Real Writing Year 2 - Unit 16
Model text: Today’s Weather by Lucy Strange
Curriculum links: Science (weather)
Writing unit overview
This writing unit for Year 2 is built around an original text by Lucy Strange - an informal report about the weather. The example text is available as a PDF in three versions (plain, illustrated and annotated); annotated and non-annotated PowerPoint presentations are also included.
In this two-week unit, pupils will learn the features of a report and the meaning of technical vocabulary used to describe the weather. Pupils will learn to spell irregular past tense verbs and how to create expanded noun phrases using adjectives, and will apply spelling rules when adding the suffixes -er and -est to words to create adjectives. Pupils will also explore how to use subordinating and coordinating conjunctions to extend their sentences. In the final writing task, pupils will write their own weather report. They could write a weather report for their local area for a day or over a period of days.
Key curriculum skills
Three fully-resourced lessons are included for the following Year 1 English objectives, which can form part of the unit or be taught discretely:
1. Vocabulary: to add the suffixes -er and -est in adjectives
Pupils will: then learn the spelling rules when adding the suffix -er and -est to adjectives ending in ‘e’, ‘y’ and in words of one syllable ending in a consonant that follows a short vowel sound. They will also investigate how words ending in the suffixes can be used to compare objects.
2. Grammar: to use adjectives to create expanded noun phrases
Pupils will: learn how to create noun phrases by adding adjectives before the noun to add description. Pupils will collect ideas that they could use to describe different weathers before using their ideas when writing a list poem about the weather over a week.
Pupils will: learn that the words and, but, or, because, when, if and that are coordinating and subordinating conjunctions, and how each type can be used to extend sentences.
Additional objectives to teach or revisit:
- to use an apostrophe in contracted words
- writing using the correct tense
- rereading writing to check that it makes sense
- proof-reading to check for errors in spelling, grammar and punctuation
- reading aloud what they have written
Year 2 vocabulary
Common exception words: cloud, cold front, degrees Celsius, extreme weather warning, forecast, hail, rain, seasons, snow, storm, summer, temperature, weather, wind, winter
Tier 2 words: dramatically
Tier 3 words: cloud, cold front, degrees Celsius, extreme weather warning, forecast, hail, rain, seasons, snow, storm, summer, temperature, weather, wind, winter