Create a New Story

Overview

In this fourth lesson of Choose Create Celebrate Books, students transform an idea from a chosen book into an original text. They may create an alternative ending, character crossover, sequel, comic, storyboard or short performance script while learning to organise a narrative through orientation, complication and resolution.

Learning intentions

Students will:

• plan and draft an original response inspired by a chosen book.
• use orientation, complication and resolution to organise ideas.
• adapt ideas without copying characters, wording or events.
• select a format and communication method that suits their strengths.
• give and respond to constructive feedback.

Success criteria

• I can explain which book idea inspired my creation.
• I can show an orientation, complication and resolution.
• I can make my characters, setting and events meaningfully different.
• I can use words, drawings, speech, typing or performance to communicate my story.

Curriculum links

• Creating imaginative texts that draw on ideas, characters, settings or issues from texts studied.
• Developing and adapting literary ideas for different audiences, purposes and forms.
• Planning, drafting, revising and presenting texts using appropriate structure, language and technology.
• Understanding how narrative choices, viewpoint, vocabulary and literary devices shape meaning.

Lesson structure (45 minutes)

1. 0–5 minutes – Welcome and hook Open with the opening story challenge and ask: “How could this story change if one important choice were different?” Students briefly share one possible change from a familiar or chosen book. Establish that inspiration means borrowing an idea or spark, not copying exact words, characters or plot events.

2. 5–12 minutes – Teach narrative structure Use the narrative structure slides to model a short example: orientation introduces who, where and when; complication creates a problem or change; resolution shows what happens next or how the problem is addressed. Think aloud while changing a familiar fairytale into a science-fiction story, deliberately altering the setting, characters and events.

3. 12–17 minutes – Choose a pathway and plan Display the choice-board instructions and offer students a choice of alternative ending, crossover, sequel, comic, storyboard or performance script. Distribute the original story planning sheet. Students record their chosen book, inspiration, format, audience and three-part story plan. They may write, draw, type or dictate ideas.

4. 17–32 minutes – Create and draft Students work independently or in pairs. The teacher conferences with each student, checking that the new idea is recognisably inspired but not copied. Provide sentence starters such as “At first…”, “Everything changed when…”, “This caused…”, and “In the end…”. Students can use speech-to-text, oral storytelling, drawing, typing or handwritten drafting. For pairs, offer roles such as storyteller and recorder, illustrator and writer, or performer and director.

5. 32–39 minutes – Feedback and improvement Use the feedback and revise slides to model kind, specific feedback: “I noticed…”, “I wondered…”, and “One suggestion is…”. Students share their draft with a partner or teacher and identify one successful narrative element and one improvement. They revise one section, add detail, or clarify the resolution.

6. 39–45 minutes – Share and reflect Invite three or four students to present a section, show a storyboard or perform a short extract. Students may pass, nominate a partner to read, or submit an oral recording. Finish with the question stems exit ticket slips. Students respond to one prompt, explaining how their work was inspired by a book and what they changed to make it original. Preview that the final lesson will celebrate and present completed creations.

Resources

• the complete story creation slide deck
• the original story planning sheet
• Chosen books or previously created book notes
• Pencils, coloured pencils, paper and clipboards
• Optional tablets or computers with typing and speech-to-text
• Headphones and a quiet workspace
• Timer or visual schedule
• Optional simple props for performance scripts
• the question stems exit ticket slips

Assessment

• Confer with students during planning and drafting, checking for a clear inspiration, original adaptation and narrative sequence.
• Collect or photograph the planning sheet and draft. Look for orientation, complication, resolution and communication suited to the selected format.
• Listen to the exit response to assess students’ understanding of adaptation, originality and next steps.

Differentiation

• Provide a visual story map with three large sections, picture prompts and colour coding for orientation, complication and resolution. Offer prepared images for students who need to sequence events before dictating sentences.
• Use dyslexia-friendly options: short instructions, clear sans-serif font, increased spacing, read-aloud support, text-to-speech, speech-to-text, oral rehearsal and reduced copying demands.
• Allow students to work in a quiet area, use a visual timer, take processing breaks and choose between solo, paired or supported collaborative work. Check consent before public sharing.
• For extension, invite students to vary viewpoint, use figurative language, create an unreliable narrator, combine genres or explain how their structural choices affect the audience.