Planning and Activities
Non-fiction
English Year 2 Summer Recounts
Reading and Writing Recounts
Inspire children to write creative recounts by reading great imaginative texts, including The Velveteen Rabbit. Grammar includes subordinate clauses, present and past progressive verbs.
Start with the core unit to introduce key texts. Then select from comprehension, SPAG and composition units.
Unit 1 Core: Exploring a recount of a sequence of imaginary events
(suggested as 4 days)
Animated Tale
Maisie's Dragon
A whimsical fantasy story with repeating patterns. Maisie awakens to find her pet dragon has disappeared. She goes on a hunt to find him and on the way encounters characters with alliterative names, such as the tall teacher, short shopkeeper and bossy builder! Exhausted and seemingly out of luck, she returns home, only to find him curled up on his bed in her room. The final slide shows a story map of Maisie’s hunt, giving children a perfect opportunity to recount the story in their own words.
You Will Need
Essential Text
Maisie’s Dragon by Philippa Danvers (provided below)
Optional Text
Dogger by Shirley Hughes
Unit 2 SPAG: Subordination and Coordination: Conjunctions
(suggested as 3 days)
Planning and Activities
Animated Tale
Maisie's Dragon
A whimsical fantasy story with repeating patterns. Maisie awakens to find her pet dragon has disappeared. She goes on a hunt to find him and on the way encounters characters with alliterative names, such as the tall teacher, short shopkeeper and bossy builder! Exhausted and seemingly out of luck, she returns home, only to find him curled up on his bed in her room. The final slide shows a story map of Maisie’s hunt, giving children a perfect opportunity to recount the story in their own words.
You Will Need
Essential Texts
I Love You, Blue Kangaroo! by Emma Chichester Clark
Maisie’s Dragon by Philippa Danvers (provided below)
Unit 3 Comprehension: Reading and discussing recounts
(suggested as 4 days)
Planning and Activities
Group Readers
Boris and Sid go camping
This gives an account, told from a child’s perspective, of a fun camping trip where it rains – and rains! Many children will empathise with the familiar context while reading this simple recount.
You can purchase printed copies of this Group Reader from Hamilton Education.
You Will Need
Essential Text
The Dragon Machine by Helen Ward
Group Reader
Boris and Sid go camping by Ruth Merttens
Unit 4 SPAG: Present and past progressive verb forms
(suggested as 3 days)
Planning and Activities
SPaG: Grammar and Punctuation
There is no spelling and grammar presentation for this unit.
You Will Need
Essential Text
The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams
Unit 5 Composition: Writing recounts
(suggested as 4 days)
Planning and Activities
Animated Tale
Maisie's Dragon
A whimsical fantasy story with repeating patterns. Maisie awakens to find her pet dragon has disappeared. She goes on a hunt to find him and on the way encounters characters with alliterative names, such as the tall teacher, short shopkeeper and bossy builder! Exhausted and seemingly out of luck, she returns home, only to find him curled up on his bed in her room. The final slide shows a story map of Maisie’s hunt, giving children a perfect opportunity to recount the story in their own words.
You Will Need
Essential Text
Maisie’s Dragon by Philippa Danvers (provided below)