Wombat Tales Showcase

Overview

This lesson is the final celebration of the “Wombat Tales: A Story Adventure” unit. Students will appreciate each other’s completed stories by displaying them and sharing simple responses about plot, characters and settings.

Learning intentions

Students will be able to:

• appreciate classmates’ completed Wombat Tales stories
• display their own story and explain key features (plot, character, setting)
• share respectful, positive responses during a classroom showcase

Success criteria

Students can:

• display their story in the classroom showcase
• identify a character and a setting from their tale
• tell the beginning and one problem or event from the story
• use kind words when talking about classmates’ work

Curriculum links

• Literature: discuss plot, character and setting, which are features of stories
• Literature: discuss literary texts and share responses by making connections with students’ own experiences
• Literacy: read and write an increasing number of high-frequency words
• Literature: orally retell or adapt a familiar story using plot and characters, language features and familiar structure

Lesson structure (45 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Welcome and WALT recap. Teacher says: “Today we celebrate our completed Wombat Tales—let’s appreciate each other’s work.” Students repeat the WALT and point to the success criteria poster.

2. 5–12 min · Model the showcase. Teacher shows examples of a good display (title page visible, story pages in order, name card, clear illustrations) and models a 10-second sharing script: “My character is… My setting is… My story begins when…”. Students practise the script with a partner using sentence starters.

3. 12–22 min · Build the class display (hands-on). Teacher organises teams (e.g., Materials team, Hanging team, Writing captions team) and demonstrates how to place each story neatly and safely on display. Students work in teams to put up stories, add display labels, and check their story is easy to read (large print where needed).

4. 22–32 min · Gallery walk with “Kind Comments”. Teacher explains the response routine: one kind comment and one feature from the story (character/setting/plot). Students walk in a loop, using “I noticed…” and “In your story, the setting is…” stems; they use quiet volume and gentle hands.

5. 32–39 min · Whole-class sharing (teacher-led). Teacher selects 4–5 students to share using the class script, reminding them to speak clearly and point to their display. Students share their character, setting and one key plot moment (beginning or complication).

6. 39–45 min · Quick reflection and tidy-up. Teacher asks: “What did you appreciate about someone’s work today?” Students answer on a one-sentence slip: “I appreciated ___ because ___.” Students help tidy materials.

Resources

• completed Wombat Tales story books (or story folders) from the unit
• display boards/shelves, blu-tack/tape, string/wire and clips (if used)
• large name cards and title cards
• sentence starter strips: “My character is…”, “My setting is…”, “My story begins…”, “I noticed…”
• “Kind Comments” checklist card for students
• quiet gallery-walk boundary markers (floor tape)
• dyslexia-friendly large print copies of key display labels
• A4 reflection slips and pencils/whiteboard markers

Assessment

• Teacher observation checklist during gallery walk: students give a kind comment and correctly mention a story feature (character/setting/plot moment)
• Short oral assessment during sharing: student can state character and setting, plus a beginning or problem/event
• Exit reflection slip: one sentence using a frame (“I appreciated… because…”)

Differentiation

• Dyslexia-friendly support: use large print for display labels; provide larger text copies of sentence starters; allow students to point to their story while speaking
• Support: provide a “story feature” card with picture icons (character, place, time/beginning) and allow students to choose one to share
• Extension (advanced learners): ask students to add a second plot detail (“My complication is… / It ends when…”) and include one vocabulary word from their own story
• EAL/SEN: rehearse scripts in advance, use gestures for beginning/problem/resolution, and allow responses to be drawn or matched to icon cards if needed

Extension (optional)

• Organise a brief “Wombat Book” event planning note for families (what day/time, where to meet, and how parents can leave a written kind comment).