Colons for lists: locust
Learning Objective
We are learning how to use a colon to introduce a list.
Context: locust
Credit: BBC One - Planet Earth II
Clip Description
Since the time of the pharaohs in ancient Egypt, locusts have been both feared and revered for their voracious appetite. A single locust can eat its own body weight in plant matter in a single day. Though often solitary insects, when they decide to swarm they can wreak havoc, stripping farmers’ crops bare in a very short period of time.
In this fascinating clip, a billion locusts have gathered and are on the march. Attracted by the smell of newly-sprouting grass on the plains of Madagascar, they begin to devour everything in their path. Incredibly, something will happen to this unstoppable army that will make it even more deadly. What do you think this is? Watch the clip to find out.
Word Challenge
Watch the clip again and listen carefully to its soundtrack. Can you make a list of words that describe the sounds that you can hear? Once you have done this, see if you can circle those that are examples of onomatopoeia. (Onomatopoeia is the process of creating a word that imitates, resembles, or suggests the sound that it describes. ‘Crash’, ‘bang’ and ‘creak’ are all examples of onomatopoeia.)