Writing Activities: Year 6

American alligator

The American alligator lives in the marshes and swamps of the south-eastern United States and can grow up to over 4.5 metres long. Alligators can be told apart from crocodiles because they have wider snouts. In the past the American alligator was an endangered species, but the population has now recovered and is no longer at risk.

Infant alligators eat insects and small fish, while adults can hunt and eat much larger prey. Alligator hatchlings are looked after by their mother until they are one year old. However, they learn to hunt from a young age, as we see in this clip.

Literacy idea

Write a letter home from an American alligator who has left its parents to fend for itself. Describe the adventures that it has had.

Remember to:

Address your parents – Dear …,

Explain why you are writing to them – I am writing to you today to …

Talk about what you have been doing, what you have seen, and what prey you have hunted and eaten.

Include any other information that you think is important.

Sign off your letter – Kind wishes, (your name).

Wider curriculum idea

Research and design a menu, displaying the kinds of things that American alligator hatchlings or adults  typically eat.