To use the present tense

Key Stage 1

English

Non-chronological report: All about Witches

﻿Hello super storytellers and welcome to this English lesson. This is lesson four of our unit where we're learning that information text. The information texts that you have heard and learned from memory is the information text about the ice witch. You have created your very own, witch and we're going to be writing about that witch today, we're going to be writing in the present tense, because we want our readers to know that our witch is out there in the world right now. So we're going to use the present tense to do that. I can't wait to find out more about your brilliant witch that you have created. So let's find out what we're going to get up to in this lesson. We're going to start this lesson with a game. Then we're going to see if we can spot sentences in the present tense. Then we're going to have to use our imagination and creativity to think about where our witch lives, their habitat, and what they do, their behaviour. Once you had to think about that, we're going to write sentences in the present tense, all about your witch. So, these are the things you're going to need in our lesson today, you're going to need something to write on an exercise book or a piece of paper. And it would be amazing if you had some lined paper so that your sentences are really nice and clear. You're going to need something to write with, a pen or a pencil. And of course, you're going to need your brilliant, brain. You might also want to get your picture of your witch that you made yourself in lesson three. So if you need to pause the video, you can do that now and go and get everything that you need. Well done, storytelling superstars, you are all ready for our learning today. So let's get started with our game. For our games today, I am going to mime one piece of information about the ice witch. And I want you to tell me from looking carefully at my mime which bits of information I have acted out. So, here I go with my first bit of information all about the ice witch, here I go. Did you see the action? I'll do it one more time. Do which piece of information I was showing you? Can you tell me? I had lots of learners say that I was showing that their skin is transparent which means it is a see through. Okay, let me have a think what am I going to mime next, oh I know. Did you see my action? I'll do it one more time. What piece of information was I acting out? Can you tell me? So many super lovers knew that I was saying that the ice witch has claws with long, sharp talons at the end, and we know that they use those talons to climb up snowy mountains and to climb through the snow. Okay. And I think about my next bits of information. I'll do it one more time. Do which bits of information I was showing? Can you tell me? You are right! I was showing that they have thin grey lips, and they never smile. Okay, I think I've got one more, this is about their behaviour. I'll do that one more time. Which bits of information was I showing you? Can you tell me? I had lots of learners say that I was showing that they sing during the day and we know that the song is beautiful but sad and it might make you cry. I've got one more action here we go. We'll do it again, it was a quick one. Which bits of information was I showing you? Can you tell me? it was that most frightening bits of information that the ice witch if you accept them can turn you into ice with one hard stare. Now we're going to read some sentences about different witches. One of the sentences will be in the present tense. That means that it is happening right now or is continuously happening somewhere in the world. One of the sentences will be the past tense, then it will sound like something happened yesterday, or many years ago in the past. So we're going to see if we can spot the sentence that is in the present tense. Here are my first two sentences. I'm going to read the pink one first. Magnet eyes on the first word "The" "The city witch climbs up skyscrapers." I'm going to read the turquoise one now. "The city witch climbed up skyscrapers." I have got two words, underlined, "Climbs" and "Climbed." My turn your turn, climbs, climbed. We've just got a different suffix. The root word is climb for both of those words, but one of them has an "s" on the end. One of them has" ed" on the end. In a moment you're going to pause the video and you're going to think which sentence is in the present tense. It sounds like the city witch is climbing a skyscraper right now. Or she's continuously doing that somewhere in the world. So, pause the video, read both the sentences and think which one is in the present tense. Well done storytelling sip stars. Let's have a look. It was our pink sentence. "The city which climbs up skyscrapers" when we say the city witches climbs up skyscrapers. The word that's really important there is the verb that is the thing that the city witch is doing and that Word tells us if it's in the past tense or the present tense. Can you show me your climbing? Fantastic. Let's have a look at our next two sentences. Okay, I am going to read the pink one first. Here we go. "The desert witch liked to whip up sandstorms. "The desert witch likes to whip up sandstorms." Can you spot which sentence is in the present tense? Pause the video and see if you can work out which sentence is in the present tense. Well, done superstars, let's have a look. It was the turquoise sentence it says, "The desert witch likes to whip up sandstorms." That sounds like she likes it right now, if I said the desert which liked to whip up sand stones, that sounds like she used to like it. You might have noticed if you are being a complete storytelling superstar, that our past tense verbs had an "ed" suffix "Climbed" and "Liked." but "Climbs" and "Likes" had an "s" suffix and those were our present tense verbs. Let's have a look at our next set of sentences. Oh, it's about the ocean witch Okay, I'm going to read the pink sentence first. Magnet eyes on the first word "The" "The ocean witch swims quickly through the currents. "The ocean witch swam quickly through the currents." Okay, I was trying to look My "ed" suffix 'cause I thought that would tell me which word was in the past tense, but I've got "Swims" and then "Swam." That isn't an "ed" suffix. So you need to read again and think which one sounds like the ocean witch is swimming right now. And that is your sentences in the present tense. So pause the video and see if you can spot the sentence in the present tense. Well done superstars it is a little bit more tricky. "The ocean witch swims quickly through the currents." Or "The ocean, witch swam quickly through the currents." Well, I can see that swam sounds like it happened yesterday or in the past. If I said "Yesterday, I swam." That makes sense. "Yesterday, I swims." That doesn't make sense. So my present tense sentence was the pink sentence "The ocean witch swims quickly through the currents." She swims right now through the currents or she is continuously able to go and do that. Okay, this about the forest witch bit like Babi Aga, "The forest witch loved living around squirrels and rabbits. "The forest which loves living around squirrels and rabbits" So, "Loved" and "Loves." Those are our two verbs, we need to work out which one is in the present tense, which sentence is in the present tense? Pause the video and see if you can work out. Well done superstars, I could hear just by reading out the pink sentence, "The forest witch loved living around squirrels and rabbits." That sounds like she loved that in the past, and maybe she doesn't love it anymore. But if she loves living around squirrels or rabbits, she loves living around them right now. So our turquoise sentence had the present tense verb "Loves." Fantastic. Okay, I'm going to read the pink sentence, magnet eyes on the first word "On." "On hot days, the mountain witch lies in the sun. "On hot days, the mountain witch lay in the sun." "Lies" and "Lay" Which sentence is in the present tense? Pause the video and see if you can find out. Well done storytelling superstars, especially if you're reading these sentences back to yourself. Our present tense sentence was the pink one, "On hot days the mountain witch lies in the sun." That sounds like if it was a hot day tomorrow, the mountain witch would go and do this 'cause this is something that they continuously do. On hot days, the mountain witch lay in the sun, that sounds like they don't do it anymore. It's in the past tense. Well done storytelling superstars. You have thought so carefully about your present tense sentences that was a bit of a tongue twister. Now we're going to think about where your witch lives and what they do their habitat and their behaviour. I've got sentence stem here. It says "My witch lives..." Have a think, where in the world does your witch live? Do they live in a city? Do they live in a desert? Do they live in a forest? Do they live under the ocean? Do they live somewhere else? Have a think. Get to a census ready in your head. Can you tell me my witch lives... So many incredible ideas about where our witches live. Our book all about witches is going to be full of so much amazing clear information. Now we're going to think about your witches home. So we thought about where in the world they are now we're going to think about their home. So my witches home is a burrow that they did in the ice using their sharp talons. Have a think. Where is your Witches home? How do they create it? What's it like on the inside? What's it like on the outside? Have a think. Okay, my witches home is... Can you tell me. I am even more excited about our book all about witches. So much exciting information out there. I heard one learner say "My witches home is "in the coral under the sea, "and they create that home by taking different pieces of "coral and putting it all together." I heard one learner say that their witch lives in a tree house. Okay, now we're going to think about their behaviour. We've already thought about their habitat where they live. Now we're going to think about their behaviour during the day. So I would say during the day, the ice witch stays in their hollow burrow, and they sing that sad, but beautiful song. What does your witch do during the day? Do they fly around? Do they cast any spells? Do they see any animals? Do they stay in their home? Do they sing? Do they dance? Do they read books? What does your witch do during the day? Have a think, During the day... Can you tell me? So many incredible ideas, I heard somebody say, "During the day, the city witch climbs up tall buildings." I heard somebody say, "During the day, "the forest witch stays up in her tree house, "and watches all the different sorts of birds "and sometimes flies around with them." Okay, we're still thinking about our witches behaviour at night, so I would say at night the ice witch flies across the land searching for food, sometimes they dive down and pick up fish in their claws. What does your witch do at night? Have a think. Can you tell me at night... Incredible ideas. I heard one learner say that, "At night there witch flies "all the way up to the moon and flies around it." absolutely amazing. Okay last thing that we need to think about, they eat so I would say, the ice witch eats fish they pick up in their claws. What does your witch eat, have a thunk. Do they animals? Do they eat plants? Do they eat humans? Do they eat something else? How did they get it? Can you tell me? So many incredible ideas. I heard one learner say that "The forest witch just "eats trees so she's quite harmless." She's not like that Babi Aga, this is quite kind witch. Now that we've identified sentences in the present tense. And we've spoken through some sentences in the present tense all about your witch, we're going to write some sentences now in the present tense. So, you're going to watch me write my sentences first. And then you'll go and write your sentences about your very own witch. For my first sentence I want to say, where my witch lives and I know that the ice witch lives in the North or the South Pole, so the ice witch lives capital "T" for "The". The ice which... Let me think now because I'm coming up to my... The ice witch lives or the ice witch lived. Lives 'cause I'm writing the present tense, the ice witch lives, so my root word is live. I just adding my s in the end in the North I need capital N 'cause is a name of a place. In the North or South Pole. I can read that back and check if it's in the present tense. The ice witch lives in the North or South Pole. Really happy with that and I've got my capital letter and my full stop. Okay? Their housing now lets talk about or their home. What is their home capital "T" for "Their." One of our tricky was t, h, e, i, r because it is their home, the home belongs to them. Their home is or their home was, which one is in the present tense? Their home was a burrow. Their home is a burrow, is I think that's in the present tense. Their home is a burrow and I'm going to add a little bit more detail I'm going to say is a burrow that they decorate themselves that they dig and decorate themselves. That they... One of our tricky words we just have to know t, h, e, y that they dig and decorate themselves. Okay now I want to talk about what they like to do. They like to or they liked to. They like or they liked. Well liked has that "ed" ending which is usually the past tense. They liked to sing. That's in the past tense. So I want they like to sing. They like spell they like that, they like to sing a beautiful song. That's one of our common exception words. Do you remember how to spell it? Beautiful. A beautiful but sad song. Full stop. I'm going to read back all of those sentences to check they sound like they're in the present tense. They sound like the ice witch is doing these things right now or is continuously doing them. The ice witch lives in the North or South Pole. Their home is a burrow that they dig and decorate themselves. They like to sing a beautiful but sad song. Brilliant, those are all in the present tense. They live, their home is, and they like. Now that you've seen me write about my witch in the present tense, you're going to write your own sentences. And you need to write at least three sentences with a clear capital letter and a full stop. I've given you some sentence stems here which are in the present tense. The witch lives, their home is, they like to, they eat and then at night they and that when you have to make sure it is in the present tense. These are just some suggestions. You can write any sentences you like, as long as they are in the present tense. So you can pause your video now to go into your writing. Well done super storytellers, I would love to read some of your brilliant sentences. I wonder if you have the energy for a challenge. I wonder if you could answer this question by writing some more sentences in the present tense, what special powers does your witch have? So if I was to probably, ice witch I might say they are able to make people cry with their singing, sometimes they fly. If they are angry, they can turn you to ice with one hard stare. So if you have any special powers that your witch has that you would like to write about? Pause the video to have a go at your challenge. Well done storytelling superstars. Not only have you learned so much about writing in the present tense, you've also really developed all the information that you have about your witch. I would love to see some of the sentences you have written, especially if your witch has some special powers. So remember, you can always share your work with Oak National. So if you'd like to, please ask your parent or carer to share your work on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter, tagging @OakNational and #LearnwithOak because I would love to read that. In our next lesson. We're going to be reading an information text to see if we can find that clear information. So I really look forward to seeing you then. Bye superstars.

To use the present tense

To use the present tense

Slide deck

Lesson details

Key learning points

Licence

Video

Lesson appears in

UnitEnglish / Non-chronological report: All about Witches

English