Stupendous Story Openings!

This engaging and informative lesson enables students to understand the key techniques used by writers when opening narratives, and to use these features in their own story openings. In particular, students analyse the features that make the openings to famous children’s narratives effective, before utilising this understanding to compose their own imaginative story opening.

The lesson follows a step-by-step learning journey, in which children learn through:

• Collectively defining the features of effective story openings;
• Reading the opening to several famous narrative opening examples, identifying the story opening techniques;
• Analysing the effectiveness of each of the authors’ story opening techniques;
• Creating their own engaging story openings, utilising story opening techniques effectively and imaginatively throughout;
• Peer assessing each other’s learning attempts.

Included is:

• Whole lesson PowerPoint - colourful and comprehensive;
• The opening chapters of Mr Stink, Holes, and Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (freely available online);
• Stupendous Story Openings analysis template;
• Teacher answer sheet;
  -Comprehensive lesson plan.
  All resources are provided in Word (for easy editing) and PDF (to ensure formatting remains fixed between different computers).

There are also opportunities for group learning, speaking and listening, peer assessment, and whole class discussion. I originally used these resources with year 7/8 classes, however colleagues have used them for between years 4 and 9 with some adaptations.

All images are licensed for commercial use, and image rights are listed on the last page of the presentation.