This document provides guidance on writing engaging diary entries, emphasizing creativity, detail, and personal feelings over strict adherence to spelling and grammar. Key steps include being descriptive, using the first person, and incorporating visuals, alongside a structure that includes a date and organized paragraphs. It also introduces a lesson plan for writing a diary entry based on the historical figure Grace Darling, encouraging emotional expression and the use of vivid vocabulary.

1. How to Write a Diary Entry
and Make It Interesting
A diary is a way of keeping track of your
memories.
To make diary writing a part of your daily
life, focus on getting in the habit of
writing and being creative!

2. Don't worry about others' opinions
Diary writing is for you, not for anyone else. When you
write in your diary, don't worry too much about the
rules of spelling and grammar or how other people
might judge what you write.

3. 1. Be detailed
Even something very interesting can seem plain when described
without much detail. For example, you could write: "I saw my
favorite band play a concert tonight.“
On the other hand, describing the wild applause of the crowd, the
guitar player's amazing solo, and the moment when the singer bent
down and kissed someone in the front row on the cheek makes this
memory come alive. That will make it more interesting to write, and
to read later.

4. 2. Write about thoughts and feelings, not just
events
Following the previous example, you could describe the
anticipation you felt in the moments before your favorite
band walked onto the stage, how the sound of the bass
made your whole body feel like it is shaking, how excited
and happy you were when they played your favorite song,
and so on.

5. 3. Be honest
Suppressing your feelings in your journal entries will
make the experience of writing less satisfying. Since you
are writing for yourself alone, you should feel free to
explore your thoughts and feelings in a deep and
substantial way, without fear of judgment.

6. 4. Use your diary for creative writing
Some people use their diaries to write short stories or other works of
fiction.
• This material will become a first draft for something you develop more
fully later.

7. 5. Add visuals
This can be anything from a fully developed scrapbook spread, to some
simple drawings you add in the margin.
For example, after going to see your favorite band, you could tape the
ticket stub on the page you've used to write about the concert.

8. Structure
Use the basic rules of paragraphing with each
paragraph having a topic sentence and a clear
focus.
This will help you and your reader to
understand your thoughts.

9. Format
Top left- Date, day and time.
Tense Most frequently used- Simple past, Present
perfect and future.
First person application.

11. Steps
1. Begin the entry with general sentence describing the day
or momentary feelings.
2. In the body, you may discuss an event, your feelings
towards it. How it is likely to affect your future.
3. Conclude with final remark and future course of action.

12. To write a diary entry based on a person in history.
This lesson includes:
• one video telling the story of Grace Darling
• one video to remind you how to plan your writing
• three activities
Learning focus

13. Learn
This film tells the true-life story of Grace Darling, including her
heroic efforts to rescue the survivors of a shipwreck during a storm.
Watch the following clip to learn about the story of Grace Darling.
• She was the daughter of a lighthouse keeper who heroically risked
her life to rescue some strangers who had been shipwrecked.
• You will be writing a diary entry about this memorable day later in
the lesson.

14. VIDEO
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCL1x7wHQLY

15. A diary entry is a form of recount in which the writer explains what has
happened to them.
Here's a checklist of the key features to use when you write a diary entry:
• Start with 'Dear Diary’.
• Describe the places where the events happened.
• Write in the past tense.
• Use pronouns like I, my and me to show that the events happened to
you.
• Talk about how you were feeling or what you were thinking when each
event happened.
• Use interesting vocabulary.

16. Activity 1
You're now going to plan a diary entry for Grace Darling
Make your plan on a sheet of paper.
Remember:
• A diary entry is a form of recount, so you are retelling the story as if you are
Grace on the day of the big rescue.
• This is not the actual writing, so you don’t need to write in full sentences.
Top tip!
• Diaries often include the writer’s emotions. So, think about how Grace would
be feeling during the events in the story.

17. Activity 2
Now write Grace Darling’s diary entry.
• As you write, use the checklist from the start of the lesson to
remind yourself of the key features you should try to include.
• Don't forget to use your plan and organize your writing
using paragraphs too.
Top tip!
• The video uses lots of interesting words.
For example: So, feeling both nervous and excited, I helped father
to launch our rowing boat into the raging sea.
• You could use some of these impressive words in your writing.

18. Activity 3
• Read your diary entry aloud.
• Ask your classmates what they like about your diary entry
and how they think you could improve it next time.
• Look at the checklist again. Have you included all the
features in your writing?
• Underneath your writing, using a different colored pen,
write down:
- two things that you really like about your diary entry
- one thing that you would like to improve. Maybe you
missed something from the checklist?