Year 2 — Writing

Writing for a purpose

Write for lots of different jobs — a description, a story, a recount (what happened), instructions, an information text, a letter, or a poem.

Back to Year 2

💡Understand

Different writing jobs need different styles. A RECOUNT tells what actually happened, usually in the order it happened (like a diary entry). A LETTER is written TO someone, often starting with 'Dear...'. An INFORMATION TEXT gives true facts about a topic, like a fact page about sharks.

“Dear Grandma, Today I went to the beach and found a beautiful shell. I hope you are well. Love, Amy.”

This is a LETTER — it's written directly TO someone ('Dear Grandma'), it recounts something that happened (going to the beach), and ends with a sign-off ('Love, Amy').

🔍Spot it

What kind of writing is this?

Question 1

"Dear Uncle Jack, Thank you for my birthday present!"

💡 This starts with 'Dear' and is written directly to someone — a letter.

Question 2

"Yesterday, we went to the zoo and saw lions, tigers and monkeys."

💡 This tells us what actually happened, in the past — a recount.

Question 3

"Sharks have existed for over 400 million years and live in every ocean."

💡 This gives real, true facts about a topic — an information text.

🧠Think about it

Why might a recount and a story sound similar, but actually be different kinds of writing?

✍️Try it

What kind of writing is this?

Dear Sam, I hope you feel better soon! Love, Priya.

Question 1

What kind of writing is this?

💡 Look for how it starts and ends.

📝Practise

Choose the correct type of writing for each example.

Question 1

"Last Tuesday, our class visited the museum and saw a real dinosaur skeleton."

Question 2

"Elephants are the largest land animals and can weigh up to 6000kg."

Question 3

"1. Pour the flour into a bowl. 2. Add the eggs. 3. Mix well."

Question 4

In one word, what do we call writing that tells us what really happened, usually in the order it happened?

💡 It's a new word introduced in this lesson.

Question 5

"Dear Diary, Today was the best day ever!"

Question 6

"The moon glows softly, / a silver light in the sky."

🎯Apply

Read the passage, then answer the questions below.

Dear Nan, Last weekend, we went camping and I saw a shooting star for the first time! It was amazing. I can't wait to tell you more. Love, Oliver.

Question 1

What kind of writing is this?

💡 Notice both the 'Dear Nan' opening AND the story of what happened.

Question 2

What did Oliver see for the first time?

Question 3

Who is the letter addressed to?

💡 Look at the very first line of the letter.

🏆Challenge

Can you write a short letter to a friend, telling them about something fun you did recently?

🔄Review

A quick mastery check — 3 questions.

Question 1

"Dear Ms Patel, thank you for helping me with my project."

Question 2

How is a recount different from a story?

Question 3

"Bees collect pollen from flowers to make honey."