This Key Stage 2 writing pack supports pupils in creating engaging, Christmas-themed setting descriptions. At the heart of the pack are two WAGOLL model texts: The Most Wonderful Time of Year and The Stockings Were Hung….
These examples show how authors use the senses, figurative language and dialogue to create atmosphere and help readers imagine a festive scene. Pupils can explore these texts, identify key features and use the planning and writing resources to create their own descriptive writing.
The pack encourages pupils to develop key writing skills. You can use it to teach how to plan a setting, describe what characters see, hear, smell, taste and feel, and integrate dialogue to advance the action. Pupils will also revisit the use of speech marks to punctuate direct speech correctly.
The resources are ideal for seasonal writing activities at the end of the autumn term, offering opportunities for imaginative and structured narrative writing.
Included resources
- WAGOLL model text – The Most Wonderful Time of Year: Timothy enters the Grande Hotel and experiences a richly decorated festive setting. The text uses vivid sensory details, figurative language such as similes and personification, and dialogue to bring the scene to life.
- WAGOLL model text – The Stockings Were Hung…: A cosy living room scene, described through sensory details and figurative language. Dialogue shows character interactions and advances the action.
- Setting description writing sheet: Explains the success criteria for writing detailed settings, demonstrates how to use the senses, provides examples of figurative language and includes reminders on writing direct speech.
- Christmas scene images: A collection of seasonal images to inspire pupils’ descriptive writing.
- Setting description planning sheet: Guides pupils in noting ideas and organising the structure of their setting description.
- Themed writing paper: Attractive, festive paper for pupils to present their finished work.
How to use the pack: Pupils analyse the WAGOLLs to identify story structure, sensory language, figurative devices and dialogue. They then plan, draft and present their own setting description using the writing sheet, planning sheet and images for inspiration.
National Curriculum links
- Years 3–4: Discuss and learn from model texts, plan writing, describe settings and punctuate direct speech correctly.
- Years 5–6: Analyse how authors develop characters and settings, plan narratives, describe settings vividly and integrate dialogue to convey character and advance the action.
This pack provides clear examples of high-quality descriptive writing and all the resources pupils need to plan, draft and present their own Christmas-themed settings.
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