Journey by Aaron Becker – Year 4 Narrative Writing Unit | Complete Literacy Planning | Show, Don’t Tell | Direct Speech | Fantasy Writing

This engaging Year 4 literacy unit is based on the stunning wordless picture book Journey by Aaron Becker and is designed to develop children’s narrative writing skills through rich discussion, inference and creative storytelling. The sequence of lessons guides pupils from an initial cold write through to a final independent narrative, with a strong focus on the Year 4 writing objectives of show, don’t tell, expanded noun phrases, similes, apostrophes for possession and contraction, and accurately punctuated direct speech.

The resource includes detailed lesson planning, learning objectives, differentiated success criteria, grammar-focused activities, discussion opportunities and writing tasks that build progressively towards a final narrative outcome. Using the visual storytelling within Journey, children learn to infer character feelings, analyse story structure, develop descriptive language, write effective dialogue and create engaging fantasy narratives.

Perfect for Year 4 teachers looking for a high-quality narrative writing unit, this resource can be used as a complete sequence of lessons or adapted to suit your own planning. It is ideal for developing creativity, vocabulary, comprehension, spoken language and independent writing skills while providing meaningful opportunities for grammar application in context.

Suitable for: Year 4 English, Narrative Writing, Fantasy Stories, Picture Books, Guided Writing, Independent Writing, Grammar in Context, Direct Speech, Show Don’t Tell, Expanded Noun Phrases and Creative Writing.