Charlie Cook's Favourite Book: literacy learning sequence for Key Stage 1

Resource overview

Read and enjoy Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler's book Charlie Cook's Favourite Book with pupils aged 5 to 7 (KS1), and use our literacy learning sequence to delve deeper into the text to promote reading for pleasure through play, drama and puppetry.

We've created this learning sequence in partnership with Little Angel Theatre and Macmillan Children's Books, designed to complement Little Angel Theatre’s workshops for schools based on their musical adaptation of Charlie Cook’s Favourite Book.

However, the resources can also be used independently to deliver book-based and drama activities as part of the Key Stage 1 reading curriculum.

Learning aims

The learning sequence will support teachers to read and explore the text Charlie Cook's Favourite Book written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler. The learning aims of the resources are:

• To foster reading for pleasure though play-based and drama-response activities
• To explore, interpret and respond to a picture book through a variety of teaching approaches including games, drama and puppetry

Learning sequence structure and outcome

The learning sequence zooms in of one of the stories within Charlie Cook's Favourite Book and incorporates Little Angel Theatre's drama and puppetry techniques to support teachers to foster reading for pleasure, oracy and creative writing in their classrooms.

The sequence builds towards pupils creating and telling their own short stories based around alien characters they have imagined themselves, with a puppet-making lesson to bring their characters to life.

The learning sequence includes five 60-minute literacy lessons as well as an art-based puppet-making lesson.

It include an introductory session to the book for schools who have not participated in a Little Angel Theatre workshop.

Each session is divided into a four-part structure:

• Read - reading aloud of the text and whole-class exploration
• Talk - deeper exploration of the text and comprehension development through book talk
• Play - drama-based games to deepen pupils’ understanding of the text, foster reading for pleasure and develop creative writing and storytelling skills
• Innovate - ideas to further develop pupils creativity and storytelling skills

Download the learning sequence for free from this page.