The note
How schools teach it now
This uses the story mountain taught at school, planned backwards. Children work out what must have happened for the last line to be true, then plan an opening and a problem that lead there, with clues (foreshadowing) along the way.
5-minute kitchen-table activity
Say a last line out loud, such as 'And that was the last time we ever went camping.' Your child asks three 'why' questions (Why the last time? What went wrong? Who was there?) and answers them. Those answers become the plan. Take turns choosing the line.
Worked example
Plan a story that ends: 'She finally understood why Grandad had kept the box hidden.'
- Ask what the box holds and why it was hidden: old letters from Grandad's best friend who moved away.
- Work backwards: she finds the box, tries to open it, Grandad is upset, then he tells her the story.
- Drop a clue early (Grandad goes quiet when the friend's name comes up) so the ending feels earned.
Answer: A plan that starts well before the ending and leads straight to the given line, word for word.
Common mistakes to watch for
- Changing the given line or not using it as the very last sentence.
- Writing a story that doesn't really explain the ending.
- Spending so long on the opening that the build-up to the ending is rushed.
Encouragement
- Try saying
- “Let's work backwards. What must have happened first?”
- Rather than
- “Just write any story and stick the line on the end.”