In this Year 5 Real Writing unit, pupils step into the world of pet care through a model text written by published children’s author Anita Loughrey. Teachers guide pupils as they explore how a leaflet informs and explains.
The sequence follows a carefully mapped framework, matched to Year 5 writing objectives, and builds towards pupils creating their own pet-care leaflet. Over two to three weeks, classes read closely, investigate language and structure, then craft new writing with confidence.
The unit
Curriculum links
- English: vocabulary, grammar, comprehension, summarising, planning and editing
- Science: animal needs, habitats, health and wellbeing
- PSHE: responsibility, empathy and respectful choices
- Reading: retrieval, inference and identifying features of information texts
Vocabulary
- Tier 2: considerate, affectionate, consider, appreciate, fortunate, affection, fortune
- Tier 3: habitat, temperature, hygiene, enclosure, grooming, bedding, diet
- Common exception words: recommend, especially, occasionally
Resources included
- Three versions of the model text (plain PDF, illustrated PDF, annotated PDF)
- Annotated and non-annotated PowerPoint slides
- Teacher notes for every session
- Vocabulary cards and matching activity
- Comprehension questions
- Pet-care research sheet
- Image cards for choosing a pet
- Information leaflet margin planner
- Writing skills check
- Posters: How to write an information text, Writer’s craft instructions
- Activity sheets for grammar, vocabulary and parenthesis
Key teaching activities
- Explore how the suffix -ate changes word meaning and practise using new verbs
- Sort, compare and apply adverbs of possibility in modelled and independent writing
- Investigate parenthesis using brackets, dashes or commas and apply this to informative sentences
- Identify modal verbs in the model text and consider how they influence advice
- Annotate the leaflet to study present tense, second person and organisational features
- Build research skills using books or the internet before planning a new leaflet
- Summarise key information using concise bullet points
- Draft, proofread and edit writing using a structured checklist
Outcomes
By the end of the unit, pupils:
- Understand how an information leaflet uses structure, tone and clarity to guide a reader
- Apply Year 5 grammar skills, including modal verbs, adverbs of possibility and parenthesis
- Summarise, organise and present factual information effectively
- Research a chosen pet and turn findings into a well-structured, child-friendly leaflet
- Edit writing for accuracy in grammar, punctuation and vocabulary