Story Steps

Overview

In this beginner-focused English lesson, children practise story sequencing and write simple sentences in the correct order. They plan orally first, then compose a short narrative with capital letters and full stops, and finally discuss their writing with the teacher and classmates.

Learning intentions

• WALT sequence pictures to make a short story.
• WALT say out loud what we are going to write about before we write.
• WALT compose a sentence orally before writing it.
• WALT write short sentences with a capital letter and a full stop.

Success criteria

• I can put the story pictures in the correct order.
• I can say my sentence before I write it.
• I can write a sentence that starts with a capital letter.
• I can add a full stop at the end of my sentence.

Curriculum links

• Writing – composition: sequencing sentences to form short narratives.
• Writing – composition: saying out loud what they are going to write about.
• Writing – composition: composing a sentence orally before writing it.
• Writing – composition: discuss what they have written with the teacher or other pupils.
• Year 1 grammar focus: use capital letters and full stops in simple sentences.

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Warm-up (story talk). Teacher shows a set of 3 large story pictures and asks, “What happened first? What happened next?” Students share ideas with a partner and then one or two children give responses.

2. 5–15 min · Presentation (sequencing model). Teacher models ordering the pictures on the board, using first/then/after cues, and labels them with simple phrases (First…, Then…, Next…). Students join in repeating the story steps and help decide the order by holding up a card number (1–3) when prompted.

3. 15–25 min · Practice 1 (sequence with reasoning). Teacher gives groups of 10 students a “Story Steps” picture strip (3 pictures mixed) and a sentence frame box. Students in pairs place the pictures in order and say a sentence starter for each picture: “First, I can see…”, “Then…”, “Next…” (no writing yet).

4. 25–35 min · Practice 2 (oral sentence rehearsal). Teacher selects picture 1 and demonstrates oral composition: “First, the cat was asleep.” then points to a written target on the board showing a capital letter and a full stop. Students practise saying their own sentence for picture 1 using a teacher-provided word bank (cat, was, asleep, woke up, ran, outside, happy).

5. 35–45 min · Production planning (ready-to-write). Teacher prompts: “Now we will write two sentences. Sentence 1 for picture 1, Sentence 2 for picture 2.” Model a quick plan: point, say, write. Students choose two pictures (1 and 2) and whisper their sentence plans to the teacher or teaching assistant using the frame: “First, …” and “Then, …”.

6. 45–55 min · Production writing (two sentences). Teacher circulates and supports children to compose a sentence orally before writing it, reminding: capital at the start, full stop at the end. Students write two simple sentences on a lined sheet, using only the words they can spell confidently (or using word-bank support). Teacher checks for starting capital and presence of a full stop.

7. 55–60 min · Feedback and share (talk about writing). Teacher uses a “Gallery Walk” style: 3 volunteers read their sentences, while class answers: “Did it match the correct picture order? Was there a capital and a full stop?” Students discuss one positive feature and one improvement suggestion using prompts: “I like how you…” and “Next time, you could…”

Resources

• 3 large story pictures (mixed order), same story for all children
• “Story Steps” picture strips for pairs (3 images each)
• Number cards 1–3 for sequencing
• Teacher writing board and markers/chalk
• Student lined writing paper (space for 2 sentences)
• Word bank cards (e.g., cat, was, asleep, woke up, ran, outside, happy)
• Sentence starters: “First, …” “Then, …”
• Simple teacher checklist (capital letter, full stop, picture order)
• Pencils, rubbers, and optional highlighters for success criteria

Assessment

• During sequencing: teacher listens for correct first/then/next order and checks children can explain choices in simple terms.
• During oral rehearsal: teacher confirms each child can say a complete sentence before attempting writing.
• During writing: teacher quick-checks each child’s work against success criteria (capital at start, full stop at end; sentence relates to the correct picture).
• Informal share: during the final discussion, teacher notes who can read their sentence and who needs targeted support.

Differentiation

• Support: provide extra sentence starters, a larger word bank, and a teacher model sheet showing capital letter and full stop.
• Support for fine-motor/low confidence: allow a child to trace the initial capital letter and then write the remaining words independently.
• Extension: for children who finish early, encourage a third sentence for picture 3 using the starter “Next, …”.
• EAL/SEN considerations: accept rehearsed sentence speech first; use visual cues (First/Then/Next) and reduce writing load to one sentence if needed, while keeping the capital/full stop focus.
• Feedback approach: give immediate, specific praise linked to success criteria (e.g., “I can see your capital letter and your full stop!”).