Events Find Solutions

Overview

In this third lesson of Too Much Stuff Stories, students identify how a character’s actions move events towards a solution. They draw on what has already happened in the shared story, then plan and write the middle and solution of their own story.

Learning intentions

• WALT identify an event in a story and explain what happens next.
• WALT think of an action that helps a character solve a problem.
• WALT use “Then…” or “So…” to connect an action with its result.
• WALT write and illustrate the middle and solution of our own story.

Success criteria

• I can say what my character does to help solve the problem.
• I can explain what happens after the character’s action.
• I can use “Then…” or “So…” to join my ideas.
• I can write and draw the middle and solution of my story.

Curriculum links

• English — Comprehension strategies: using what has already happened to predict what might happen next.
• English — Text form, structure, style, and features: recognising the beginning, middle, and end, including characters, setting, and action.
• English — Composition: creating a story that may be based on real or imagined events.
• The New Zealand Curriculum key competencies: thinking; using language, symbols, and texts; managing self; relating to others.

Lesson structure (30 minutes)

1. 0–4 min · Reconnect with the story. Display the story hook and recap slides and briefly revisit Too Much Stuff, asking, “What problem does the character have?” and “What has happened so far?” Students turn and talk, then share one event or character action; the teacher records key ideas using quick sketches or words.

2. 4–9 min · Model events leading to a solution. Use the event-and-solution teaching slides to show a simple sequence: “The character has too much stuff. Then the character sorts it. So the space becomes clear.” Think aloud: “The action changes what happens next, so it helps solve the problem.” Students help identify the action and solution, and orally complete the sentence frames: “Then the character…” and “So…”

3. 9–14 min · Think, pair, and share. Display the planning discussion prompts and ask students to imagine what their own character could do about having too much stuff. Give quiet thinking time, then pair students to share one possible action and its result. Partners ask, “What happens next?” and “How does that help?” Invite several students to share different solutions, accepting imaginative ideas that clearly connect to the problem.

4. 14–17 min · Jointly rehearse a sentence. Model one or two sentences on the board, for example: “Then Mia put the toys in a basket. So she had room to play.” Point out the capital letter, spaces, full stop, and the joining word. Students rehearse their own sentence to a partner, using “Then…” or “So…”; support them to say the whole idea before writing.

5. 17–26 min · Write and illustrate. Distribute the middle-and-solution story page. Students draw and write the middle of their story, including an action, followed by the solution and an illustration. Encourage students to use the word bank and sentence starters on the worksheet, while confident writers add a detail about how the character feels or what the setting looks like. Confer with individuals, prompting, “What did your character do?” and “What changed after that?”

6. 26–30 min · Share and reflect. Use the sharing and reflection slide to remind students to listen for the action and solution. Invite two or three students to read or explain their work. Students show a partner the part where their character acts and the part where the problem is solved, then complete the oral reflection: “My character solved the problem by…”

Resources

• the “Too Much Stuff” event-and-solution slide deck
• the middle-and-solution story page
• Shared copy or teacher notes for Too Much Stuff
• Whiteboard and markers
• Pencils, crayons, and erasers
• Word cards or board words: then, so, character, problem, solve, tidy, share, room
• Optional picture prompts showing sorting, storing, sharing, or giving away

Assessment

• Listen during think-pair-share for students who can name an action and predict a connected result.
• During writing, check that each student includes a middle event, a character action, and a solution linked to the problem.
• Collect or photograph the worksheet. Note who can independently use “Then…” or “So…” and who needs oral rehearsal or scribing support before lesson 4.

Differentiation

• Support students with oral rehearsal, picture prompts, a choice of possible actions, and the sentence frames “Then my character…” and “So…”. Accept drawing with dictated or shared writing where needed.
• Work with a small group to sequence the problem, action, and solution orally before students begin writing. Provide a word bank and model letter formation or sound out key words.
• For English language learners, gesture and sketch each event, repeatedly model the connective words, and allow students to discuss ideas in their home language before sharing in English.
• Extend confident writers by adding two connected actions, a feeling sentence, or a reason explaining why the chosen solution worked.