Adult-led
Explore children's routes from home to nursery through On the Way Home (see below). In the story, Claire makes her way home with a grazed knee and tells a different version of events to each of her friends on the way. Did she cut it escaping from a wolf, a giant, a gorilla, a witch?
Key learning intention
To create and record narratives
Resources
On the Way Home by Jill Murphy (Macmillan, 4.99), flip chart/A1 paper and marker pens for shared writing.
Preparation
Read the story and revisit it several times, drawing attention to the locations mentioned in the story.
Adult:child ratio 1:6
Step by step
* Remind the children of the story line.
* Ask them to think about the parts of the story that are always the same (the repetition at the beginning of each scenario) and discuss how this could be adapted to create six different stories.
* Begin each story in the same way, substituting a child's name each time and with the children contributing the differing plot lines. Encourage them to consider familiar locations that could feature in the story and refer to these in the story line. The ideas may well mimic those in the book initially, but with encouragement, they will probably be highly imaginative and possibly more bloodthirsty than the original!
* Act as scribe for the group, but encourage the children to take a share in the writing of the repetitive text at the start of each scenario, with the adult providing most of the words at first. Draw on your knowledge of the children's individual literacy skills to decide whether they should tackle individual letters or words. If the children are encouraged to refer to the words previously written, with each repetition they will become more confident and independent.
* Ask the children to provide illustrations for the stories.
* Later, print the text using a word processor, ideally, with the children present and assisting, and 'publish' in a collection or series of books. Don't forget to add a contents page and 'blurb' on the back cover. Invent a publisher by using a name associated with your setting. You can even provide an ISBN number and barcode!
* Read the stories as part of regular story times.
Stepping stones
* A child with little experience may choose to observe others before participating themselves. They may show awareness of the original text, but may find it hard to develop their own story line. They will probably enjoy being named in the story, and may recognise their name when they see it written into the story. They will probably be able to make marks for writing but may need adult support to produce letters.
* A child with some experience will probably show greater awareness of the original story and the repetitive elements. They will be able to make suggestions to develop the story line and incorporate local features in to it. They will probably be able to write their name in the story and write letters in response to a letter name. They are likely to attempt to read the repetitive elements of the story.
* A child with more experience will show good awareness of the original text and readily make suggestions for developing the story line. They will be able to write their name and contribute increasingly to the scribing of the story. They will make good attempts at reading the finished text.
Extension ideas
* Add photographs, or photocopies of originals, of the individual children in their part of the story.
* Provide small books for children to reproduce their individual stories.
* Enlarge a street map of the local area and mark the location of the various stories, for example, in the park, by the supermarket, next to the school, by the bus stop or canal.
* Play the game 'Go home!', printed on the back of the Nursery Topics poster.
* Ask the children to produce their own street maps with features of the story illustrated alongside.
