The octopus: animal profiles with relative clauses and brackets
Students read an octopus profile, notice the relative clauses and the extra information in brackets and commas, practise both, and write a profile of an animal they choose.
At a glance
- From
- Level 3, Bridge English: Week 17, Friends and people we admire
- Grammar
- relative clauses: who, which, that, where, whose
- Key language
- an animal which / that has... / a scientist who studies... / a place where... / an animal whose skin... / (extra information) / , extra information,
- Children make
- An animal profile of five sentences with two relative clauses and one parenthesis.
- Class size
- Works with 10 to 50 children; pair and group steps say how to scale.
Objective
Students write sentences with relative clauses and punctuate parenthesis with brackets or commas. This links to UK Year 5/6 grammar: relative clauses beginning with who, which, where, when, whose, that; and brackets, dashes or commas for parenthesis.
Success criteria for children
- I can join two sentences with who, which, where or whose.
- I can add extra information using brackets or commas.
- I can write an animal profile with accurate facts.
Timing: 60 minutes
| Minutes | Stage | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 0 to 6 | Warm-up: three facts | Students say three facts about an animal; the class guesses it. |
| 6 to 14 | Read the profile | Read the profile and find three facts to share. |
| 14 to 24 | Teach: relative clauses | Who for people, which or that for animals and things, where for places, whose for belonging. |
| 24 to 32 | Teach: parenthesis | Extra information in brackets or between commas. |
| 32 to 42 | Practice | Worksheet tasks 1 and 2. |
| 42 to 56 | Write your profile | Fact file, then five sentences. |
| 56 to 60 | Exit ticket | Join two sentences. |
Materials
- Worksheet, pens
- Fact books or tablets for the animal research (supervised), or pre-printed fact files
- Friendship quiz (B1) (free, linked from Week 17)
- Someone I admire (B1) (free, linked from Week 17)
- Relative clauses (free, linked from Week 17)
Step by step, with teacher talk
0 to 6 minWarm-up: three facts
- Model: "It lives in the sea. It has eight arms. It has no bones." Students guess and then offer their own.
6 to 14 minRead the profile
- Read the octopus text. Students underline one fact that surprises them and tell a partner.
14 to 24 minTeach: relative clauses
- Write two short sentences and join them: "The octopus is an animal. It has three hearts." becomes "The octopus is an animal which has three hearts."
- Show each relative pronoun with a text example: which (no bones), where (it hides), whose (skin can change colour), who (scientists who study octopuses).
- Do we say "the octopus who has three hearts"? (No: which or that for an animal.)
- What does whose show? (Belonging: its skin.)
24 to 32 minTeach: parenthesis
- Show: "An octopus (a soft-bodied sea animal) has no bones." and "The octopus, a clever animal, can open jars."
- Explain the test: if you take the extra information away, the sentence must still make sense. A third option, a pair of dashes, is also possible; use brackets or commas today.
- Is "has no bones" still a complete sentence without the words in brackets? (Yes, the octopus has no bones.)
32 to 42 minPractice
- Students complete tasks 1 and 2. Check aloud and compare punctuation choices.
42 to 56 minWrite your profile
- Students complete the fact file in task 3 for their chosen animal, then write five sentences that include at least two relative clauses and one parenthesis.
56 to 60 minExit ticket
- See below.
Differentiation
Support
- Give the sentence frames "...is an animal which..." and "...is a place where..."
- Use only which and where, and brackets for parenthesis.
Stretch
- Use whose and a pair of commas in the same sentence.
- Check each fact with a second source and add the source name.
- Add a second paragraph, "How we can protect it".
Reading passage
Original text built from standard facts about octopuses (three hearts, blue blood, no skeleton) and general knowledge that octopuses change colour. See sources.
The octopus is a sea animal which has no bones. Because its body is soft, it can squeeze into very small gaps, such as cracks in rocks, where it hides from enemies.
An octopus has eight arms (each one covered in suckers) and three hearts. Two hearts send blood to the gills, and the third sends blood around the rest of the body. Its blood is blue because it uses copper, not iron, to carry oxygen.
The octopus, whose skin can change colour very quickly, is a master of disguise. It can look like a rock or a piece of coral. Many scientists who study octopuses think they are very clever animals.
Questions
- Why can an octopus squeeze into small gaps?
- How many hearts does an octopus have, and what do the two gill hearts do?
- Why is its blood blue?
- Find one relative clause beginning with which.
- Find one example of parenthesis.
Printable worksheet
Prints on its own A4 page. Use Print the worksheet above, or print the whole plan and the worksheet starts on a new page. One copy per child, or one per pair to save paper.
Relative clauses and parenthesis
1. Join the sentences with who, which, where or whose.
- The octopus is an animal. It has three hearts.
- Dr Ruiz is a scientist. She studies octopuses.
- The rock pool is a place. Octopuses hide there.
- The octopus is an animal. Its skin changes colour.
2. Add the extra information. Use brackets for 1 and 2 and commas for 3.
- The octopus a soft-bodied animal has no bones.
- Its arms each with many suckers can hold things tightly.
- Dr Ruiz my science teacher loves octopuses.
3. Write a profile of an animal you choose.
| Animal | Where it lives | What it eats | One amazing fact |
|---|---|---|---|
Answer key
Reading passage questions
- Its body is soft because it has no bones.
- Three; two send blood to the gills.
- It uses copper, not iron, to carry oxygen.
- "...a sea animal which has no bones." (Also: "...cracks in rocks, where it hides from enemies.")
- "(each one covered in suckers)" or "The octopus, whose skin can change colour very quickly, is..."
Worksheet
- 1: The octopus is an animal which (that) has three hearts. / Dr Ruiz is a scientist who studies octopuses. / The rock pool is a place where octopuses hide. / The octopus is an animal whose skin changes colour.
- 2: The octopus (a soft-bodied animal) has no bones. / Its arms (each with many suckers) can hold things tightly. / Dr Ruiz, my science teacher, loves octopuses. (Accept commas for 1 and 2 as an alternative: the punctuation is a choice.)
- 3: answers will vary. Check at least two relative clauses, one parenthesis with correct punctuation, and accurate facts.
Exit ticket
Join: "My dog is called Biscuit. He loves swimming." using whose or who, and add the extra information between commas. (My dog, who is called Biscuit, loves swimming.)
Homework
Write a fact file for an animal you love. Include three relative clauses and two parentheses. Check one fact in a book or on a trusted website.
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Start free with LitlingsMore lesson plans
- Level 3, Week 17: Friends and people we admire (the curriculum week this plan comes from)
- How many hearts does an octopus have? (Live Science) (Live Science)
- National curriculum in England: English programmes of study (Years 5 and 6 spelling, grammar and punctuation) (Department for Education)
- All reading texts, dialogues, scripts, worksheets and answer keys on this page are original to Litlings and free to copy for classroom use.