Picnic Writing Fun

Overview

In this engaging 45-minute session, Year 1 students will develop their writing skills by composing a recount of their teddy bear picnic adventure. The lesson focuses on using past tense verbs, applying descriptive vocabulary, and structuring sentences to narrate events clearly. Activities and assessments closely follow the National Curriculum for England - English Programme of Study (Key Stage 1, Year 1).

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WALT

• Use past tense verbs correctly when writing about the picnic.
• Include descriptive vocabulary to make the recount interesting.
• Sequence sentences to tell what happened during the picnic.

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National Curriculum References

English - Spoken Language & Writing

• Year 1 Writing:
  • [W1.1] Write sentences by saying out loud what they are going to write about.
  • [W1.2] Sequencing sentences to form short narratives.
  • [W1.3] Use past tense and vocabulary to recount events.
  • [W1.4] Understand capital letters and full stops to demarcate sentences.
• English - Vocabulary, Grammar & Punctuation:
  • [VGP1] Use the grammatical terminology including past tense verbs.

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Success Criteria

• I can write sentences about the picnic using the past tense.
• I can use interesting words to describe the picnic.
• I can put my sentences in the correct order.
• I can use capital letters and full stops correctly.

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Resources

• Whiteboard and markers
• Word banks: past tense verbs & descriptive adjectives (dyslexia-friendly font, e.g., Sassoon)
• Picture prompts from the teddy bear picnic
• Lined paper or writing books
• Colour pencils for illustrating recount
• Sentence sequencing cards

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Lesson Structure

1. Starter (10 minutes)

• Recap and Oral Recount:
  Greet students, remind them about previous lessons and the teddy bear picnic. Using picture prompts, ask volunteers to orally recall what happened during the picnic. Write key vocabulary on the board (past tense verbs like "played," "ate," "went" and adjectives like "sunny," "fun," "delicious").
• Dyslexia-friendly tip: Display words with clear spacing and use multi-sensory approaches (say the word, write it, gesture) for reinforcement.

2. Main Activity (25 minutes)

• Guided Writing:
  • Model writing a short recount on the board, emphasizing past tense verbs and descriptive language. Talk through your thinking process aloud to embed understanding.
  • Invite students to verbally construct simple sentences describing the picnic, encouraging use of past tense and adjectives.
• Independent Writing with Differentiation:
  • Most pupils: Write 3-4 sentences recounting the picnic using the word bank and sentence starters (e.g., "We played...", "The teddy was...").
  • Support (SEN/dyslexia-friendly): Provide writing frames and sentence starters with pictures illustrating verbs and adjectives; allow dictation or scribe support.
  • Extension (More able): Write 5+ sentences including conjunctions (e.g., and, because) to add detail and sequence events. Encourage use of adjectives beyond the word bank and self-correction using purple pen.

3. Plenary (10 minutes)

• Sharing Work:
  Invite some students to read their recount aloud to the class or in pairs. Celebrate efforts and highlight the use of past tense and descriptive words.
• Assessment & Feedback:
  Use a simple checklist aligned with success criteria to assess each student’s writing, offering immediate verbal feedback.
• Extension Activity:
  Ask advanced learners to draw a picture illustrating their favourite part of the picnic and write a sentence describing it.

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Differentiation Summary

Group	Strategy
SEN/Dyslexic learners	Writing frames, sentence starters with images, oral support, dyslexia-friendly fonts, multi-sensory input (visual, oral, kinaesthetic)
Most pupils	Independent sentence writing with word bank and modelling
Advanced learners	Longer sentences using conjunctions, self-editing, creating illustrated captions

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Assessment

Formative assessment through observation of oral recount, written work marked against success criteria, and peer-sharing feedback. Adjust next lessons based on common errors or gaps in use of past tense and sentence structure.

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Teacher’s Notes

• Emphasise fun and creativity to encourage reluctant writers.
• Maintain a calm, supportive atmosphere especially for those who struggle with literacy confidence.
• Consider pairing children thoughtfully for peer support.
• Use praise strategically, reinforcing effort and progress in language use.

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Through this hands-on, vocabulary-rich recount writing lesson, students consolidate prior knowledge while developing foundational writing skills aligned with the Year 1 National Curriculum, ensuring meaningful progress in their literacy journey.