Year 2 English · Key Stage 1 · Writing – composition

Year 2 writing: stories, real events and poems

In Year 2, children write for a range of reasons: to tell a story, to record something that really happened, to play with words in a poem, and to do other jobs such as giving information or saying thank you. The curriculum is clear that the aim is positive attitudes and stamina: children who enjoy writing and can keep going for longer. Spelling, handwriting and grammar are developed alongside, but the starting point is having something to say and a reason to say it.

Writing for different purposes, explained

Writing in Year 2 starts to look more like the writing adults do. Children write for a purpose and for a reader, and the purpose shapes the writing. A story is meant to entertain, an account of a school trip is meant to tell someone what happened, and a poem is meant to make us notice words and feelings. When children understand why they are writing, they make better choices about what to put in and how to say it.

Narratives, or stories, come in two kinds at this age. Children write about personal experiences, such as a day at the seaside or the time they lost a tooth, and about the experiences of others, who may be real people or imaginary characters. A simple narrative has a beginning that introduces a character and a setting, a middle where something happens, and an ending that brings it to a close. Reading and listening to whole books, not only extracts, helps children see how stories are put together, and the characters and plots they meet in books often turn up in their own writing.

Writing about real events is a different job. Here the writing must be true, the events should be in the order they happened, and the writing is usually in the past tense. Children might write about a visit, a class experiment or something that happened at the weekend. Many schools call this a recount. Time words such as first, then, after that and in the end help hold it together. A good recount includes details that make the reader feel they were there: what was seen, heard and felt, not just a list of places.

Poetry is part of the Year 2 curriculum too. Schools choose which kinds of poems to teach, but typical choices are list poems, poems built on a repeated line, shape poems and short poems about the senses or the weather. Poems do not have to rhyme. Children are learning to choose words carefully, to use short lines and to read their poems aloud. Teachers often read a poem several times before asking pupils to write their own.

Alongside these, children write for other purposes: a letter or a thank-you note, a set of instructions, a caption or a short piece of information about an animal. Which of these a class tries depends on the school and the topic they are studying. Whatever the purpose, the curriculum’s emphasis is on stamina: over Year 2 children build up to writing several sentences in a sequence and staying with a piece of work until it is finished, with the support of talk, planning and rereading.

Words your child will hear

Purpose: The reason a piece of writing exists, such as to tell a story or explain what happened.
Audience: The person or people who will read it.
Narrative: A story, either real or made up.
Recount: A true account of something that happened, in the order it happened.
Setting: Where and when a story takes place.
Character: A person or animal in a story.
Poem: A piece of writing arranged in lines, often with a pattern, that uses words to show feelings or pictures.

What the National Curriculum says

In Year 2, pupils should be taught to:

Develop positive attitudes towards and stamina for writing by writing narratives about personal experiences and those of others (real and fictional)
Develop positive attitudes towards and stamina for writing by writing about real events
Develop positive attitudes towards and stamina for writing by writing poetry
Develop positive attitudes towards and stamina for writing by writing for different purposes

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

Try it: writing about a real event

Your child went on a class trip to a farm. Write about it for a friend who was away that day.

Decide the purpose and the reader. The purpose is to tell a friend what happened, so this is writing about a real event. It needs to be true and in order, and it should include enough detail for the friend to picture the day.
Choose the order. The trip has a beginning (the coach journey), a middle (meeting the goats and having a picnic) and an end (going back to school). Put the main parts in the order they happened.
Start by saying who, when and where. “On Tuesday our class went to a farm on the coach” tells the reader the day, the people and the place in one sentence.
Add detail from the senses and feelings. Instead of “We saw goats”, write what it was like: the goat’s tongue felt rough and wet. One sharp detail is worth more than three vague sentences.
Use time words to link the parts, such as first, after that and at the end of the day. They help the reader follow the order.
Finish with a feeling or a thought about the day, and check that the verbs are all in the past tense.

On Tuesday our class went to a farm on the coach. First we met the goats and fed them from a bucket. A goat licked my hand and its tongue felt rough and wet. After that we ate our picnic on the grass and I shared my crisps with Zara. At the end of the day I was tired, but I wanted to go back.

Common mistakes and how to help

Writing a long chain of “and then” events

Children find it easy to say what happened next, so each sentence starts with “then”. In a story this leaves out the problem, and in a recount it leaves out the detail that makes it interesting.

What helps: Ask “what was the best bit?” and “what went wrong?”, and write more about that one part. In a story, add something that changes: a surprise, a problem or a feeling.

Thinking every poem has to rhyme

Nursery rhymes and many picture-book verses rhyme, so children assume rhyme is what makes a poem. Forced rhymes often make the sense disappear.

What helps: Read some poems that don’t rhyme and talk about what makes them poems: short lines, careful words, repeated phrases. Try a list poem such as “Things that are yellow” first.

Writing everything in the same way, whatever the purpose

Children tend to use the voice they know best, usually the story voice. A set of instructions or a true account ends up with made-up details, or a story ends up as a bare list of facts.

What helps: Before writing, ask “Who is reading this, and what do they want to know?” A friend wants to know what really happened, and a reader of a story wants to be curious.

Saying “I can’t think of anything to write”

A blank page is daunting. Many Year 2 children are still working hard at spelling and handwriting, so there is little energy left for ideas.

What helps: Start with talk or a drawing, or with something real that happened that day. Once the ideas are spoken, the writing is much easier to start.

How to help at home

Three things from today. At tea or bedtime, ask your child to tell you three things that happened that day, in order. Telling it aloud is practice for a recount, and you can later write it down together.
Write for a real reader. A postcard to a grandparent, a thank-you note, a note for a friend or a list of rules for a game gives writing a point. Short and real is better than long and forced.
Read poems and stories aloud. Enjoy a poem together and notice what the words do, whether they rhyme or not. Afterwards try a list poem of your own, such as “Things that are loud” or “What I can see from the window”, with one line each.
A little diary. Offer a notebook for a few sentences a day or a few times a week. It builds stamina without pressure, and you can show interest by asking to read it aloud.
Praise ideas before spelling. Respond first to what your child said and how it made you feel. Point out one lovely word or line, and leave corrections for later, so writing stays enjoyable.

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