This Year 1 writing unit from our Real Writing collection is built around an original retelling of The Three Little Pigs by published children’s author Lucy Strange.
The example text is available as a PDF in three versions – plain, illustrated and annotated – and comes with annotated and non-annotated PowerPoint presentations. The unit follows a carefully mapped framework, providing two to three weeks of detailed lesson planning that can be adapted to suit your class.
Three fully resourced lessons address key Year 1 English objectives:
- Vocabulary – adding the suffix -est to words
Pupils will explore how adding -est forms superlative adjectives. They will identify examples in the story and practise using them in their own sentences. - Grammar – joining clauses using ‘and’
Pupils will explore combining simple sentences with the conjunction ‘and’ to form compound sentences, rehearsing orally before writing their own. - Composition – sequencing sentences to form short narratives
Pupils will explore story image cards to sequence events from The Three Little Pigs and retell the tale orally, using simple storytelling language to structure their ideas.
This unit also links to other areas of the curriculum. Pupils can explore materials used to build houses, integrating science knowledge about the properties of different materials, and develop design ideas for their own versions of the pigs’ houses.
Activities and teaching sequence
Begin the unit by displaying our poster of traditional tales and examining materials such as straw, sticks and bricks. Pupils will discuss their properties using descriptive vocabulary.
Next, pupils will read the model text and identify features of a traditional tale, including good versus bad characters, repeated phrases and the rule of three. Using retelling cards, pupils will orally sequence and act out sections of the story, supported by small world play if available.
Pupils will explore vocabulary, including Tier 2 words (adventure, chimney, clever, collapsed, pan, strong, weak) and common exception words (once, a, said, no, to, be, you, of, the, house, come, my, was, his, were, one, they). They will complete vocabulary matching activities and use the words in sentences.
Through the Home and Magical Worlds activity, pupils will compare settings and discuss materials the pigs could use. They will draw story maps and sequence events using cards or images.
Pupils will then plan their own stories, changing the materials the pigs use. They will orally rehearse their stories using story maps before writing, using conjunctions and adjectives to add detail. Pupils will then check their writing, rereading and self-assessing with a writer’s checklist where appropriate.
Resources included
- Model text PDF (plain, illustrated, annotated)
- Annotated and non-annotated PowerPoint slides
- Story image and sequencing cards
- Vocabulary cards (Tier 2 and common exception words)
- Big Bad Wolf Wanted Poster and writing sheets
- Story map templates and Magical World ideas sheets
- Writer’s checklist
Outcomes
By the end of this unit, pupils will be able to:
- Retell The Three Little Pigs orally, sequencing events clearly
- Use suffixes, conjunctions and adjectives in their writing
- Sequence sentences to form short narratives
- Apply their understanding of materials to design and describe houses
- Read aloud their own writing confidently and self-assess against a checklist
Pupils will gain confidence in traditional tale structures and storytelling, while developing English skills that are transferable across the curriculum.