This Year 1 writing unit from our Real Writing collection centres on an original text by Lucy Strange, a simple report about tigers.
All texts in our Real Writing collection are written by published children’s authors, ensuring engaging, high-quality content. The model text is available as a PDF in three versions – plain, illustrated and annotated – and comes with annotated and non-annotated PowerPoint presentations to support teaching.
Over two to three weeks, pupils will explore how questions can be used as headings to organise information and how adjectives can add description.
For the final writing task, pupils will write their own short reports about a big cat of their choice, applying the skills you've taught. This unit links well with science topics on animals and can support research and observational skills.
Curriculum links and objectives
This unit addresses key Year 1 English objectives:
- Vocabulary: Add the suffix -s or -es to create plural nouns, practising word formation.
- Grammar: Compose sentences orally that include adjectives.
- Punctuation: Write questions punctuated with question marks, recognising when a sentence is a question.
Pupils will also practise saying aloud what they plan to write, leaving spaces between words, using capital letters and full stops, using exclamation marks, re-reading for sense and reading aloud their own writing.
Vocabulary
The unit introduces rich vocabulary:
- Tier 2 words: Africa, Asia, destroy, fierce, male
- Tier 3 words: carnivore, claws, cubs, fur, herbivore, hunting, mammal, paws, predator, prey, whiskers
- Common exception words: are, go, they, the, so, to, of, a, be, by, there, we, do
Resources
All resources needed for a complete teaching sequence are included:
- Model text PDFs and PowerPoint presentations
- Tiger poster and big cat image cards
- Big cat question sheets and planning sheets (two versions)
- Writing sheets and vocabulary cards
- Writer’s craft instruction sheets and checklists
Key teaching activities
Begin by watching a tiger video or observing a poster to discuss prior knowledge and generate questions. Pupils will read the model text, identifying features of reports such as headings and technical vocabulary.
Pupils will label images of big cats, orally compose sentences, practise adjectives and add plural nouns. Pupils will research a big cat of their choice using books or online resources, recording answers to questions on planning sheets.
Children will use the writer’s craft instruction sheets to model sentence construction, punctuation with question marks and use of adjectives. More confident pupils can create questions as headings, organise sentences under headings and include tier 3 vocabulary.
Pupil outcomes
By the end of the unit, pupils will:
- Recognise and use big cat-related vocabulary in context
- Punctuate questions correctly with question marks
- Use adjectives to describe nouns in sentences
- Add plural suffixes accurately (-s/-es)
- Orally compose sentences before writing
- Research and organise information using questions as headings
- Read and check their own writing for sense
- Produce a short report about a big cat, incorporating descriptive language and technical vocabulary
This unit combines scientific observation, structured writing practice and research skills, giving Year 1 pupils a clear and engaging pathway to develop their report writing while learning about big cats.