The silver heron: retell a legend in paragraphs
Children read an original legend, sort its sentences into beginning, middle and end, learn how to punctuate speech, then plan and write a retelling in three paragraphs.
At a glance
- From
- Level 2, Moving Up English: Week 33, Myths and legends
- Grammar
- mixed narrative tenses; direct speech
- Key language
- Long ago... / One night... / The next morning... / "Why have the fish gone?" asked Ila. / She had learned the song from her grandmother.
- Children make
- A retelling of a legend in three paragraphs, with one line of direct speech.
- Class size
- Works with 10 to 50 children; pair and group steps say how to scale.
Objective
Children retell a story in paragraphs, using past tenses and correctly punctuated direct speech.
Success criteria for children
- I can find the beginning, middle and end of a story.
- I can start a new paragraph when the time or place changes.
- I can write what someone says with speech marks.
Timing: 60 minutes
| Minutes | Stage | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 0 to 6 | Warm-up: who knows a legend? | Children share a legend or folk tale they know. |
| 6 to 16 | Read: The silver heron | Read the legend; answer the questions. |
| 16 to 26 | Paragraphs: when to start a new one | New paragraph for a new time, place, person or topic. |
| 26 to 36 | Speech marks | Punctuate what people say. |
| 36 to 42 | Plan your retelling | Task 3: plan three paragraphs. |
| 42 to 56 | Write | Write the retelling in three paragraphs. |
| 56 to 60 | Exit ticket | Punctuate one sentence. |
Materials
- Worksheet, pencils
- Optional: a legend from the children's own culture to compare
- Story: George and the dragon (free, linked from Week 33)
- Story: Why Anansi has thin legs (free, linked from Week 33)
- Mythical creatures flashcards (free, linked from Week 33)
- StoryWeaver storybooks (free, linked from Week 33)
Step by step, with teacher talk
0 to 6 minWarm-up: who knows a legend?
- Ask: "Do you know a story about how something began, or about a magical animal?" Take two or three short answers in any language, then retell the gist in English with the class.
6 to 16 minRead: The silver heron
- Read aloud while children follow. Ask for the problem and the solution.
- Pairs answer the five questions.
16 to 26 minParagraphs: when to start a new one
- Show the text with paragraph marks. Ask: "What changes between paragraph 1 and 2?" (Time: one night; a new character.) "Between 2 and 3?" (The next morning.)
- Write a short list: new time, new place, new person, new topic.
- Do task 1 together for two sentences, then children finish alone.
- Should a new paragraph start in the middle of a sentence? (No: a new line.)
26 to 36 minSpeech marks
- Write: "Why have the fish gone?" asked Ila. Show speech marks around the words spoken, the question mark inside, and asked Ila outside.
- Then write: The heron said, "The lake is sad." Show the comma before the speech.
- Children complete task 2.
- Which words go inside the speech marks? (Only the words someone says.)
- Does the sentence start with a capital letter inside the marks? (Yes.)
36 to 42 minPlan your retelling
- Children plan in note form in the three boxes: where and when, what happens, how it ends.
42 to 56 minWrite
- Children write in their books or on a separate page. Required: three paragraphs, one line of speech, two time words (one night, the next morning, soon).
56 to 60 minExit ticket
- See below.
Differentiation
Support
- Give paragraph starters: "Long ago... / One day... / At the end..."
- Children retell with pictures first, then write one sentence per picture.
Stretch
- Add a past perfect sentence: "She had learned the song from her grandmother."
- Use two lines of speech from two characters.
- Change the ending and explain why it is a better ending.
Reading passage
Written for this lesson in the style of a folk tale. Lake Maro, Ila and the heron are invented.
Long ago, in a village beside Lake Maro, the fish disappeared. The nets came up empty, and the villagers grew hungry.
One night, a girl named Ila saw a silver heron standing on the water. It was shining like the moon. "Why have the fish gone?" asked Ila. "The lake is sad," said the heron. "Nobody sings to it any more."
The next morning, Ila stood on the shore and sang the old fishing song her grandmother had taught her. Soon the whole village joined in. The water began to ripple, and silver fish leapt like sparks. From that day on, the villagers always sang before they fished, and the lake never ran empty again.
Questions
- Where does the story begin?
- What is the problem?
- Who does Ila meet?
- Why is the lake sad, according to the heron?
- How do the villagers solve the problem?
Printable worksheet
Prints on its own A4 page. Use Print the worksheet above, or print the whole plan and the worksheet starts on a new page. One copy per child, or one per pair to save paper.
Paragraphs and speech
1. Write A (beginning), B (middle) or C (end) for each sentence from the legend.
- ( ___ ) The nets came up empty, and the villagers grew hungry.
- ( ___ ) "Why have the fish gone?" asked Ila.
- ( ___ ) Soon the whole village joined in.
- ( ___ ) Long ago, in a village beside Lake Maro, the fish disappeared.
- ( ___ ) One night, a girl named Ila saw a silver heron.
- ( ___ ) From that day on, the villagers always sang before they fished.
- ( ___ ) "The lake is sad," said the heron.
- ( ___ ) The next morning, Ila sang the old fishing song.
2. Add speech marks, capital letters and punctuation.
- the heron said the lake is lonely
- Ila asked will the fish come back
- sing with me shouted Ila
3. Plan your retelling in note form.
Answer key
Reading passage questions
- In a village beside Lake Maro.
- The fish disappeared and the villagers were hungry.
- A silver heron.
- Nobody sings to it any more.
- Ila sings the old fishing song and the whole village joins in.
Worksheet
- 1, in order: A, B, C, A, B, C, B, C.
- 2: The heron said, "The lake is lonely." / Ila asked, "Will the fish come back?" / "Sing with me," shouted Ila. (Accept "Sing with me!" shouted Ila.)
- 3: answers will vary. Check three paragraphs, a clear problem and an ending.
Exit ticket
Punctuate and write on a slip: kofi said we will find the treasure. Then say why you would start a new paragraph in a story.
Homework
Tell the legend to someone at home, in any language, and then write it as three paragraphs. Add one new line of speech.
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Start free with LitlingsMore lesson plans
- Level 2, Week 33: Myths and legends (the curriculum week this plan comes from)
- All reading texts, dialogues, scripts, worksheets and answer keys on this page are original to Litlings and free to copy for classroom use.