A Writing Root for The Bear Under the Stairs

Outcomes:

Letters, retellings, own version narratives

Main Outcome:

Information text

Length:

15 sessions, 3 weeks

Overview and Outcomes:

This is a three-week Writing Root in which children will look at the book The Bear Under the Stairs and use it as a model to discuss their fears and how they deal with them.  Children will write letters of advice to the main character and back before writing their own story of a child who is scared of something that might be in the house.  The sequence of learning finishes with children making comparisons between real bears and toy bears and using this as the basis for an information report about bears to give to William to help him feel less scared.

Synopsis of Text:

William is scared of the place under the stairs. He is absolutely sure there's a great big and probably hungry grizzly bear lurking there. He is utterly convinced that the bear will gobble him up if he doesn't feed it, so every day he carefully opens the door, throws in some food and slams it shut quickly - wham, bang, thump!

Find out what happens when a nastly smell pervades the house and Mum and William decide to investigate . . .

Text Rationale:

This gorgeous, lyrical text tells the story of a boy called William who is convinced that a bear is living under the stairs. As the story is told in rhyme and uses alliteration, it is a great way for children to review certain phonemes, particularly different ways to make the /a/ sound. The repetitive language ‘wham, bang, thump’ is also a fun way to encourage children to join in with the reading. It also has strong PSHE links, particularly around overcoming fears and speaking to a trusted adult. Helen Cooper is a significant and prolific author who won the Kate Greenaway award twice for two consecutive books.

Links and themes:

Fear, bravery, bears, phonics, family, speaking to a trusted adult, overcoming fears, the power of imagination, fact and fiction

Date written: September 2014

Updated: October 2023