Planning and Activities

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.
There is no spelling and grammar presentation for this unit.
Texts
Maisie’s Dragon by Philippa Danvers (provided below)
Optional texts
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.
There is no spelling and grammar presentation for this unit.
Texts
I Love You, Blue Kangaroo! by Emma Chichester Clark
Maisie’s Dragon by Philippa Danvers (provided below)
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.
There is no spelling and grammar presentation for this unit.
Texts
The Dragon Machine by Helen Ward
Group Readers
Boris and Sid go camping (provided below)
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.
You can purchase printed copies of this Group Reader from Hamilton Education.
There is no spelling and grammar presentation for this unit.
Texts
The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams
There is no spelling and grammar presentation for this unit.
Text
Maisie’s Dragon by Philippa Danvers (provided below)
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.
Access to this resource requires a KS1 licence. Donate £33 to get individual access to your key stage.
Pick a key stage