Plot Planning

Overview

In this sixth lesson of Exciting English Explorations, the student plans a simple narrative plot using a visual story map. Building on earlier work with characters and settings, the student will organise a character’s journey into a beginning, complication, main events and ending before drafting.

Learning intentions

Students will:

• plan a simple plot using a story map
• sequence main events in a logical order
• choose precise vocabulary to show a character’s feelings and actions
• explain their story plan orally and revise an idea when needed

Success criteria

• I can name my character and setting.
• I can show what happens at the beginning, middle and end.
• I can include a problem and a solution.
• I can use feeling and action words to explain my character’s journey.

Curriculum links

• Understanding and responding to literature through similar narrative structures and intentional language choices
• Planning, creating and revising written texts using vocabulary, sentence structure and text features
• Using taught vocabulary to extend and elaborate ideas
• Communicating ideas clearly in learning interactions and oral narratives

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Reconnect and hook. Open with the opening question and story image and ask, “What could happen to this character next?” The student orally suggests one possible event and explains why it might happen.

2. 5–13 min · Review narrative parts. Use the narrative structure slides to revisit character, setting, beginning, problem, events, solution and ending. The student helps place the parts in order and retells a familiar short story using the sequence words first, next, then and finally.

3. 13–23 min · Model a story map. Think aloud while completing the example on the teacher model story map. Model a character who wants to return a lost puppy, including a clear problem, two actions, a feeling change and a solution. Invite the student to suggest stronger verbs and feeling words, such as raced, searched, worried and relieved.

4. 23–30 min · Explore feeling vocabulary. Display the feelings vocabulary sentence strip cards and discuss which feelings might fit different moments in a character’s journey. The student chooses two or three feeling words and orally makes sentences explaining when the character might feel each one.

5. 30–47 min · Create an individual plot plan. Distribute the visual story map worksheet and return to the story map instructions as needed. The student draws or writes the character, setting, problem, two or three main events, solution and ending; the teacher conferences with the student, prompting with “What does your character want?”, “What goes wrong?” and “How will the character change?”

6. 47–55 min · Rehearse and revise. Use the oral retell and revision prompts. The student retells the planned story aloud in order, pointing to each section, while the teacher checks for a logical sequence. Together, revise one event by adding a precise action, feeling or descriptive detail.

7. 55–60 min · Plenary and exit check. Show the final reflection slide and ask the student to explain the most exciting event and the character’s feeling at that point. The student completes the final reflection box on the visual story map worksheet by drawing or writing one change they made to improve the plan.

Resources

• the Plot Planning teaching deck
• the visual story map worksheet
• the feelings vocabulary sentence strip cards
• Pencils, erasers and coloured pencils
• A familiar narrative text or previously created class story
• Teacher conference notes
• Whiteboard and marker

Assessment

• During discussion and modelling, check whether the student can identify narrative parts and sequence events using appropriate oral language.
• During the story-map conference, check that the plan includes a character, setting, problem, connected events, solution and ending.
• Review the completed map and exit reflection for logical sequencing, use of feeling or action vocabulary, and evidence of revision.

Differentiation

• Support planning with oral rehearsal, drawings, sentence starters such as “My character wants…”, “The problem is…” and “At the end…”, and teacher scribing where required.
• Offer a choice of two familiar settings or character ideas if generating a plot independently is difficult.
• Accept drawing, labels, dictated sentences or a combination of modes; read worksheet instructions aloud and provide enlarged visuals if helpful.
• Extend the student by adding a cause-and-effect link between events or showing how the character changes from the beginning to the ending.
• For EAL/D learners, gesture and act out key vocabulary, revisit the feelings cards, and model complete sentences before inviting independent responses.