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Year 4 - English

Writing the opening of a diary entry based on 'Into the Forest'

'Into the Forest': diary writing

Unit Summary

In this unit, pupils write a diary entry based on the picture book 'Into the Forest' by Anthony Browne. Pupils use the book as a starting point from which they write a diary entry, focusing on using the first person perspective consistently and practising the skill of varying tense accurately.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to write the opening of a diary entry based on 'Into the Forest'.

Key Notes

  • The recount in a diary entry is written mainly in the past tense.
  • The present perfect tense shows unfinished past actions or past actions that are still relevant now.
  • The auxiliary verb 'has' or 'have' is joined to the main verb to change simple past tense into perfect present tense.
  • Contractions are one element of informal language in a diary entry.
  • A range of sentence types, including adverbial complex sentences, should be used in a diary entry.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • exaggeration: overstating for dramatic effect
  • perfect present tense: the tense used to describe something that started in the past, but has not yet ended
  • auxiliary verb: the helping verb that is always paired with a main verb
  • contraction: a shortened way of writing two words where some letters are left out and an apostrophe is used in their place
  • adverbial complex sentence: a sentence formed of a main clause and an adverbial subordinate clause

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • Children may struggle to turn a simple past tense sentence into a perfect present tense sentence, especially when this involves changing the main verb.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

1. Explain this English learning goal in two key points.

The recount in a diary entry is written mainly in the past tense. The present perfect tense shows unfinished past actions or past actions that are still relevant now.

2. Define this language term and use it in a sentence. 'exaggeration'

overstating for dramatic effect.

3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.

Mistake: Children may struggle to turn a simple past tense sentence into a perfect present tense sentence, especially when this involves changing the main verb. Correction: Explore simple past tense examples where the main verb needs changing as well. E.g. 'It was' becomes 'It has been'.

More Lessons In This Unit

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