FOR TEACHERS · KS1 AND KS2
Interactive whiteboard stories: a class story your pupils decide
A class story on the whiteboard is one illustrated story the whole class reads together, stopping at each turning point so the class can decide what happens next, voting on their own devices or with hands up. Below: how it works in Litsee, a 10–20 minute lesson flow, KS1 and KS2 variations and the National Curriculum links.
- Time
- 10 to 20 minutes a session, one chapter at a time
- Who
- KS1 and KS2, ages 5 to 11, with every story pitched at the class’s reading level
- You need
- A whiteboard or projector and Litsee open on your computer. Pupil devices are optional.
- Curriculum
- English: reading comprehension (prediction, inference, discussion) and spoken language
Lesson flow · KS1 · KS2 · Curriculum links
How a class story works on the board
- 1
Pick the story
Choose the class, the subject and topic you are teaching (or type your own), a story world and a reading level. Litsee writes an illustrated story, and you can preview chapter 1 before you read it with the class.
- 2
Put it on the board
Open the story full screen on the whiteboard. Every pupil sees the same pictures and words, and you can read it yourself or turn on listen along so Litsee reads it aloud.
- 3
Read a chapter together
Read the chapter as a class. Short chapters keep the whole class with you, and the pictures give younger readers a way into the words.
- 4
Stop at the choice and vote
The chapter ends at a turning point with a few options for what happens next. Pupils talk it through and vote. With devices, they join with the four-digit code or QR code on the board and vote on their own screen; without them, take a hands-up vote. Either way, you choose the class’s option on the board.
- 5
Watch the story turn
The class’s choice decides the next chapter, so pupils see the consequences of a decision they made together. Quick questions in the story check understanding, and your reports update as the class reads.
A 10–20 minute lesson flow
A session fits the start of an English lesson, a guided reading slot or the end of the day. The full version takes 20 minutes; the short one keeps the vote and drops the extended talk.
| Time | Step | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 0–2 min | Recap | One pupil retells the story so far in a sentence. Remind the class what they chose last time and why. |
| 2–8 min | Read | Read the next chapter on the board. Pause once to point at a picture or a word: what do you notice? |
| 8–12 min | Talk | Partners discuss the options. Each pupil says which they would pick and why, using “I think… because…”. |
| 12–14 min | Vote | Pupils vote on their devices or with hands up. Choose the winning option on the board and read on. |
| 14–18 min | Read on | Read what happens because of the choice. Answer the story’s questions together. |
| 18–20 min | Reflect | Was it a good choice? Pupils write one prediction for the next chapter on mini whiteboards or in reading journals. |
| Time | Step | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 0–1 min | Recap | “Last time, we chose…” in one sentence. |
| 1–6 min | Read | Read the chapter on the board. |
| 6–8 min | Vote | Quick partner talk, then vote. Ask two pupils to give a reason first. |
| 8–10 min | Read on | Read what the choice leads to and stop on a question for tomorrow. |
KS1 variations (Years 1 and 2)
Younger classes need the vote to be physical and the reasons to be short.
- Read the options aloud twice and point to each one. For a hands-up vote, ask pupils to put their hand on their head for one option and on their shoulder for another, so nobody copies a neighbour’s raised hand.
- Give a sentence stem before every vote: “I want them to… because…”. Take two or three reasons before counting.
- Act it out. Before the vote, small groups freeze-frame what each option might look like. The class votes for the one they want to see.
- Keep a picture trail. Print or sketch one picture per chapter and peg them on a washing line with the class’s choice underneath, so pupils can retell the story in order.
- Collect two or three words from each chapter for the working wall, and ask pupils to use one in their reason for voting.
KS2 variations (Years 3 to 6)
Older pupils can be held to the evidence, and the minority view becomes the best part of the lesson.
- Votes need evidence. Before voting, pupils find a clue in the chapter that supports their option: a character’s words, a detail in a picture, something the narrator hints at.
- Hear the minority. After the vote, ask someone who lost to argue their case in thirty seconds. Could the story have been better their way?
- Predict both branches. Pairs write one sentence about what will happen if each option wins, then check after reading on. Who predicted the consequence?
- Pitch before the vote. In Years 5 and 6, give two volunteers one minute each to persuade the class, then vote on devices or with eyes closed and hands up.
- Write the road not taken. After the session, pupils write the chapter that would have happened if the other option had won, keeping the characters and setting consistent.
Tablets or hands up
Pupil devices are optional. With tablets or laptops, pupils join the class story with the four-digit code or QR code shown on the board and vote from their own screen, and they can send their own ideas too. Without devices, the class votes with hands up. Either way, the teacher chooses the option on the board, so you stay in charge of the story.
Hands up works well, with two cautions. Pupils follow confident friends, so ask everyone to close their eyes before hands go up. And a vote is only as good as the talk before it: insist on reasons before you count.
Mini whiteboards are a good middle ground: pupils write A, B or C and hold them up together, which makes the count easy and the reasons visible.
Why decide a story together
Reading one story together on the board means the whole class shares the same text, so the discussion is about the story, not about who has reached which page. Pupils who are still building fluency hear and see language above the level they can read alone, which is exactly what the KS1 programme of study asks for.
The vote is what makes it different from a class reader. A choice point turns prediction from a worksheet question into a real decision with consequences the class will see in a few minutes. Pupils have to listen to each other, give a reason and live with the result, which is the spoken language curriculum in action.
It also gives quieter and reluctant readers a stake in the story. A pupil who would not volunteer an answer will still vote, and will want to know whether their option won.
Curriculum links
Statutory statements from the National Curriculum in England that a class story session covers, quoted word for word.
KS1: reading comprehension
“listening to and discussing a wide range of poems, stories and non-fiction at a level beyond that at which they can read independently”
Year 1, Reading – comprehension (statutory)
“predicting what might happen on the basis of what has been read so far”
Year 1, Reading – comprehension (statutory)
“participate in discussion about what is read to them, taking turns and listening to what others say”
Year 1, Reading – comprehension (statutory)
“predicting what might happen on the basis of what has been read so far”
Year 2, Reading – comprehension (statutory)
KS2: reading comprehension
“drawing inferences such as inferring characters’ feelings, thoughts and motives from their actions, and justifying inferences with evidence”
Years 3 and 4, Reading – comprehension (statutory)
“predicting what might happen from details stated and implied”
Years 3 and 4, Reading – comprehension (statutory)
“participate in discussions about books that are read to them and those they can read for themselves, building on their own and others’ ideas and challenging views courteously”
Years 5 and 6, Reading – comprehension (statutory)
“provide reasoned justifications for their views”
Years 5 and 6, Reading – comprehension (statutory)
Spoken language (Years 1 to 6)
“articulate and justify answers, arguments and opinions”
Years 1 to 6, Spoken language (statutory)
“maintain attention and participate actively in collaborative conversations, staying on topic and initiating and responding to comments”
Years 1 to 6, Spoken language (statutory)
Free resources for the rest of the week
- Seasonal story units
Christmas to Book Day, each with a KS1 and KS2 story brief, talk questions and a lesson sheet.
- Topic word banks
Printable word mats for Romans, Vikings, Space and nine more topics, to use alongside a topic story.
- Story plan templates
A story mountain to plan the chapter the class did not choose.
- Story starters
Openings by year group for independent writing after the class story.
How this page was made
This page was drafted with AI help by Litsee. The description of class stories follows what the Litsee app does today; the lesson flow and the KS1 and KS2 ideas are suggestions written for this page, not rules from the app. The National Curriculum statements are copied word for word from the Department for Education’s English programmes of study. No teacher has reviewed this page yet, so we do not show a reviewer. Spotted something to improve? Email info@litsee.com.
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Read your first class story on the board
Litsee writes an illustrated story for your class that can be read aloud, and your pupils decide what happens next. A 15-minute demo is all it takes to see it on your own board.
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