Lesson Planning

Inspire children to write creative recounts by reading great imaginative texts, including The Velveteen Rabbit. Grammar includes subordinate clauses, present and past progressive verbs.
Start with the core unit to introduce key texts. Then select from comprehension, SPAG and composition units.
Maisie's Dragon
A whimsical fantasy story with repeating patterns. Maisie awakens to find her pet dragon has disappeared. She goes on a hunt to find him and on the way encounters characters with alliterative names, such as the tall teacher, short shopkeeper and bossy builder! Exhausted and seemingly out of luck, she returns home, only to find him curled up on his bed in her room. The final slide shows a story map of Maisie’s hunt, giving children a perfect opportunity to recount the story in their own words.
Essential Text
Maisie’s Dragon by Philippa Danvers (provided)
Optional Text
Dogger by Shirley Hughes
Maisie's Dragon
A whimsical fantasy story with repeating patterns. Maisie awakens to find her pet dragon has disappeared. She goes on a hunt to find him and on the way encounters characters with alliterative names, such as the tall teacher, short shopkeeper and bossy builder! Exhausted and seemingly out of luck, she returns home, only to find him curled up on his bed in her room. The final slide shows a story map of Maisie’s hunt, giving children a perfect opportunity to recount the story in their own words.
Essential Texts
I Love You, Blue Kangaroo! by Emma Chichester Clark
The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams
Maisie’s Dragon by Philippa Danvers (provided)
Boris and Sid go camping
This gives an account, told from a child’s perspective, of a fun camping trip where it rains – and rains! Many children will empathise with the familiar context while reading this simple recount.
Essential Text
The Dragon Machine by Helen Ward
Group Reader
Boris and Sid go camping by Ruth Merttens
There is no spelling and grammar presentation for this unit.
Essential Text
The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams
Maisie's Dragon
A whimsical fantasy story with repeating patterns. Maisie awakens to find her pet dragon has disappeared. She goes on a hunt to find him and on the way encounters characters with alliterative names, such as the tall teacher, short shopkeeper and bossy builder! Exhausted and seemingly out of luck, she returns home, only to find him curled up on his bed in her room. The final slide shows a story map of Maisie’s hunt, giving children a perfect opportunity to recount the story in their own words.
Essential Text
Maisie’s Dragon by Philippa Danvers (provided)
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