Extended stories/Significant authors
(3 weeks)

This is the final unit in a block of four narrative units in Year 2. It builds on children's experience and knowledge from the previous three units. Phases 1 and 2 are designed to run concurrently so that children hear an extended text read aloud while also having the opportunity to write a longer story themselves. This unit can be linked to many other curriculum subjects and themes.

Phase 1

Read an extended story by a significant author as a serial. Summarise the plot and look at links between events. Make predictions at key moments in the story. Track a particular character and notice ways that they change. Analyse pieces of dialogue, re-enact and improvise new dialogue. Evaluate the story and discuss techniques used by the author to sustain the reader's interest.

Phase 2

Children plan and write a sustained story independently. Provide story ideas and support for planning and writing by working with groups during the writing process. Discuss and agree success criteria based on learning in previous units. Provide class teaching on particular aspects of writing: composing compound sentences and using subordination; temporal connectives. Children review their own writing and decide how it should be presented to the class (on paper or on screen).

Phase 3

Groups work together to dramatise a scene from one of the stories they have written. They present it to the class who then evaluate the performance and make constructive comments.

Overview

• (Reading, response, analysis): Begin reading an extended story by a significant children's author as a serial story. Continue throughout the unit and have other longer stories available for children to read independently. At key moments in the story, use improvisation and discussion to explore what could happen next. Children note their own ideas and check and confirm their predictions as you read on. Keep a record of key events and review the structure of the story. Discuss techniques used by the author to sustain the reader's interest.
• (Writing): Children work independently to plan and write their own sustained story with a logical sequence of events. They include elements from reading, for example characterisation, setting, story language, and add detail and dialogue to sustain the reader's interest.
• (Speaking and listening): Groups of children work on a short dramatised presentation of a key moment in one of their stories. They decide on roles and practise to produce a polished performance for the rest of the class.

1998 Framework objectives covered:

Year 2, Term 3: T10 write sustained stories; T12 write simple evaluations of books read and discussed.