Fronted Adverbials: duck-billed platypus

Writing Ideas

• The platypus looks like it is made up from lots of different animals. Create your own animal from different parts of other species – for example, a lion’s head and a turtle’s shell! Write a paragraph explaining why you have chosen these different parts for your animal.
• Imagine you are one of the first scientists to encounter the duck-billed platypus. Write a report on your findings.Your report should include the following:

– Your initial first impressions of the animal

– Why it has such a strange hodgepodge of different features

– Any interesting facts about the animal that you would like to share

• Share a reading of the poem, Old Man Platypus by A B ‘Banjo’ Patterson. Which are your favourite lines? Did you learn anything new about the duck-billed platypus? Can you write your own poem on this remarkable creature?