Real Writing Year 2 - Unit 3
Model text: Out of This World, by Jo Franklin
Curriculum links: Space
Unit overview
This writing unit for Year 2 is built around an original text by Jo Franklin - a fantasy story about a journey through space, which is a portal story. 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 structure of this story type. Pupils will learn how to add the suffix -ing to verbs and there are also opportunities to explore the progressive tense. Pupils will also look at how adjectives are used to create expanded noun phrases. They will write their own fantasy story set in space, deciding what their characters will see on their journey. This unit gives pupils the opportunity to write a narrative based on personal experiences or those of others and could be linked to a topic around the theme of space.
Key curriculum skills
Two 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 apply spelling rules when adding the suffix -ing to words,
Pupils will: revisit that verbs describe actions within sentences. They will then learn the spelling rules when adding the suffix -ing to verbs ending in ‘e’, ‘y’ and in words of one syllable ending in a consonant that follows a short vowel sound.
2. Grammar: to use noun phrases
Pupils will: learn how to describe nouns in their writing by adding adjectives. Pupils will practise using adjectives to describe objects from the story ‘Out Of This World’ by Jo Franklin. They will then design their own monster and write a description using expanded noun phrases to describe.
Additional teaching points to teach or revisit:
- using question marks and punctuation marks
- using commas to separate items within a list
- using the coordinating conjunction and
- writing in the past 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 words: featured vocabulary
Common exception words: wild water grass cold beautiful hour full could hold fast behind past pull only
Tier 2 words: amber, collector, emerged, surface, tufts
Tier 3 words: atmosphere, crater, galaxy, Mars, meteorite, moon, planet