This Year 3 writing unit from our Real Writing collection immerses pupils in the life and achievements of Ada Lovelace, a pioneering mathematician and programmer.
All texts are written by published children’s authors, ensuring engaging and accurate content. Each unit follows a carefully mapped framework and provides two to three weeks of detailed lesson planning, making it straightforward to implement in the classroom.
Curriculum links
The unit aligns with Year 3 writing objectives. Pupils will explore word families based on common words and revisit and consolidate the correct use of past and present tenses. They'll also look at apostrophes for singular possession and contractions.
Children will also develop skills in using conjunctions, adverbials and prepositions to express time, place and cause, while organising paragraphs around a theme and including headings and subheadings.
Cross-curricular links include computing, as pupils explore logic, algorithms and programming concepts through both discussion and practical activities.
Year 3 vocabulary
Tier 2 words: complex, translate
Tier 3 words: algorithm, analytical, calculate, computer, logic, program, programmer, mathematician, reasoning
Year 3 / 4 statutory spelling words: build, early, famous, possible, woman, women
Resources
Teachers receive a full set of resources, including:
- Model text by professional author Jo Franklin in three versions (plain, illustrated, and annotated)
- PowerPoint presentations (annotated and non-annotated)
- Vocabulary cards
- Activity sheets for vocabulary, grammar and writing tasks
- ‘How to write a recount’ poster and margin planners for structuring biographies
Key teaching activities
The unit begins with pupils experimenting with programmable classroom devices or solving a logic puzzle. This encourages logical thinking and sets the stage for understanding Ada Lovelace’s work.
Pupils then read the model text together, exploring its neutral, formal tone and identifying key features such as paragraphs, subheadings and sentence structure.
You'll then guide pupils through vocabulary activities, matching words from the model text to their meanings and practising spelling of common exception words. Grammar lessons focus on extending sentences using conjunctions, adverbials and prepositions. Pupils will also draft questions to interview Ada Lovelace, practising a formal writing tone.
Planning and drafting stages follow, using the recount text margin planner. Pupils will organise research, rehearse sentences and write their own biographies over several lessons.
Outcomes
By the end of the unit, pupils will:
- Write a structured, formal biographical recount of Ada Lovelace
- Use extended sentences with conjunctions, adverbials and prepositions accurately
- Apply past and present tense correctly
- Demonstrate understanding of technical vocabulary related to computing
- Include headings, subheadings and well-organised paragraphs
- Read their writing aloud with appropriate intonation and confidence
This unit provides teachers with a practical, engaging and fully resourced plan to inspire pupils while meeting Year 3 English curriculum objectives.