Drafting the Intro

Overview

In this lesson, students draft the introduction for an information report about an endangered animal. They will use a small set of sentence starters and practise writing clear, simple sentences with topic vocabulary and correct basic punctuation.

Learning intentions

• Students will create an introduction that tells the reader what the topic is and what they will learn.
• Students will use a simple text structure in an information report: an opening statement followed by one or two support sentences.
• Students will use topic-specific vocabulary about an endangered animal.
• Students will use simple and some compound sentences to add information.
• Students will edit their writing by checking spelling of high-frequency words and simple punctuation (full stops).

Success criteria

• I can write an opening sentence that names the endangered animal.
• I can write 1–2 sentences that share facts about the animal (where it lives, what it eats, or why it is endangered).
• I can use sentence starters and topic words to help my writing make sense.
• I can read my introduction back and fix full stops and some common word errors.

Curriculum links

• Literacy — create short informative written texts using text structure, simple punctuation, and common 2-syllable words.
• Literacy — use comprehension strategies by listening to and responding to instructions and focusing on key points.
• Literacy/Literature — adapt familiar text structures and language features to create a new text.
• Language — begin to make conscious choices of vocabulary to suit the topic.
• Language — explore language that helps readers understand and express reasons, such as “I chose this word because…”.

Lesson structure (30 minutes)

1. 0–4 min · Warm-up (model + predict). Teacher shows a short shared example introduction (2–3 sentences) on the board for an endangered animal; students point to the sentence that “introduces the topic” and say what they think the report will be about. Students respond using sentence frames: “The introduction tells us…” and “Next, we will read about…”

2. 4–10 min · Direct teach (sentence starters + structure). Teacher explicitly teaches the “Intro formula”:

• Sentence 1 (Opening): “{Animal} is an endangered {animal type}.”
• Sentence 2 (Where/What): “It lives in {place}. ” or “It eats {food}. ”
• Sentence 3 (Why endangered): “It is endangered because {reason}.” (optional for those who can) Teacher highlights topic vocabulary on a word bank (e.g., habitat, forest, ocean, rainforest, wild, protect, fewer). Students practise orally: teacher calls “Your turn” and students repeat one starter, replacing blanks with their chosen animal facts.

3. 10–18 min · Guided drafting (teacher supports, students write). Teacher gives each student a planning strip with 3 lines and matching sentence starters; students copy and complete with one fact each line. Students draft quietly while teacher circulates for quick checks: correct starter, readable letters, and full stop at the end.

4. 18–25 min · Edit for meaning and punctuation (fast checklist). Teacher models a quick self-check using a class checklist:

• Does my first sentence name the animal?
• Do I have 1–2 facts?
• Did I put a full stop at the end of each sentence? Students do a “read and fix” using the checklist; teacher provides pencil marks or a sticker for completed fixes (e.g., “Fixed full stop”).

5. 25–30 min · Share + exit reflection (formative assessment). Teacher invites 2–3 students to share their introduction; classmates give one kind comment using: “I like how you…” Students complete a 1-sentence exit slip: “My introduction tells the reader that…” using their own draft.

Resources

• Sentence starter strip (3 lines) for “Introduction formula”
• Word bank for endangered animal topics (places, food, reasons: protect, fewer, habitat, danger)
• Shared example introduction (large print)
• Student planning sheet: “My animal is… / It lives… / It is endangered because…”
• Pencils, erasers, and coloured highlighters (optional for sentence starts)
• Timer visible to students
• For some students: cut-and-paste word cards for starters and topic facts
• Anchor chart: “Intro = name + fact 1 + fact 2”

Assessment

• Teacher observation during drafting: student uses correct starter and includes at least one fact.
• Checklist check at the 18–25 minute editing stage: naming the animal and full stops.
• Exit reflection: teacher verifies students can state what their introduction “tells the reader”.

Differentiation

• Sentence starters with blanks: students choose from given fact cards to reduce cognitive load.
• Extra support group (teacher-led): students write only 2 sentences; teacher supplies the reason phrase if needed (e.g., “It is endangered because its habitat is smaller.”).
• High support for low ability: provide a lined template with pre-printed animal name and “It lives in ____.” frame; allow dictation to scribe if required by the individualised plan.
• Extension for those ready: add the optional third sentence (why endangered) and encourage a compound sentence using “and” (e.g., “It lives in the forest and it needs clean water.”).
• EAL/Speech and language support: allow oral rehearsal before writing; use picture prompts (habitat, animal, danger icon) and consistent vocabulary.
• Spelling support: accept approximations for low-ability students; focus editing on high-frequency words and full stops first.