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Year 4

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

I can write a paragraph of a diary entry based on ‘Into the Forest’.

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New
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Year 4

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

I can write a paragraph of a diary entry based on ‘Into the Forest’.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. This paragraph recounts the boy’s encounters with characters in the forest and conveys how his emotions heighten.
  2. Diary entries should include specific linguistic features (past tense, first person perspective and informal language).
  3. Fronted adverbials of time help clearly sequence the encounters.
  4. A relative complex sentence uses a relative pronoun (who or which) to provide greater detail about a noun.
  5. A relative clause can follow the main clause in a relative complex sentence or be embedded within it.

Keywords

  • Emotions - strong feelings that result from a person’s circumstances, mood, or relationships with others

  • Fronted adverbial of time - a sentence starter that tells the reader when something happened

  • Relative complex sentence - a sentence formed of a main clause and a relative subordinate clause

Common misconception

Children may struggle to embed a relative clause and they may forgot the necessary commas needed to demarcate a relative clause.

Ensure there is a model of a relative complex sentence where the relative clause follows the main clause and one where the relative clause is embedded. Write the relative clause and commas in a different colour to make them visually stand out.

Create a visual timeline of the boy's encounters with a range of vocabulary annotated for each that models avoiding repetition when describing 'encountering' someone and 'walking away' from them.
Teacher tip

Equipment

You need a copy of the 2022 Puffin Books edition of ‘Into the Forest’ by Anthony Browne for this lesson.

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What is a fronted adverbial?
Correct answer: a sentence starter followed by a comma
a sentence starter followed by an apostrophe
a word or words that can tell the reader where a noun is
Q2.
Match the type of fronted adverbial to its correct definition.
Correct Answer:fronted adverbial of time,a sentence starter that tells the reader when something happens

a sentence starter that tells the reader when something happens

Correct Answer:fronted adverbial of place,a sentence starter that tells the reader where something is or happens

a sentence starter that tells the reader where something is or happens

Correct Answer:fronted adverbial of manner,a sentence starter that tells the reader how something happens

a sentence starter that tells the reader how something happens

Q3.
Match each sentence type to the correct definition.
Correct Answer:simple sentence,a sentence about one idea that makes complete sense

a sentence about one idea that makes complete sense

Correct Answer:compound sentence,a sentence formed of two main clauses and a coordinating conjunction

a sentence formed of two main clauses and a coordinating conjunction

Correct Answer:adverbial complex sentence,a sentence formed of a main clause and an adverbial subordinate clause

a sentence formed of a main clause and an adverbial subordinate clause

Q4.
Which coordinating conjunctions need a comma preceding them in a compound sentence?
and
Correct answer: or
Correct answer: but
Q5.
True or false? An adverbial complex sentence always contains a comma.
Correct Answer: False, false
Q6.
Put the following characters in the order in which the boy encounters them in the forest.
1 - a confusing boy, who was leading a cow on a rope
2 - an angry girl, who had long golden plaits
3 - a pair of abandoned, hungry children, who were sat by a tree

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Match each type of fronted adverbial to the correct example.
Correct Answer:fronted adverbial of time,Before long,

Before long,

Correct Answer:fronted adverbial of place,In the middle of the path,

In the middle of the path,

Correct Answer:fronted adverbial of manner,With fear,

With fear,

Q2.
Match each sentence type to the correct example.
Correct Answer:simple sentence,It was so dark and eerie.

It was so dark and eerie.

Correct Answer:compound sentence,She fiercely demanded the cake, but I managed to get away quickly!

She fiercely demanded the cake, but I managed to get away quickly!

Correct Answer:adverbial complex sentence,As I walked through the forest, I wondered if I had made a mistake.

As I walked through the forest, I wondered if I had made a mistake.

Q3.
What is a relative complex sentence?
a sentence made up of one main clause
a sentence made up of two main clauses and a coordinating conjunction
a sentence made up of a main clause and an adverbial subordinate clause
Correct answer: a sentence made up of a main clause and a relative subordinate clause
Q4.
Which of the following are relative pronouns that are used to begin a relative subordinate clause?
when
where
Correct answer: who
Correct answer: which
Q5.
True or false? The relative clause always follows the main clause in a relative complex sentence.
Correct Answer: False, false
Q6.
What piece of punctuation must separate the relative clause from the main clause?
Correct answer: a comma
a question mark
an exclamation mark
an apostrophe