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Level 1Week 33WritingReading

Write a postcard from the seaside

A postcard is short, personal and fun to write. Children read Ava's postcard to Grandma Ruth, notice its parts, then write one of their own about a real or imaginary visit.

Ages 6 to 8Pre-A1 to A160 minutesChecked 7 November 2026

At a glance

From
Level 1, Next Steps English: Week 33, Describing experiences
Grammar
mixing known tenses
Key language
Dear... / Today I am at... / The weather is... / Yesterday I went to... / It was fun! / Love from...
Children make
A five-line postcard with a picture.
Class size
Works with 10 to 50 children; pair and group steps say how to scale.

Objective

By the end of the lesson children can write a short postcard with a greeting, where they are, the weather, one thing they did yesterday and a sign-off.

Success criteria for children

  • I can start with "Dear..." and end with "Love from..."
  • I can say where I am and what the weather is.
  • I can write one thing I did yesterday.

Timing: 60 minutes

MinutesStageWhat happens
0 to 5Warm-up: where are we?Show holiday pictures; children say where they are and the weather.
5 to 13Read the model postcardRead the model, find the five parts and underline the key language.
13 to 23Language: yesterday I went...Practise the past forms went, swam, ate, played, saw with pictures and gestures.
23 to 33Plan and write togetherWrite a class postcard on the board using the five parts as a frame.
33 to 48Write your own postcardChildren write their own five-line postcard and draw the picture side.
48 to 55Check and shareCheck with a partner using the checklist and read one line aloud.
55 to 60Exit ticketEach child says one thing they wrote.

Materials

  • A real postcard or a large paper copy of the model below
  • A4 paper folded or cut into postcard shape (optional) or the worksheet
  • Pictures of beaches, castles and ice cream for ideas
  • Crayons and pencils
  • Writing practice (free, linked from Week 33)
  • Level 2 reading (free, linked from Week 33)

Before the lesson: Choose a place to write about (a real trip or an imaginary one) and write your own example on the board. Write a word bank on the board: sunny, rainy, windy, hot, cold; beach, castle, park, farm, lake; swam, played, ate, saw, went.

Step by step, with teacher talk

0 to 5 minWarm-up: where are we?

  1. Show a picture of a beach. "I'm at the beach. It's sunny." Children say the same for other pictures.

5 to 13 minRead the model postcard

  1. Read Ava's postcard aloud. Children listen and then read it together.
  2. Find the parts together: greeting (Dear...), where I am, weather, what I did, sign-off (Love from...). Colour-code each part.
Concept-check questions
  • Who is the postcard to? (Grandma Ruth.) Where is Ava? (At the seaside / at the beach.)

13 to 23 minLanguage: yesterday I went...

  1. Say "Today I'm at the beach. Yesterday I went to the castle." Children repeat the pattern.
  2. Show picture cards: "I swam." "I ate an ice cream." "I played on the sand." "I saw a crab." Children mime each one.
  3. Make true sentences with a partner: "Yesterday I ... ." Use a made-up trip.
Teacher talk

"Today I am at the beach. Yesterday I went to a castle. I ate an ice cream. It was fun!"

Concept-check questions
  • Is "went" now or yesterday? (Yesterday.) Do we say "I goed" or "I went"? (I went.)

23 to 33 minPlan and write together

  1. Ask the class for each part and write their ideas: "Dear Mum," "Today I am at the lake." "The weather is windy." "Yesterday I went to the farm." "Love from Sam."
  2. Point to the capital letters at the start of each line and the full stops.

33 to 48 minWrite your own postcard

  1. Give out the worksheet. Children choose a place and write the five lines. Walk round and help with spelling using the word bank.
  2. Children who finish draw the picture side and add a second sentence about yesterday.

48 to 55 minCheck and share

  1. Pairs check: Dear... Where I am. Weather. Yesterday. Love from... Capital letters and full stops.
  2. Choose three children to read their postcards aloud.

55 to 60 minExit ticket

  1. See the exit ticket.

Differentiation

Support

  • Give a sentence frame with only the place, weather and one activity to fill in.
  • Allow children to copy the five lines from the board and change one word each.
  • Let the child draw first, then write labels.

Stretch

  • Add a sentence about today: "Today I'm swimming."
  • Add "I'm with my family" and a question: "How are you?"
  • Write two sentences about yesterday using "and".

Reading passage

A model postcard. Read it aloud, then find the five parts.

Reading passage: A postcard from Ava

Dear Grandma Ruth,

Today I am at the beach with Mum and Dad. The weather is sunny and hot. The sea is blue.

Yesterday I went to a castle. I ate an ice cream and I saw a big crab. It was fun!

Love from Ava

Questions

  1. Who is Ava writing to?
  2. Where is Ava now?
  3. What is the weather like?
  4. Where did Ava go yesterday?
  5. What did she eat?

Printable worksheet

Prints on its own A4 page. Use Print the worksheet above, or print the whole plan and the worksheet starts on a new page. One copy per child, or one per pair to save paper.

Litlings Free English · Level 1 · Week 33NameDate

My postcard

1. Write your postcard.

Dear ______________,Today I am at the ______________.The weather is ______________.Yesterday I ______________.Love from ______________

2. Draw the picture side.

My picture

3. Check.

Yes
1. I wrote Dear and Love from.
2. I wrote where I am.
3. I wrote the weather.
4. I wrote one thing I did yesterday.
Free to copy for classroom use.english.litlings.com/lesson-plans/write-a-postcard-lesson/

Answer key

Reading passage questions

  1. Grandma Ruth.
  2. At the beach.
  3. Sunny and hot.
  4. To a castle.
  5. An ice cream.

Worksheet

  • 1: answers will vary. Check the five parts, a capital letter on names and at the start of each line, and a full stop at the end of each sentence.
  • 2: the picture should match the place and weather the child wrote.
  • 3: children tick when they find each part. If a part is missing, ask them to add it.

Exit ticket

At the door ask "Where are you on your postcard?" and "What did you do yesterday?" Each child answers in one sentence. Tick: both answered, one answered, needs help.

Homework

Write a second postcard to someone you know, about a real place. Bring it next lesson.

Teaching this to a whole class?

Litlings lets you plan lessons like this one, set photo and voice homework, and see who needs help. Free for up to 40 pupils.

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More lesson plans

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Sources and free resources
  • Level 1, Week 33: Describing experiences (the curriculum week this plan comes from)
  • All reading texts, dialogues, scripts, worksheets and answer keys on this page are original to Litlings and free to copy for classroom use.