This Year 4 Real Writing unit introduces pupils to a lively school-day narrative written by a published children’s author, Ross Montgomery.
The unit provides two to three weeks of detailed planning, making it easy to integrate into existing programmes.
Pupils read, discuss and create their own writing, applying new vocabulary and sentence structures in a structured sequence.
Curriculum links
English
- Explore story settings and characters
- Build vocabulary using targeted Tier 2 and Tier 3 words
- Use expanded noun phrases to add detail
- Sequence events with time adverbials
- Extend sentences with conjunctions
- Apply apostrophes for contracted forms
- Punctuate direct speech
Other subjects
- Geography: explore the sense of place in school and community
- PSHE: reflect on pupils’ own feelings and experiences
Vocabulary
Tier 2 words: generosity, produce, random
Tier 3 words: frontier, orchard, pioneer, sapling
Common exception words: decide, favourite, fruit, strange
Resources included
- Three versions of the model text (plain, illustrated, annotated)
- Annotated and non-annotated teaching slides
- Vocabulary cards and matching activities
- Character profile worksheets
- ‘How to write a legend’ reference poster
- Legends margin planner
- Writing skills checklist
- Images of additional North American legends
Activities and teaching sequence
Build vocabulary
Pupils match synonyms, infer meanings from context and choose precise words to describe characters and settings.
Create expanded noun phrases
Teachers show how to use determiners, adjectives and prepositional phrases to add detail. Pupils practise and then include these phrases in short descriptive writing tasks.
Read and analyse the model text
Pupils identify story structure, dialogue and character traits. They discuss which parts of the story might reflect real experiences and write short explanations of the lessons within the legend.
Develop and rehearse ideas
Pupils compare school-day scenarios, rehearse ideas orally and link events using fronted adverbials to clarify time and place.
Plan and write a narrative
Pupils use the margin planner to outline their own special school-day story. They refer to the ‘How to…’ posters and writing skills checklist as they draft, revise and edit.
Outcomes
By the end of the unit pupils will:
- Describe characters and settings using precise vocabulary
- Use expanded noun phrases confidently
- Apply synonyms to enrich their writing
- Sequence events clearly using time adverbials
- Produce a complete, structured narrative with detail and purpose