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Year 4

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

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

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New
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Year 4

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

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

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. The recount in a diary entry is written mainly in the past tense.
  2. The present perfect tense shows unfinished past actions or past actions that are still relevant now.
  3. The auxiliary verb ‘has’ or ‘have’ is joined to the main verb to change simple past tense into perfect present tense.
  4. Contractions are one element of informal language in a diary entry.
  5. A range of sentence types, including adverbial complex sentences, should be used in a diary entry.

Keywords

  • Exaggeration - overstating for dramatic effect

  • Perfect present tense - the tense used to describe something that started in the past, but has not yet ended

  • Auxiliary verb - the helping verb that is always paired with a main verb

  • Contraction - a shortened way of writing two words where some letters are left out and an apostrophe is used in their place

  • Adverbial complex sentence - a sentence formed of a main clause and an adverbial subordinate clause

Common misconception

Children may struggle to turn a simple past tense sentence into a perfect present tense sentence, especially when this involves changing the main verb.

Explore simple past tense examples where the main verb needs changing as well. E.g. 'It was' becomes 'It has been'.

After the teaching point on contractions, provide children with examples of sentences without contractions to see if they can spot which words could be contracted and how.
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 perspective is a diary entry written in?
Correct answer: first person
second person
third person
Q2.
What tense is a diary entry mainly written in?
Correct answer: past tense
present tense
future tense
Q3.
Where does the date come in a diary entry?
Correct answer: first/at the top
after the greeting
Correct answer: on the left hand side of the page
in the middle of the page
Q4.
What follows the date?
your name
Correct answer: 'Dear Diary,'
the recount
Q5.
Which of the following does your plan for your diary opening include?
full sentences with capital letters and full stops
Correct answer: exaggeration
Correct answer: precise and ambitious vocabulary
unnecessary information
Q6.
Which of the following are examples of appropriate language for the opening of your diary entry?
was a tad concerned
Correct answer: utterly shaken by the sound
Correct answer: felt absolutely crushed that Dad was gone
casual stroll through the forest

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What tense is the recount of a diary entry written in?
Correct answer: past tense
present tense
future tense
Q2.
When do we use the perfect present tense?
to describe something that is happening right now
Correct answer: to describe something that started in the past, but has an effect on the present
to describe something that happened in the past
Q3.
How do you form the perfect present tense?
Correct answer: by pairing an auxiliary verb to the past tense form of the main verb
by pairing an auxiliary verb to the present tense form of the main verb
by pairing an auxiliary verb to the future tense form of the main verb
Q4.
True or false? In the perfect present tense, the past tense form of the main verb always stays the same as the simple past form.
Correct Answer: False, false
Q5.
Match each simple past tense sentence to the perfect present tense version of it.
Correct Answer:I had the craziest day ever.,I have had the craziest day ever.

I have had the craziest day ever.

Correct Answer:I felt overwhelmed all day.,I have felt overwhelmed all day.

I have felt overwhelmed all day.

Correct Answer:Today was a challenging day.,Today has been a challenging day.

Today has been a challenging day.

Q6.
Which piece of punctuation is used in a contraction?
a comma
Correct answer: an apostrophe
an exclamation mark