51ºÚÁÏ

Ideal for KS2 diary writing | Based on the first 3 chapters of Kensuke’s Kingdom | Fully resourced and adaptable for Y4–Y6

Bring Michael Morpurgo’s Kensuke’s Kingdom to life with this engaging four-lesson writing unit, designed to develop diary writing skills through powerful sentence structures and rich language features. Perfect for developing cohesive narrative writing and used successfully for lesson observations in UKS2.

What’s included:
✔ 4 detailed lesson plans (starter, main input, activity, plenary)
✔ PowerPoints with prompts and modelled examples
✔ Word mats for vocabulary and grammar support
✔ Scaffolded planning pages
✔ Grammar activities to build sentence fluency
✔ Diary writing checklist and editing support

Lesson Overview:
Lesson 1 – Writing with Adverbials
Focus: summarising events, using adverbial openers, exploring character thoughts and feelings.

Lesson 2 – Using Cohesive Devices in a Recount
Focus: recount structure, personal reflection, descriptive language including similes and metaphors.

Lesson 3 – Writing Dialogue Between Characters
Focus: speech punctuation, layout of dialogue, developing voice and perspective.

Lesson 4 (or 4 & 5) – Using Clause Structures to Create Flow
Focus: combining sentence types, dialogue for action, atmosphere, vocabulary for impact, and grammatical precision.

Grammar and Writing Skills Covered:

• Adverbials, conjunctions, prepositional phrases
• Subordinate and relative clauses
• Dialogue layout and speech punctuation
• Similes, metaphors, and vivid description
• Passive and modal verbs
• Sentence variety and cohesion

Why teachers love this resource:
✔ Adaptable across KS2
✔ Rated Outstanding by SLT during observations
✔ Strong links to grammar and reading objectives
✔ Promotes creativity, empathy, and deep understanding of the text

Perfect for:

• Upper KS2 writing lessons
• English units based on novels
• Diary or recount writing
• Interview and observation lessons

Tags: UKS2, KS2, Y5, Y6, Y4, diary writing, Kensuke’s Kingdom, Michael Morpurgo, novel unit, observation lesson, literacy, English, narrative, cohesion, grammar, outstanding teaching