Little Adventure Writing

Overview

Today students learn to write a short, sequenced narrative (beginning, middle, end). They practise saying a sentence before writing it and use simple sentence punctuation (capital letters and full stops).

Learning intentions

• Students will learn to sequence 3 sentences to form a short narrative.
• Students will learn to say out loud what they are going to write before writing it.
• Students will practise writing complete sentences with a capital letter and a full stop.
• Students will use a small set of story words to help them write.

Success criteria

• I can say my sentence before I write it.
• I can write 3 sentences in the right order.
• I can use a capital letter at the start of my sentence.
• I can put a full stop at the end of my sentence.

Curriculum links

• Writing – composition (write sentences by saying out loud what they are going to write about).
• Writing – composition (write sentences by composing a sentence orally before writing it).
• Writing – composition (sequencing sentences to form short narratives).
• Writing – vocabulary, grammar and punctuation (year 1 focus on developing correct sentence structure for writing short narratives).

Lesson structure (60 minutes) — PPP

Presentation (15 minutes)

1. 0–3 min · Settling & hook. Teacher shows a 3-picture “little adventure” (e.g., teddy finds a hat, teddy wears it, teddy goes to show someone) and asks what happened first, next, and last.

• Students share quick answers with a partner: “First…, Next…, Last…”

2. 3–8 min · Model oral sentences. Teacher uses a visual story strip and models turning each picture into one simple sentence, saying each sentence out loud first.

• Students repeat the sentence stem after the teacher (e.g., “First, …”, “Next, …”, “Then, …”) and clap the beats for words.

3. 8–12 min · Model writing one sentence. Teacher writes the first sentence on the board, thinking aloud: start with a capital letter, end with a full stop, and keep it in one line.

• Students do a “watch, point, copy” task: point to the capital letter and full stop while teacher traces them in the air.

4. 12–15 min · Quick vocabulary bank. Teacher displays 6–8 picture-based words (e.g., found, hat, ran, saw, smiled, under, because) and adds 2 action verbs for the story.

• Students choose one word to use in their future sentences and say it aloud.

Practice (25 minutes)

5. 15–20 min · Shared sentence building. Teacher provides a sentence frame on a card: “First, I ___ (verb) the ___ (thing).” and a second frame: “Next, I ___.” (Teacher may read and point to each word.)

• Students practise building a sentence orally using the word bank, then write only one sentence on mini whiteboards.

6. 20–25 min · Guided writing: 2 sentences. Teacher sets a clear goal: write the First sentence and Next sentence only (not the third yet). Teacher circulates and uses prompts: “Say it first” and “What is your full stop doing?”

• Students write 2 sentences on lined paper, using the same story order as the pictures.

7. 25–30 min · Check for success. Teacher does a short whole-class review of written work habits: capital letter, spacing, full stop, and correct order.

• Students hold up their paper and answer: “Which sentence is first? Where is your full stop?”

8. 30–40 min · Partner practice: sentence sequencing game. Teacher gives each pair three sentence strips (one for first, one for next, one for last) with simple wording and punctuation.

• Students read strips aloud, put them in order under the picture strip, then copy one strip into their notebooks (teacher chooses whether they copy first/next/last depending on ability).

Production (20 minutes)

9. 40–52 min · Independent writing: complete 3-sentence narrative. Students write a complete short narrative: First / Next / Last, aiming for 3 sentences total with capital letters and full stops. Teacher prompts: “Say it. Then write it.”

• Students write and then quickly reread their sentences to check order and punctuation.

10. 52–58 min · Peer share (low-stakes). In pairs, students read one sentence to their partner, while partner checks: “Does it start with a capital? Is there a full stop?”

• Students celebrate one “great thing” and one “next time” suggestion.

11. 58–60 min · Exit ticket. Teacher shows a single picture and asks students to write one sentence starter: “First, I …” (or choose from two sentence starters displayed).

• Students write for 1 minute and hand in.

Resources

• 3-picture sequence cards (same adventure for the whole class)
• Sentence frames on display (e.g., “First, I …”, “Next, I …”, “Last, I …”)
• Word bank picture cards (verbs and nouns from the story)
• Board/interactive screen for modelling
• Lined paper and pencil for each student
• Mini whiteboards and markers (or pens) for early practice
• Sentence strip cards (three per pair) with simple sentences and full stops
• Student checklist card (capital letter, full stop, First/Next/Last)

Assessment

• Observe during sentence building: can students orally compose a sentence before writing?
• During guided writing, check if students include capital letters and full stops and maintain correct order.
• Exit ticket: can students write the start of a sentence using “First, I …” and complete it with appropriate punctuation (supported as needed).

Differentiation

• Support for early writers: provide printed word bank to point to, sentence starters with the first 1–2 words already printed, and a model “look at the board” example.
• Support for struggling students: allow copying one sentence strip correctly before attempting to write all 3 sentences independently.
• Extension: for students ready to add detail, prompt adding one extra word in the middle sentence (e.g., “Next, I ran fast.”) while still keeping 3 sentences total.
• EAL/SEN considerations: use gestures for First/Next/Last, repeat key sentence stems, and allow partner reading aloud before independent writing.