Year 5 - English
Identifying the features of an essay
The Amazon Rainforest: essay writing
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
In this unit, pupils write their first formal essay of the primary curriculum. In it, pupils write about deforestation in the Amazon Rainforest with facts derived from research presented in clear paragraphs. The essay question given calls for pupils to write their essay as a single line of argument.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to identify the logical argument of an essay and you can identify an essay's linguistic features in a model.
Key Notes
- Essays can either examine both sides of an issue in a balanced way, or they can argue persuasively on one side only.
- Essays include subject-specific language and they are written in formal tone.
- A one-sided essay presents a logical argument that reveals a series of points.
- Points made within essays must be explained and backed up by evidence in order to be effective.
- A range of fronted adverbials, sentence types and parenthesis in brackets are linguistic features of essays.
Vocabulary To Learn
- essay: a piece of writing that explores arguments about a particular issue
- logical argument: one that follows a series of steps that lead clearly towards a conclusion
- evidence: information or facts to show something is true
- linguistic features: the language structures that are used within a text
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Pupils may believe that an essay is always a two-sided discussion leading to the writer's own conclusion.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain this English learning goal in two key points.
Essays can either examine both sides of an issue in a balanced way, or they can argue persuasively on one side only. Essays include subject-specific language and they are written in formal tone.
2. Define this language term and use it in a sentence. 'essay'
a piece of writing that explores arguments about a particular issue.
3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.
Mistake: Pupils may believe that an essay is always a two-sided discussion leading to the writer's own conclusion. Correction: In this unit, we will write a one-sided essay which makes the argument posed in the title; we will avoid presenting this as the writer's own opinion.
More Lessons In This Unit
- Planning and writing the conclusion of an essay Study Guide
- Planning and writing the first main paragraph of an essay Study Guide
- Planning and writing the introduction to an essay Study Guide
- Planning and writing the second main paragraph of an essay Study Guide
- Researching deforestation in the Amazon rainforest Study Guide
- Setting out a logical argument in response to an essay title Study Guide
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