Y5 Pack 6: ‘Sir Tim Berners-Lee’ (Recount; Computing, History - communication)

This Year 5 Real Writing unit uses a model biography by published children’s author Anita Loughrey. It shows pupils how to structure a biography and explain why Sir Tim Berners-Lee matters. 

Teachers guide pupils through two to three weeks of detailed, mapped lesson planning. The children then research and write their own biography of a significant British individual.

The unit follows a carefully mapped framework and matches Year 5 writing objectives.

Curriculum links

English

• Plan writing by analysing similar texts and developing ideas
• Draft and write using correct grammar and vocabulary to clarify meaning
• Use paragraphs, fronted adverbials, relative clauses, cohesion across paragraphs, and presentational devices

Cross-curricular

• Computing: explore networks, software and impact of the internet
• History: connect with themes of British history and significant figures

Vocabulary

• Tier 2: account, inspire, commercial, gadget, graduate, consultant, desire, document, devise, portable, inefficient, prototype, humble, neutral, censorship
• Tier 3: internet, network, hypertext, hyperlinks, software, engineer, processor, browser, tweet, metadata
• Common exception words: language

Resources included

• Model text (PDF) in three versions: plain, illustrated and annotated
• Annotated and non-annotated PowerPoint slides
• Full teacher notes and step-by-step teaching sequence
• Vocabulary cards and matching activity sheets
• Biography research sheet and margin planner
• ‘How to write a biography’ poster
• Writing skills checklist

Activities and teaching sequence

Explore the text

• Read the model biography together and discuss what makes it a biography
• Examine the use of headings and organisation; discuss why sections are phrased as questions
• Ask pupils to summarise a section to practise précis skills

Develop vocabulary

• Use word cards to present the Tier 2 and Tier 3 vocabulary plus common exception words
• Locate these words in the model text; pupils use contextual clues to infer meaning
• Complete vocabulary-matching activities to reinforce understanding

Investigate language features

• Identify the tense and person used in the text (past tense, third person) and discuss how these suit a biography
• Find examples of compound nouns (e.g. internet, prototype) and discuss their origins
• Spot and analyse parenthesis (commas or brackets) in the annotated model text

Grammar focus

• Teach how commas clarify meaning by revisiting main and subordinate clauses
• Practise matching clauses to build sentences with correct comma placement and subject–verb agreement
• Proofread short paragraphs to ensure accurate verb agreement

Plan and rehearse writing

• Research a significant British individual using the biography research sheet
• Use the margin planner to organise ideas chronologically and thematically
• Gather relevant vocabulary and plan paragraphs

Write and publish

• Draft a full biography using the planner and skills checklist for structure, grammar and punctuation
• Edit and proofread for clarity, cohesion and correctness
• (Optional) Present final biographies using display paper or digital publishing

Outcomes

By the end of the unit pupils will:

• Write a structured biography with clear paragraphs and chronological flow
• Use appropriate tense consistently and maintain correct subject–verb agreement
• Employ commas and parentheses accurately to clarify meaning
• Include technical or subject-specific vocabulary appropriately
• Research and present a biographical account of a significant British individual