New
New
Year 6

Planning Juliet's diary entries

I can plan the structure and content of Juliet's imagined diary entries after meeting Romeo.

New
New
Year 6

Planning Juliet's diary entries

I can plan the structure and content of Juliet's imagined diary entries after meeting Romeo.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Writing is most successful when its content is planned.
  2. A diary entry is most often written retrospectively, but it may contain both present and past tense sections.
  3. Juliet's diary is written as two entries - one on her return from the ball and one after the balcony scene.
  4. A diary entry should include both descriptions of the event(s) and details about the emotions that a character feels.
  5. We can use rich vocabulary and show-not-tell to describe events and emotions.

Keywords

  • Past tense - used to tell the reader that action happened before now

  • Present tense - tells the reader that action is happening now

  • Events - things that happen to a person or a character

  • Emotions - strong feelings experienced by a character in response to their experiences

Common misconception

Pupils may struggle with the idea of jumping between past and present tense.

Explain that this is a common way of writing a diary: the person writing begins by saying how they feel right now before going back to explain the events that led up to them feeling this way.

Encourage diverse responses by modelling alternative thoughts and emotions Juliet could feel; it's not necessary for every pupil's diary to show the same or similar responses.
Teacher tip

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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6 Questions

Q1.
Put these events from 'Romeo and Juliet' in order.
1 - Juliet meets a masked man at her father's ball.
2 - The man kisses her; they do not know each other's names.
3 - Juliet is called away to talk to her mother.
4 - Juliet sends her nurse to find out who the man she kissed was.
5 - Juliet finds out that it was Romeo Montague.
Q2.
Which word below means 'capturing all your attention'?
chiselled
impeccable
Correct answer: mesmerising
flawless
Q3.
Which of these groups of words might you find in a thesaurus next to the word 'handsome'?
kind, generous, friendly
disagreeable, unattractive, plain
Correct answer: striking, good-looking, dishy
contented, cheery, jovial
Q4.
Which synonyms for 'man' are most appropriate for a diary entry written by Juliet, describing Romeo?
fella
Correct answer: fellow
bloke
Correct answer: gentleman
geezer
Q5.
Which of these words describe positive emotions?
Correct answer: ecstatic
inconsolable
desolate
Correct answer: exhilarated
Q6.
Why might Juliet feel 'yearning' when she writes her diary after the ball?
Correct answer: She wants to see Romeo again.
She wants to go back to the ball.
She wants to be part of the Montague family.
She wants to go onto the balcony.

6 Questions

Q1.
Put these sections of our diary plan for Juliet in order.
1 - reflecting on how you feel after the ball
2 - describing meeting Romeo for the first time
3 - describing how you felt when you discovered he was a Montague
4 - an update to include what happened on the balcony
Q2.
When Juliet first writes in her diary after the ball, which events will she cover?
Correct answer: meeting Romeo
Correct answer: kissing Romeo
Correct answer: learning he is a Montague
agreeing to marry him
Q3.
When Juliet is first writing in her diary, what might she be feeling?
Correct answer: yearning to see Romeo again
excited that she will see Romeo soon
Correct answer: frustrated that he is a Montague
thrilled to be marrying Romeo soon
Q4.
When Juliet writes in her diary the second time, after the balcony scene, what is she likely to be feeling?
upset that Romeo is a Montague
Correct answer: exhilarated at the thought of being married
Correct answer: ecstatic that she has been able to see Romeo again
melancholy because she won't get to see Romeo again
Q5.
Which of the following are common features of a diary entry?
Correct answer: describing events that have happened to you
making requests to the person reading
Correct answer: describing emotions you feel
Correct answer: describing thoughts you have
Q6.
Which of these examples uses 'show-not-tell' to indicate Juliet's emotions?
I'm just ecstatic!
I feel so melancholy.
Correct answer: As I write, the words in this diary are being smudged by my tears.
I wonder what Romeo is doing now?