Lesson Idea | Story Sticks

Age 4-7.
Use this primary literacy and language activity to explore the schools grounds and collect inspiration for structuring a story. This outdoor lesson idea provides excellent links to geography too by mapping the journey as you go.

Overview

This activity uses a stick to record a journey and tell the story of where you have been and what you found along the way.

Learning Outcomes

- To structure writing with a beginning, middle, and end.
- To use time words and openers in story writing.

Equipment

- Journey sticks with elastic wrapped around them for collecting items
- Sketch map or outline of school grounds
- Pencils and clipboards

Activity

1. Define an area that pupils can explore and move around.
2. Demonstrate how to attach items under the elastic on their sticks (e.g. leaves, flowers, twigs, feathers etc.) starting at one end of the stick.
3. Send pupils on a journey to collect interesting items, reminding them not to pick up live minibeasts or nettles.
4. Once complete, ask pupils to tell each other about their journey in time order, using their stick as inspiration to structure a beginning, middle, and end.
5. Encourage use of time words and descriptive language about their adventure.

For further information, please visit Learning through Landscapes website.