Year 1 students were very excited recently when Mrs Chard entered their classroom with two big tubs full of sticks, string, leaves and collected objects from outside!

The wild windy day kept the class inside, where students made the most of the natural materials to create a ‘Story Map’. A Story Map is a physical representation of their story (often a narrative or a recount) and once it is built students then tell their story orally using the map they have built.

This task is a very creative and tactile way of helping young story writers plan and tell a story with a beginning, a middle and an end. Using the natural materials helps students remember their story and tell it in order, as well as engaging the audience with a visual!