Real Writing Year 2 - Unit 18
Model text: A Postcard from the Seaside by Margaret Bateson-Hill
Curriculum links: geography
Writing Unit overview
This writing unit for Year 2 is built around an original text by Margaret Bateson-Hill - a postcard sent to Frankie’s gran about a recent holiday to the coast. 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 recount and will organise the events that happen throughout the holiday. Pupils will learn how to spell simple homophones and will revisit compound words. Pupils will also explore using the past and present tense and will learn how to punctuate contracted words. In the final writing task, pupils will write their own postcard recounting a trip to the seaside (real or imagined). This unit gives pupils the opportunity to write for a range of purposes and learn about the geographical features of the coast.
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 spell some homophones and near homophones
Pupils will: investigate words that are homophones, or near homophones, learning the meanings for different spellings of the words.
2. Grammar: To use the present and past tense correctly when writing
Pupils will: identify sentences written in the simple past and present tense, revisiting spelling rules when adding the suffix -ed to verbs on the past tense worksheet. Pupils will sort sentences according to their tense and, in the writer’s craft activity, will write sentences in both the present and past tense.
3. Punctuation: To use an apostrophe to punctuate contracted words
Pupils will: learn how the apostrophe is used to mark where letters are missing in contracted words. They will match contracted words with their full written form and identify where apostrophes should be added in contracted words.
Additional teaching points to teach or revisit:
- using expanded noun phrases
- using subordinating and coordinating conjunctions
- apostrophes to show possession
- compound nouns
- 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
Year 2 Common exception words: because gold cold pretty beautiful busy people water could every after
Tier 2 words: anemone, scuttling
Tier 3 words: beach, cliff, coast, cove, harbour, pier, promenade, rockpool