James and the Giant Peach week 2

This resource covers Week 2 of our English sequence (Lessons 8–11) and supports children in developing high-quality descriptive writing inspired by James and the Giant Peach. To promote reading for pleasure and broaden pupils’ exposure to Roald Dahl, all grammatical elements are taught through scenes from Matilda, allowing children to apply familiar skills to a new Dahl text without repeating previous content.

Across these lessons, pupils explore:

Past progressive tense

Powerful verbs, adjectives and adverbs

Coordinating conjunctions (BOYS)

Paired coordinating conjunctions for greater depth

Editing and improving sentences based on model writing

The week builds towards an extended writing task where children produce two descriptive paragraphs based on James’ journey inside the peach, applying grammar and sentence structures learned through Matilda. This approach ensures continuity of skill, rich vocabulary development, and deeper engagement with Roald Dahl’s storytelling world.