Writing the second half of a biography about Darwin and his theory of evolution
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can write the second half of a biography, using a range of language features.
Key learning points
- In a biography, we write using a formal tone in the third person; our writing is mostly, but not all, in the past tense.
- We use a range of cohesive devices to connect ideas together.
- We orally rehearse our sentences before we write, using our notes.
- We can include parenthesis to add extra details to a sentence, including using brackets and relative clauses.
- We give a title for the biography as a whole and subheadings for each paragraph. Each paragraph is indented.
Keywords
Formal tone - the effect created by choosing serious, factual language
Cohesive devices - language structures that develop text cohesion
Subject-specific vocabulary - vocabulary we use when writing about a particular subject
Parenthesis - extra information added into a sentence that can be removed
Common misconception
Pupils may believe that a relative clause can only be placed in the middle of a sentence.
Relative clauses can be placed after any noun or noun phrase that they refer to, including at the end of a sentence.
Teacher tip
A slide is left intentionally lined for you to complete shared writing of the second paragraph; you may also wish to do this for the first paragraph, depending on your assessment of pupils' confidence. An example of the shared writing can be found in the lesson video.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which of the following language features will we not find in a biography?
Q2.What will each paragraph start with in our biography of Darwin?
Q3.Which cohesive device is used in this sentence? 'The Beagle's voyage, which lasted five years, took it all the way around the world.'
Q4.Which cohesive devices are used in this sentence? 'Darwin went to Edinburgh because his father sent him there; however, he did not enjoy it.'
Q5.Which subordinating conjunction could work in the gap in this sentence? 'Darwin enjoyed Cambridge he had the chance to explore his love of entomology.'
Q6.Which fronted adverbial could be used as a cohesive device in the gap in this sentence? 'Darwin left university in 1831; , he joined the voyage of the Beagle.'
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match the cohesive devices to the examples.
Darwin collected finches (small birds) from each island.
Years later, Darwin published his theory.
When he got back from England, he threw himself into his work.
Q2.Which sentence has brackets in the correct position to show parenthesis?
Q3.Which relative complex sentence is punctuated correctly?
Q4.Which relative clause could complete this sentence? 'The crew captured a tortoise, .'
Q5.Which of these words can be considered 'subject-specific vocabulary'?
Q6.Which sentence has the appropriate formal tone for a biography?
To help you plan your 6 English lesson on: Writing the second half of a biography about Darwin and his theory of evolution, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 6 English lesson on: Writing the second half of a biography about Darwin and his theory of evolution, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 2 English lessons from the Charles Darwin: biographical writing unit, dive into the full primary English curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.