Short Story Structure

Teaching students how to create a 500 word story, which is a key requirement for some of the main GCSE exam boards. Suitable for higher ability Year 9 and Key Stage 4, this is the first of a series of mini units that give students the skills and knowledge to craft an engaging short story, considering a variety of different structural variations. This 2 lesson unit is based on a ‘Flash forward’ structure, wherein there is a chance encounter or discovery, and then the narrative jumps forward in time, and that chance encounter provides the answer or twist to the story.

The worksheet pack includes:

1. Starter discursive activity: which of these plots could be written into a 500 word story? Which are too long?
2. Introduction to the ‘Flash Forward’ story structure
3. An engaging exemplar story based on a girl who is rejected by a boy, and a strange encounter in the school bathrooms…
4. Four detailed language and comprehension questions based on the story
5. A table to create four ‘Flash Forward’ story plots, with prompts
6. A plan for students to fill out with their final story idea (which could then be extended into writing out in full)
7. Answer key