Diary Entry Writing

Lesson 3: Writing the Diary Entry – Part 1

Year Group: 2

Class Size: 29 students

Duration: 45 minutes

Unit: Diary Writing Adventures (Lesson 3 of 5)

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National Curriculum Links (England)

English – Writing

Writing – Composition

• Year 2 Programme of Study:
  • Write narratives about personal experiences and those of others (real and fictional).
  • Write about real events, sequencing sentences to form short narratives.

English – Grammar, Punctuation and Vocabulary

• Use capital letters, full stops, question marks, and exclamation marks to demarcate sentences.
• Use expanded noun phrases to describe and specify.

Spelling

• Spell many common exception words correctly and use meaning and spelling of some words correctly in context.

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Learning Objectives (WALT)

• WALT: Write the introduction and first key event of a diary entry.
• WALT: Use capital letters and full stops accurately to punctuate sentences.
• WALT: Include expanded noun phrases to make writing more interesting.

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Success Criteria

• I can write the diary entry introduction to show whose diary it is and when it is written.
• I can use capital letters at the start of sentences and full stops at the end.
• I can use expanded noun phrases to describe people, places, or things.
• I can sequence sentences logically to tell the first part of the diary story.

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Resources Needed

• Whiteboard/Smartboard
• Diary template printouts (lined paper with a heading “My Diary”)
• Example diary entry text (teacher-prepared with clear capital letters, full stops, and expanded noun phrases highlighted)
• Word banks with descriptive adjectives and key vocabulary
• Writing pencils, coloured pens
• Visual aids: picture cards for key events from previous lessons

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Lesson Outline

1. Starter (5 minutes)

• Recap the previous lessons: What is a diary? Who writes diaries?
• Briefly review the key features of diary writing (writing in first person, past tense, date heading).
• Quick oral activity:
  Teacher asks a few students to say one interesting thing they remember about diary entries.

2. Introduction and Modelling (10 minutes)

• Teacher models writing the introduction for their diary entry on the board:
  "Dear Diary,
  Today is Monday, 12th June. I had an exciting day at the park."
• Highlight the use of capital letters at the start of sentences and for proper nouns (days/months).
• Point out the full stops at the end of sentences.
• Show how to use an expanded noun phrase: Change “park” → “the sunny green park” or “the big, exciting park”.
• Explain the purpose: makes writing more vivid and interesting.
• Model writing the first key event with expanded noun phrases:
  "I saw a friendly, fluffy dog playing near the tall, green trees."

3. Guided Practice (15 minutes)

• Students work in pairs. Using picture cards from previous lessons (key events), they orally plan their introduction and first event.
• Provide sentence starters or word banks for support.
• Together, they write 2-3 sentences on mini whiteboards or paper draft, focusing on:
  • Using capital letters and full stops correctly.
  • Incorporating expanded noun phrases.
• Teacher circulates to scaffold, prompt capitalisation and punctuation, and suggest richer descriptions.

4. Independent Writing (10 minutes)

• Students begin writing their diary entry introduction and first key event in full in their diary template.
• Encourage using their pair planning and word banks.
• Teacher provides extra support for students struggling with punctuation or ideas.

5. Plenary and Self-Assessment (5 minutes)

• Select 3-4 volunteers to read aloud what they have written.
• As a class, tick success criteria together for each reading:
  • Did they use capital letters?
  • Did they include full stops?
  • Can we find expanded noun phrases?
• Students complete a “traffic light” self-assessment (green = I met all the criteria, amber = I met some, red = I need help).

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Differentiation

• For SEND / Less confident writers:
  • Provide sentence starters and simpler word banks.
  • Use scribing or adult support for writing, allowing focus on oral sentence construction.
  • Allow oral recording of ideas before writing.
• For EAL students:
  • Use picture prompts and bilingual word lists.
  • Model sentences visually, with pronoun and verb highlight.
• For More able learners:
  • Challenge: Write an extra sentence using a simile (e.g., “The dog ran as fast as the wind”).
  • Extend expanded noun phrases by adding more adjectives.
  • Begin to include a question or exclamation marked sentence.

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Extension Activities

• Ask advanced learners to write a second key event with at least two expanded noun phrases and include one exclamation or question mark.
• Encourage use of more adventurous adjectives and descriptive language (e.g., “sparkling blue lake”, “massive, ancient tree”).
• Students can illustrate their diary entry to add detail and practise descriptive vocabulary orally.

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Assessment for Learning

• Formative assessment through paired work observations and whole-class discussions.
• Teacher checks pupils’ independent writing for correct punctuation and use of expanded noun phrases.
• Use success criteria ticks and traffic light self-assessments to gauge understanding and next steps.

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Reflection / Teacher Notes

• Note which students require more support with punctuation or sentence construction for next lessons.
• Use observations of independent writing to plan further modelling in next lesson focusing on sequencing events.
• Consider incorporating more oral rehearsal of sentences for less confident writers.

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This lesson balances direct teaching, modelling, collaborative practice, and independent writing whilst carefully adhering to the Year 2 National Curriculum expectations for writing composition and punctuation. It supports diverse learners and pushes more able students creatively.