Planning Diary Entries

Overview

Unit: Diary Adventures: Royal Fun
Lesson: 5 of 10
Age Group: Year 2 (aged 6-7)
Duration: 45 minutes
Class Size: 30 students

National Curriculum Links

English – Writing (Year 2)

Transcription: Pupils should be taught to:
- Write narratives about personal experiences and those of others (real and fictional).
Composition: Pupils should be taught to:
- Plan or say out loud what they are going to write about.
- Begin to organise ideas into chronological order.
Vocabulary, Grammar & Punctuation:
- Develop use of simple sentence structures and sequencing words such as first, next, then, and finally.
Spoken Language:
- Participate in discussions, building on their own and others’ ideas and challenging appropriately.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, pupils will be able to:

Use visual organisers (such as mind maps and storyboards) to brainstorm ideas for a diary entry.
Organise their thoughts into clear chronological sequences.
Identify key events they want to include in their diary entry about a day in a royal setting.
Collaborate in pairs or groups to share and expand ideas before drafting.

Success Criteria

I can use pictures and words in a mind map to plan my diary entry.
I can put my main events in order using a storyboard.
I can explain my diary plan to a partner.
I listen and respond respectfully to others' ideas.

Resources Needed

Visualiser or whiteboard
Large laminated mind map templates (blank)
Storyboard sheets with 5-6 frames (large enough to write/draw)
Writing pencils, coloured pencils
Royal-themed picture prompts (e.g. castle, crown, knight, queen/king, royal garden)
Sticky notes
Timers (for time-bound activities)

Lesson Structure

1. Engage & Review (5 minutes)

Quickly recap the previous lesson’s work on diary entries about royal adventures.
Use the visualiser to show a simple example of a diary entry paragraph.
Ask pupils: “What do you need to think about before you start writing your diary?” (Guide towards the idea of planning and organising ideas.)

2. Introduction to Visual Organisers (7 minutes)

Explain what a visual organiser is: "a tool to help us collect and organise our ideas."
Show a mind map example on the board with “My Royal Day” in the centre, branching into: People, Places, Events, Feelings.
Demonstrate how to add ideas around each branch, using royal-themed picture prompts to stimulate ideas (e.g., meeting a queen, riding in a carriage).

3. Guided Activity: Mind Mapping (10 minutes)

Pupils receive their own laminated mind map and whiteboard pens or paper mind maps and coloured pencils.
Using sticky notes, prompt pupils to brainstorm ideas linked to their ‘royal day’: Who was there? What happened first? How did you feel?
Encourage pictures and words.
Circulate and scaffold by asking questions: “What happened next?” “How was the castle described?”

4. Organising Ideas with a Storyboard (10 minutes)

Introduce the storyboard sheet. Explain it’s to help put ideas in order—just like our diary needs to tell a story from start to finish.
Pupils select 4-5 ideas from their mind map and sketch or write short phrases for each frame.
Prompt use of sequencing words: First, Next, Then, Later, Finally.
Allow pupils to work individually or in pairs to discuss their sequences.

5. Sharing and Discussion (8 minutes)

Pair up pupils to share their mind maps and storyboards, practising explaining their planned diary entry.
Encourage questions: “Why did you choose to start with that event?” “What was your favourite part to include?”
Highlight good use of sequencing and clear organisation.

6. Plenary & Next Steps (5 minutes)

Gather whole class and invite a few volunteers to show their storyboard on the visualiser and explain their plans.
Recap vocabulary (mind map, storyboard, sequence).
Explain next lesson will be writing their full diary entry based on this plan.

Differentiation

Support: Provide sentence starters and visual prompts. Use paired work for scaffolding planning. Allow drawing instead of writing where needed.
Challenge: Encourage some pupils to add adjectives and feelings to their storyboard frames, linking back to descriptive language learning.

Assessment

Formative assessment through observation during group work and pair discussions – note ability to generate relevant content and organise ideas clearly.
Evaluate the completeness and clarity of mind maps and storyboards against success criteria.
Note confidence in articulating plans to peers.

Extension Ideas

Use a digital app or interactive whiteboard software for mind mapping and storyboarding digitally for more tech engagement.
Create a class "Royal Diary" display that collects all storyboards and mind maps as a visual gallery.

This lesson is designed to engage Year 2 pupils in active planning for writing, fostering ownership of their ideas in a structured yet creative way, fully aligned with Year 2 English curriculum expectations for composition and spoken language.

Teaching Instructions