Use this atmospheric warning story KS2 resource by Pie Corbett to sharpen children’s literacy skills.

“Now Mitch, don’t go playing up by the pylon,” my mum had warned me often enough. “It’s dangerous. You’ll get yourself electrocuted.” Did I listen? Of course I didn’t.

Warning stories are one of the simplest patterns that children should know about in order to create their own. Basically, the story line hinges around someone warning the main character not to go somewhere or do something and the character disobeying. This leads to a disaster, rescue and in the end the main character learns a lesson.

You can use this story pattern with any genre. For example, you could start a science-fiction adventure with the words, ‘Do not land your spacepod on the sand dunes of Alpha Beta.’

The rest of the story would be about how the main character disobeys the order, lands on the planet, is captured and then escapes from the grip of some terrible aliens…

Warning story KS2 resource contains:

• 1 x PDF guide for teachers, containing the source story and activity ideas
• 1 x PowerPoint file presenting the story as a series of illustrated slides, for use with interactive whiteboards

More resources

Read more about building suspense in writing in KS2 or download our Pie Corbett Ultimate KS2 Fiction Collection.

Pie Corbett is an English educational trainer, writer, author and poet who has written over 200 books. Teachers love him for the way that he promotes creative approaches in the classroom. He is an experienced teacher, headteacher and Ofsted inspector. Follow him on Twitter at @PieCorbett.

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