True or false facts
Say a fact about an animal. Children show thumbs up or down. Ask, How do you know? Where could you check?
Writing · Level 2 · Years 3 and 4 · Unit 4 of 6 · Non-chronological report
A fact file
Children gather facts about an animal or place and organise them under headings in the present tense.
7sessions
45minutes each
Years 3 and 4ages 8 to 10
A1 to A2CEFR
By the end
Children write a fact file with a title, an opening sentence, three headed sections of two or three facts, and one fun fact.
How the unit runs
7 sessions, 8 parts
Every writing unit follows the same eight parts: read, talk, learn the sentence skill, plan, write together, write alone, check, publish. This unit fits them into 7 sessions of about 45 minutes.
| Session | Parts | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Session 1 | Part 1: Read and enjoy | Read and enjoy "Fact file: otters". Find 3 features to notice. |
| Session 2 | Part 2: Talk it | Oral rehearsal games: True or false facts, Question headings, Fact to sentence. |
| Session 3 | Part 3: Sentence skill | Teach the sentence skill: Facts in the present tense. |
| Session 4 | Part 4: Plan | Plan on the frame: my fact file plan. |
| Session 5 | Part 5: Shared write | The teacher models the writing, thinking aloud. |
| Session 6 | Part 6: Independent write | Children write independently, with support and stretch. |
| Session 7 | Part 7: Check + Part 8: Publish | Check against the success criteria and the editing checklist. Publish for a real reader on the printable template. |
Curriculum link. Years 3 and 4 composition: in non-narrative material, using simple organisational devices such as headings and sub-headings; organising paragraphs around a theme. Appendix 2: present tense; headings and sub-headings (Year 3). Sources: see the end of this page.
Part 1 of 8
Read and enjoy a model text
Read it aloud first, or press the button. Talk about what the writer has done before anyone writes. This text was written for Litlings and is free to copy for your class.
Otters. Otters are playful mammals that live near rivers, lakes and the sea.
What do they look like? An otter has a long, slim body, short legs and a thick, pointed tail. Its dense brown fur keeps it warm in cold water. Webbed feet help it swim fast.
What do they eat? Otters eat fish, frogs and crabs. They dive underwater and catch food with their sharp teeth.
Where do they live? Otters make homes called holts in riverbanks. They line them with leaves and grass.
Fun fact: some otters hold hands while they sleep so they do not drift apart!
What to notice
- Otters. / What do they eat?A title and headings tell the reader where to find each topic.
- live, eat, make, lineFacts are written in the present tense.
- Fun fact:A surprising detail finishes and keeps the reader interested.
Part 2 of 8
Talk it: oral rehearsal
Talk comes before writing. Children say the sentences, then the paragraph, before the pencil moves.
Question headings
For an animal, ask: What does it look like? What does it eat? Where does it live? Turn each question into a heading.
Fact to sentence
Give a note: fur, brown, thick. Say a full present-tense sentence: Its thick brown fur keeps it warm.
Part 3 of 8
Sentence skill: Facts in the present tense
Fact files and information texts use the present tense and clear headings: Otters live in rivers. They eat fish.
Teach it in four steps
- Choose a topic and find three headings that organise it.
- For each heading, write two or three facts in the present tense.
- Keep the facts general: Otters eat fish, not Yesterday I saw an otter eat.
- Finish with a fun fact.
Examples
| Start | Becomes or shows |
|---|---|
| Yesterday I saw an otter. | An otter eats fish and frogs. |
| lived | live |
| what they eat | What do they eat? |
Part 4 of 8
Plan: My fact file plan
Choose an animal or a place. Collect facts under headings. Children say each part aloud to a partner first, then jot notes. Type here, or print the frame to use on paper. It prints on one A4 page.
My fact file plan
NameDate
Choose an animal or a place. Collect facts under headings.
Topic and openingWhat is it? Where is it found?
Heading 1 and factsWhat does it look like?
Heading 2 and factsWhat does it eat or do?
Heading 3 and factsWhere does it live?
Fun factA surprising detail.
Part 6 of 8
Independent write
The task
Write a fact file about an animal or place you like. Give a title, three headings with two or three facts each, and a fun fact.
Sentence starters
- ___ are ___ that live ___.
- What do they look like? ___
- What do they eat? ___
- Where do they live? ___
- Fun fact: ___
Word bank
- mammal
- habitat
- prey
- predator
- feathers
- webbed
- diet
- nocturnal
- usually
- can
Support
Give a fact file frame with the headings already written, and pictures of the animal to talk about.
Stretch
Add a labelled diagram, a glossary, or a comparison with a second animal.
English as an additional or foreign language. Give a sorted word bank by heading, with pictures. Children say each fact in a full sentence before writing.
Part 7 of 8
Check: success criteria and editing
Children read their writing aloud, tick what they have done and fix what they have not. Ticks are saved on this device only.
Success criteria
Editing checklist
Part 8 of 8
Publish for a real reader
Create a class book called Wild Facts. Add a picture, a map or a diagram to each page.
Printable template: Fact file
One A4 page, blank for handwriting. Print from the browser or download the PDF.
Fact file
NameDate
Add a title, a picture, three headings with facts, and a fun fact.
Title
Picture
Quick facts
Heading 1:
Heading 2:
Heading 3:
Fun fact
Keep going
In this course
Elsewhere on the site
Sources
- National curriculum in England: English programmes of study (DfE)
- English Appendix 2: vocabulary, grammar and punctuation (DfE)
- Improving Literacy in Key Stage 2 (EEF)
Curriculum statements are paraphrased from the documents above. Model texts and activities are original to Litlings.