Teach pupils to write their own fairy tales using this LKS2 text types resource pack for Years 3 and 4. The pack centres on the model text ‘Hansel and Gretel’, a WAGOLL (what a good one looks like) that demonstrates how to structure, present and enrich a traditional story.
Pupils will read and annotate the model, learning key features of fairy tales, then write their own retelling. They can follow the story closely or adapt elements, for example changing what Hansel and Gretel discover in the forest.
What’s included in the pack
Model text – Hansel and Gretel
The WAGOLL includes all the features of a classic fairy tale: it begins with “Once upon a time,” has a good character, an evil character, elements of royalty and magic, and ends happily. Pupils can identify the use of the ‘power of three’, prepositions to show time, place and direction, past tense and inverted commas for speech.
Fairy tale writing sheet
This sheet lists success criteria and highlights text features pupils should include. It gives examples of prepositions and the power of three so pupils can apply these techniques in their own writing.
Fairy tale image cards
A set of cards helps pupils orally retell the story before writing. They can use the images to plan events, sequence actions and support vocabulary recall.
Fairy tale planning sheet
The worksheet guides pupils to structure their stories. They can plan a straight retelling of Hansel and Gretel or create their own version, organising events logically and including key fairy tale features.
Writing paper
The themed PDF sheet allows pupils to present their final work neatly, encouraging pride in their writing.
How to use the resource
You can use this pack in English lessons to develop narrative writing or alongside the wider curriculum to explore story structure. Pupils learn to plan their writing by discussing and analysing the WAGOLL, noting vocabulary, grammar and story structure.
Years 3 and 4 focus on expressing time, place and cause using prepositions, and incorporating key fairy tale features like the power of three. By the end, pupils will produce structured, imaginative fairy tales that reflect the features and style of the model text.