Introduce your pupils to informal letter writing through a lively, fully structured Year 3 unit from our Real Writing collection. Published children’s author Loretta Schauer has crafted the original model text: a warm, humorous letter from a child in the United Kingdom to her overseas pen pal.
This text sits at the heart of the unit and gives pupils a clear, authentic example of voice, structure and style.
Every element of the unit follows our carefully mapped Real Writing framework. You receive two to three weeks of detailed lesson planning, teaching slides, activity sheets, differentiated versions of the model text (plain, illustrated and annotated) and fully resourced vocabulary and grammar tasks.
You can slot the complete unit into your English sequence or lift individual lessons to support your existing planning.
Curriculum links and key learning
Guide pupils through Year 3 writing objectives that include vocabulary development, sentence construction and grammar routines such as choosing a or an. You'll also go over paragraphs, noun phrases, prepositional phrases and adverbials, plus you'll revisit contracted words, commas in lists and descriptive noun phrases.
The unit offers strong cross-curricular links with geography. Pupils compare the human and physical geography of the UK with places in Europe or North and South America.
Year 3 vocabulary
Tier 2 words: museum, queen
Tier 3 words: United Kingdom, custom, scenery
Year 3 and 4 statutory spelling words: address, recent, favourite, peculiar, reign, occasion, often, though, history, special
Key activities
Begin by watching a short tourist information video from the country your class is studying. This will lead into a discussion about what pupils might share with a pen pal their own age.
Next, pupils will read the model text, identify its key features and discuss salutation, sign-off, address, tense choices and examples of conjunctions, adverbials and contractions. They'll highlight descriptive noun phrases, prepositional phrases and expanded phrases used for clarity and effect.
Next, pupils sort word cards by word class, explore suffixes that change meaning or category and write sentences that use common exception words and new vocabulary accurately.
They'll then practise descriptive writing by creating a paragraph about a landscape near their imaginary home abroad, using similes and expanded noun phrases.
Planning and drafting activities guide pupils through the process of writing their own pen pal letter. Using a margin planner, they'll decide what to include, then write, review and improve their work across several sessions.
Resources included
- Three versions of the model text (plain, illustrated, annotated)
- Annotated and non-annotated PowerPoint teaching slides
- Word cards for Tier 2, Tier 3 and statutory vocabulary
- Activity sheets for vocabulary, grammar and composition
- Letter-writing templates
- A margin planner and writing skills checklist
- Teacher notes outlining full teaching sequence
Expected outcomes
By the end of the unit, your pupils will:
- Write a well-structured informal letter in response to the model text
- Apply accurate grammar throughout their writing
- Use a wider range of conjunctions to extend sentences
- Produce clear, organised paragraphs
- Select precise and appropriate vocabulary
- Demonstrate understanding of audience, purpose, and tone
- Show secure knowledge of key Year 3 English skills