# Lesson 20: Using imagination to write stories

✍️ WRITING (40 Lessons) • 🟡 C. Creative Writing

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## Objective

I can use my imagination to plan a story with a who, a where, and what happens, and write short beginning, middle, and ending sentences.

## Materials

- Short, sharpened pencil
- Eraser
- Ruled paper (primary lines preferred)
- Tracing Pad (below)
- Small pictures, toys, or story cards (optional)

## Mini-lesson — Using imagination for stories

Your imagination helps you make stories that are new, fun, or even a little bit magic.

Every story needs:

- A who — the person or animal
- A where — the place
- What happens — the action or event

Story questions to help you imagine:

- Who is in my story?
- Where are they?
- What happens that is interesting?

Use "What if...?" to get ideas:

- What if my cat went to the moon?
- What if my toy came alive?
- What if it rained sweets at school?

Then turn your idea into three sentences:

- Beginning: Tell who and where.
- Middle: Tell what happens.
- Ending: Show how it finishes.

Think: "Can my reader see who, where, and what happens in my story?"

Picture strip: "Imagining a story"

## Guided Practice — Imagination warm-up

Use this routine to warm up your imagination before you write any stories.

1. Close your eyes for a moment: Imagine a person or animal you like (a child, a cat, a robot).
2. Choose a place: Imagine them in an interesting place like a park, a castle, or the moon.
3. Ask "What if...?": What if something funny, surprising, or kind happens there?
4. Trace idea words: On the Tracing Pad, choose words like who, where, first, then, magic, or adventure and trace them neatly.
5. Say your story idea aloud: Tell a grown-up your who, where, and what happens in one or two sentences.
6. Time to write: Write a short beginning, middle, and ending sentence for your story.

You can save your favorite ideas to use again in other writing lessons.

Tracing Pad
Lines
Trace
Pen

## Drag & Drop — Build story ideas

Choose a who, a where, and what happens.

On the device:
Drag one card into each box to build your story idea.

On paper:
Choose two ideas and write a beginning, middle, and ending sentence for each.

Story 1 — A pet in space
Build a story about an animal and a strange place.

Boxes in order: Who? • Where? • What happens?

a cat on the moon finds a magic door under my shoe

Story 2 — A trip to a castle
Build a story about a child visiting a special place.

Boxes in order: Who? • Where? • What happens?

a child at a castle meets a kind dragon on a tiny spoon

Story 3 — A helpful robot
Build a story about a robot doing something kind.

Boxes in order: Who? • Where? • What happens?

a robot in a playground helps a lost child eats the slide

Story 4 — A funny park day
Build a story about an animal finding something surprising.

Boxes in order: Who? • Where? • What happens?

a dog in a park finds a talking ball counts the clouds

Story 5 — A school invention
Build a story about friends making something new.

Boxes in order: Who? • Where? • What happens?

two friends at school build a tiny robot paint one pencil

## Quick Check — Using imagination to write stories

Answer each question about imagination and story ideas. This is a gentle 10-question check.

#### What does your imagination help you do?

Only copy words from a board Make new ideas and pictures in your mind Forget every story you know

#### What three things does every story idea need?

A who, a where, and what happens Only a who and a color Only a long ending

#### In a story, what does the who tell us?

The color of the book The time on the clock The person or animal the story is about

#### What does the where tell us in a story?

What the person is wearing The place where the story happens The last word in the book

#### What does what happens mean?

The action or event in the story A random word in the story The number of pages in the book

#### What are the three main parts of a story?

Start and stop only A very long beginning only Beginning, middle, and ending

#### How can the question "What if...?" help you?

It makes you stop thinking It helps you imagine new and different story ideas It makes you forget the who and where

#### Why should you use describing words in your story?

They help the reader see and feel what happens They make the story impossible to read They are only for math work

#### When you write an imaginative story, what should still stay the same?

No spaces between words No periods at the end Start with a capital letter and end with a period

#### How can you check if your story idea makes sense?

Close the book and never read it Read your three sentences aloud and listen carefully Only read the last word of each sentence

## Assessment (parent/teacher)

Can explain that every story needs a who, where, and what happens Builds simple, sensible story ideas using the drag-and-drop activity Writes short beginning, middle, and ending sentences for at least two stories Uses capitals, spaces, and periods correctly in most sentences

## Exit ticket (student)

😀 I can use my imagination to plan and write short stories. 🙂 I need more practice using my imagination in stories. 😅 Planning stories still feels tricky.

#### Next time I will…

Think carefully about who, where, and what happens Add clear describing words to my story Read my three sentences aloud to check they make sense
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