With the Story Starter Kit, your students can choose their own creative writing prompts. Each prompt will tell a great story, but which one? This activity is designed to inspire your students, or help them to write from the heart. Learning objectives Writing Generating ideas, planning and drafting Developing viewpoint, voice and ideas Writing narratives, considering how authors have developed characters and settings Reading Understanding the author’s craft: story shape Activities Planning, writing, reviewing. You can create use the Story Starter Kit to create your own favourite creative writing prompts. It’s easy to add your prompts to this flexible resource. All my students enjoy this activity. It helps them generate ideas and practice creating characters and settings. Please contact Claire Vorster for free resources, or other questions. Many thanks!

Ray Bradbury’s advice on how to write confident and compelling narrative? “Let the world burn through you. Throw the prism light, white hot, on paper.” With the right tools, your students can write narrative pieces that blaze. In these lessons they’ll gain the skills to become highly attuned to the world around them, develop their voices and create their best work. They will learn how to - • Identify and develop strong ideas that add heat to a story. • Use popular song lyrics to find story ideas. • Beat writer’s block. Discover the technique that award-winning screenwriter Aaron Sorkin uses to make a great start, every time. • Craft compelling stories that are relevant and timeless. Time Allowance / Key Stage 3-4 lessons KS3 Activities Speaking and listening, planning, writing, reviewing. Learning objectives Reading Understanding the author’s craft: story shape Writing Composition: generating ideas, planning and drafting Composition: shaping and constructing language for expression and effect Speaking and Listening Developing active listening skills and strategies Group discussion and interaction: Developing and adapting discussion skills and strategies Resources included in this plan Story prompts Images Quotes and song lyrics Story planners for students (2 pages) Online resource links Please contact Claire Vorster with any questions. Many thanks!

“It’s like everyone tells a story about themselves inside their own head. Always. All the time. That story makes you what you are. We build ourselves out of that story.” —Patrick Rothfuss, author Examples of best selling books or movies that were inspired or experienced by the people who lived them: The Imitation Game First Man Adrift Dunkirk Into the Wild Apollo 13 Here are 8 curated examples of real stories – from poignant to silly. Students can take the idea that appeals the most and write their own fictional story. Learning objectives Generating ideas, planning and drafting Reading and engaging with a wide and varied range of texts Developing viewpoint, voice and ideas Differentiation opportunities Ask students to find a headline they want to write a story about You can create your own favourite creative writing prompts from headlines. It’s easy to pull up the day’s news and take quick screenshots. All my students enjoy this activity. It can help them write realistic / fiction about a topic they are interested in.

Ray Bradbury’s advice on how to write confident and compelling narrative? “Let the world burn through you. Throw the prism light, white hot, on paper.” With the right tools, your students can write narrative pieces that blaze. In these lessons they will turn life’s strangest moments into a dramatic story. They’ll gain the skills to become highly attuned to the world around them, develop their voices and create their best work. They will learn how to - • Identify and develop strong ideas that add heat to a story. • Use popular song lyrics to find story ideas. • Beat writer’s block. Discover the technique that award-winning screenwriter Aaron Sorkin uses to make a great start, every time. • Craft compelling stories that are relevant and timeless. Time Allowance / Key Stage 3-6 lessons Activities Speaking and listening, planning, writing, reviewing. Learning objectives Reading Understanding the author’s craft: story shape Writing Composition: generating ideas, planning and drafting Composition: shaping and constructing language for expression and effect Speaking and Listening Developing active listening skills and strategies Group discussion and interaction: Developing and adapting discussion skills and strategies Resources included in this plan Story prompts Images (copyright free) Quotes and song lyrics Story planners for students (2 pages) Online resource links Please contact Claire Vorster with any questions. Many thanks!

Every picture contains a secret story, but which one? Here are 8 curated, visual creative writing prompts. Each image includes a writing prompt designed to inspire your students, or help them to write from the heart. Learning objectives: Generating ideas, planning and drafting Developing viewpoint, voice and ideas Writing narratives, considering how authors have developed characters and settings Differentiation opportunities: Ask students to find an image they want to write a story about. You can create your own favourite visual creative writing prompts from headlines. It’s easy to pull up images from pinterest or amazing free image sites like unsplash. All my students enjoy this activity. It can help them generate ideas and write about characters and settings they are interested in.

With the right tools, your students can write confident and compelling narrative pieces. These lessons apply secrets from a master storyteller to build on existing skills, adding a dynamic story telling element. Your students will learn how to - • Develop a solid plot structure. • Quickly set themselves up for a successful first draft. • Get tools to keep their stories clear and on track. • Discover how to use a writing prompt to find their starting point. • Remove the fear from the thought of writing a whole story. Please contact Claire Vorster for free resources, or other questions. Time Allowance 1-2 lessons Activities Speaking and listening, planning, writing, reviewing. Learning objectives Reading Understanding the author’s craft: story shape Writing Composition: generating ideas, planning and drafting Composition: shaping and constructing language for expression and effect Speaking and Listening Developing active listening skills and strategies Group discussion and interaction: Developing and adapting discussion skills and strategies Resources included in this plan Story prompts Story planner for students (2 pages) Online resource links Please contact Claire Vorster with any questions. Many thanks

With the right tools, your students can write confident and compelling narrative pieces. These lessons apply secrets from a master storyteller to build on existing skills, adding a dynamic story telling element. Your students will learn how to - • Develop a solid plot structure. • Quickly set themselves up for a successful first draft. • Get tools to keep their stories clear and on track. • Discover how to use a writing prompt to find their starting point. • Remove the fear from the thought of writing a whole story. Please contact Claire Vorster for free resources, or other questions. Time Allowance 1-2 lessons Activities Speaking and listening, planning, writing, reviewing. Learning objectives Reading Understanding the author’s craft: story shape Writing Composition: generating ideas, planning and drafting Composition: shaping and constructing language for expression and effect Speaking and Listening Developing active listening skills and strategies Group discussion and interaction: Developing and adapting discussion skills and strategies Resources included in this plan Story prompts Story planner for students (2 pages) Online resource links Please contact Claire Vorster with any questions. Many thanks

With the right plot, your students can write confident and exciting stories. These Creative Writing lessons start with a simple plotting tool and will build on existing skills, each time adding a new story telling element. Your students will learn how to - • Develop a solid plot structure. • Quickly set themselves up for a successful first draft. • Get tools to keep their stories clear and on track. • Discover how to use a writing prompt to find their starting point. • Remove the fear from the thought of writing a whole story. Please contact Claire Vorster for free resources, or other questions. Time Allowance 2-4 lessons Activities Speaking and listening, planning, writing, reviewing. Learning objectives Reading Understanding the author’s craft: story shape Writing Composition: generating ideas, planning and drafting Composition: shaping and constructing language for expression and effect Speaking and Listening Developing active listening skills and strategies Group discussion and interaction: Developing and adapting discussion skills and strategies Resources included in this plan Story Mountain Story Mountain for Advanced Climbers Images - Flood, Worst Hotel Reading - Why should I plan? Reading / Ranking Activity - Famous quotes Activity Sheets Online resource links Please contact Claire Vorster with any questions. Many thanks!

With the right plot, your students can write confident and exciting stories. These Creative Writing lessons start with a simple plotting tool and will build on existing skills, each time adding a new story telling element. Your students will learn how to - • Develop a solid plot structure. • Quickly set themselves up for a successful first draft. • Get tools to keep their stories clear and on track. • Discover how to use a writing prompt to find their starting point. • Remove the fear from the thought of writing a whole story. Please contact Claire Vorster for free resources, or other questions. Time Allowance 2-4 lessons Activities Speaking and listening, planning, writing, reviewing. Learning objectives Reading Understanding the author’s craft: story shape Writing Composition: generating ideas, planning and drafting Composition: shaping and constructing language for expression and effect Speaking and Listening Developing active listening skills and strategies Group discussion and interaction: Developing and adapting discussion skills and strategies Resources included in this plan Story Mountain Story Mountain for Advanced Climbers Images - Flood, Worst Hotel Reading - Why should I plan? Reading / Ranking Activity - Famous quotes Activity Sheets Online resource links Please contact Claire Vorster with any questions. Many thanks!

One little spark, that’s all it took to start the Great Fire of London. Here are four lesson plans plus all the resources you need to turn up, engage, inspire and teach KS1 Great Fire of London. Lessons include listening and speaking, history, fiction, writing, art and drama. Watch the sparks fly! Learning outcomes: English • listen and respond appropriately to adults and their peers • give well-structured descriptions, explanations and narratives for different purposes, including for expressing feelings • use spoken language to develop understanding through speculating, hypothesising • imagining and exploring ideas • listening to and discussing a wide range of poems, stories and non-fiction at a level beyond that at which they can read independently • making inferences on the basis of what is being said and done • predicting what might happen on the basis of what has been read so far • sequencing sentences to form short narratives • re-reading what they have written to check that it makes sense • discuss what they have written with the teacher or other pupils • develop positive attitudes towards and stamina for writing by: writing narratives about personal experiences and those of others (real and fictional) writing about real events History • learning about: events beyond living memory that are significant nationally or globally [for example, the Great Fire of London, the first aeroplane flight or events commemorated through festivals or anniversaries] the lives of significant individuals in the past who have contributed to national and international achievements. • use inquiry skills to gain information from photographs and written text • understand and create a timeline • offer opinions and suggestions about why things happened Art • use drawing and imagination to develop their ideas of 17th Century London. • Use tone, pattern, line and shape in pictures. Drama • develop confidence using movement • develop spatial awareness • act out a story • facilitate the creation and communication of ideas Lessons include excerpts and an illustration from the popular children’s novel Ellie Sparrow and the Great Fire of London. These lessons are written by author and tutor Claire Vorster. Enjoy!

Every picture tells a story, but which one? Here are 8 curated, visual creative writing prompts. Each image includes a writing prompt designed to inspire your students, or help them to write from the heart. Learning objectives: Generating ideas, planning and drafting Developing viewpoint, voice and ideas Writing narratives, considering how authors have developed characters and settings Differentiation opportunities: Ask students to find an image they want to write a story about. You can create your own favourite visual creative writing prompts from headlines. It’s easy to pull up images from pinterest or amazing free image sites like unsplash. All my students enjoy this activity. It can help them generate ideas and write about characters and settings they are interested in.

Fiction often reveals truth. Inspire your students (make them laugh, or empathise) with more creative writing prompts curated from real news headlines. Learning objectives: Generating ideas, planning and drafting Reading and engaging with a wide and varied range of texts Developing viewpoint, voice and ideas Differentiation opportunities: Ask students to find a headline they want to write a story about You can create your own favourite creative writing prompts from headlines. It’s easy to pull up the day’s news and take quick screenshots. All my students enjoy this activity. It can help them write realistic / fiction about a topic they are interested in.

Truth is stranger than fiction. Inspire your students (or make them laugh) with creative writing prompts curated from real news headlines. Learning objectives: Generating ideas, planning and drafting Reading and engaging with a wide and varied range of texts Developing viewpoint, voice and ideas Differentiation opportunities: Ask students to find a headline they want to write a story about You can create your own favourite creative writing prompts from headlines. It’s easy to pull up the day’s news and take quick screenshots. All my students enjoy this activity. It can help them write realistic / fiction about a topic they are interested in.