This Year 1 writing unit is part of our Real Writing collection and is built around an original shape poem by professional author Joshua Seigal.
The model text is available as a PDF in three versions (plain, illustrated and annotated), with annotated and non-annotated PowerPoint presentations to support teaching.
In this two-week unit, pupils will explore how adjectives, including those used in alliteration, can describe nouns, and how onomatopoeia can capture sounds.
They will also practise adding the suffix -ing to words where no change is needed to the root word. Pupils will then apply these skills to create their own shape poem about the weather.
This unit links well to geography or science topics on seasonal changes, the weather or environmental observations.
Key curriculum skills
Three fully-resourced lessons cover the following Year 1 English objectives:
Vocabulary: to add the suffix -ing to words
Pupils will identify verbs and practise adding -ing where no spelling change is needed, preparing them to include action words in their writing.
Grammar: to compose simple sentences using adjectives
Pupils will collect descriptive words for different types of weather, including examples of alliteration, and compose sentences to include in their poems.
Grammar: to say out loud what they will write about using onomatopoeia
Pupils will explore weather-related sounds, such as thunder or rain, and plan sentences incorporating these words.
Additional teaching opportunities include encouraging pupils to say aloud what they will write, reread their work, use exclamation marks where appropriate and read aloud confidently.
Resources
The unit provides:
- Three versions of the model text (plain, illustrated and annotated PDFs)
- Annotated and non-annotated PowerPoint presentations
- Vocabulary cards for Tier 2 and Tier 3 words
- CEW flashcards, planning sheets, writing sheets and shape templates
- Teacher guidance for every stage, from familiarisation to independent writing
Activities
Pupils will observe the weather, discuss current conditions and explore weather vocabulary using word cards. They'll analyse the model poem, noting adjectives, alliteration and onomatopoeia, before planning their own poem with the planning sheets.
Pupils will draft their sentences, then arrange them into shapes using the shape templates. Lessons include opportunities to rehearse and perform poems, add illustrations and share work with peers.
Outcomes
By the end of the unit, pupils will be able to:
- Use adjectives, including alliterative examples, to describe the weather
- Incorporate onomatopoeia for sound effects
- Add the suffix -ing to verbs correctly
- Plan and write a shape poem
- Present their poem orally and visually