Children are often asked to do factual writing in which they may have to give an account of something that happened, such as a description of a class visit. Some find it difficult to write interestingly about what they did at the weekend or about the class trip to a zoo. The temptation for is to turn this into a long list of 'and then we did this' 'and then we did that'. At other times, children might be asked to write up an account of an experiment or instructions.

In this unit, children are presented with activities to write about what they see, what they do, and what they know. The activities are very much like the ones they may have to do in class.

In the first activity they read a short self-description written by someone else. Then they are invited to write about themselves by completing gaps in sentences. The second activity is based on writing about a trip to the zoo. In the last activity they must read and listen to instructions for an experiment and write it up in the right order to make a sensible report.

This unit will help your child with the skills they will need for many different subjects where they will be expected to do factual writing (such as history, science and geography). You can help them by showing interest in what they are doing and asking them to describe where they have been and what they have done in school. Ask them to show you what they wrote about a visit with the school, or to explain an experiment for science. Encourage them to keep a diary in their holidays and compare it with what you have written.