Year 3 · Explanation · WAGOLL
How Volcanoes Erupt
An explanation of how volcanoes erupt. Models cause-and-effect connectives, technical vocabulary, present tense, and paragraph organisation. Meets Year 3 expected standard.
What is a volcano?An opening question is a common feature of explanation texts — it hooks the reader.
A volcano isDefinition sentence using 'is' to explain what something is. a mountain with an opening'An' before a vowel sound (not 'a opening'). at the top. Deep below the groundFronted adverbial — opens the sentence and tells where.,Comma after the fronted adverbial. there is hot, melted rock called magmaTechnical vocabulary — the proper word for melted underground rock.. WhenConjunction showing time — when this happens, that happens. pressure builds up, the magmaTechnical vocabulary — the proper word for melted underground rock. forces its way to the surface and the volcano eruptsCompound sentence joined with 'and'..
WhySub-heading uses a question — typical of explanation texts. do volcanoes erupt?
Volcanoes erupt becauseConjunction showing cause — explains WHY. pressure builds underground. Heat from inside the EarthExpanded noun phrase — adds detail. turns rock into magma, which is full of trapped gas. Over timeFronted adverbial — tells when., more and more magma collects in a chamber under the volcano. The pressure has to escapeModal-style verb — shows what must happen. soConjunction showing effect — what happens as a result.mewhere, soConjunction showing effect — what happens as a result. it pushes the magma upwardsAdverb — tells in which direction. and out of the top.
What happens during an eruption?
WhenTime conjunction. a volcano erupts,Comma separates items in the list. hot magma bursts out of the top. OnceTime conjunction — tells when something changes. the magma reaches the surface, it is called lavaTechnical word — magma above ground is called lava.. Lava can flow slowly down the sides or shoot high into the air. Clouds of ash, rock and steamExpanded noun phrase listing what comes out. are also blown out, sometimes for many miles. After the eruptionFronted adverbial — tells when., the lavaTechnical word — magma above ground is called lava. coolsPresent tense verb — fits the explanation form. and turns hard.
All teaching points
- What is a volcano? An opening question is a common feature of explanation texts — it hooks the reader.
- A volcano is Definition sentence using 'is' to explain what something is.
- an opening 'An' before a vowel sound (not 'a opening').
- Deep below the ground Fronted adverbial — opens the sentence and tells where.
- , Comma after the fronted adverbial.
- magma Technical vocabulary — the proper word for melted underground rock.
- When Conjunction showing time — when this happens, that happens.
- and the volcano erupts Compound sentence joined with 'and'.
- Why Sub-heading uses a question — typical of explanation texts.
- because Conjunction showing cause — explains WHY.
- Heat from inside the Earth Expanded noun phrase — adds detail.
- Over time Fronted adverbial — tells when.
- has to escape Modal-style verb — shows what must happen.
- so Conjunction showing effect — what happens as a result.
- upwards Adverb — tells in which direction.
- Once Time conjunction — tells when something changes.
- lava Technical word — magma above ground is called lava.
- Clouds of ash, rock and steam Expanded noun phrase listing what comes out.
- After the eruption Fronted adverbial — tells when.
- cools Present tense verb — fits the explanation form.
- Use paragraphs to organise ideas around a theme
- Use headings and sub-headings to aid presentation
- Use the present perfect form of verbs
- Use conjunctions to express time and cause (when, before, after, because, so)
- Use the determiner 'a' or 'an' according to whether the next word begins with a consonant or vowel
Show the clean version first — read it together as a class. Then toggle Show annotations to reveal the teaching points. Discuss what makes the text work. Children can attempt their own version of the same text type, then return to this annotated model when they revise.