Writing for different genres teaching pack
Writing for different genres is a downloadable key stage 2 English pack featuring seven original comic strips as prompts to engage and inspire reluctant writers.
The pack includes lesson plans, scaffolded writing templates and worksheets to support children in writing for different text types: a fictional diary, a formal letter, a playscript, a fictional recount, a list, a poem and their own comic strip. It also includes additional teaching ideas to develop children’s own writing skills, including an activity to develop their understanding of metaphor and simile.
The pack comes with a PowerPoint which features a starter activity for each session and useful checklists of the language features and structure of each writing genre.
What's included?
- Includes lesson plans and scaffolded writing templates for each writing genre
- Features seven original comic strips as writing prompts
- Includes a PowerPoint with starter activities and checklists for the language features and structures of each text type
The sessions can be taught in any order and adapted for different year groups. Perfect for your key stage 2 English lessons to develop children's skills in writing for a range of purposes.
What's inside?
‘A Week’s Excuses’ – writing a diary (pages 4-11)
- Teaching notes
- Comic strip
- Diary writing template
- Sentence starters
- Using direct speech
‘Something Odd Out There’ – writing a formal letter (pages 12-19)
- Teaching notes
- Comic strip
- Letter template with prompts
- Letter template without prompts
- Blank-bubbled version of ‘Something Odd Out There’
‘Alien Arrival’ – writing a playscript (pages 20-14)
- Teaching notes
- Comic strip
- Playscript template
- Blank-bubbled version of ‘Alien Arrival’
‘Jennifer Jones’ – writing a recount (pages 25-28)
- Teaching notes
- Comic strip
- Match report planning template
- ‘Jennifer Jones’ – all of a muddle
‘Sad I Ams’ – writing a bulleted list (pages 29-32)
- Teaching notes
- Comic strip
- ‘Happy I Ams’ – metaphors
- ‘Happy I Ams’ – list template
‘StereoHead’ – writing poetry (pages 33-36)
- Teaching notes
- Comic strip
- A sense poem planning template
- A sense poem writing template
‘The Dark Avenger’ – writing a comic strip (pages 37-42)
- Teaching notes
- Comic strip
- Blank comic strip template and checklist
- Blank-bubbled version of ‘The Dark Avenger’
An extract from the teaching notes:
Read the completed version of the comic strip, either individually or as a class. What do the children notice about the rhyme scheme? What do they think of Jennifer?
Invite the children to suggest which writing genre they might be focusing on today. Clarify that they will be writing a match report, which is a type of recount. They will have to channel their inner sports reporter to write an exciting account of Jennifer’s match!
Refer to PowerPoint slides 12-13 and ask the children to get into pairs to revise the features of a recount. Ask them to pick a feature to share that they think others may not remember (in the style of the game show ‘Pointless’). They then win a point for every group that didn’t think of their feature.
- Recounts are chronological (written in the order events happened).
- They should include a title.
- They should explain who, what, when, where and why.
- They are written in the first or third person.
- Recounts are written in the past tense.
- They feature time connectives.
- They should include facts and descriptive language (to give the reader a clear picture).
Share the planning template with the children. You may want to discuss the order of events and list them in chronological order before the children begin filling in the planning templates independently.
Once they have completed their plan, they should write their match report.
Once completed, invite the children to share their match reports and ask the class to use the features on the PowerPoint as a checklist. Celebrate any descriptive language and add the best words and phrases to any word wall or word bank you may have.
