Real Writing Year 2 - Unit 11
Model text: Travel by Joshua Seigal
Curriculum links: History
Writing Unit overview
This writing unit for Year 2 is built around an original text by Joshua Seigal - a poem about modes of transport throughout history. 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 explore how the poem is organised, identifying the transport described in each stanza. Pupils will learn how to spell words ending in -tion and rules when adding the suffixes -ed and -ing to verbs. Pupils will also learn how onomatopoeia is used to describe sounds. In the final writing task, pupils will write their own poem about transport. This unit gives pupils the opportunity to write poetry linked to the history of transport.
Key curriculum skills
Three fully-resourced lessons are included for the following Year 2 English objectives, which can form part of the unit or be taught discretely:
1. Vocabulary: to spell words ending in -tion
Pupils will: learn how to spell some words ending in -tion. They will read and spell words ending in -tion and write simple sentences dictated by an adult.
2. Grammar: to add the suffixes -ing and -ed to verbs
Pupils will: then learn the spelling rules when adding the suffix -ing and -ed to verbs ending in ‘e’, ‘y’ and in words of one syllable ending in a consonant that follows a short vowel sound. They will focus on words that describe sounds and movements when writing about travelling on a journey.
3. Grammar: to write poetry using onomatopoeia
Pupils will: learn that onomatopoeia is when a word sounds like what it is referring to, for example: boom, zap, pow. They will collect examples of these words to use in their own writing to describe the sounds that transport makes.
Additional teaching points to teach or revisit:
- writing questions
- noun phrases
- proof-reading to check for errors in spelling, grammar and punctuation
- reading aloud what they have written
Year 2 vocabulary
Common exception words: fast move wild
Tier 2 words: blizzard, carve, elation, hoist, stealth, tame, tantalising, teleportation
Tier 3 words: beep, bob, chug, glide, honk, motion, toot, zip, zoom
What is onomatopoeia?
Onomatopoeia describes when a word sounds like the thing to which it refers. Each onomatopoeic word is like an imitation of the noise it describes. It is one of a number of poetic techniques with which children should be familiar by the end of KS2.
Examples of onomatopoeia
- Bang
- Clang
- Thump
- Roar
- Hiss
- Buzz
- Smash
- Crash
- Click
- Boom
- Cough
- Gargle