Cold Task: Prior Knowledge

Overview

This first lesson of the unit assesses students’ prior knowledge about endangered animals and information reports. Students complete a written “cold task” to show what they know about relevant vocabulary, information organisation, and simple objective reporting.

Learning intentions

• Students will write what they know about an endangered animal and its needs.
• Students will use topic-related words and basic sentence structures to share information.
• Students will attempt an information-report structure (introduction/facts/summary).
• Students will show whether their language is mainly factual (objective) rather than opinion (subjective).

Success criteria

• I can write sentences with clear information about endangered animals.
• I can use some animal-related vocabulary (for example, habitat, survive, population, threats).
• I can organise my writing into an introduction and facts (and a short ending if I can).
• I can write mostly factual statements (no “I think” or “I feel” unless asked).

Curriculum links

• English: expand vocabulary by exploring synonyms and antonyms and using words encountered in a range of sources (used during prompts and model examples).
• English: use comprehension strategies such as questioning and monitoring to build meaning (students practise by checking what they already know before writing).
• English: identify subjective language of opinion and objective language of factual reporting (students are prompted to write factual sentences).
• Literacy: plan, create, edit and publish written and multimodal texts, using relevant linked ideas, complex sentences, synonyms and antonyms (students attempt a first draft; editing focus is minimal in a cold task).

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Settling + task overview. Teacher explains: “Today you will complete a writing task to show what you already know. It’s not about getting it perfect.” Students receive the cold task sheet and read the heading and prompts silently.

2. 5–10 min · Activate prior knowledge. Teacher displays a small picture set of endangered animals and asks one Think–Pair–Share question: “What does an endangered animal need to survive?” Students share ideas and the teacher lists 8–10 student words on the board (habitat, food, shelter, survive, threats, protect, few, decline).

3. 10–18 min · Vocabulary temperature check. Teacher says: “Circle any words you know. Choose 3 words you will use in your writing.” Students circle known words on their sheet, then select 3 to include.

4. 18–32 min · Cold task writing (Draft 1). Teacher gives the written prompts and reads them aloud once, clarifying what an information report is (facts about a topic). Students write in their own words using the sentence stems provided:

• “An endangered animal is…”
• “It lives in…”
• “It needs… to survive.”
• “Some threats are…”
• “We can help by…” Teacher circulates, monitors sentence control, vocabulary use, and objective/factual language attempts.

Cold task options (choose one animal prompt card, or allow students to choose an animal):

• Option A: “Choose one endangered animal you know and write an information report about it.”
• Option B (for additional support): Teacher provides a specific animal name and a short fact box with 3–5 prompts (e.g., habitat, food, threat).

5. 32–40 min · Quick check: factual vs opinion. Teacher models two example sentences on the board:

• Objective: “This animal has a small population.”
• Subjective: “This animal is in trouble.” (discuss: feeling vs fact) Teacher explains: “Try to use factual statements. If you see ‘I think’ or ‘I feel’, rewrite as a fact.” Students revise one or two sentences using a “rewrite as a fact” line on the sheet.

6. 40–52 min · Editing focus (one goal only). Teacher says: “Choose one goal: (1) add one more fact sentence, or (2) improve one sentence by adding ‘because/so’.” Students complete the one chosen editing goal and reread to check meaning.

7. 52–60 min · Collect + exit reflection (2 minutes). Teacher collects sheets and asks students to write a quick final line: “One thing I still want to learn is…” Students complete the exit line, then sit quietly while teacher checks for completeness.

Resources

• Cold task writing sheet (lined paper) with prompts and sentence stems
• Animal picture cards (endangered animals)
• Word bank on board and a matching mini word list on each sheet
• Pencil/eraser and optional highlighters
• Timer
• Optional animal fact-box cards for support students
• Teacher clipboard for quick notes/ratings

Assessment

• Formative during writing: teacher notes on use of factual language, vocabulary selection, and basic organisation (introduction + facts).
• Formative during revision: teacher checks if students can rewrite an opinion-like sentence into an objective fact.
• Cold task evidence collected for baseline grouping for lessons 2–8.
• Exit reflection: identifies what students want to learn to guide the unit inquiry questions.

Differentiation

• Support (below average / emerging writers):
• Provide sentence stems with more structure (for example, “It lives in…” “It eats…” “A threat is…”).
• Offer an animal fact-box card so students have content to write.
• Allow oral rehearsal with a partner before writing one fact sentence.
• On-level:
• Provide the word bank and require 3 facts plus a short ending statement (“We can help by…”).
• Encourage use of two “because/so” connectives to extend sentence complexity.
• Extension (above average):
• Add a challenge: include one extra detail sentence (behaviour, life cycle, or how threats reduce survival).
• Include a vocabulary upgrade: replace one everyday word with a more precise word from the word bank (for example, “danger” → “threat”).
• EAL considerations:
• Pre-teach 6–8 key words from the unit (habitat, population, threats, survive, protect, endangered).
• Allow additional time for planning and encourage sentence stems to scaffold language.

Extension (optional)

• Skip (not required).