Storytelling: Preparing to Retell a Myth

Aim: Prior Learning: Resources:

Increasing their familiarity with a wide range of New unit. Children should have read the eBook, Lesson Pack
books, including fairy stories, myths and legends, ‘The Story of Osiris’ by Twinkl. White boards
and retelling some of these orally.
Claves (optional)
To prepare to retell a myth. Scissors
Glue sticks

Success Criteria: Key/New Words: Preparation:

I can identify the features of a myth.
I can work with a partner to sequence a myth.
I can use a checklist to help me plan to retell a
myth effectively.
I can evaluate a short storytelling performance
using a checklist.
Features, myth, legend, hero, heroine, mythical,
gods, mortal, immortal, setting, underworld,
afterlife, plot, kamishibai, sequence, perform, oral
storytelling, checklist, evaluate, fronted adverbials,
conjunctions, adverbs, prepositions, time, voice,
eye contact, tone, intonation.
Copy of the Text: The Story of Osiris – per pair
Finding Features of a Myth Activity Sheet –
per pair
Sequence and Retell Activity Sheet – per pair
Differentiated Preparing to Retell a Myth
Activity Sheet – per child
Features of Retelling a Story Marking
Checklist – per child
Adult Guidance: Storytelling Example – as
required
Set of Story Cards – per group

Learning Sequence
The Story of Osiris: Using the Lesson Presentation, ask the children questions about ‘The Story of Osiris’ and then ask
them to take ninety seconds with a partner to list their ideas as to what makes ‘The Story of Osiris’ a myth. Take feedback on
this and share a checklist showing the features of a myth or legend. Ask pairs to complete the Finding Features of a Myth
Activity Sheet, using a Copy of the Text: The Story of Osiris to help with this. Look at example answers together on the
Lesson Presentation. (Collect in the Copies of the Text: The Story of Osiris after this activity to avoid the children reading
aloud from these sheets later on in the lesson.) Can children identify the features of a myth?

Kamishibai Storytelling: Discuss what kamishibai storytelling is, using the Lesson Presentation. Ask pairs to discuss and
jot down the things they think are required for good storytelling and then share a storytelling checklist. Using the Lesson
Presentation, explain what is meant by tone and intonation.
Can children discuss the points on a checklist for what makes good storytelling?

Sequence and Retell: Ask pairs to put the images on the Sequence and Retell Activity Sheet into the correct order and
to then start to retell the story to one another. (The class can be stopped before they have retold the whole story. The main
thing is that the children have an initial attempt at storytelling.) Can children work with a partner to sequence a myth?

Preparing to Retell: Using the Lesson Presentation, explain to the children that they will be working in groups to retell
the story, with each child telling one part of the story. Put the children into groups of seven or eight and give each group a
Set of Story Cards. (It may be easier to allocate images within the group if this will be time-consuming for the children to
do. In order to make sets of eight cards work for classes of different sizes and children with different strengths, support could
be provided by asking some children to work in pairs, while others could be challenged by retelling two sections of the story.)
Ask the children to look carefully at the part of the story they have been given. They should then complete the differentiated
Preparing to Retell a Myth Activity Sheet. (Work on fronted adverbials is included in the next lesson so children can be
asked to leave this section for today.) Can children use a checklist to help them plan to retell a myth effectively?

Children make notes to Children make notes to Children make notes to

help them prepare to retell
their section of the story,
supported by questions
and word banks.
help them prepare to retell
their section of the story,
supported by questions
and one word bank.
help them prepare to retell
their section of the story.
They have fewer questions
provided to support them.
There is one word bank at
the bottom of the sheet to
support them.

Using the Checklist: Explain to the children that they are going to evaluate how well an adult is at storytelling, marking the
features on the example column on their Features of Retelling a Story Marking Checklist. (Children should not fill in the
comments sections at the bottom as these will be filled in during peer evaluating in the next session.) An adult should retell a
story, using the Adult Guidance: Storytelling Example. After children have marked down their evaluations, take feedback
on this. Can children evaluate a short storytelling performance using a checklist?

English | Year 4 | Secrets of Ancient Egypt | Storytelling | Preparing to Retell a Myth | Lesson 1 of 2
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