Immerse your students in imaginative storytelling with this 1-week narrative writing unit inspired by the short film “Space Monkey” from The Literacy Shed. Through vivid character development, figurative language, and purposeful story structure, young writers will blast off into outer space to craft their own stellar sci-fi tales.
Overview
Day 1: Describe the main character using expanded noun phrases and rich details.
Day 2: Use figurative language like similes and metaphors to portray the character.
Day 3: Plan the story structure - opening, build-up, problem, resolution, ending.
Day 4: Write a draft, focusing on past tense, description, and literary techniques.
Day 5: Revise and polish the story. Share with peers for feedback.
Toolkit for Budding Authors
Your students will learn to:
Select precise nouns, classifiers, and describers in expanded noun phrases
Enliven their writing with powerful verbs, adverbs, similes, metaphors
Write in the past tense with consistency
Use literary techniques like personification and fronted adverbials
Convey not just actions but feelings, observations, and inner dialogue
Organize ideas into a compelling narrative arc
Let their imaginations blast off! This unit will develop key writing skills while unleashing your students’ creativity. Their space monkey stories are sure to be out of this world.
KS2 English - Persuasive Writing
In this 1 week unit your class will write a persuasive letter to the Headteacher of your school persuading them of the value of swimming, and to Henry persuading him to buy our listening device . This 1 Week lesson unit pack includes interactive whiteboard slides, detailed lesson plans, and daily differentiated activities to support your class.
Main Learning Outcomes: (This should be progressive but each stage can be revisited in the teaching cycle.)
Familiarisation with text: I am learning to understand the purpose and styles of a persuasive text
Analysing Text, language features and organisation: I am learning to understand the language and structural features of a persuasive text
Capturing ideas: I am learning to role-play, plan, orally rehearse a persuasive text
Demonstration/Shared/Supported/Joint Construction Writing: I am learning to jointly construct a persuasive text
End of topic (Big Writing) I can write a persuasive text independently
English - Persuasive Letter
Year 4/5 - Persuasive Letter - 1 week unit.
In this 1 week unit your class will write a persuasive letter to Horrid Henry about the benefits of reading.
Lesson LO’s:
Main Learning Outcomes: (This should be progressive but each stage can be revisited in the teaching cycle.)
Familiarisation with text: I am learning to understand the purpose and styles of a persuasive text
Analysing Text, language features and organisation: I am learning to understand the language and structural features of a persuasive text
Capturing ideas: I am learning to role-play, plan, orally rehearse a persuasive text
Demonstration/Shared/Supported/Joint Construction Writing: I am learning to jointly construct a persuasive text
End of topic (Big Writing) I can write a persuasive text independently
This unit pack includes interactive whiteboard slides, detailed lesson plans, and daily differentiated activities to support your class.
Guided Reading - Fantastic Mr Fox 6 Week Plan
This 6 week guided reading plan focuses on The Fantastic Mr Fox by Roald Dahl. This plan follows group-based guiding reading approach meaning that each /table or group will complete a different activity on each day.
This package includes a detailed plan that lays out the schedule for the whole 6 weeks, alongside this there are follow-up tasks that relate to each weeks activities.
Example Plan:
Book Intro/ recap: (5 mins)
Introduce new text (chn should have listened to ebook Chapters 1 The Three Farmers and 2 Mr Fox prior to session)
Read chapters 1 and 2 to the children.
What were the farmers’ name?
Challenge pwb: Collect all the adjectives and adverbs that describe the farmers.
What kind of an impression do these words make together? Which farmer would you rather work for? Explain your answer.
Strategy Check: (5 mins)
Explain that when reading you will always encounter new words. What can we do if we find a word we don’t understand? Elicit use a dictionary. How will this help us when reading a text?
State LO. Explain that today we will learn to use a dictionary accurately to look up tricky words and find their definitions.
Independent reading: (5 mins)
Chn read extract/ area of focus.
Response to the text: (10 minutes)
Model process thinking aloud using alphabetical order to find a tricky word.
Read the meaning. Discuss. Put into a sentence.
Ask chn to put inot a sentence of their own (using context in book to help them)
In pairs, chn to repeat for another word.
Then independently when reading the text.
Feedback at end. Was it useful? How did it help you to understand the text? Do you like the text so far?
Introduce follow up task.
Year 4 - Guided Reading - The Reluctant Dragon
This two week guided reading plan focuses on The Reluctant Dragon by David Lucas. This plan follows a whole class guided reading approach meaning that all children are required to do the same activity on each day. The activities are differentiated.
The activities include a follow up task, comprehension, language activity and spelling focus.
Example Plan:
Text: The Reluctant Dragon
Day 1:
Children to have the front cover of the text and first page and complete table
What techniques can you see?
Is the Reluctant Dragon going to be a villain or a hero? What tells you this?
Children to read pages 1 - 11 in pairs.
Content Domain:
Identifying, discussing and collecting effective words and phrases which capture the reader’s interest and imagination e.g. metaphors, similes
Making predictions based on information stated and implied
Possible Questions:
pp2-5 What is the difference between “terrible” and “terrified”? Does the shepherd’s wife look frightened? What about his son?
p8 The boy says “Don’t worry.” Do you think his parents are: very worried – a little bit worried – not at all worried?
p11 What kind of questions would you ask a dragon?
Activity:
Make a prediction about what might happen in the story
Day 2:
Follow Up Task
Content Domain:
Identifying main ideas drawn from more than one paragraph and summarising these
Children to read pages 12 - 30 in pairs.
Activity:
Look at pages 12- 30 in pairs. Write down any figurative language. Pick out similes, metaphors adjectives that evoke the scene.
e.g I suppose the Earth sneezed or shook itself.
Day 3:
Spelling Focus: [SHORT ACTIVITY]
See Slides on IWB
Day 4:
Comprehension
Children to read pages 31 - 40 in pairs.
Content Domain:
Analysing and comparing a range of plot structures.
Activity:
Children to complete a range of questions using different skills. True/False, matching different sentence starters and endings, ordering the story.
Day 5:
Free reading – any text
Free writing – writing a new introduction to The Reluctant Dragon.
Challenge: Can they include any of the spelling words we have focused on?