Animal Fact Draft

Overview

Students continue writing their second draft information text about an animal, focusing on clear facts, simple language features, and improved sentence writing. They receive peer support and teacher feedback to refine their writing.

Learning intentions

• Students will add missing facts and improve clarity in their information texts.
• Students will use specific sentence types (for example, “is/are”, “has/have”, and describing words) to present information.
• Students will reread and revise to improve how their text sounds and makes sense.
• Students will use a simple success checklist to give kind, helpful peer feedback.

Success criteria

• I can include at least 3–4 accurate facts about my animal.
• I can use a title and organised sentences (facts in order) so my reader understands.
• I can revise my writing after feedback, making it clearer.
• I can check my writing for basic conventions (capital letters and full stops).

Curriculum links

• Producing written texts for an audience by planning, drafting, revising and editing simple information texts.
• Using language features appropriate to information texts, such as topic sentences and factual details.
• Building sentence-level knowledge, including punctuation and capital letters.
• Speaking and listening to share ideas, use peer feedback, and reflect on changes to writing.

Lesson structure (45 minutes)

1. 5 minutes — Quick warm-up (model + purpose)

• Teacher shows a short example information text paragraph about an animal (2–3 sentences) and points out simple facts, describing words, and full stops.
• Students state one thing they want to improve in Draft 2 (a fact, sentence clarity, or punctuation).

2. 7 minutes — Reread and plan tiny changes

• Students reread their Draft 1 and highlight (or place a small mark beside) places needing improvement: missing fact, unclear sentence, or missing punctuation.
• Teacher circulates with guiding questions: “What does your reader need to know next?” and “Does this sentence tell a fact, or does it sound like a guess?”

3. 15 minutes — Write Draft 2

• Students make a clean Draft 2 on paper using their plan or notes.
• Teacher reminds students to aim for: a clear title, organised sentences, and factual wording (no “maybe” or “I think” unless the text is about observations).

4. 8 minutes — Peer support (feedback partner)

• In pairs, students use a simple checklist: “One fact is clear,” “One sentence can be clearer,” “One place needs a full stop/capital letter.”
• Each student gives one “Glow” (what to keep) and one “Grow” (what to change) suggestion.

5. 7 minutes — Teacher feedback mini-conferences

• Teacher meets with three pairs (or rotates through small groups within the time) and chooses one target per student: add a fact, improve a sentence, or revise punctuation.
• Students record the feedback as a short note beside their draft.

6. 3 minutes — Final edit and readiness to submit

• Students do a quick pass: title capital letters, full stops at the end of sentences, and reading aloud once to check sense.
• Teacher collects Draft 2 for next lesson reflection or conferencing.

Resources

• Draft 1 writing from previous lesson
• Draft 2 template or plain lined paper
• Animal fact notes (teacher or student-made)
• Simple peer feedback checklist (Glow and Grow) with 3 items
• Coloured pencils/highlighters for marking improvements
• Sentence frames for support (for example: “My animal is…”, “It has…”, “It lives in…”)
• Example information text on a poster or displayed document
• Timer and pairs/groups labels
• Pencil sharpener and eraser (or editing tools)

Assessment

• Teacher observation during drafting and mini-conferences, focusing on adding facts and improving sentence clarity.
• Check Draft 2 against success criteria: presence of facts, organisation, and basic conventions (capital letters and full stops).
• Use peer feedback notes to see whether students understand what changes they need to make.

Differentiation

• Support: Provide sentence frames and a word bank (animal features, habitats, verbs like “is/has/lives”); allow students to work from a structured fact plan (3–4 boxes).
• Support (SEN): Offer a shorter target (e.g., at least 3 facts) and pre-highlight punctuation in a model for students to copy and apply.
• Extension: Encourage adding one extra language feature (for example, a short “What it eats…” or “How it protects itself…” sentence) and refining one sentence with a better describing word.
• EAL: Offer visual support (pictures, word bank with images), allow oral rehearsal before writing, and accept first-draft accuracy while focusing feedback on one priority target per student.