Describing What We See

Overview

This 40-minute lesson is designed for Year 2 students as the second in a 15-lesson unit titled "Senses in Poetry." It focuses specifically on building descriptive vocabulary related to sight, supporting pupils to express visual experiences in writing and speaking confidently. Using interactive picture cards and group activities, children will create a rich word bank of adjectives and phrases that will be foundational for their poetry writing later in the unit.

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National Curriculum Links

English - Spoken Language

• Year 2: Participate in discussions, presentations, performances, role play, improvisations and debates (SpokLang 2.1)
• Ask relevant questions to extend their understanding and knowledge (SpokLang 2.3)

English - Reading

• Develop pleasure in reading, motivation to read, vocabulary and understanding by discussing word meanings, linking new meanings to known vocabulary (Read 2.2c)

English - Writing

• Consider what they are going to write before beginning by planning or saying out loud (Writ 2.5a)
• Draft and write by using some adjectives to add detail to nouns (Writ 2.7b)

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Learning Objectives

By the end of the lesson, pupils will:

1. Recognise and use a range of adjectives to describe what they see.
2. Expand their descriptive vocabulary related to sight through interactive and visual stimuli.
3. Collaboratively create a word bank of sight-related descriptive words and phrases.
4. Use new vocabulary orally in sentences describing pictures.

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Resources

• Picture cards showing a variety of vivid images related to nature, animals, objects, and scenes (e.g., a bright rainbow, a shiny apple, a dark forest, colourful flowers).
• Whiteboard or flip chart and markers.
• Large paper or board for word bank creation.
• Sticky notes or small cards for children to write words on.
• Visual thesaurus chart (child-friendly) showing synonyms for common sight adjectives (optional but recommended).

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Lesson Structure

1. Introduction (5 minutes)

• Begin with a brief recap of lesson 1 (focus on senses generally) and explain today's focus: describing sight.
• Ask pupils: “What do we mean when we describe what we see? What kinds of words do we use?”
• Quickly gather a few words already known to stimulate thinking (e.g., bright, big, small).
• State the learning objective clearly: “Today, we are going to learn exciting new words to describe what we see with our eyes.”

2. Vocabulary Exploration with Picture Cards (10 minutes)

• Show each picture card one at a time to the class.
• Ask pupils to look carefully and say words or phrases that come to mind describing what they see.
• Prompt with questions such as:
  • What colours do you see?
  • Is it shiny or dull?
  • Is it big or tiny?
• Model adding adjectives and short descriptive phrases orally, e.g., “The apple is shiny and red.”
• Write pupil suggestions on whiteboard to visually gather vocabulary.
• Introduce synonyms for common adjectives to expand vocabulary, e.g., instead of "big," also say "huge," "massive."

3. Collaborative Word Bank Creation (10 minutes)

• Divide the class into small mixed-ability groups (3-4 pupils each).
• Give groups 2-3 picture cards. Each group lists descriptive sight words/phrases on sticky notes or small cards.
• Encourage use of new vocabulary from earlier and thinking aloud.
• Groups then present their words to the class, placing their cards on the large word bank display paper or board.
• Teacher ensures words are clear and helps correct or extend vocabulary as necessary.

4. Applying Vocabulary in Sentences (10 minutes)

• Display word bank and pick 3-4 words to model sentence formation.
• Guide pupils to create simple sentences describing any of the picture cards using at least one adjective from the word bank.
• E.g., “The sky is bright and colourful.”, “The forest looks dark and spooky.”
• Invite pupils to share their sentences aloud in turn.
• Encourage peer feedback focusing on the use of descriptive language and clear expression.

5. Plenary and Assessment (5 minutes)

• Recap key vocabulary learned by quick fire quiz: show a picture card, ask pupils to shout out adjectives or phrases.
• Formative assessment: Teacher listens carefully to children’s oral descriptions—note confidence, vocabulary use and sentence structure.
• Ask the class: “Why do you think it is important to choose good words when describing what we see?” Brief discussion to reinforce metacognitive awareness.
• Homework suggestion (optional): Draw a picture of something they see around them and write 2-3 descriptive words or phrases underneath to bring to next lesson.

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Differentiation and Inclusion

• Provide sentence starters for pupils who need additional support (e.g., “The apple is ___ and ___.“)
• Challenge more able pupils to use comparatives or similes (e.g., "The apple is as red as a fire truck.")
• Use clear picture cards with diverse, inclusive imagery representing different environments.
• Allow paired discussion for pupils with speech and language needs before whole-class sharing.

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Extension Ideas for Future Lessons

• Use the word bank to write a group poem describing a chosen picture.
• Introduce metaphors or personification focused on visual descriptions.
• Explore other senses to create multi-sensory poems combining sight with sound or touch descriptions.

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Reflection Notes for Teacher

• Were pupils able to contribute multiple adjectives confidently?
• Did group work encourage language development across abilities?
• How effectively did visual aids support understanding?
• Plan to revisit or reinforce any words/concepts in upcoming lessons to embed vocabulary retention and use.

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This lesson carefully follows the National Curriculum expectations for Year 2 English, targeting vocabulary growth linked to writing and speaking, promoting curiosity and creativity around language use linked to sensory experience. The approach is multisensory and interactively builds essential descriptive skills for poetry writing.