This Year 2 Real Writing unit brings the topic of weather to life, with an informal report by published author Lucy Strange.
Across two to three weeks, pupils explore the features of reports, develop technical weather vocabulary, and practise spelling irregular past tense verbs. They learn to create comparative and superlative adjectives with -er and -est, and use expanded noun phrases and conjunctions to build longer, more detailed sentences.
The children put these skills into practice by writing their own weather reports, focusing on their local area over a single day or a week.
This unit reinforces Year 1 science knowledge on weather and seasons while promoting observation, discussion, and data collection.
Curriculum links
- Comparative and superlative adjectives using -er and -est
- Expanded noun phrases for descriptive writing
- Subordinating and coordinating conjunctions
- Irregular past tense verbs and apostrophes in contractions
- Proof-reading, spelling, grammar and punctuation
- Science: weather, seasons, data collection and observation
- Geography: recording and describing local and national weather
Resources in this unit
- PDF model text (three versions)
- Annotated and non-annotated PowerPoint slides
- Vocabulary cards and matching activities
- Weather symbol cards
- Report planning sheets
- Weather diary worksheets
- Writer’s checklist
- Teaching slides and activity sheets
- CEW cards
Key teaching activities
- Explore weather symbols and their meanings
- Read and analyse the model text, identify informal report features
- Discuss and practise Tier 2 and Tier 3 vocabulary
- Match vocabulary to images and definitions
- Map the text and rehearse using symbols as a TV weather report
- Record daily weather in diaries for observation and discussion
- Plan and rehearse weather reports using planning sheets
- Draft reports applying descriptive language, sentence variety, and conjunctions
- Read aloud, proof-read and edit writing for clarity, spelling, punctuation and grammar
Vocabulary focus
- Tier 2 words: dramatically
- Tier 3 words: cloud, cold front, degrees Celsius, extreme weather warning, forecast, hail, rain, seasons, snow, storm, summer, temperature, weather, wind, winter
- Common exception words: cloud, cold front, degrees Celsius, extreme weather warning, forecast, hail, rain, seasons, snow, storm, summer, temperature, weather, wind, winter
Outcomes
By the end of this unit, pupils will:
- Produce an informal weather report using accurate technical vocabulary
- Use comparative and superlative adjectives with -er and -est
- Create expanded noun phrases to add description
- Extend sentences using subordinating and coordinating conjunctions
- Record and describe weather observations clearly
- Apply common exception words and punctuation accurately
- Proof-read and read back their work with confidence