This Year 2 writing unit from our Real Writing collection centres on an original poem about the four seasons, written by Joshua Seigal.
In this two- to three-week unit, the children explore how the poem is organised, noticing rhyme patterns, repeated lines and descriptive techniques. They investigate how the letter ‘y’ can make the /igh/ sound and examine homonyms—words that share spelling but have different meanings.
Pupils also analyse poetic devices including noun phrases, alliteration, metaphors and onomatopoeia. In the final writing task, pupils compose their own poems about the seasons, inspired by Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, linking literacy to music and geography by describing seasonal and daily weather patterns.
Resources included
- Model text in three formats (plain, illustrated, annotated)
- Annotated and non-annotated teaching slides
- Activity sheets and word cards for vocabulary, rhymes and CEWs
- Collecting ideas and writing templates
- Posters for each season
- Music links for Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons
Key skills and curriculum links
English
- Vocabulary: recognising different sounds of the letter ‘y’ at the end of words
- Vocabulary: discussing and clarifying the meaning of words, including homonyms
- Grammar: writing poetry using noun phrases, alliteration, metaphors and onomatopoeia
- Additional teaching points include punctuating sentences with capital letters and full stops, proofreading for spelling, grammar and punctuation, and reading work aloud.
Geography
Describing seasonal and daily weather patterns
Music
Exploring mood, imagery and structure through The Four Seasons by Vivaldi
Vocabulary
- Tier 2 words: changes, don, emerge, flux, fungi, nought, sprout, teem, verge, yield
- Tier 3 words: rays, season, temperature
- Common exception words: pass, again, gold, path, last, wild, children
Activities and teaching sequence
- Hook: Listen to The Four Seasons by Vivaldi. Pupils draw or annotate images to represent each season, developing observational and listening skills.
- Reading the model text: Pupils read the poem, explore how each stanza describes a season, and work in groups to illustrate or annotate stanzas.
- Vocabulary exploration: Pupils match tier 2 and tier 3 words to images and definitions, and discuss homonyms and new vocabulary in context.
- Performing the poem: Pupils rehearse reading with fluency and actions, enhancing expression and comprehension.
- Rhyming words: Identify rhymes and near rhymes in the poem, then create additional rhyming pairs.
- Writing task: Pupils plan and write their own seasonal poem, using noun phrases, poetic devices and rhymes.
- Proofreading and checking: Pupils read aloud, self-assess, and correct errors in spelling, punctuation and grammar.
- Performance: Pupils perform their poems to the class or other groups, practising fluency and expression.
Outcomes
By the end of this unit, pupils will be able to:
- Identify rhyme patterns, repeated lines and descriptive devices in poetry
- Use homonyms accurately and recognise the /igh/ sound in words ending with ‘y’
- Write poetry that incorporates noun phrases, alliteration, metaphors and onomatopoeia
- Describe seasons effectively, linking literacy to music and geography
- Proofread and revise their own writing
- Perform their poems with fluency and expression