Stories about fantasy worlds
(4 weeks or 2 x 2 weeks)

This is the last in a sequence of four narrative units in Year 1. The unit builds on children's prior experience of settings and traditional narrative structures in unit 1 and in unit 3 where they write their own adventure based on a well-known picture book. The unit has three phases using visual stimuli and small-world play to develop the written outcome. It can be linked to many other curriculum areas.

Phase 1

Read, compare and contrast a range of fantasy world settings from different text sources. Identify objects found in the settings that make them different from the world around us. Create fantasy settings using knowledge from shared reading.

Phase 2

Orally compose an adventure narrative. Drama techniques and digital photographs enable children to record their ideas and develop the pattern of conflict and resolution in a narrative.

Phase 3

Model the use of visual plans to support writing. Apply sentence-level skills developed in previous guided sessions. Compose adventures in fantasy settings applying the concept of problem and resolution using interactive whiteboard (IWB) software.

Overview

• Read stories about fantasy worlds, for example imaginary lands, space, animal homes. Visualise settings, talk about what is new or unexpected and predict how characters will look and behave in these settings. Make links with children's experience, for example, what would you do if you found yourself here? Compare and contrast stories with different settings and encourage children to express preferences.
• Identify the main characters and events in a story. Children retell orally with main events in sequence.
• Watch a short performance or film version of a story with a fantasy setting. Ask children to identify the key features and express views about, for example, how they created a sense of excitement. Children write about a significant incident from the story that was performed.
• Read several short stories with similar imaginary settings. Ask groups of children to make predictions about what will happen in that type of story and how characters will behave. They check their predictions by reading further stories.
• Create an imaginary setting and characters with the class. Explore story ideas using discussion and role-play. Record the main events for a class story based on children's suggestions and tell the story orally. Children then write their own version of the story, using or adapting the class ideas. Support children in writing stories with a clear beginning, middle and end. Each part has more than one sentence and events are sequenced logically. The stories could include good and bad characters and examples of story language.

1998 Framework objectives covered:

Year 1, Term 3: T1 and T2 apply reading skills; T3, T5 and T6 retell orally; T4 read whole texts; T8 compare settings; T10 compare themes and preferences; T12 spelling; T13 write about significant incidents; T14 write stories using simple settings.