Ks2 Story-writing Skills And Technique

Story writing is a key skill I spend a lot of time developing with my individual pupils during our tutor sessions and especially so with those children in KS2. Developing writing skills not only boosts confidence and imagination but helps them build worlds with the right language, vocabulary and pace while developing their English Language, communication and self-esteem and of course a way to express their thoughts and ideas freely.

This traffic light system is easy to follow and allows pupils of any age to structure their writing clearly with a beginning, a middle and an end. The suggested prompts support children to move the story forward and to think chronologically. It therefore encourages them to write what happens in the right order which is an area so many pupils get confused with.

One of the most common mistakes children commit when writing their stories is not following through the events of the story logically and so these word prompts for the beginning, middle and end of the story guide them to write down their thoughts in the right order as opposed to the very often jumbled order that ideas come into their heads.

GREEN:

THE BEGINNING OF THE STORY CAN BE STARTED USING THESE PROMPTS (ONE OR A COMBINATION):

FIRST IN THE BEGINNING

ONE TIME FIRST OF ALL

ONCE ONE NIGHT

TO START BEFORE SUNRISE

INITIALLY AT BED TIME

EARLY ONE DAY IN THE AFTERNOON

ONE MORNING IT STARTED WHEN

LATE AT NIGHT IT ALL BEGAN WHEN

IN THE EVENING WITHOUT WARNING

AMBER:

THE MIDDLE OF THE STORY CAN BE INTRODUCED AND DEVELOPED USING THESE PROMPTS:

NEXT LATER

SECOND SOON

THEN AFTERWARDS

AFTER THAT SUDDENLY

UNFORTUNATELY ALL OF A SUDDEN

THEN SHE/HE APPEARED TWO HOURS LATER

A DAY OR TWO LATER AFTER THREE HOURS

AFTER WAITING FOR... IN THE MEANTIME

MEANWHILE EVENTUALLY

RED:

THE END OF THE STORY CAN BE DEVELOPED USING THESE PROMPTS:

FINALLY IN CONCLUSION

AT LAST TO SUM UP

EVENTUALLY AT LONG LAST

IN THE END BY THE END OF THE AFTERNOON

AT THE END OF THE DAY THEY ALL AGREED

THE DAY ENDED WHEN THEY ALL REALISED

Happy story writing and please let me know who you get on using the Green, Amber Red method of Creative Story Writing.