Writing a Recount

Overview

This 45-minute engaging and hands-on lesson supports Year 1 students in writing a recount of their teddy bear picnic adventure. The focus is on using past tense verbs and descriptive vocabulary to detail what happened during the picnic, aligning closely with the National Curriculum for England (Year 1 English - Writing: composition; Vocabulary, grammar, and punctuation).

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National Curriculum Links

English – Writing

• Write sentences by saying out loud what they are going to write about,compose a sentence orally before writing it down.
• Sequencing sentences to form short narratives.
• Using capital letters and full stops correctly.
• Demarcate most sentences in their writing with capital letters and full stops, and use question marks and exclamation marks correctly where appropriate.
• Use the grammatical terminology: past tense.

English – Vocabulary, grammar and punctuation

• Learn how words can combine to make sentences.
• Expressing time, place and cause using conjunctions (e.g. before, after).
• Use past tense consistently in writing.

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Learning Objectives (WALT)

• WALT: Write a recount about the teddy bear picnic using past tense and descriptive language.
• WALT: Use capital letters and full stops to correctly punctuate our sentences.
• WALT: Sequence sentences to clearly tell what happened during the picnic.

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Success Criteria

• I can write sentences that recount the picnic in the past tense.
• I can use describing words to make my sentences interesting.
• I can begin my sentences with a capital letter and end them with a full stop.
• I can put my sentences in the right order to tell a clear story.

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Resources Needed

• Whiteboard and markers
• Large picture prompts/photos from the teddy bear picnic (taken during previous lessons or role-play activities)
• Lined writing books or worksheets with writing frames
• Word bank cards with past tense verbs and descriptive adjectives (e.g. played, ate, funny, sunny)
• Individual teddy bear or soft toy for inspiration/manipulatives
• Dyslexia-friendly fonts and simplified text cards
• Colourful pens/pencils
• “Story Sequencing” picture cards from the picnic

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Lesson Structure

1. Starter (10 mins) – Recap and Vocabulary Focus

• Activity: Circle time “Remembering Our Picnic”
  • Teacher guides class to orally recount the picnic, asking simple prompt questions: “What did we do?”, “Who was there?”, “What did we eat?”
  • Introduce past tense verbs using visuals on the whiteboard (e.g. play → played) and descriptive words to spark ideas.
  • Show word bank cards and model a simple sentence: "I played with my teddy."
• Differentiation:
  • Support learners by giving them sentence starters on cards (e.g. I saw..., I ate..., I played...)
  • Dyslexia-friendly: Use clear dyslexia-friendly fonts on word cards and highlight keywords in bold/colour.

2. Main Activity (25 mins) – Writing the Recount

• Activity: Independent or paired writing task
  • Children use picture prompts and word banks to write 3-4 sentences recounting their picnic experience. Encourage use of past tense verbs and adjectives.
  • Writing frames with prompts such as:
    • “First, I...”
    • “Then, we...”
    • “Next, my teddy...”
    • “Finally, I...”
  • Teacher models one sentence on the board, showing correct capitalisation and punctuation.
• Differentiation:
  • For learners needing more support: use sentence starters and provide a scribe if necessary.
  • For more able writers: encourage adding an extra descriptive sentence or conjunctions like “then” or “after”.
  • Dyslexia-friendly: provide lined paper with wider spacing, and allow verbal dictation when necessary.

3. Plenary (10 mins) – Sharing and Reflecting

• Activity: Share written recounts
  • Volunteers read their recount aloud; peers listen and give one positive comment about the use of describing words or past tense.
  • Display some writings on the “Teddy Bear Picnic Wall” for ongoing celebration.
  • Recap success criteria and self-assess (“Did I use past tense?” “Did my sentences make a clear story?”) using thumbs up/down.
• Extension for advanced learners:
  • Challenge to add a sentence explaining how they felt or what their favourite part was using “because” (e.g. “I liked eating sandwiches because they were tasty.”)

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Assessment & Feedback

• Ongoing formative assessment through oral contributions during starter and plenary.
• Review of written recounts focusing on correct use of past tense verbs, sentence structure, punctuation, and descriptive language.
• Provide positive verbal feedback and one next-step target for each child.

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Additional Notes

• Use teddy bear toys as manipulatives to encourage tactile engagement during writing.
• Maintain a warm, encouraging atmosphere to support reluctant writers.
• Ensure clear visual aids and chunked instructions to enhance comprehension.
• Encourage peer support in paired writing for those who benefit from collaboration.

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This lesson not only consolidates prior oral language work but embeds essential Year 1 writing skills with a memorable, enjoyable context.