This is a mixed age planning unit for year 1 and 2.

Sentence level progression

When giving or writing instructions, three grammatical constructions are possible.

• The imperative mood. This is the form used when giving orders, e.g. "Stand still", "Turn on the printer".
• The auxiliary verb "must", e.g. "You must turn on the printer".
• The impersonal second person present tense, e.g. "You turn on the printer," "You open the door."
• It is not intended that all three of these should be taught in Y1 and 2. The third of these is probably the one most likely to be used by younger children. In this unit, therefore, the focus is on supporting children in moving from descriptive past tense, e.g. "I turned on the printer" to second person present tense, e.g. "You turn on the printer". However, if children are naturally using either of the other constructions as well, you could discuss the differences and support the children in using one construction consistently in their writing. Older children should be encouraged to practise giving instructions using different forms on different occasions as appropriate.

Phase 1:
The teacher demonstrates a practical activity and the children are given plenty of opportunities to try out and discuss the activity themselves.

Phase 2:
The teacher and the children analyse the activity orally and practise giving oral instructions using simple instructional language. The teacher and children read simple instructions together and analyse features of layout.

Phase 3:
The teacher demonstrates how to write simple instructions and edits and scribes as the children volunteer suggestions. Children write simple instructions independently.