We know so that numbering instructions and adding sequencing language in the correct order can help us to follow the order of instructions.

So for example, number one, then our first sequencing word is "first" to show it's the first thing you do.

Number one.

First, put sweet jam on one slice of bread.

Number two.

Then, put the other slice of bread on top.

Number three.

Next, cut the bread into two pieces.

And number four.

Finally, that last instruction, eat the yummy sandwich.

So numbers and sequencing language help us to follow them correctly.

You might have seen sequencing language before when we've been reading stories and writing.

For example, "once upon a time," "then," "finally." We are using sequencing language today for a different purpose, to put instructions into order.

Have a go at putting these instructions for leaving the house each day into the correct sequence.

We have got: Two.

Next, get dressed.

One.

First, brush your teeth.

Three.

Finally, leave the house.

So which should be the first instruction, the second instruction and the third instruction? Pause the video now and put them back into the correct sequence.

Off you go.

Let's see.

Did you get that "First, brush your teeth" is the first instruction? I know that because it's number one and says "First." Then number two, "Next, get dressed." And number three, "Finally, leave the house." So the numbers of the instructions, the sequencing language, and that they all make sense makes me know that I've got those in the correct sequence, well done.

Have a look at the coloured words in these instructions.

First, put sweet jam on one slice of bread.

Then, put the other slice of bread on top.

Next, cut the bread into two pieces.

Finally, eat the yummy sandwich.

The coloured words there are verbs.

One of our keywords, verbs.

Verbs can be doing words.

Put, cut, eat.

All something that we do.

These verbs are commanding us to do something.

Put the sweet jam on one slice of bread.

Put the other slice of bread on top.

Cut the bread into two pieces.

Eat the yummy sandwich.

A command is a type of sentence that tells us to do something.

So we are going to get moving now.

You are going to follow my commands, are you ready? Clap three times.

(instructor claps) Well done, clap is my commanding verb.

Ready for the next one? Pat your head two times.

Well done, pat was my commanding verb.

Ready for the next one? Tap your knees.

Keep tapping them.

Tap is my commanding verb.

And stop.

Good job.

Commands often start with a verb, as they are telling you what to do.

Clap, pat, tap.

This is why there are often commands in instructions, because instructions are telling us to do something.

So which of these are verbs? Have a think.

Which words are commanding you to do something? Is it A, eat; B, first; C, cut; or D, tasty? Which of those are verbs that are commanding us to do something? Pause the video now and share your ideas.

Let's see if you got them, did you spot them? Eat is a verb.

If I'm told to eat something, I'm told to do something.

I'm being commanded to do it.

Cut is also a verb.

Cut the sandwich, telling me to do something.

First is a sequencing word which tells us when to do those verbs in which order.

And tasty is an adjective to describe what something tastes like.

Have a look at this instruction again.

Four.

Finally, eat the yummy sandwich.

In this instruction, I can see sequencing language, "Finally." I can see a verb, "eat." The sequencing language tells us in what order the verb should be done.

"Finally" shows that that's the last thing that should happen.

Now it's your turn to spot some of those features.

You can either do this with your paper copy of your instructions and put a circle around these things, or you could use the board to help you here.

First, you will find the title.

Then, you will find the list of what you will need.

Next, find the numbers in the instructions.

After that, find the sequencing language.

And finally, find the verbs.

Remember, the verbs are the things that we do.

I wonder if you can spot all of those.

Happy spotting.

Pause the video now.

Let's see, let's look at some examples of what you found.

There is the title.

"How to make a cucumber sandwich." Here is the list of what you will need.

You will need two sizes of bread, cucumber, and a knife.

Here's an example of the numbers in the instructions that tell us the order that we should follow them in.

One, two, three, and four.

Here is an example of sequencing language, "then." We might have also found "first," "next," and "finally." And cut is an example of a verb telling us what to do.

You might have also found put and eat.

I wonder if you were a feature-spotting detective.

Did you manage to find them all? Great, what a brilliant lesson.

We have learned that instructions tell us how something should be done, and they're written as commands using verbs to tell us that.

We also know that instructions are often in a set order or sequence.

Instructions often have sequencing language and are numbered to help us follow that order.

And we know that instructions may include pictures or photos or diagrams to help to show what they do and what they look like.

Thank you for learning with me today and I really hope you enjoyed.

You did a great job at spotting all of those features of instructions.

I hope to see you again soon, bye.