Real Writing Year 6, Unit 1
The Peppered Moth, by Anita Loughrey
Curriculum links: Science (Evolution)
Writing unit overview
This writing unit for Year 6 is built around an original model text by Anita Loughrey - a non-chronological report about the peppered moth. The example text is available as a PDF in three versions (plain, illustrated and annotated); annotated and non-annotated PowerPoint presentations are also included.
In this two-week unit, pupils learn how the peppered moth has adapted to its habitat, evolving over time to suit new environments. The text makes links to Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution and natural selection, and could be used either before or after the Real Writing Y6, Unit 9 model text about Darwin’s voyage to the Galapagos Islands on the Beagle. At the end of the unit, pupils will have the opportunity to write their own report
about how other animals have adapted to their environments.
Key curriculum skills
Two fully resourced lesson plans are included for Year 6 English objectives which can be taught as part of the unit or as discrete lessons:
Vocabulary: To spell some words with silent letters
Pupils will: revisit silent letters; play a silent letters matching game; unscramble words with silent letters; complete sentences with words using silent letters; write a descriptive paragraph using words with silent letters.
Grammar: To use passive verbs to affect the presentation of information in a sentence
Pupils will: revisit subjects and verbs; understand what is meant by an active and a passive voice, and learn the terms active and passive voice; understand how to change sentences from the active to the passive voice, and vice versa; recognise active and passive verbs; write a report using active and passive verbs.
Additional skills to teach or revisit
- Using parenthesis
- relative clauses
- using commas to separate phrases and clauses
Additional Year 6 curriculum teaching points
- using layout devices
- writing a précis
- hyphens
Year 6 vocabulary
Tier two words: pollution, selection, theory, variation, vulnerable
Tier three words: adapt, adaptation, camouflage, characteristic, evolution, genetic, mutation, nocturnal, predator, reproduce, species, specimen, survival
Year 5/6 statutory spelling words: environment, existence, identity, variety
What is a non-chronological report?
A non-chronological report is a piece of text that isn’t written in time order. They tend to be non-fiction, and they give information on subjects or events.