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      Writing the second entry of Florence Nightingale's diary

      Lesson details

      Learning outcome

      I can write the second entry of Florence Nightingale's diary.

      Key learning points

      1. A diary is an informal piece of writing.
      2. One of the features of informal writing is contracted words.
      3. When writing informally, we use apostrophes for contraction to show two words connected together.

      Keywords

      • Apostrophe for contraction - a punctuation mark used to contract two words together

      • Contraction - two words pushed together

      • Informal - a style or manner that is casual, relaxed, or not bound by strict conventions

      Common misconception

      Pupils may inaccurately use an apostrophe for contraction by not removing letters and just putting the words together with an apostrophe.

      Teach them that the apostrophe indicates where letters have been omitted. Give children examples and non-examples to sort and explain why they are right/wrong.

      Teacher tip

      Teach apostrophes for contraction using the children and mini whiteboards. Get children up to the front to hold a letter on a whiteboard from the word that is going to be contracted. Then, they can physically see the letters being removed when the words are contracted & the apostrophe is added.

      Licence

      This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0
      except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions
      (Collection 2).

      Lesson video

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      Prior knowledge starter quiz

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      True or false? To write from Florence Nightingale's perspective, you'll need to have good knowledge of her life.

      Correct Answer: true, True

      Q2.
      Where was the hospital that Florence worked in located?

      Crimea
      Correct answer: Scutari (Turkey)
      Russia

      Q3.
      Why were the soldiers lying on the floor in the hospital?

      because there weren't any beds
      because the doctors thought it would help
      Correct answer: because there weren't enough beds

      Q4.
      When writing about what Florence did to improve the conditions at the hospital, you'll be using lots of...

      Correct answer: past tense verbs.
      future tense verbs.
      present tense verbs.

      Q5.
      Which of these is a past tense verb?

      scrub
      Correct answer: scrubbed
      scrubbing

      Q6.
      Which of these sentences is not written in the past tense?

      I scrubbed the floors all day.
      I cleaned the bed sheets straight away.
      Correct answer: I will organise the medical equipment tomorrow.

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      True or false? A diary is a formal piece of writing.

      Correct Answer: false, False

      Q2.
      Informal writing contains more of the writer's ...

      drawings.
      Correct answer: personality.
      personal details.

      Q3.
      Who is the intended audience of a diary entry?

      children
      adults
      Correct answer: the person writing it

      Q4.
      What does the word 'contract' mean?

      to pull apart
      Correct answer: to push together
      to split up

      Q5.
      What two words have been contracted to make the word 'couldn't'?

      did not
      Correct answer: could not
      would not

      Q6.
      True or false? An apostrophe usually takes the place of the letters that have been removed from the second word.

      Correct Answer: true, True

      To help you plan your 2 English lesson on: Writing the second entry of Florence Nightingale's diary, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...