The Very Cranky Bear: Story Stones is a fun activity designed to accompany a whole class reading of the picture book The Very Cranky Bear by Nick Bland.

This resource contains a range of images that are sized to be used on story stones. Bunnings has some great options of stones that can be used for this purpose. Story stones are a wonderful tool to support students’ oral retells or as part of a small world set up of the story. They promote creativity, language development, and comprehension through hands-on play.

The Very Cranky Bear: Story Stones provides a flexible and engaging way for students to explore the story’s key elements, including the characters, setting, and plot. Whether used independently, in pairs, or small groups, they encourage rich discussion and retelling.

Key Learning Outcomes:

• ✅ Retell key events of a familiar narrative
• ✅ Develop oral storytelling and language skills
• ✅ Build understanding of story structure (characters, setting, plot)
• ✅ Strengthen sequencing and expressive language skills
• ✅ Promote creative engagement with text through play-based learning

What’s Included:

• 8 character stones and 2 prop stones
• 5 background scenes (in colour and black and white)

Materials Needed:

• Printed The Very Cranky Bear: Story Stones images
• Suitable stones (available from hardware stores such as Bunnings)
• Mod Podge or PVA glue (to adhere images to stones)
• Optional: clear sealer or varnish for durability

How to Use:

1. Read The Very Cranky Bear with your class.
2. Print and prepare the images and adhere them to the stones as per your chosen method.
3. Introduce the story stones to students and model how they can be used to support oral retelling.
4. Encourage students to use the stones and background scenes to retell the story independently or in small groups.
5. Provide opportunities for students to use the stones creatively in small world play areas or as part of literacy rotations.

Ideas for Classroom Use:

• 💡 Use during whole-class or small group oral retells of The Very Cranky Bear.
• 💡 Include in a literacy rotation to develop oral language and sequencing skills.
• 💡 Use for assessment evidence of comprehension and storytelling ability.
• 💡 Add to a small world play area to encourage imaginative and language-rich play linked to the story.

Top Teacher Tips:

• 💛 Involve students in the process of creating their story stones for extra engagement.
• 💛 Model expressive retelling using the stones to demonstrate sequencing and language use.
• 💛 Provide background scenes alongside the stones to support students’ storytelling.
• 💛 Store completed stones in a labelled basket or container for easy access during literacy time.

The Very Cranky Bear: Story Stones is a flexible and engaging way to support comprehension, sequencing, and oral storytelling. It’s the perfect companion to your literacy unit on this much-loved text!

Check out more amazing resources related to The Very Cranky Bear in our The Very Cranky Bear PACKAGE.