Purpose: To explain how the sea turtle
grows into an adult
We are learning to:
explain how something happens.
How does a sea
turtle grow into
an adult?
http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-survival-of-the-sea-turtle
The Survival of the Sea Turtle
Video Clip
Whole-class activity
Generating ideas for writing.
Before watching
Think, pair, share: What do you already know about sea turtles?
While watching
Were you correct? What new information have you learned? (Record
on whiteboards, large sheets or collate a class list.)
After watching
Share ideas. Add new ideas to your brainstorm from the discussion.
Watch the clip a second time, and add more information to your
brainstorm.
Organising ideas for writing
Eggs
Adults
How does
a sea turtle
grow into
an adult?
Growing
up
Babies
Organising our ideas for writing
Eggs
Adults
How does
a sea turtle
grow into
an adult?
Growing
up
General info for introduction:
Baby sea
turtles
Teacher
notes
Organising our ideas for writing
•
Female sea turtles lay eggs on the beach (50-200)
• Dig a hole for the eggs
• Cover the eggs and leave them
• Eggs are white, leathery, size of a ping pong ball
• About 6 weeks to hatch
• 20% don’t hatch
•
Eggs
•
•
•
Approx 20 years
when breed
Females swim to
beach to lay
eggs
Live for approx
80 years
Adults
How does a
sea turtle
grow into
an adult?
Baby
sea
turtles
Growing
up
•
General info for introduction:
Cohort of dinosaurs
150 million years
Overcome the odds to survive
Reptiles
10% survive to adults
1% survive with human intervention
•
•
•
•
•
Reach the sea and search for somewhere to settle.
(bed of seaweed)
Many dangers: waves, currents, birds (when they go
to the surface to breathe), fish, dolphins, sharks
50% die
Grow in size – e.g. in 10 years grow from size of
dinner plate to dinner table
Safer when bigger
Only 10% remain (from eggs)
Hatch in mass
• Squirm to surface
• Size of hand
• Rush to sea
• Many dangers on
the way: holes,
rubbish, crabs,
birds
• 50% don’t survive
Mini-lesson
Words that will be useful
Technical
words
Sentence
starters
Connectives
Teacher notes
Words that will be useful
Technical words Sentence
starters
Connectives
sea turtles
species
hatch
survive
predators
breeding
life cycle
female
reptile
threatened
endangered
because
so that
if
when
while
therefore
before
First
Next
After that
Several … later
Finally
Approximately
Checklist
I have remembered to:
introduce my topic
write about each section of the plan
use my notes to write sentences
use words from our word list.
Think,
pair,
share
Think, pair, share
(TPS): Which
words have I
used from the
word list?
TPS: Check my
sentence: does it
cover the first point
on the plan?
TPS: Now you
compose the next
sentence which
explains how the
eggs are laid.
TPS: Compose
the last sentence
in this section
which describes
the eggs.
Shared writing (script for teacher)
How Sea Turtles Grow into Adults
The sea turtle is a threatened species
that has been on Earth for 150 million
years. It takes approximately 20
years for a turtle to grow to be a
breeding adult.
First an adult female lays between 50
and 200 eggs high on the beach. She
digs a hole in the sand and then lays
the eggs, before filling the hole and
then leaving. The eggs are white and
leathery and the size of a ping pong
ball.
= words from word list
Think alouds
I will start with a title
that tells the reader
what they will learn
I need to introduce the
topic and tell the reader a
few facts to set the
scene. I might write
about how they are
threatened and have
lived for so long
Now the first note we have
in the egg section is about
the eggs being laid on the
beach and the number. So I
might use a sentence
starter from our list, first,
and tell the reader how,
where and how many.
Self-check
Read your writing in a quiet
voice – ask yourself:
Does it make sense?
Can I correct 2 mistakes?
Check
• Full stops and capitals?
• Missing words?
• Spelling mistakes?
Partner-check
Show your partner the two mistakes you corrected.
Can you spot 2 more?
Read your writing to your partner.
Partner: I like the way you described …….
because….
Lesson Wrap-up
I have remembered to:
 introduce my topic (In)
 write about each section of our
plan
( E=eggs B=babies Gr=growing A=adults)
 use my notes to write sentences
(√ on your plan)

Useyour
words
word list
(highlight)
Improve
writing:from
look at our
your symbols
– what
have
you forgotten? What could you improve?
Make one improvement
How Does a Sea Turtle Grow into an Adult?
The sea turtle is a threatened species that has been on Earth for 150 million years. It takes approximately 20
years for a turtle to grow to be a breeding adult.
First an adult female lays between 50 and 200 eggs high on the beach. She digs a hole in the sand and then
lays the eggs, before filling the hole and then leaving. The eggs are white and leathery and the size of a ping
pong ball.
After approximately six weeks, 80% of the eggs hatch. The baby turtles are the size of a human hand and
they squirm from their hole to the surface of the beach. Next they have to rush to the sea. There are many
dangers on the way, including rubbish, holes, birds and crabs. Fifty per cent of the baby turtles do not survive.
Once the remaining baby turtles reach the water, they have to survive the waves, currents and predators.
These predators include fish, sharks and dolphins in the water, and birds out of the water. Birds can catch the
turtles as they rise to the surface to breathe.
As baby turtles grow into adult turtles, they grow a lot bigger and there are fewer risks. In 10 years, a sea
turtle could grow from the size of a dinner plate to the size of a dinner table.
When sea turtles are approximately 20 years old they are able to begin breeding. After breeding, the female
sea turtle swims to land, hauls herself up the beach, and digs a hole for her eggs. This is usually a night-time
activity.
This completes the amazing life cycle of a sea turtle. The process of growing from an egg to a breeding adult
is a journey that only 10% of sea turtles survive.