Water cycle
ACTIVITY 2 - Writing a sequence of events or actions
When you write an account of what happens in a science experiment, you need to make
your writing very clear.
Making a numbered list of events is one way of doing this.
What other punctuation mark could you use instead of numbers?
Look at the question about the water cycle. Here is the correct answer to
part (b) – but written out without numbers.
Water vapour rises from the sea into the air. Water vapour cools and
turns back into water which forms clouds in the sky. Clouds cool and
water droplets form. Droplets of water fall back to the ground as rain.
Water flows back to the sea in rivers.
You had to use your knowledge of the water cycle to put them in the right order.
But there were some clues, too, in the words that were used. Did you spot the clues?
Each sentence (apart from the first) refers back to the sentence before. This shows you that
the sentences are all linked to one another, like links in a chain.
Draw circles around or highlight the words that are the links.
Then draw a line to join them together. One has been done as an example.
Water vapour rises from the sea into the air. Water vapour cools and
turns back into water which forms clouds in the sky. Clouds cool and
water droplets form. Droplets of water fall back to the ground as rain.
Water flows back to the sea in rivers.
LITERACY FOR KS2 SCIENCE
© 2014 Testbase
Water cycle
If you had to write about the water cycle without using numbers, you would still want to make
the order of events very clear.
You could use Firstly, Secondly, Thirdly, Fourthly, Fifthly, at the start of each sentence.
Read this:
Firstly, water vapour rises from the sea into the air. Secondly, water vapour
cools and turns back into water which forms clouds in the sky. Thirdly, clouds
cool and water droplets form. Fourthly, droplets of water fall back to the
ground as rain. Fifthly, water flows back to the sea in rivers.
This would sound repetitive and a bit awkward, but it would be clear.
Write the account in another way, replacing the adverbials in bold with other adverbial
words or phrases, to make the writing clear more interesting. If you want some help, do the
following.
Use all the words and phrases in the box to complete the gaps.
after this
then
first of all
finally
next
…………………………….. the water vapour rises from the sea into the air.
The water vapour ……………………… cools and turns back into water which
forms clouds in the sky. ………………….. the clouds cool and water droplets
form. ……………………droplets of water fall back to the ground as rain.
………………………… water flows back to the sea in rivers.
Go back and check your punctuation. Remember fronted adverbials should always have a
comma after them.
WRITING A SEQUENCE OF EVENTS OR ACTIONS
Blowing bubbles.
In small groups take it in turns to blow a bubble
very slowly and carefully, using a ring and tub of liquid.
The others in your group make notes for instructions.
Each person then writes instructions, for a younger child to
be able to blow the biggest possible bubble.
Decide for yourself what you think would be the clearest way
to write the instructions.
LITERACY FOR KS2 SCIENCE
© 2014 Testbase