What the lesson is about

Pupils first learn of instructions in list formats, such as personal reminders and simple planning notes, and soon move on to writing their own instructions for everyday activities and processes.

Getting started

Instructional writing uses the second person, imperative mood (or “bossy verbs”) and often employs time connectives, such as “first”, “next”, “finally”. The correct order of instructions is vital, so sequencing activities are widely used. This collection features plenty of sequencing and instructional activities for use in the classroom.

Missnugent has created and shared a cross-curricular lesson plan, suitable for key stage 1 (P1-3) lessons that will link instructional writing with history, science and design and technology across two weeks.

To introduce instructional writing, tallonr has shared a PowerPoint presentation to help children understand what instructions are, where you can find them, and how they are presented. To test their knowledge, pupils are then asked to create their own set of instructions on how to make a sandwich.

Sparkles28 has shared a sorting activity for a “monster soup”. Pupils are given cut-outs of the ingredients they will need to use to fill in the gaps of the recipe.

Taking it further

For KS2 (P4-7) pupils, there are resources that develop their ability to write instructions. Getrichquick has supplied a selection of materials, including lesson plans and worksheets, on the topic. One activity asks pupils to identify the “bossy verbs” in a series of sentences; another encourages them to create their own set of instructions, with diagrams, on how to clean your teeth.

Where to find it

www.tes.co.ukinstructional-texts.