Wolves: What I Know and Ask

• newEditor
• English
• Primary Education

Wolves: What I Know and Ask

Our learning goal

I can write what I know, think and want to find out by using statements and questions with accurate punctuation.

What comes to mind when you hear wolves?

Use this to gather prior ideas about wolves before the sentence work begins. Accept animals, feelings, story links, and facts pupils think they know.

What is a statement?

• A statement tells something

• It can show what I know

• It can show what I think is true

• A statement begins with a capital letter

• A statement ends with a full stop

Keep the distinction simple: a statement gives information. Use the exact wording 'I know...' and 'I think...' as sentence frames pupils can reuse later.

Statements about wolves

I know that wolves are mammals.

I think that wolves are carnivores.

Both sentences are statements because they tell us something.

Point out that both examples are statements, even though one begins with 'I know' and the other with 'I think'. The grammar focus is sentence type, not whether the fact has been checked yet.

What is a question?

• A question asks for an answer

• It shows what I want to find out

• A question begins with a capital letter

• A question ends with a question mark

Emphasise that the job of the sentence matters most here: if it asks, it is a question. Connect this to enquiry and curiosity.

Questions about wolves

Where do wolves live?

How long do wolves live?

Both sentences are questions because they ask something.

Read the questions aloud with rising intonation, then draw attention back to the punctuation mark rather than relying only on voice.

Statement or question?

A statement tells.

A question asks.

I know that wolves live in packs.

Do wolves live in packs?

This contrast is the hinge of the lesson. The words can be about the same idea, but the sentence type changes because one tells and one asks.

Other sentence types

A command tells someone what to do.

Write a fact about wolves.

Command

Exclamation

An exclamation shows strong feeling.

What a loud howl!

Keep this brief. The main goal is statements and questions, but pupils also need to hear that commands and exclamations are different sentence types.

Four sentence types

• Statement: tells something

• Question: asks something

• Command: tells someone to do something

• Exclamation: shows strong feeling

Use this as a neat summary before moving back to the key pair: statement and question.

Which sentence is a question?

A

Wolves live in packs.

B

Do wolves live in packs?

C

Write about wolves.

D

What a loud howl!

Checks the four sentence types after the first teaching block. The correct answer asks for an answer and ends with a question mark.

Finish the sentences

A statement tells something. A question asks something. A command tells someone what to do. An exclamation shows strong feeling.

statement

question

command

exclamation

full stop

capital letter

wolf

pack

All four words were explicitly taught on the summary slides. This anchors the key meanings before moving to punctuation.

Capital letters and end marks

• Start every sentence with a capital letter

• End a statement with a full stop

• End a question with a question mark

• Check the last mark matches the sentence type

Name the punctuation explicitly: capital letter, full stop, question mark. Pupils often know the marks but not the names.

Check your punctuation

When you reread, look for:

• a capital letter at the start

• a full stop after a statement

• a question mark after a question

Where do wolves live. needs a question mark.

This slide captures the common error named in the prompt: using a full stop instead of a question mark. Model a slow reread from start to finish.

Writing what I know and think

You can begin with sentence frames:

• I know that...

• I think that...

These help you write clear statements about wolves.

Encourage pupils to complete the frame with one simple idea only. For KS1, one clause is enough.

Writing what I want to find out

You can begin with question words:

• Where... ?

• How... ?

• What... ?

These help you write clear questions about wolves.

Link question words to finding information. This supports the 'want to find out' part of the learning goal.

What should go at the end of this question: Where do wolves live

A

full stop

B

comma

C

question mark

D

capital letter

Targets the common error named on the slide: using a full stop instead of a question mark.

Check the punctuation

Start every sentence with a capital letter. End a statement with a full stop. End a question with a question mark. Then reread your writing to check it.

capital letter

full stop

question mark

reread

command

exclamation

mammal

carnivore

Reinforces the exact punctuation vocabulary from slides 9 and 10 and the checking routine from rereading.

Write one question about wolves.

Expected answer elements: a simple question about wolves using a capital letter at the start and a question mark at the end, often beginning with Where, How, or What.

Wolves in stories

• Wolves are often characters in familiar stories

• Story wolves may seem scary, sneaky or fierce

• A story character is how the wolf is shown in the tale

Stay within familiar story knowledge rather than introducing many new titles. The point is representation: how wolves are shown as characters.

Talking about story wolves

We can write statements and questions about wolves in stories.

I think the wolf is a tricky character.

Why is the wolf shown as scary?

Connect English sentence work to reading: pupils can use the same sentence types to talk about characters.

Which sentence is a statement about a story wolf?

A

Why is the wolf scary?

B

I think the wolf is tricky.

C

Be a wolf in the story.

D

What a fierce wolf!

Checks that pupils can still spot a statement when the topic changes to story characters.

How are wolves often shown in stories?

1

scary

2

sneaky

3

fierce

4

kind

What do you think a story wolf is like?

Use as a short class discussion. Look for one describing word linked to how wolves are represented in familiar stories, such as scary, sneaky, fierce, or tricky.

What is one thing you learned today?

Reflection only. Invite pupils to say one idea, rule, or example they learned, such as statement/question difference or question marks.

What helped you most in this lesson?

Reflection only. Encourage brief answers about what supported learning, such as sentence frames, examples, or checking punctuation.

What felt hardest today?

Reflection only. Use to identify misconceptions or parts to revisit, especially punctuation or telling statements from questions.

Glossary

statement - a sentence that tells something

question - a sentence that asks something

command - a sentence that tells someone to do something

exclamation - a sentence that shows strong feeling

capital letter - a big letter used at the start of a sentence

full stop - a mark used at the end of a statement

question mark - a mark used at the end of a question

Glossary

punctuation - marks in writing that help us read sentences

reread - read again to check your writing

character - a person or animal in a story

mammal - an animal that feeds milk to its babies

carnivore - an animal that eats meat