Free English / Writing / Level 1 / A postcard

Writing · Level 1 · Years 1 and 2 · Unit 4 of 6 · Postcard

A postcard

Children write a short postcard to someone they love from a real or imagined place.

6sessions

30 to 40minutes each

Years 1 and 2ages 6 to 8

Pre-A1 to A1CEFR

By the end

Children write a postcard with a greeting, two or three sentences about the place, a feeling and a sign-off.

How the unit runs

6 sessions, 8 parts

Every writing unit follows the same eight parts: read, talk, learn the sentence skill, plan, write together, write alone, check, publish. This unit fits them into 6 sessions of about 30 to 40 minutes.

Session	Parts	What happens
Session 1	Part 1: Read and enjoy + Part 2: Talk it	Read and enjoy "A postcard from the beach". Find 3 features to notice. Oral rehearsal games: Where am I?, List it, Postcard line-up.
Session 2	Part 3: Sentence skill	Teach the sentence skill: Questions and exclamations.
Session 3	Part 4: Plan	Plan on the frame: my postcard plan.
Session 4	Part 5: Shared write	The teacher models the writing, thinking aloud.
Session 5	Part 6: Independent write	Children write independently, with support and stretch.
Session 6	Part 7: Check + Part 8: Publish	Check against the success criteria and the editing checklist. Publish for a real reader on the printable template.

Curriculum link. Year 2 composition: writing for different purposes. Appendix 2: exclamation marks; commas to separate items in a list; how sentence patterns show statement, question, exclamation. Sources: see the end of this page.

Part 1 of 8

Read and enjoy a model text

Read it aloud first, or press the button. Talk about what the writer has done before anyone writes. This text was written for Litlings and is free to copy for your class.

A postcard from the beach · Postcard

Dear Grandma, We are at the beach. The sea is cold and the sand is warm. I made a big sandcastle. I saw crabs, shells and a seagull. Wish you were here! Love from Priya.

What to notice

Dear Grandma,A postcard starts by saying who it is for.
crabs, shells and a seagullCommas separate items in a list. And goes before the last one.
Wish you were here!A warm exclamation to finish, then love from and your name.

Part 2 of 8

Talk it: oral rehearsal

Talk comes before writing. Children say the sentences, then the paragraph, before the pencil moves.

Where am I?

Show a picture of a place. Children imagine they are there. Say: I am at ___. I can see ___. I can hear ___.

List it

Say three things you can see in a list: I can see crabs, shells and a seagull. Hold up a finger for each.

Postcard line-up

Give each child a part of a postcard (greeting, place, activity, feeling, sign-off). Stand in order.

Part 3 of 8

Sentence skill: Questions and exclamations

A question asks and ends with a question mark. An exclamation shows strong feeling and ends with an exclamation mark.

Teach it in four steps

Write Dear and the name, then a comma.
Say where you are and what you can see.
Use commas in a list, and before the last item.
End with a feeling and love from your name.

Examples

Start	Becomes or shows
I can see crabs shells and a seagull	I can see crabs, shells and a seagull.
wish you were here	Wish you were here!
are you having fun	Are you having fun?

Practise: Questions and exclamations

Part 4 of 8

Plan: My postcard plan

Plan each part of your postcard before you write. Children say each part aloud to a partner first, then jot notes. Type here, or print the frame to use on paper. It prints on one A4 page.

Who is it for?Dear ___,Where am I?I am at ___.Three things I can see or doWrite a list.How do I feel?I wish you were here!FromLove from ___.

Download PDF

Everything you type stays in this browser, on this device. Nothing is sent anywhere.

Part 5 of 8

Shared write: the teacher models

A script for the teacher. Think aloud, make the choices visible, and make one deliberate slip to fix.

SayI am sending a postcard to my gran. Dear Gran, with a comma.
Dowrite Dear Gran, on the first line.
SayI am at the park. I can see ducks, swings and a kite. A list needs commas.
Dowrite the list with commas, and put and before the last item.
SayI will finish with a feeling: I wish you were here! Then Love from, and my name.
Saynow you. Choose a place, plan your postcard on the frame, then write it.

Part 6 of 8

Independent write

The task

Write a postcard to someone you love from a real or imagined place. Include a list of three things.

Sentence starters

Dear ___,
I am at ___.
I can see ___, ___ and ___.
Wish you were here!
Love from ___.

Word bank

Dear
beach
park
farm
sea
sand
big
wish
love
from

Support

Give a postcard frame with the sign-off already written. Children fill in the middle.

Stretch

Add a question for the reader: Are you having fun?

English as an additional or foreign language. Show a real postcard. Label each part in English and the home language of the class.

Part 7 of 8

Check: success criteria and editing

Children read their writing aloud, tick what they have done and fix what they have not. Ticks are saved on this device only.

Success criteria

I start with Dear and the name.I say where I am and what I can see.I use commas in a list.I end with a feeling and love from my name.

Editing checklist

Printable Level 1 editing checklist

Part 8 of 8

Publish for a real reader

Write the finished postcard on the printable template, draw a stamp, and post it in a class postbox. A real recipient makes it matter.

Printable template: Postcard

One A4 page, blank for handwriting. Print from the browser or download the PDF.

Download PDF

Keep going

In this course

Elsewhere on the site

Sources

Curriculum statements are paraphrased from the documents above. Model texts and activities are original to Litlings.