Year 2 English · Key Stage 1 · Writing – composition

Year 2 planning writing: ideas, key words and sentences

Before they write, Year 2 children are taught to stop and think about what they are going to say. They talk through their ideas, jot down key words and new vocabulary, and say each sentence aloud before putting it on the page. This takes the pressure off a very demanding task, because ideas, spelling and handwriting no longer all have to be managed at once, and it makes the writing clearer and better ordered.

Planning before we write, explained

Writing asks a seven-year-old to do many things at the same time: think of an idea, choose words, remember a sentence, spell, form letters and use punctuation. It is easy for the idea to be lost while the hand is busy. Planning gives each job its own moment, and the curriculum asks children to consider what they will write before beginning, in three ways.

The first way is saying it out loud. Children plan by talking: retelling a story to a partner, explaining what they will include or acting a scene out. Teachers often use drama and role play, because stepping into a character or an event helps children find ideas and put them in order. Saying it first also lets a child hear whether it makes sense before any pencil work starts.

The second way is writing down ideas and key words. A plan at this age is not a draft in full sentences. It might be a row of boxes drawn like a comic strip, a spider diagram, a list of words or a few labelled pictures. The key words are the ones that will carry the meaning, and they often include new vocabulary the class has met in reading or discussion, such as “gloomy”, “scampered” or “enormous”. Having these words on the page makes it more likely children will use them in their writing, spelled correctly.

The third way is composing sentence by sentence. The curriculum describes this as encapsulating what they want to say, which means capturing a whole sentence in the head before writing it. A common routine is to say the sentence aloud, count the words on the fingers, hold it in mind while writing it and then read it back to check nothing is missing. Many children at first lose words or change the sentence halfway, and this routine makes writing more secure.

The shape of a plan depends on the kind of writing. For a story, it might show the beginning, the problem and the ending. For a recount it is usually the events in order. For instructions it is the steps, and for a poem it may be a bank of words and phrases. A good plan is quick, usually just a few minutes, and the child can add to it or change it as the writing develops.

Words your child will hear

Plan: Notes, pictures or key words that show what you will write about and in what order.
Key word: An important word you will need, written down so you don’t forget it.
Storyboard: A row of boxes with a small picture or note in each, showing the order of events.
Oral rehearsal: Saying your idea or sentence out loud before you write it.
Sequence: The order in which things happen or are written.
Vocabulary: The words someone knows and uses.
Word bank: A list of useful words to draw on when writing.

What the National Curriculum says

In Year 2, pupils should be taught to:

Consider what they are going to write before beginning by planning or saying out loud what they are going to write about
Consider what they are going to write before beginning by writing down ideas and/or key words, including new vocabulary
Consider what they are going to write before beginning by encapsulating what they want to say, sentence by sentence

Objectives from the National Curriculum in England, © Crown copyright, used under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Try it: planning a short story

Plan a short story about a girl called Mia who loses her kitten in a park.

Say it first. Tell a partner the whole story in a few sentences: Mia is playing with her kitten in the park, the kitten runs off, Mia searches everywhere and finally finds it up a tree. Hearing the shape out loud shows that it has a beginning, a middle and an ending.
Draw four boxes. Box 1: Mia and the kitten at play. Box 2: the kitten runs away. Box 3: Mia looks in the bushes and by the pond. Box 4: she hears a mew, spots the kitten in the tree and is relieved.
Add key words under each box rather than sentences: playing, bounced; scampered, gone; worried, bushes; mewing, rescued.
Pick one or two new words to try. “Scampered” means ran with quick, light steps, so it is better than “ran” for a kitten. Check the meaning before using a word.
Rehearse the first sentence aloud: “Mia and her kitten were playing in the park.” Count the words on the fingers (there are nine), say it again while writing it, then read it back to check every word is there.

A quick plan of four boxes (play, runs away, search, found), with key words under each and a new word such as “scampered” ready to use, followed by one sentence at a time spoken before it is written.

Common mistakes and how to help

Writing a plan in full sentences

Children think that planning means writing the story out first, so a plan can take as long as the piece itself and they then feel they have already written it.

What helps: Use boxes, pictures and key words only, and keep a time limit of a few minutes. If the notes read like a story, they are too long.

Skipping the plan because “it’s all in my head”

A story can feel complete in the head, but once the pencil starts, ideas drift and the ending is missing. Some children also want to get on with the writing.

What helps: Ask them to tell the story to you first. If they can say the beginning, the middle and the ending, the plan can be very short. If they stall, that is the useful part to plan.

Losing the sentence while writing it

The sentence is only held in short-term memory, and spelling a hard word can push it out. The child then leaves words out, or writes something different from what they said.

What helps: Say the sentence, count the words on the fingers, and say it again as each word is written. Read it back to check. Shorter sentences are easier to hold.

Using new vocabulary without checking what it means

Children like to use impressive words from a word bank, but they may use them in the wrong place or write a word they can’t spell.

What helps: Ask for the meaning in their own words and use the word in a spoken sentence first. A good word that is used correctly is worth more than three that are copied.

How to help at home

Tell it before you write it. Before your child writes anything, ask them to tell you what they are going to write, with a beginning, a middle and an ending. Don’t correct as they speak. Just ask a question if something is unclear.
Fold-and-draw storyboard. Fold a sheet of paper into four, draw a quick picture in each part and add one or two words. It takes five minutes and gives a clear order for the writing that follows.
Act it out. Use toys or take parts yourselves to act out a scene before writing about it. What the characters say and do often gives children the words they need.
A new word each week. When you meet an interesting word in a book or in conversation, talk about what it means and try to use it a few times that week. Write it on a sticky note for the fridge.
Say it, count it, write it. Make up a sentence, say it aloud, hold up a finger for each word and write it down. Then read it back together and check that the fingers match the words.

Builds on

Year 1: Saying and sequencing sentences
Year 1: Checking and sharing writing

Leads on to

Years 3 and 4: Planning by learning from model texts
Years 3 and 4: Drafting sentences, paragraphs and stories
Years 3 and 4: Editing, proofreading and reading aloud