Story Map Creation

Overview

Unit: Diary Discoveries: Hogarth's Journey
Lesson: 4 of 6
Duration: 60 minutes
Class size: 18 students
Book Focus: The Iron Man by Ted Hughes
Age group: Year 4 (8-9 years old)
National Curriculum Key Stage: KS2 English (Years 3 & 4)

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Learning Objectives

By the end of the lesson, pupils will be able to:

• Use story maps to organise ideas about characters, settings, and events (NC Writing: composition, NC English KS2)
• Identify and sequence key events in a narrative (NC English KS2 reading comprehension)
• Understand and explain characters and motivations within a story (NC English KS2 reading)
• Begin to plan writing using graphic organisers to support composition (NC Writing: composition)

National Curriculum References

• English - Reading:
  Pupils should be taught to:

  • Develop positive attitudes to reading and understanding of what they read by discussing words and phrases that capture the reader’s interest and imagination.
  • Draw inferences such as inferring characters’ feelings, thoughts and motives from their actions, and justify inferences with evidence.
  • Identify and summarise main ideas drawn from more than one paragraph.

• English - Writing:
  Pupils should be taught to:

  • Plan their writing by discussing and recording ideas.
  • Draft and write by organising paragraphs around a theme.

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Resources

• Copies of The Iron Man (extracts or whole text depending on class level)
• Large plain paper or whiteboards
• Colourful pens, pencils, and markers
• Printed character and event cards (pre-prepared)
• Sticky notes
• Story map template (visual with space for characters, setting, problem, events, resolution)

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Lesson Structure

1. Starter (10 minutes)

Objective: Activate prior knowledge of The Iron Man and introduce story maps.

• Begin with a brief, engaging discussion:
  • “Can someone remind us who the main character in The Iron Man is?”
  • “What important things happen in the story so far?”
• Show an exemplar simple story map for a well-known tale (e.g., The Three Little Pigs).
• Explain what a story map is – a visual plan that helps to organise the story’s key parts: characters, setting, problem, key events, and solution.

2. Main Activity Part 1: Identifying Key Events & Characters (15 minutes)

Objective: Extract key information from the text to populate the story map.

• Read aloud or recap key extracts from The Iron Man (focusing on key chapters covering the arrival and main events).
• In pairs, students discuss and list:
  • Who are the important characters?
  • What are the main events that happen?
• Distribute character/event cards – pupils match cards to parts of the story they think are most important.

3. Main Activity Part 2: Story Map Creation (25 minutes)

Objective: Construct a detailed story map collaboratively and individually.

• Model creating a story map on the whiteboard/large paper: place characters, setting, problem, events, and resolution in sequence.
• In groups of 3, students create their own story maps on A3 paper using markers and sticky notes for flexibility.
• Encourage use of drawings, key words, and simple sentences to show understanding.
• Circulate, prompt with questions:
  • “Why did the Iron Man come to the cliff?”
  • “What problem does Hogarth face?”
  • “How does the story get resolved?”

4. Plenary & Self-assessment (10 minutes)

Objective: Reflect on learning and prepare for diary writing task.

• Invite groups to briefly share their story maps.
• Ask pupils:
  • “How did organising the story like this help you understand it better?”
  • “How will this help you when you write your diary entry later?”
• Use a simple thumbs up/thumbs down self-assessment:
  • Confident with story sequence?
  • Clear on characters?
• Set a short “Next Steps” reminder: tomorrow’s lesson will focus on drafting a diary entry based on the story map.

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Differentiation

Group	Approach	Support/Extension
Lower ability	Use pre-prepared simplified story maps with some prompts filled in; small group adult support	Sentence starters for key parts of map
Higher ability	Challenge to add thoughts or feelings of characters in the map; add quotes from the text	Create a more detailed story map including minor characters
EAL	Use visual vocabulary cards, key word banks orally rehearsed; peer support	Pair with confident peers for collaboration

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Assessment & Feedback

• Formative assessment throughout: Observe group discussions and story maps for understanding of narrative structure.
• Use questioning to check inference skills and understanding of character motives.
• Collect story maps at the end of the lesson to review sequence accuracy and completeness.
• Provide verbal feedback during task, noting good use of story detail and sequencing.

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Cross-Curricular Links & Enrichment

• Art: Encourage colourful illustrations on story maps to represent characters or settings.
• Drama (optional extension): Role-play key scenes or characters based on story maps to deepen empathy and understanding.

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Teacher’s Notes

• Emphasise the utility of visual organisers in improving writing skills and comprehension.
• Encourage students to think about narrative cause and effect, not just retelling events.
• Prepare character and event cards in advance to accelerate group work.
• Consider photographing exemplary story maps to display in class as reference for upcoming writing lessons.

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This lesson plan supports Year 4 pupils in deepening their narrative comprehension and organisational skills in line with the National Curriculum requirements for English, setting a solid foundation for their diary writing in future lessons.