The Lost Puppy Imaginative Narrative Writing Assessment: Year 1 is a heartwarming and accessible writing task that encourages students to explore the power of storytelling through a lost-and-found adventure. Using a visual prompt, structured planning template and narrative writing sheet, students will create their own imaginative story about a missing puppy and the events that unfold.

This resource supports early narrative writing skills, including sequencing, descriptive language, punctuation, and grammar. With a focus on emotion, action and setting, students will practise expressing ideas in complete sentences while developing their confidence in structuring a beginning, middle and end.

The included assessment rubric, aligned with Year 1 Australian Curriculum outcomes, provides a clear and consistent way to assess student progress. Editable templates make this resource easy to adapt and differentiate for your classroom needs.

Key Learning Outcomes:

• ✅ Plan, draft and edit a narrative using a visual prompt
• ✅ Structure a simple story with a clear beginning, middle and end
• ✅ Use descriptive language to express characters, actions and feelings
• ✅ Apply basic punctuation and spelling conventions
• ✅ Develop personal voice and creativity in writing

What’s Included:

• Visual prompt strip (colour and black-and-white)
• Planning template for sequencing story elements
• Narrative writing template
• Assessment rubric aligned to Year 1 Australian Curriculum outcomes
• Editable versions of all templates for flexible use
• Versions available in our basic fun font and all Australian state fonts

Materials Needed:

• Printed templates
• Pencils, crayons or coloured pens
• Optional: vocabulary word banks or sentence starters for support

How to Use:

• Introduce the visual prompt and discuss possible scenarios involving a lost puppy
• Help students use the planning template to develop a character, setting and plot
• Guide students in writing their story using full sentences and expressive language
• Support students in reviewing their work for punctuation, grammar and spelling
• Use the rubric to assess narrative structure, creativity and writing skills

Ideas for Classroom Use:

• 💡 Use as part of a pet-themed or friendship-focused writing unit
• 💡 Create a classroom display titled “Puppy Tales” showcasing finished stories and artwork
• 💡 Include completed narratives in student portfolios for assessment and reporting

Top Teacher Tips:

• 💛 Model a sample story as a class using shared writing
• 💛 Provide sentence starters or picture word cards for struggling writers
• 💛 Allow time for students to draw illustrations to match their story scenes

The Lost Puppy Imaginative Narrative Writing Assessment: Year 1 is a gentle and inspiring resource that builds foundational writing skills while encouraging empathy, imagination and storytelling joy.