Character Connections

Overview

In this first lesson of a 6-lesson unit, students explore the opening characters from a familiar story text, then create character maps to organise what they notice. They finish by writing short sentences that name and describe their favourite character, setting up later work on sequencing and short narratives.

Learning intentions

• Students will retell and discuss what happens in a short part of the story, linking ideas to the characters they meet.
• Students will identify key details about characters (who they are and what they do/say) from the text.
• Students will create a character map using pair work to record character information clearly.
• Students will write 2–4 simple sentences about their favourite character, sequencing them in a sensible order.

Success criteria

• I can say who the main characters are and what I know about them from the story.
• I can use a character map to show character details (name + actions/feelings).
• I can write sentences that make sense and are in the right order.
• I can use capital letters and full stops in my sentences.

Curriculum links

• Writing – composition: sequencing sentences to form short narratives (Year 1 focus).
• Vocabulary, grammar and punctuation: sequencing sentences to form short narratives.
• Reading – comprehension: develop pleasure in reading and motivation to read by becoming very familiar with key stories and traditional tales, retelling them, and considering characteristics.
• Reading – comprehension: being encouraged to link what they read or hear read to their own experiences.

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Hook (text connection). Teacher shows the title and a simple prompt on the board: “Who might be in every house/street?” Students share first ideas with a partner, then one or two students feed back.

2. 5–15 min · Immerse (read and notice). Teacher reads a selected section of In Every House, In Every Street (teacher-chosen opening pages) aloud with expression, pausing at key moments to ask “Who is this?” and “What are they doing?” Students hold up a finger when they notice a new character and use sentence stems: “I noticed…”, “The character…”.

3. 15–25 min · Guided discussion (character talk). Teacher leads a short whole-class discussion using three questions: “Who is the character?”, “What do they do?”, “How might they feel?” Students turn-and-talk to choose one character and share one detail, then teacher records 3–5 class character facts on a shared chart.

4. 25–40 min · Innovate (pair character maps). Teacher models a character map quickly on the board: central picture/name, then 3 boxes for “Do/Actions”, “Feelings”, and “Things they say/Important words”. Students work in pairs to create their own character map using the class facts and their own notes from the reading.

5. 40–48 min · Sentence planning (say it first). Teacher demonstrates turning character-map ideas into short sentences, spoken first: “My favourite character is __. They __. They feel __.” Students orally rehearse 2–4 sentences with a partner, using the stem “My favourite character is…” and “They…” prompts.

6. 48–56 min · Improve (independent writing). Teacher explains the writing task: write 2–4 sentences about your favourite character, in order (beginning—middle—ending for their small story idea). Students write in books, aiming for capital letters and full stops; teacher circulates and listens for appropriate sentence starts and clarity.

7. 56–60 min · Share and check (quick review). Teacher invites 3–4 students to read one sentence each. Class does a quick checklist: “Does it tell who? Does it include an action or feeling? Does it end with a full stop?” Students tidy resources.

Resources

• Teacher copy of In Every House, In Every Street for read-aloud
• Character map template (central box with 3 labelled boxes) for each pair
• Shared class chart for recording character facts
• Sentence starter strips: “My favourite character is…”, “They…”, “They feel…”, “In this part, they…”
• Pencils, lined paper or writing books, coloured pencils for map details
• Display prompt cards for discussion questions

Assessment

• During discussion: teacher listens for correct identification of characters and meaningful details (action/feeling).
• During pair work: teacher checks that character maps include at least two specific character details.
• During writing: teacher uses a simple spot-check for 1) sentence sense, 2) capital letter/full stop, 3) order that makes sense.
• Optional quick teacher note: collect one student book to review sentence punctuation and clarity.

Differentiation

• Support: provide sentence starter cards and a partially completed character map with labels filled; offer a small word bank (e.g., house, street, character, happy, worried, says, does).
• Support for EAL/SEN: allow oral rehearsal recording (teacher notes or student whisper rehearsal) before writing; accept alternative vocabulary as long as meaning is clear.
• Extension: challenge students to add a “things they say” line using quotation marks or to include an extra sentence beginning with “Then…” to show sequencing.
• Grouping: pair students strategically so each partnership includes at least one confident talker and one writer, rotating roles (speaker/recorder).