Year 4 English · Writing non-fiction and editing · Summary
Year 4 English Writing non-fiction and editing: summary and key words
Part of the Year 4 English writing non-fiction and editing chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page
Chapter summary
| Skill | Method |
|---|---|
| Purpose | The reason for writing: to inform, instruct, explain, persuade or ask. Decide it before you write. |
| Audience and register | The reader decides the register. Use a formal register for people you do not know well, and an informal one for friends. |
| Information text | A main heading, sub-headings and paragraphs, with each paragraph about one idea. Facts are in the present tense. |
| Instruction | Imperative verbs, with no subject, in steps that time connectives put in order: first, next, then, after that, finally. |
| Explanation | How or why something happens: a cause, an effect, and a connecting word such as because, so or as a result. |
| Persuasion | An opinion, clear reasons, perhaps a rhetorical question, and a call to action that asks the reader to do something. |
| Editing | Check accuracy, then cohesion (pronouns and connecting words), then Standard English, then proof-read. |
| Standard English | Verbs agree with their subjects: Bats use, The echo tells; the tense stays right. |
| Presentation | Write neatly on paper: even letters, a steady size and joins where they are easy. |
Can you…?
- I can choose a purpose, an audience and a register before I write
- I can organise an information text with a main heading, sub-headings and paragraphs
- I can write instructions with imperative verbs and time connectives
- I can explain how something happens, with a cause, an effect and a connecting word
- I can write a persuasive text with an opinion, reasons and a call to action
- I can edit a draft for accuracy, cohesion and Standard English
- I can proof-read for spelling, capital letters, full stops and apostrophes
- I can present my writing neatly, with even letters and joins where they are easy
Key terms
- purpose
- the reason for writing a text, such as to inform, instruct, explain, persuade or ask
- audience
- the person or people who will read a text
- register
- the level of formality of the language, chosen to suit the reader
- formal
- a register that uses full words and polite requests; suits people you do not know well
- informal
- a register that is friendly and chatty, and may use contractions; suits friends and family
- information text
- a text that gives facts about one topic, often with headings and sub-headings
- main heading
- the title that names the whole text
- sub-heading
- a smaller heading that names the topic of the paragraphs under it
- imperative verb
- a verb that gives a command, such as fold, launch or place, and that begins an instruction
- time connective
- a word or phrase that shows when a step happens, such as first, next, then, after that and finally
- explanation
- a text that tells the reader how or why something happens
- cause
- the reason something happens
- effect
- what happens as a result of a cause
- persuasion
- writing that tries to make the reader agree with an opinion, or act
- opinion
- what someone thinks, which other people may not agree with
- rhetorical question
- a question asked to make the reader think, not to get an answer
- call to action
- the sentence at the end of a persuasive text that asks the reader to do something
- edit
- to improve a draft by checking its accuracy, cohesion, Standard English and spelling
- cohesion
- the way sentences link together so that the reader can follow them
- Standard English
- the form of English used in formal writing, such as Bats use and They live
- proof-read
- to read a finished piece carefully to find the mistakes that are left
- pronoun
- a word such as he, she, it or they that stands in for a noun