The Forgotten Greenhouse gives Year 5 pupils a scene to write. At sunset they find a hidden, overgrown greenhouse with their best friend, and something unexpected lies beneath the damp vines. Pupils plan, borrow from a word bank, then draft a scene that mixes description with dialogue. The three pages cover the England National Curriculum objectives on settings, atmosphere and dialogue. Success criteria are included instead of an answer key.
Writing - composition
“Selecting appropriate grammar and vocabulary, understanding how such choices can change and enhance meaning”
The Vocabulary Bank and the last success criterion ask pupils to choose verbs and adjectives with care.
Writing - composition
“In narratives, describing settings, characters and atmosphere and integrating dialogue to convey character and advance the action”
The task asks for an eerie setting first, then a conversation that shows the characters and moves the plot.
The brief sets the scene and adds a Craft Challenge: one strong simile and dialogue punctuated with inverted commas.
Four questions cover sensory details, how the companion reacts to surprises, the hidden object or creature, and how the dialogue moves the story on.
Twelve words to borrow, including twilight, silhouette, hesitated and rustled.
Three checks: precise setting vocabulary, dialogue that reveals character and moves the action, and well-chosen verbs and adjectives.
Lined space for the finished scene.
Shared writing
Write the first two sentences together using twilight and silhouette, then let pupils carry on alone.
Dialogue focus
Teach inverted commas the lesson before. The Craft Challenge then shows whether the rules have stuck.
Self-assessment
Pupils tick the Success Criteria against their draft, then swap with a partner to find each other's simile.
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