This Year 3 Real Writing unit uses The Secret Mardi Gras King by published children’s author Jo Franklin as its model text. Pupils will read a story set during Mardi Gras celebrations in the USA, exploring the sights, sounds and colours of this vibrant festival.
The unit spans two to three weeks and follows a carefully mapped framework, giving teachers structured guidance to support pupils in developing narrative skills while linking to geography topics, such as the human and physical geography of North and South America.
Curriculum links and objectives
The unit develops key Year 3 writing objectives while providing opportunities to revisit prior skills. Pupils will:
- Use a range of prefixes to understand and expand word meanings.
- Write and punctuate direct speech accurately, including reporting clauses following the dialogue.
- Apply expanded noun phrases, commas for lists and apostrophes for contracted words.
- Extend sentences with conjunctions, adverbials and prepositions to express time and cause.
- Develop settings, characters and plot, organising writing into paragraphs around a theme, scene or time frame.
Vocabulary focus
This unit will introduce a range of vocabulary to enhance descriptive writing:
- Tier 2 words: prepare, overexcited, transform
- Tier 3 words: carnival, costume, Easter, French, Lent, Mardi Gras, parade
- Common exception words: arrive, centre, heart, quarter
Pupils will explore meanings through word cards, context clues and matching activities, using new vocabulary in their writing tasks.
Key teaching activities
Begin with a hook activity, showing images or videos of Mardi Gras celebrations in New Orleans and Rio. Pupils will discuss the festival’s meaning, traditions and how celebrations differ from the UK.
Next, pupils will read the model text, identifying narrative features, verb tenses, noun phrases, prepositional phrases, conjunctions and direct speech. They'll practise prefixes, explore dialogue punctuation and note how fronted adverbials can indicate paragraph changes.
Pupils will then explore ideas for their own Mardi Gras stories, discussing characters, events and potential problems. They'll plan their story using a report margin planner and write over several sessions, incorporating new vocabulary, accurate punctuation and descriptive language. Encourage proofreading and editing using the writing skills checklist to refine grammar, punctuation and vocabulary.
Resources included
- Model text in three versions: plain, illustrated, and annotated (PDF)
- Annotated and non-annotated PowerPoint presentations
- Teacher notes and full lesson plans
- Vocabulary cards and matching activities
- Images and videos of Mardi Gras celebrations
- Writing scaffolds and “How to write a modern-day story” posters
Learning outcomes
By the end of the unit, pupils will:
- Write a modern-day story inspired by Mardi Gras
- Use direct speech and reporting clauses accurately
- Apply expanded noun phrases, conjunctions, adverbs and apostrophes correctly
- Incorporate Tier 2 and Tier 3 vocabulary confidently
- Demonstrate effective planning, drafting, editing and improving of narrative writing
This Real Writing unit engages Year 3 pupils in creative storytelling while developing language, grammar and cultural knowledge.