Year 4 Writing: A 5-Part Story

A Guide for Parents

In Year 4, children continue to develop their creative writing skills by planning, drafting, and writing longer pieces of work. One key focus is learning to structure their ideas into a clear 5part story. This skill builds on earlier writing experiences and supports pupils in organising their thoughts, using rich language, and developing characters and settings in more depth.

Key Learning Objectives:

1. Plan and Structure a Story

    Pupils learn that a well written story has five parts:

• Introduction – introducing the characters and setting.
• Build-up – developing the events and leading to a problem.
• Problem – something happens that needs to be solved.
• Resolution – the characters try to fix the problem.
• Ending – the story is wrapped up with a conclusion.

2. Use a Range of Vocabulary and Description

• Children are encouraged to use adjectives, similes, and interesting word choices to bring their writing to life. For example: “The forest was as dark as midnight, and the leaves whispered in the wind.”

3. Develop Characters and Dialogue

• Pupils learn to show how a character feels through their actions and words.
• They also practise punctuating speech correctly.

4. Use Paragraphs and Sentences for Effect

• Writing is organised into paragraphs to show changes in time, place, or events.
•  Sentence openers (such as Suddenly, Later that day, Meanwhile) help the story flow.

5. Edit and Improve Writing

• Children are taught to check their work for punctuation, spelling, and grammar.
• They also learn to add more detail or improve word choices during the editing process.

How You Can Support at Home

• Storytelling at home: Encourage your child to tell you stories out loud. Ask questions like, “What happened next?” or “How did the character feel?” to develop sequencing and detail.
• Read together: Sharing books helps children see how authors build suspense, create characters, and structure stories.
• Story prompts: Give your child fun ideas (e.g., a dragon finds a mobile phone) and challenge them to write a 5part story.
• Editing practice: Encourage your child to reread their work and think of one way to improve it, such as adding an adjective or changing the ending.

By the end of Year 4, pupils will have practised using the 5part structure to create imaginative and well organised stories. This builds confidence in writing, helping them to express ideas clearly and creatively across the curriculum.