Dear Zoo Writing

Overview

This 23-minute session is designed for a Reception group of 7 students working at the Early Learning Goal (ELG) for writing: "Write simple sentences and phrases that can be read by others". Using the book Dear Zoo as a stimulus and incorporating the Drawing Club approach by Gregg Botrill, this session cultivates story-based drawing and writing skills to enhance early literacy in line with the National Curriculum for England.

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National Curriculum Links

Early Learning Goals (Reception):

• Writing ELG: Write recognisable letters, most of which are correctly formed; spell words by identifying sounds and writing the sound with letter/s; write simple phrases and sentences that can be read by others.
• Communication and Language: Develop their vocabulary and connect ideas.
• Literacy - Comprehension: Demonstrate understanding of what has been read to them by retelling stories and narratives using their own words and recently introduced vocabulary.
• Literacy - Word Reading: Say a sound for each letter in the alphabet and at least 10 digraphs.

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Learning Objectives

By the end of the session, pupils will:

• Recognise and sequence the story events of Dear Zoo through discussion and drawing.
• Use drawing to explore ideas and dictate or write simple sentences about their chosen animal from the story.
• Write simple phrases or sentences describing their animal using known sounds and letters, with some independent phonetic spelling.
• Share their drawings and sentences with peers, practising clear oral communication.

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Resources

• Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell (large picture book)
• Whiteboards and dry-wipe pens or individual lined paper and pencils
• Drawing materials (crayons, felt tips)
• Pre-prepared story sequence cards from Dear Zoo to scaffold retelling
• Visual phonics chart and alphabet frieze for reference
• Timer or stopwatch

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Lesson Structure

1. Engage & Recap (5 minutes)

• Gather children in a circle with Dear Zoo book.
• Teacher reads or retells the story, showing the pictures clearly. Encourage children to join in repeating refrains: e.g. “I sent him back.”
• Using story sequence cards laid out on the floor, guide children to place the cards in order, recalling each animal.

Curriculum Link: Literacy - Comprehension ELG

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2. Drawing Club Activity - Story Drawing (8 minutes)

• Explain to children that they will each be drawing their favourite animal from the story, just like Gregg Botrill’s Drawing Club approach encourages expressing thoughts through drawing.
• As children draw, teacher asks simple open-ended questions: “Can you tell me about your animal?” “What do you like about it?”
• Teacher models drawing and writing a simple sentence about an animal, e.g. “The lion is big.”
• Children encouraged to label their drawings or write simple sentences/phrases using their letters and sounds knowledge.

Curriculum Link: Writing ELG - Writing simple phrases and sentences

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3. Writing & Phonics Focus (6 minutes)

• Children use individual whiteboards or paper to write their sentence or phrase.
• Teacher supports phonetic spelling, prompting children to sound out words using the phonics chart or alphabet frieze.
• Model finger spacing, capital letters for names, and full stops at the end of sentences.

Curriculum Link: Writing ELG - Spell words by identifying sounds and writing letters

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4. Share & Reflect (4 minutes)

• Each child shows their drawing and reads their sentence aloud to the group.
• Teacher praises attempts at writing and supports peer encouragement.
• Quick verbal feedback on how the sentence matches the drawing and story context.

Curriculum Link: Communication and Language - Speaking ELG

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Assessment & Next Steps

Formative Assessment:

• Observe children’s ability to sequence story events verbally.
• Monitor independence in phonetic spelling and sentence structuring.
• Note confidence and clarity when presenting ideas.

Next Steps:

• Encourage children to attempt captions or labels for other story animals.
• Introduce more complex sentence formation through role play or retelling with puppets.
• Reinforce phonics knowledge through targeted small group activities.

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Differentiation

• Support: Provide sentence starters or word banks (e.g., “The ___ is ___”). Use scribe support if needed.
• Challenge: Encourage children to write 2-3 simple sentences or include descriptive adjectives.
• Use peer modelling during the sharing phase to scaffold expressive language.

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Reflection for Teachers

• The Drawing Club approach empowers children to explore storytelling visually and verbally, linking creative expression with writing fluency.
• The tight integration of phonics scaffolds early writing attempts, allowing children to experience success writing meaningful, personally relevant sentences.
• Group size (7 pupils) supports individual attention while maintaining dynamic peer interaction.

This session offers a multi-sensory, story-centred method fully in line with ELGs from the National Curriculum for England, supporting confident early writers and communicators.