Video: To explore complex sentences

﻿Hi everyone, how are you doing today? It's me Miss Webster with you for our next lesson in this unit. We'll be focusing on practising complex sentence writing and we'll use our film clip, all about the little robin to help us do that. So, let's get started. In this lesson, you will need, an exercise book or some paper, a pencil or a pen, and of course your brain. If you haven't got everything you need, pause the video, go and collect it, and I'll see you when you're ready. We will be doing a writing warm up, we will investigate as adverbial sentences, and then we will do some sentence writing practise. Let's see what's our writing warm up is. So we're going to identify phrases and clauses. My turn your turn, phrases, clauses. So a phrase is a group of words, that does not contain a verb. There would be no verb in a phrase. So what do you think a clause is? If a phrase doesn't have a verb, what must a clause have? It does contain a verb, and let's just remind ourselves of what verbs are. I'm going to say the definition, and then we'll say it together. A verb is a doing or a being word; if you do it or you are it, then the word is a verb. Let's say it together one, two, three. A verb is a doing or a being word; if you do it or you are it, then the word is a verb. Well done. So here's an example of a phrase, above the snow capped mountains. That's a phrase because it does not have a verb in it. Here's a clause, the little bird flew, above the snow capped mountains. Now that's the clause because it does have a verb in it. What's the verb in that clause? Point to it. Tell me, act it out. He flew above the snow capped mountains. So it's your turn to identify the phrases and clauses. Remember a phrase doesn't have a verb, and a clause does have a verb. So you've got to look at each group of words. High above the dense forest, flying through the misty sky, soaring above the lush fields, the shimmering Lake, the little bird glided through the air. Pause the video now and write down, if you think each one is a phrase, or a clause, and play the video when you've done that. Let's check. So can you see the ones that are in purple? They are the phrases. High above the dense forest and the shimmering lake. We can sometimes use the word shimmer as a verb, but in this case we've used it as an adjective, to describe the lake. And can you see the ones that are clauses? Did you get them? Why are those three clauses? Ah because they've got a verb in them? What's the verb in, soaring above the lush fields? Tell me? Soaring well done, which is another way of saying flying through the air. And what about flying through the misty sky? What's the verb? Flying, and the little bird glided through the air. What's the verb? Point to it, and tell me. Glided well done, which again is another synonym for flying. Now we're going to investigate as complex sentences. All complex sentences have to have a subordinate clause and a main clause. Let's say those words, my turn your turn, subordinate clause, main clause. Well done. So subordinate clause has got a verb in it because we know all clauses have to have verbs, but it doesn't make sense on it's own. But a main clause, we know it's got a verb in it, because all clauses have to have verbs, but it does make sense on its own. So, let's read this question, I'll read it and then you can read it. As the little robin perched on a branch, torrential rain poured down. Your turn to read it. Fantastic, so which of coloured part of the sentence is the subordinate clause and the main clause? Hmm, as the little robin perched on a branch, that must be the, subordinate clause, because it doesn't make sense on it's own. But the bit in purple, torrential rain poured down, that's the main clause. It does make sense on it's own. What is the verb, in the subordinate clause? Point to it, tell me. Perched, and what's the verb in the main clause? Point to it, tell me. Poured, good job. We are writing as complex sentences, which are sometimes called adverbial complex sentences. And they are a good idea when we want to add plenty of descriptive detail, to our writing, and to show two things, happening at once. Let's have a look at this sentence, follow along whilst I read it. As the little bird hopped out of the old hut, snowflakes fell from the sky. What two things happened in that sentence? What was the first thing? The little bird hopped out of the old hut, hopped out of the old hut. And, what else happened in that sentence? Snowflakes fell from the sky. How many pieces of punctuation would you use, if you wrote an adverbial complex sentence, starting with as? I'm going to show you that sentence again. Hmm have a really good look there. How many pieces of punctuation can you see? Hmm, is it one, is it two or is it three? Should we say it together? Ready, you need, three. Let's check what they are. We've got to have, our capital letter at the beginning of our sentence. What's the next piece of punctuation that you can see? I can see a comma. Oh, okay, I can see the comma, after the subordinate clause, after the bits in pink. And then the final thing we need is, a full stop. So you've got a challenge now. You've got to look at the words on the screen and tell me if you think they are a main clause or a subordinate clause. So let's start off with this one, as the robin flew higher and higher, is that a main clause? Does it make sense on its own or is it a subordinate clause, it does not make sense on its own? One, two, three, it's a subordinate clause. As the robin flew higher and higher, that doesn't make sense on its own does it? Ready for the next one? Ice cold wind bit at his feathers. Hmm, main clause or subordinate clause? One, two, three, it's a main clause. It does make sense on its own. I could have that, as a sentence by itself. Ready for the next one, as the stormy waves crashed. Subordinate clause or main clause? One, two, three, subordinate clause. And finally, the feathered creature shivered. The feathered creature, and that's a way of referring to the little robin in our story, the feathered creature. Is that a main clause or a subordinate clause? Can I have that as a sentence by itself? Let's say it together one, two, three, it's a main clause. Well done, let's play a true or false game. Complex sentences have two different types of clause, two different types of clause. Hmm, think back to our learning that we've just done. And shall we say it together, is it true or false? One, two, three. It's, true. They need to contain a main clause, which makes sense on its own, and a subordinate clause, which doesn't make sense on its own. So the two different types of clauses, are main and subordinate. Ready for the next one? Complex sentences need to have more than 20 words in them. Well I remember reading, some quite long sentences with you a minute ago, Hmm. Do they need to have more than 20 words in them? True or false? One, two, three. It's false, there's no minimum or maximum number of words. They just need to have the main clause and subordinate clause. Ready for this one? Complex sentences are the best type of sentence to write. Well I remember we were talking about them being a really good idea, when we want to add plenty of description to our writing. And when we want to show two things happening at once, but are they the best type of sentence? Should we say it together? One, two, three. It's, false. It depends on what you want the purpose of the sentence to be. Sometimes it's more effective to use a short, simple sentence. Are you ready to spot what's wrong with this sentence? I'll read it aloud. As the little robin flew through the bitterly cold air, it began to rain. Hmm, I think that sentence makes sense. I can see two things that are happening. Can you see all the punctuation I need? Hmm, count the pieces punctuation. I've got my capital letter one, my full stop that's two. I remember we need three things in a complex sentence that starts with an as clause. What's missing? Should we say it together? It's a, comma. Point to the comma. Well done. What's missing or what's wrong with this sentence, as the larger bird swooped down, the robin. What's wrong with that sentence? What haven't it got? It hasn't got, a main clause. I forgot to finish it. So it could say something like this, as the larger bird swooped down, the robbin swiftly flew out the way. Ooh, I finished my main clause off there. And then this one, as the little robin swiftly, the air turned colder and colder. What's wrong with that sentence? Have a really good look. Read it to yourself, as the little robin swiftly, the air turned colder and colder. Well I can see all my punctuation there, I can see my main clause there, the air turned colder and colder. Is there something wrong with that subordinate clause? There is, isn't there? I've missed out a verb. I forgot to put my verb in it. So this is what it should say, as the little robin flew swiftly, the air turned colder and colder. It's your turn to practise writing some sentences. So there are some pictures here that we had in our first lesson. And hopefully they'll help you think of some ideas for your sentences. So, you're going to use this structure as, the something something something, something else happened. I'd like you to pause the video, have a go at writing your sentence, and then play it when you've done that. Okay, you've got your sentence. I would like you to give yourself a tick for each of the following. Now your sentence won't look like mine, it will be different. It will have different words in it, but it will be, there will be somethings that are similar. So, give yourself a tick if you've got your capital letter for as, give yourself a tick if you've got your verb in your subordinate clause. My verb is crashed, as huge waves crashed down below, that's verb one. What do you think the next tick should be for? I think it should be for our comma. Have you got your comma after your subordinate clause? Give it a tick. As huge waves crashed down below, the robin's little heart pounded in his chest. My next tick is for verb two. I haven't underlined it, can you see what it is? Point to it, and tell me, pounded well done. His little heart pounded in his chest. Give yourself a tick for your verb number two, which will be in your main clause. And then what's our final tick for? It must be for our, full stop. Well done. I'd like you to have a go at one more, as complex sentence. Choose a different picture this time, I chose the stormy sea picture for my one, but maybe you can choose a different one, for this sentence. Pause the video now, and write down your sentence. Wow, well done. What brilliant writing today. We did a writing warm up, we investigated as complex sentences, and then you wrote some amazing sentences for yourself. Can you just finish by reading me your final sentence please? Fantastic, really good job. If you'd like to, you can share your work with your parent or carer, and I really hope that you have a lovely rest of your day, and I'm looking forward to our next lesson very soon, bye.

Lesson summary: To explore complex sentences

In this lesson, we will explore 'As' complex sentences and have a go at writing our own, based on the clip we watched in the first lesson.

English Grammar

Y4 English Grammar

Key Stage 2

Year 4

To explore complex sentences

T1: Sentence level objectives

Grammar

THEME

UNIT

To explore simple and compound sentences

To revise our understanding of simple and compound sentences

To develop understanding of complex sentences

To develop our understanding of simple, compound and complex sentences

English

Y4 English

The Robin - Narrative Writing

Writing

To analyse a film clip and order the story

To investigate suffixes (-ate, -en)

To generate vocabulary

To develop a rich understanding of words associated with the countryside (Part 1)

To plan the opening of the story

To practise and apply knowledge of suffixes (-ate, -en)

To write the opening of the story

To plan the build-up of the story

To write the build-up of the story

To generate vocabulary for the climax

To investigate suffixes (-tion, -ity, -ness)

To plan the climax

To develop a rich understanding of words associated with the countryside (Part 2)

English Grammar

To explore complex sentences

Video

Lesson summary: To explore complex sentences

Time to move!

Browse Oak's lessons:

Take part in The Big Ask.