Buckingham Tutoring Center 11+ writing project

Ice matters

Introduction
This Talk for Wri-ng English unit celebrates the beauty of the natural world – in
par-cular the areas of our planet which are frozen (the North and South Poles).
It focuses on some of the world’s most endangered and remarkable animals
that reside in these regions. The innova-on stage will look at other areas of our
world which are wonderful and how some animals have made remarkable
adapta-ons to survive in the world’s harshest condi-ons.
By Year 6, pupils should be familiar with all six non-fic-on text types and are
aware that most non-fic-on wri-ng has elements of more than one text type.
Effec-ve informa-on wri-ng, in par-cular, oNen includes elements that
persuade, instruct, recount, explain and debate in order to give the reader a
wealth of informa-on. We have, therefore, chosen to focus on informa-on
wri-ng (non-chronological report as it is some-mes called) including elements
of persuasion and explana-on.

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By the end of the unit pupils should:
• Know of some of the most extreme climates on our planet – and how
climate change is threatening the survival of some of the wonderful
creatures that live there
• Be able to explain and describe the aspects of these environments which
make them wonderful as well as the potential risks to animals and their
habitats in these regions
• Be able to write information confidently and effectively about an animal
that survives in this climate integrating a range of non-fiction text types
into their report as appropriate.
Recommended reading & websites to support the unit
Extracts from David ARenborough’s book A Life on Our Planet

• https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals – provides videos and facts

about particular animals.
• https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXVCgDuD_QCkI7gTKU7-tpg -
Natgeokids youtube channel provides
videos on different climates and areas
of the world.
• https://www.pexels.com/ and
https://unsplash.com/images provide
copyright free images of the Arctic and
much more.

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 and hook

This unit focuses on apprecia-ng the beauty and wonder of the natural world.
The cold task is based on invertebrates because the children have prior
knowledge of these and they are readily available in the local area. Personal
experience always engages interest so this ac-vity serves as both the cold task
and a hook.
Take the children on a nature walk to find a variety of minibeasts. Provide
books on minibeasts to re-ac-vate their prior knowledge. Then, having warmed
up the content, ask the pupils to create their own informa-on text based on a
mini-beast of their choice. They are free to select their sec-ons and headings
as long as they include a sec-on on the environment/habitat as the unit builds
on the wonder of animals and their adapta-ons to the natural world.

Once the cold task has been completed, ask the children to name the key tools
for information writing and co-construct an information toolkit using example
s from the children’s work and flipchart it.

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 The information writing toolkit
To present information you can:

! Use a topic sentence to let the reader know what each paragraph is
about: The Amazon is home to at least 2,500 different types of fish …
! Keep your reader hooked with interesting facts: Amazingly, more than
1,100 tributaries …
! Sound like an expert by providing detail or definitions: smaller rivers or
streams that join another river
! Use sentence signposts to add information: Additionally, … Consequently,
and to keep the reader engaged: Amazingly, …
! Use generalisers to sum up: all, more than, biggest, largest,
• Use the present tense to inform the reader: All rivers follow a similar
journey … The Amazon is home to …
! End with an amazing or unexpected fact to leave the reader thinking:
Did you know, it is a bad idea to snooze on the banks of the Amazon, …

Additional hooks to grab the children’s interest:

David A(enborough’s – Frozen Planet series video clips.
David A(enborough’s Witness Statement
h(ps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbK4SVKWhM4 (2.5 minutes)
h(ps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMJpv1eksjM (1.5 minutes)

A real-life experience
This unit focuses on some of the most extreme places on Earth. Obviously, a
visit to the Arc-c is off-limits but there are other ways to engage the children.
It is essen-al that pupils feel the wonder of the natural world in order for them
to bring this unit to life. Giving them a real-life experience of the natural world
will help them understand the delicate balance of animals and the
environment. Take the pupils outside and get them to really no-ce the climate.
Use their senses to describe how they feel outside. How are their bodies
adapted to this temperature? How easy would it be to remain outside at this
temperature all day? Indefinitely?

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 Warming-up activities
Activating vocabulary
It is essen-al that pupils make connec-ons between their science and
geography curriculum to date. Encourage them to define terms that they are
familiar with and which will be used regularly throughout the unit and display
the words: adaptation, evolution, mammal, environment, etc.

Throughout the unit, introduce/revisit the core vocabulary that the children
will need to understand for the unit e.g., climate change, sustainability,
environment, global warming, classification, evolution and species.

Encourage the children to magpie key words from the model,

role-play, film clips and recommended reading; embed the
vocabulary by helping the children see how these words are
used in a range of contexts throughout the unit. Also, encourage
the children to use their magpie books to capture any phrases they par-cularly
like across the unit.

Any vocabulary that they are not secure with should be explicitly taught and
regularly referred to using the Isabel Beck rou-ne. For example, if you selected
the word species, tell the children that, “Species is the term for groups of
living things that share common characteristics.” Then spin that round: “A

group of living things that share common characteristics is called a …”

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and pause for the children to say “species”. Do this a few -mes and then ask
the children to come up with other sentences with species in them.

Experiencing the Arctic

Show pupils some high-quality video clips about the Arc-c. Discuss the wonder
and untouched beauty of this frozen landscape. This will be a great opportunity
to introduce/embed the key vocabulary.
• Frozen Planet, David Attenborough
• Life in the Freezer, David Attenborough
Now look at some video clips of polar bears from the websites below. Discuss
how they have adapted to their environment and the challenges faced by
animals that live in such harsh climates.
• WWF: worldwildlife.org
• National Geographic: nationalgeographic.com
• BBC Life on our Planet

Short-burst writing about the Arctic

Short-burst wri-ng is a great way to help warm-up any unit that involves
wri-ng. Give the pupils a quality image of a polar bear
and ask them to focus on perhaps just three features of
the bear to home in on its beauty. Ask the children to
generate vocabulary based on the image to create
descrip-ve sentences which could be added to the
model and flipcharted to support their understanding.

Dark and all-encompassing, the bear’s eyes scan the sea ice for a seal.
Snuffling, its snout raised to the air, the bear searches
tirelessly for a life-saving meal.
Its fur reflects the morning sun – a glittering white mass
of beauty.

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The pupils could then be given an image of a different animal from a very
different environment, for example, an animal from the African savannah. This
would allow them to generate rich vocabulary which they could use during the
innova-on stage. These could then be turned into descrip-ve sentences to be
used in their own informa-on wri-ng during the innova-on.

In this example, an animal has been selected as the s-mulus for short-burst
wri-ng. On the following day, to warm up the next session you might want to
choose an image of the frozen landscape, like this one from Iceland.

Photo by Julia Strong

Imitation stage
During this stage, pupils gain a deep understanding of the ideas in
the model text on page 9, drawing on their prior
learning from science and geography. The children break the
text down and look at its structure. They embed the idea that
although informa-on is wriRen in logical order, it is
compartmentalised into sec-ons signposted by headings because it does not
have to be read in any specific order. The reader picks and chooses what they
want to find out about. They also examine the different text-types within the

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text (informa-on, explana-on and persuasion) and iden-fy the key language
and sentence structures that are linked with a mixed non-fic-on text. They
explore the author’s purpose and audience and reflect on their own reac-ons
as a reader.
If you think your class needs more support with the tune of informa-on text,
you may want to select one or two of the paragraphs to learn orally before they
see the whole text. In which case, create a simple text map for that paragraph
like the one here for the sec-on en-tled Food glorious food!

If you feel confident that your class is good at informa-on, introduce the model
text by reading it aloud to the class. Ask the children to iden-fy any words that
they don’t feel they can stand up and explain and teach these using the Isabel
Beck technique, explained on page 5. Then hand different sec-ons to different
groups to prac-se how they would performance read their
sec-on before giving them a chance to perform. In this way,
they will internalise some key phrasing of the text.

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Polar bear – ice bear of the Arctic
Have you ever contemplated coming face to face with a creature whose fur is white as snow? A hyper
carnivorous predator that resides in the most solitary and unforgiving environment on our planet today? The
polar bear is just such a creature.

Classifica(on: mammal Diet: seals Scien(fic name: ‘ursus maritimus’ Life span: 15-18 years

The wonder of the Arc<c! Brrr!

Residing in the ArcQc Circle, polar bears live in the Polar bears are highly specialised
northernmost part of the Earth consisQng of the ArcQc mammals, having evolved many of their
Ocean, adjacent seas and parts of Alaska, Canada, Finland characterisQcs to suit their environment.
and Iceland. This harsh environment is home to gli(ering Intriguingly, these bears are superbly
glaciers, snow covered landmasses and clear sea-ice. The insulated by up to 10cm of Qssue. Their
climate is comprised of cold winters and cool summers,
fur consists of dense layers of under fur
receiving only 50cm of precipitaQon yearly in the form of
snow. and outer hair which to the unwiUng
eye appears white or tan, however the
fur is transparent!

Have you ever wondered where polar bears come from?

First, there were only brown bears that had smaller paws and
darker fur. This allowed them to blend in with their woodland Food glorious food!
surroundings. AXer a while, the brown bears’ food source ran
low which caused them to travel further north in search of These fascinaQng animals generally live
nutriQon. Here, the weather was colder and, as a result, the and hunt alone, though they can be quite
sociable too. They mainly eat seals. Using
landscape was covered in snow. Some bears were born with fur, their remarkable sense of smell, they can
due to a geneQc mutaQon. Only the bears with white fur survived detect a seal in the water beneath a
as they were able to blend in with their surroundings. This meant metre of compacted snow from almost a
that it was these bears who could reproduce. Over thousands of kilometre away. Once a seal’s breathing
years, all bears born in that region had white fur. This process of hole is detected, it waits silently for the
seal to emerge and take a breath. With a
adaptaQons evolving over Qme conQnued unQl the bear had all
powerful paw, it scoops out its vicQm and
of the necessary features to survive: the snout and jaw became drags it onto the ice to feast on. Seals are
elongated (be(er suited to grabbing seals from ice holes); the a good source of fat and protein for these
paws became wider (to allow its weight to be more evenly bears, allowing them to ‘stockpile’ fat for
distributed on the ice). the extreme winters.

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Just keep swimming! An endangered species
Adults are strong swimmers – they can swim for Tragically, these magnificent creatures are at
several hours to get from one piece of ice to another. risk of exQncQon. Due to climate change, the
Aside from being well-insulated from layers of fat and ice is melQng and these beauQful creatures are
dense fur, these predators have developed extremely being forced inland, unable to hunt for their
large feet for scooping through the water as the bear main source of food (seals). It is hard to
swims in a doggy-paddle fashion. Despite being the imagine such impressive, powerful predators
world’s biggest land carnivore, they are suited to the being vulnerable. However, man-made climate
water as their fat layer provides buoyancy. Many change is making life tough for them. Their fate
experts believe that polar bears can reach speeds of up could be in our hands. We must not let them
to 10mph when swimming and can travel over 1,800 down.
km before reaching land.

Reading as a reader
Make use of techniques such as line by line
reading, thinking aloud like a reader and close
reading
Explore each sec-on through oral comprehension to build understanding of the
text. Ac-vate prior knowledge from other areas of the curriculum, par-cularly
science (evolu-on) and geography (climate change).
• The wonder of the Arctic! What is the wonder of the Arctic and why is it
a wonder?
• Brr! Discuss how polar bears have evolved to suit their environment.
• Have you ever wondered where polar bears come from? Summarise
how polar bears evolved from brown bears and discuss what the
timeline would look like.
• Food glorious food! What impression do you get of the polar bear from
the author’s choice of language? Explain in your own words how a polar
bear captures a seal.
• Just keep swimming! Why are polar bears such expert swimmers?
• An endangered species: Discuss why the author has used the word
tragically to begin this section.

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 • Reader’s perspective: Allow the children the freedom to decide which
order to re-read the text in, thus embedding the idea that it can be read
in any order. Ask them to explain the reasons for their choice.

Explore the text through drama

• The teacher, in role as an Artic

explorer, models the language
and emotion of a blog. In this
example, the teacher takes
inspiration from Arctic blogger
Amber Lincoln to inspire pupils,
alongside using the structure of
recount text to organise their
ideas.

“You might have a picture in your mind of the Arctic – with its
vast icy landscapes and plentiful wildlife – but you can’t truly
understand its beauty until you visit. The Arctic captures the
imagination, calling to mind a pristine, empty, icy world that in
many ways stands still: frozen and timeless. This romantic idea is
appealing but of course false. Temperatures are rising, altering
weather patterns, sea ice is shrinking, raising global sea levels,
and permafrost, the once permanently frozen ground that served
as bedrock, is melting and sinking. These changes are dramatic
and unlike any experienced in the Arctic before.”
– Amber Lincoln

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Pupils then get the opportunity to ask this Arc7c Explorer
ques-ons and, of course, the teacher has a range of
photographs and artefacts to bring the role-play to life.
Now that pupils are more knowledgeable about the
environment, they get to play at being an Arc-c explorer in
pairs in Professor Know-it-all mode.
• Phone a friend – Pupils are placed in pairs and given a stunning picture
of the Arctic to look at while they sit back-to-back with their partner:
one is the explorer; the other is a reporter asking her/him what she/he
can see/hear/feel etc.
Reporter: “How did it feel to see the natural world in all its beauty?”
Explorer: “The sunlight glittering on the ice was breath-taking and I felt
so lucky to be the one who was seeing it. Not many people get to
experience the beauty of the Arctic.”

Reading as a writer

A. Understanding the structure

Begin by asking a few ques-ons to help the children think

about how the text has been structured. For example:

1. Why did the writer include these sections and why did
they choose to start with a section called Brrr! focusing on how polar
bears are insulated?
2. How does the structure of the text allow the reader to take ownership of
what they read?
3. Tell me about the headings. Were there any that grabbed your attention
and why?
4. How does the organisation of the piece interest the reader?
Boxing up the structure
The pupils now understand the text and its vocabulary and
some aspects of the structure. So, this is the right -me to start
considering how a writer might structure the whole of the text.
As always, boxing up is a great way to do this. Assuming that

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they have been using boxing up for many years, they should be able to box the
structure up independently with ease. (If not, co-construct the boxing up with
them.) Present the pupils with a blank grid and encourage them to think of the
key headings themselves. They could then work in pairs to box up the structure
and bullet point a few key points for each sec-on. The bare bones of the
boxing up would look like the example on the next page.

The underlying The key points from

structure the model text
Introduction
Habitat
How suit
environment
How evolved
Diet
Habits
Warning: threat
to their future

Refining the information toolkit

Select a sec-on or two, e.g. Food glorious food! and ask the children to iden-fy
the key features that make this informa-on text. Flipchart these, plus examples
from the text, adding addi-onal features to the list you created at the start of
the unit. The addi-onal features below are indicated by the asterisks*. These
show significant progression from the features from the Y4 unit which have
been used on page 4 as an example of what the children might have recalled
following the cold task.

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The information writing toolkit
To present information you can:
Ü Introduce what is being described by classifying it:
Classification: mammal; diet: seals
- Use a topic sentence to let the reader know what each paragraph/section
is about: Polar bears generally live and hunt alone …
Ü Use headings to guide the reader: Food glorious food!
Ü Use organisational devices to aid conciseness e.g. numbered lists,
information boxes, diagrams, images, headings and sub-headings: see
diagram of polar bear
Ü Include topic specific technical language – with an explanation if
necessary: their main source of food (seals)
Ü Use pronouns wisely – to avoid repetition but not confuse: This meant
that …
Ü Vary sentence length – short ones for emphasis: This is now
threatened by climate change.
Ü Use the passive to help generalise: Once a seal’s breathing hole is
detected, …
- Keep your reader hooked with interesting facts: With a powerful
paw, …
- Sound like an expert by providing detail or definitions: the paws
became wider (to allow its weight to be more evenly
distributed on the ice).
- Use sentence signposts to add information: Once, … though, and to
keep the reader engaged: Tragically, …
- Use generalisers to sum up: generally, mainly,
- Use the present tense to inform the reader: … it waits …,
Seals are …
- End with an amazing or unexpected fact to leave the reader thinking:
This is now threatened by climate change!

Then ask additional questions like:

• Can you tell me where the style of writing changes to
become an explanation/persuasive piece?
• Given the headings, what age group did the writer have in
mind as the audience for this writing?

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 The innovation stage
Now that the pupils have inves-gated the model text, comprehended it,
analysed its structure and key wri-ng ingredients, they can now innovate and
create their own informa-on text based on another harsh environment: the
desert.

Start with a hook

Pupils learn best from real-life experiences so a visit from an animal expert
who can bring in a range of
animals from your chosen
climate will spark the pupils’
wri-ng. If pupils are given the
opportunity to observe and
touch some mammals,
invertebrates, arachnids and
rep-les that reside in such
climates, their fascina-on with the natural world will grow immensely.

Boxing up the structure of the new

information text
Return to the boxed-up structure as illustrated on page 13 and, with
the children’s help, fill in the planner for the new informa-on text
focusing on a dry, hot climate. It’s a good idea to have a range of
animals that they can research. The more the children have
ownership over what animal is chosen, the more they will engage with the
work. Children can also have more ownership over which headings they want
to use in their report since different headings may suit the new animal beRer.
As you will see on page 17, the shared, innovated wri-ng on elephants has
used some different headings. Boxing up should liberate effec-ve planning not
fence it in.

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Shared writing of sections
Using a large box-it-up plan as a guide, share
your wri-ng with the class day by day, using
separate sheets of flipchart paper for each
sec-on. The wise teacher prepares the
shared wri-ng well so they have draNed a
coherent version before embarking on the
shared wri-ng with the class. You don’t want
to try demonstra-ng how to write off the
cuff – it is liable to end in tears for the teacher and boredom for the class.

In the shared wri-ng example on the

next page, the class chose to write
their report on the African elephant, a
creature that is increasingly affected
by drought during the dry season. The
teacher planned to include some
instruc-ons, persuasion and
discussion, while focusing on
informa-on.
As the purpose of the wri-ng is to create wonder about the natural world and
marvel at how animals have adapted to match their environment, a good
introduc-on to the shared wri-ng would be to include extracts from the
Na-onal Geographic, selec-ng par-cular parts that
show how your animal survives in such a harsh
climate. This will help to fill the children’s minds with
vocabulary and ideas so that they engage with the
shared wri-ng and have a wide range of ideas when
they write their own innova-on:
hRps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GyI2mz9404

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 African elephant
Quick facts! Perfectly adapted
- Scientific name: Loxodonta The African elephant is the largest animal walking the Earth. They are
- Diet: herbivore easily recognised by their trunk which is used for communicaQon,
- Habitat: Sub-Saharan Africa foraging and handling objects. Large ears allow them to radiate excess
- Lifespan: 60-70 years heat (a fantasQc adaptaQon for living in the African bush!) Their
- Weight: up to 6 tonnes disQncQve tusks are actually upper incisor teeth which grow throughout
- Height: 11 feet their lifeQme. These incredible tusks have a range of purposes: in males
- Length: 19-24 feet they are used for fighQng for the ideal mate, defence against predators
- Extinction risk: vulnerable and liXing heavy objects out of their path.

Amazing Africa!
These intelligent creatures live in one of the most
natural and beauQful parts of the world! They
wander in herds across 37 countries in Africa. The
conQnent is full of life, from incredible species of
animals to luscious plant life never seen before!

Why we maEer!
The presence of African elephants helps to maintain
suitable habitats for many other species. In central
African forests, up to 30 percent of tree species may
require elephants to help with dispersal and
To the untrained eye, African and Asian elephants germinaQon. They play a pivotal role in shaping their
can be indisQnguishable, but there are key habitat because of the enormous impact they have
physical features that make these two species on factors ranging from fresh water to forest cover.
relaQvely easy to tell apart.

• First, compare the size of the elephant.

African elephants are much larger. Vulnerable
• Next, examine the shape of the ears. In recent years, growing demand for ivory, parQcularly
African elephants have large ears, shaped from Asia, has led to a surge in poaching. PopulaQons
much like the continent of Africa itself.
of elephants- especially in southern and eastern Africa
• Then, study the head itself. African
– that once showed promising signs of recovery –
elephants have fuller, more rounded
heads, and the top of their head is a single could be at risk due to the recent surge in poaching for
dome. illegal ivory trade.

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Independent application

Pupils are now ready to make more choices as

they become the author of their own
informa-on text.

Start them off by asking them to select a region

around the world that interests them. They may
choose to focus on an area affected by
monsoons, droughts, scorching temperatures or
mel-ng ice caps, based on their prior learning in
geography lessons. Within that environment, encourage the pupils to select an
animal with interes-ng adapta-ons, knowing that the overall purpose of their
wri-ng is to create a sense of wonder around the animal and how perfectly
adapted it is to its environment. There is no shortage of great examples!

In wider curriculum lessons (science and geography) pupils will have studied
animals that live in harmony with their natural habitat and the adapta-ons
they have developed to succeed. Encourage them to use this knowledge and
refer back to content within these books and any knowledge organisers that
they may have. Knowledge is key to success, so encourage the pupils to
deepen their understanding of their chosen animal and region at home, as well
as referencing books from the school library.

Just as in the model, encourage the childen to include a range of text-types

within the informa-on they provide, for example, discussion, explana-on and
recount.

Also encourage the pupils to plan and write their report in any order they think
is logical, selec-ng which sec-ons they wish to include in the report. They
could plan by adding a third column on their box-it-up grid but a blank grid may
be preferable to encourage greater independence and crea-vity.

Throughout the wri-ng process, reading and edi-ng are essen-al. Encourage
the pupils to read their wri-ng aloud and demonstrate why this maRers
through shared wri-ng. Ask them to check that their wri-ng includes the
language features of their chosen text-type or text types. Most importantly, get
them to check that their wri-ng meets the overall purpose of the unit: to evoke
a sense of wonder for the natural world in the reader and a wish to help this
natural world survive.

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 Reflection on learning

It’s a good idea to go back to the cold task and get the children to compare
what they wrote at the start of the unit with what they wrote at the end, the
hot task. Hopefully, they will be able to see a significant improvement.

Ask the children to briefly reflect on all that they have learnt from this unit and
to jot down the key things that they think they have learnt.

Publishing their work

This unit provides a great opportunity for children to

publish their work for other year groups to read within
school giving them another element to purposeful
wri-ng. They could share them with a corresponding
class or younger year groups. Pupils could also be
challenged to create a class book of incredible animal
adapta-ons. If the children have access to chrome
books or laptops, this provides a great opportunity to
create authen-c-looking informa-on text with great photographs as well as the
children’s drawings, alongside all the layout features that the children are used
to such as bullet points and varying fonts.

Help me
survive!

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© This unit is the copyright of Talk for WriYng (Talk4WriYng.com).

Unit teaching content wri]en by Emily Ridge and Heidi Keen, Yew Tree
Community School – a Talk for WriYng training school)
Unit guidance wri]en by Julia Strong
Edited and designed by Julia Strong
Prepared for online distribuYon by Nick Ba]y
Thanks to Jon Ralphs for the illustraYons: jonralphs.com
Many thanks to Pexels & Unsplash for providing free photographs

© This unit is provided free and as a pdf document. Schools have permission to
copy the content and adapt it to suit their needs on the understanding that
the origin of the work (Talk4WriYng.com) is always acknowledged on all
versions. Under no circumstances can material from these unit or adapted
from these units be used for commercial gain in any way. Our aim is to work
together with teachers to help build a genera-on who will value the world in
which we live and help save this planet, and who are able to talk and write
about this coherently.

To find out more about Talk for Writing, visit www.talk4writing.com.

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