dragonology- week 1you are the expert on your species of dragon and you are going to write an...

DRAGONOLOGY- WEEK 1 Planning an explanation text and writing the introduction

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

Spotting features of explanation texts

Drawing a labelled diagram of a dragon

Dragon poem or art work

Rehearsing sentences

Writing introductory paragraph

Monday: LO: To identify features of explanation texts

Remember the piece of writing we did back in September from the

Spiderwick Field Guide. You all created your own weird and wonderful creatures and then wrote about them as if you were the

experts explaining what the creature looked like, how it behaved, why it had certain features.

In this unit you are going to be a world-renowned

naturalist (like Charles Darwin of David Attenborough) who, many years ago, discovered a

species of dragons and has studied them ever since. You are the expert on your species of dragon and

you are going to write an explanation text all about your dragon species.

Task 1 - Divide your page into 6 sections.Label each box with one of the following:

expanded noun phrase (iridescent, crimson wings with sharp points at the tip)

adverbials of time and place (cohesive devices for when/where)

passive voice (….by….)

subordinating conjunctions (Not FANBOYS!)

modal verbs (should, could, might, must)

embedded clause and relative clauses (who, which, that)

Read the explanation texts from Spiderwick and Dragonology and write any examples of these features in each box. You might like to use some of these examples in your own writing later on in this unit. Task 2 – Look at the pictures of the dragon eggs and do some thinking: What kind of dragons do you think they might belong to? What might their habitats be like? What might they eat? How do they get their food – do they hunt? Are they scavengers? How might they be adapted to suit their habitats? What special skills might these dragons have? Decide which egg the dragon you discovered came from. Talk to someone else in your family about what your dragon species is like.

Did you know? The English word ‘dragon’ emerged in the 13th century and comes from the Latin word ‘draconem’, meaning ‘huge serpent’. The Greek word ‘drakon’ also means ‘serpent’ or ‘giant seafish’. Dragons are technically therefore a type of reptile or fish.

Today you will need: Spiderwick extract Dragonology extract Pictures of dragon

eggs

Extra Options:

You could act out your explanation as

if you’re on a TV show explaining to

the audience

You could use the ‘Animate Anything’

app, find a picture of David

Attenborough, place his mouth in the

correct place a record what he says

about the dragon species.








Tuesday: LO: To draw a labelled diagram to help plan the

features of the dragon species you will be explaining about

Look at the table of key words below. Yesterday, did you think of any of these descriptions to describe your dragon species? Did you come up with any others? Did you decide which habitat the species might live in? Did you consider what all the different

features on your dragon are like and why?

Task 1: Draw a picture of your new dragon species and its egg in the centre of a page (Option: You could even do it on a piece of tea stained paper if you have time to make one). Label each unique adaptation/special feature that your dragon has and make notes about it based around the subheadings:

Introduction (When was it discovered and who by? What sort of animal it is- reptile/fish, malevolent/benevolent?)

Habitat (Where does it live?)

Diet (Predator? Prey? Carnivore? Herbivore? What does it eat?)

Egg (Size? How long it takes to hatch?) We will be using these as our plan for writing.

Type of animal Habitat Features

Solitary (lives on own) Social (lives in a group) Predator (hunter) Prey (hunted) Carnivore (meat eater) Herbivore (plant eater) Benevolent (kind) Malevolent (mean) Powerful Greedy Gentle Retile Fish

Forest Desert Mountain Polar Water

Wings Claws/talons Scales Tail Legs Nostrils Eyes Ears Horns/Spines

Today you will need: Spiderwick extract Dragonology extract Pictures of dragon

eggs/dragons Example noun poem

Extension Task: Once you have finished your plan, choose 5 features of your dragon (e.g. eyes, teeth,

wings, claws, tail) and create a noun poem (see example). Write this up in your best handwriting and then

you could illustrate it.








Wednesday: LO: To make a creative piece of work showing the

features of your dragon species

Building on your plan and ideas for your own dragon from yesterday, your challenge is to choose one of the following tasks to complete.

1. Complete yesterday’s extension task and write a noun poem about your dragon. Once you’ve drafted it, write

it up in your neatest, joined handwriting and then illustrate it.

OR

2. Have a go at making your own dragon egg – decorate it so that it looks exactly like the one your dragon would lay.

OR

3. Spiderwick was known for drawing sketches of the creatures he discovered. You could do a detailed piece of artwork of your dragon in flight or out hunting. Look at some of the pictures below to give you some ideas.

Today you will need:

Art/modelling equipment

UPLOAD PICTURES OF YOUR FINISHED WORK TO SEESAW OR EMAIL IT TO [email protected]








Thursday: LO: To rehearse sentences for writing

When you describe your dragon in your explanation text, you need to do so purposefully; this is not the time for long beautifully flowery descriptions. You need to pick vocabulary carefully because it shows the reader something important about your dragon’s features and explains why the feature helps them. Example 1: As a defence mechanism, Razor-Beaks have extremely sharp claws in order to attack other predators that pose a threat. Fronted adverbial (where/when/how), name verb expanded noun phrase subordinate clause (starting with a subordinate causal conjunction).

Example 2: Every Razor-Beak is covered in a scaly skin, which is very flexible, consequently allowing them to move stealthily when hunting and to sneak up on prey. Determiner +name verb expanded noun phrase, relative clause, subordinate clause (starting with a subordinate causal conjunction).

Example 3: Razor-Beaks possess extremely sharp, venomous talons, which will retract when not hunting, so they can tear through the flesh of even the thickest-skinned animal. Name verb expanded noun phrase, relative clause, main clause (starting with coordinating causal conjunction). Task 1- Use the prepared talking frame grid 1 and word banks (see resources) to orally rehearse some sentences about your chosen dragon. Remember the style of writing we are producing – a formal, technical explanation as if YOU are the expert. Ensure you not only describe the features but also explain how the feature helps the dragon to:

Survive in its habitat (i.e. to stay cool/warm, to stay safe from the elements (sun/rain), to move, to protect itself)

Hunt or find food or to survive if there isn’t much food Task 2- Record some of your best ideas as sentences ready to put into longer paragraphs another day. You could do this on a piece of paper, post it notes or write them in a note on Seesaw.

Today you will need: Spiderwick extract Dragonology extract Word bank Talking frame grid 1

Extra challenge: Can you use any Year3/4 or 5/6 spelling words?








Friday: LO: To write an explanation introductory paragraph

Today you need to write your introduction – this needs to say something about the nature of your dragon, its name, how it is classified (reptile, fish), what other animals it is similar too, when it was first discovered and who by.

Task 1- Re-read the opening paragraphs from Spiderwick and Dragonology. What information did they give the reader about dragons? Look at the extract from one of last year’s Yr6s. What did they include in their opening paragraph? Pick out any features/bits you think worked well. Task 2: Using the talking frame (see resources), the sentence starters below (if you wish) and your plan, write the introduction for your explanation text. Use the specially prepared paper if you are able to print it off or download it and type up your work. Alternatively, write your explanation in your purple book we gave

you for home learning. Remember to save your work regularly. Remember to use JOINED handwriting.

First discovered in/by…… , …

Recent studies have shown… This animal is… It is named…..because of… Similar in appearance to a……, this beast… Due to having….. , this creature is classified as… Easily recognised as a…… , this species has… Its identity is often confused with… Task 3: Proof-read your writing. Check that you:

have maintained a formal, expert voice throughout;

have used technical language (and used a thesaurus to improve it if you haven’t);

haven’t gone into too much detail about anything from the next sections (diet, habitat, special adaptations)!

spelt all Yr3/4 and 5/6 words correctly

made sure that all punctuation is clear and correct

have used conjunctions to explain e.g. because, due to, consequently

Today you will need: Spiderwick extract Dragonology extract Yr6 pupil extract Talking frame grid 1 Year 3/4 and 5/6 spelling lists

Dragonology paper (if able to print out or download)

Did you know animals are classified by scientists using an official latin name rather than their common name? Killer whale= Orcinus orca Elephant= Elphas maximus What could the common and latin names be for your dragon?

dragonology- week 1you are the expert on your species of dragon and you are going to write an...

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