Storytelling and Prediction

Overview

Duration: 50 minutes
Class size: 30 Year 1 students
Focus: Comprehension, prediction, decoding, writing and speaking/listening
National Curriculum links:

• English: Reading – Comprehension – Develop pleasure in reading, motivation to read, vocabulary and understanding (Year 1)
• English: Writing – Transcription – Spelling (Year 1)
• English: Spoken Language – Listen and respond appropriately (Year 1)

Learning Objectives

By the end of the session, children will be able to:

• Recognise the roles of author and illustrator in a book (ELG – Understanding the World / Communication and Language)
• Understand what a blurb is and use it to make predictions about a story (English – Reading)
• Use evidence from the text and pictures to make and explain predictions confidently (English – Reading)
• Decode tricky words with teacher support and practise fluency and expression when reading aloud (English – Phonics and Reading)
• Write simple sentences linked to story content using sentence structure and spell high-frequency words (English – Writing)
• Participate confidently in discussion, turn and talk, and sharing ideas (English – Spoken Language)

Resources Needed

• Picture book by Emily Gravett (specific title not mentioned, bring the book used in the plan)
• Author/illustrator sorting cards
• Sentence stem word banks
• Drawing paper, pencils, colouring pencils
• Small world play animals (desert animals)
• Postcard templates
• Carpet area for whole class discussions

Detailed Session Plan

9:00–9:10 | Whole Class on Carpet – Book Introduction & Blurb

1. Introducing the book

• Display the front cover, ask: “What can you see?”
• “Who do you think the story is about?”
• Point to the name Emily Gravett, introduce: “This is the author – the person who writes the story.”
• “And this person is the illustrator – they draw the pictures inside.”
• Ask: “What does an author do?” “What does an illustrator do?”
• Scaffold with simple explanation and encourage children to contribute ideas.

2. Reading the blurb together

• Read the blurb aloud with expression.
• Explain: “The blurb is a short piece on the back that tells us what the story might be about.”
• Discussion prompt: “What do you think will happen in this story? Why is Sunny leaving? Where might he go?”
• Children turn to a partner and share their predictions using sentence starters:
  • “I think…”
  • “Maybe he will…”
  • “It could be…”

Curriculum links:

• Develop pleasure in reading, motivation to read, vocabulary and understanding.
• Speaking and listening skills through turn and talk.

9:10–9:25 | Shared Reading (Whole Class Carpet)

• Teacher reads the story up to Sunny’s letter about leaving, modelling fluent reading with expression and clear intonation.
• Pause to ask comprehension questions:
  • “How does Sunny feel?”
  • “Why does he want to leave?”
  • “What do you think will happen next?”
• Stop at letter for a cliffhanger moment to maximise engagement.
• Encourage predictions with sentence stems:
  • “I think…”
  • “Maybe he will…”
  • “It could be…”
• Ask questions:
  • “Where will Sunny go?”
  • “Who might he stay with?”
  • “Do you think he will come back?”

Curriculum links:

• Develop reading fluency and comprehension.
• Encourage prediction and inference skills.
• Use spoken language to discuss ideas, justifying predictions.

9:25–9:40 | Rotations Begin – Split into 2 Groups

Group 1 | Teacher-Led Guided Group – Comprehension & Prediction

• Re-read key pages focusing on tricky words, model phonics decoding openly.
• Draw and write: Children draw where they think Sunny will go.
• Write simple sentences with scaffolding:
  • “I think Sunny will go to ____.”
  • “Sunny might stay with ____.”
• Support children with sentence stems and word banks.
• Encourage use of capital letters and full stops.

Group 2 | Independent Provision Activities

• Draw Simple Picture: Draw Sunny and label with simple words or phrases.
• Sequence Story Beginning: Arrange key pictures or sentence cards in order.
• Create Postcard: Write a short postcard from Sunny to a friend about his journey, with word support.
• Small World Play: Use desert animal figures to create scenes relating to story setting.
• Sorting Cards: Match “author” and “illustrator” cards to their definitions.
• Teaching Assistant supports engagement and scaffolding as needed.

9:40–9:55 | Groups Swap

• Teacher works with Group 2 on guided comprehension and writing tasks.
• Group 1 undertakes independent activities.

9:55–10:00 | Plenary – Whole Class on Carpet

• Invite 3–4 children to share their predictions and explain their thinking.
• Quick recap quiz:
  • “Who is the author?”
  • “What is a blurb?”
  • “What does it mean to make a prediction?”
• Close with positive anticipation:
  • “Tomorrow, we will find out if our predictions were correct!”

Curriculum links:

• Spoken language – clear communication of ideas and explanations.
• Consolidation of reading skills and understanding.

Assessment Opportunities

• Observe children’s participation in discussion and turn-and-talk (speaking and listening).
• During guided group, note decoding skills and sentence writing accuracy.
• Review children’s drawings and sentences for understanding of story and ability to express predictions.
• Check understanding of author/illustrator roles through sorting activity.
• Listen to plenary contributions for confidence and use of prediction language.

Extension and Differentiation

• For more confident writers, encourage writing longer sentences or adding reasons (e.g., “I think Sunny will go to the desert because…”).
• For children needing more support, use sentence stems and encourage drawing alongside writing.
• Provide word banks and phonics flashcards for decoding tricky words.
• Visual prompts to support memory and sequencing.

Professional Notes

• Use expressive reading to model fluent prosody; this supports comprehension and engagement for early readers.
• Encourage children to articulate their thoughts clearly, scaffold where necessary but extend higher achievers.
• Use constant positive reinforcement to build confidence in reading and speaking.
• Linking writing tasks to personal drawings and pretend play helps embed new vocabulary and concepts.

This plan fully aligns with the National Curriculum for England’s English framework for Year 1 and offers a balanced mix of whole-class, small-group, and independent learning opportunities to meet diverse learner needs within a 50-minute structure.