This week, we will retell the story of Leaf by Sandra Dieckmann using our own words.  Enjoy watching Bedtime Stories | Joanna Page | Leaf | CBeebies - YouTube to remind yourself of the story.  You can then take turns with your adult to retell each part of the story, speaking in full sentences and passing an object between you to show whose turn it is to talk.  You might start like this:

• Adult: The crow saw a strange, white creature.
• Child: The waves carried the creature to the shore.
• Adult: The wild animals had never seen anything like it before.
• Child: It made a home in the old cave.

Once you are confident telling the story using spoken words, you can write your retelling.  Practise saying your sentence before you write it.  Remember to start with a capital letter and end with a full stop.  You can use the sound and word mats below to help you.  When you have written your sentence, read it back to check it.  Did you remember your finger spaces?  Are any words missing?  We will be very impressed with just a few carefully written sentences.

*If your child is at an early stage in their writing learning journey, please ask them to draw a picture of the start of the story and help them to write simple labels or a short sentence for their picture.*