Three Pictures, One Story: A Class 1 Listen, Order and Retell Lesson

In this guide

Three paper birds sit on a table. A breeze changes the scene. Where should the pictures go—and how can a child show that the order makes sense? A short shared story gives Class 1 learners something worth talking about, with pictures to support their explanation.

Give listening a clear, manageable job

The goal is to order three events and explain one connection: something happened before, after or because of something else. This is oral-language work. Children do not need to read the card letters, copy the story or produce a paragraph to succeed. A clear explanation in a familiar language is a useful starting point.

The NCF for the Foundational Stage, page 114 includes storytelling, conversation about pictures and peer talk within language learning. This original lesson uses those approaches alongside the class’s other language work. Picture-supported retelling complements explicit teaching of letters, sounds and decoding; it does not replace that instruction.

Prepare three picture cards

Draw the cards below without adding sequence numbers. Keep Tara’s clothing, the table and the paper-bird shapes consistent across the pictures. The letters help the teacher identify cards; do not make knowing the alphabet a condition of the sequencing task. Simple outlines are enough. Explain that these are folded paper birds, not living birds.

Teacher label	What to draw	Detail that helps the story
A	Tara beside an open box on the table. All three paper birds are inside.	The birds have been gathered together.
B	Three paper birds resting on the table beside an open window.	Nothing has fallen yet.
C	Two paper birds on the table and one just below the edge, falling towards the floor. Show a small breeze line from the window.	Something has disturbed the first arrangement.

Set them out in the deliberately mixed order A, C, B. Use broad outlines and large pieces. A learner using tactile information can work with three sturdy paper-bird shapes and three described scenes: on the table, one moved away, together in a box. An adult can describe each picture consistently without giving its position in the story.

Minutes 0–3: look, name and wonder

Introduce Tara and the paper birds. Check the meaning of “breeze” with a gentle hand movement and “beside” by placing an object next to another. Ask one prediction: “What might happen to light paper near a window?” Accept ideas without trying to find the eventual story answer. Tell the class that their first job is simply to listen.

Minutes 3–8: tell this original story

Tara and the paper birds
Tara made three little birds from paper. She put them on a table beside the window. “I will show them to my friend,” she said. A breeze came through the open window. One paper bird lifted off the table and landed on the floor. Two stayed on the table. Tara picked up the fallen paper bird. She found a box and put all three paper birds inside it. When her friend arrived, Tara opened the box. “Here are my birds,” she said. This time, all three stayed together.

Read naturally, with short pauses at the changes. Keep the cards covered during the first telling if that helps learners attend to the story. Ask, “What happened to one bird?” Then tell it again while showing the three pictures. Do not ask children to memorise every sentence; their task is to keep the important events connected.

Minutes 8–14: arrange, then explain

Pairs take the mixed cards and choose a first picture. Each child gets a turn to move or point to a card. Ask them to finish the whole sequence before you confirm it. Useful prompts are “Which picture shows the birds before the breeze?” and “What had Tara done by the end?” Avoid giving the answer through a leading question such as “B goes first, doesn’t it?”

The expected order for the story heard is B, C, A. B shows the starting arrangement; C shows the breeze moving one paper bird; A shows the birds together after Tara has collected them. The important evidence is in the pictured events, not the alphabetical order of the labels.

Minutes 14–20: retell to a real listener

One partner retells while the other points through the cards. Then swap. Offer “First … Then … At the end …” as optional language, not a required script. A possible retelling is: “First Tara put three paper birds on the table. Then the breeze blew one down. At the end she put all three in a box.”

Now add a reason question: “Why did Tara use a box?” A supported answer is that she wanted the paper birds to stay together after one had blown away. Children might express that through a short phrase, a gesture enclosing the three shapes, or a longer sentence. Help them expand their meaning without erasing the words they first chose.

Minutes 20–25: change the storyteller’s job

Invite a pair to show one card and ask the class what happened immediately before it. Begin with A, the final scene. This checks whether learners can work back through the story rather than repeat a rehearsed chant. A child can point to C and explain that one bird had fallen. Then ask what came before C.

If a child offers another order, ask them to tell that version. A different invented story may be coherent, but it is different from the story the class heard. Acknowledge the creativity, then return to today’s listening question: “Where does the breeze happen in Tara’s story?” Save making a new version for a separate extension.

Minutes 25–30: one small exit check

Give each learner the final card and ask which of the other two pictured scenes comes just before it in the three-card sequence: the three birds on the table, or one bird moving away. Ask them to choose and explain or show the connection. C is the preceding pictured scene; the fuller story also includes Tara picking up the bird and finding the box. If the learner chooses B, revisit the missing breeze scene together rather than marking the whole retelling as wrong.

Observe	What it suggests	Useful next support
Orders the three events	The main sequence is understood.	Ask for one before/after connection.
Names events but swaps the middle and end	Objects are familiar; the change needs another look.	Retell only the breeze-and-box section.
Shows a reason through gesture or home language	The connection may be understood before English phrasing is ready.	Model a short matching sentence and invite, not demand, a retry.

Carry the story into tomorrow’s talk

Repeat the task with a new short story after using the ten-minute read-aloud routine. The Class 2–3 transition guide offers a later view of how classroom observations can support planning. For today, keep one brief note about the sequence and one about the explanation. Then let a child tell the story again to someone who has not heard it yet.

AI assistance was used to finalize this contribution. The views expressed are personal views of the author; official statements are identified through linked official sources.