Epic Learning | Story structure, pivots & levers, and more!

Join Epic storytellers and creative teachers as they discuss how to draw out curriculum links from this week's Epic Storytime podcast with easy, fun, and engaging activities.

This week, Epic storytellers Chip and Janina (also an Epic mum!) are joined by Helen, an EYFS and KS1 teacher from Milton Keynes, and Jane Bower, an actor, author, and former teacher for both KS1 and KS2. Together they discuss the curriculum links within the tricksie tale of "Anansi's Quest of Quests". Discover how to get your children excited about exploring the mechanics of pivots, the structure of stories, the animals of Africa... and much more!

00:00 | Introductions

01:21 | "Anansi's Quest of Quests" excerpt

02:57 | Story structure (all ages)

08:22 | Curriculum links for ages 4 to 7
• Science – animals (08:37)
• History (11:00)
• Art / Geography – maps and journeys (13:18)
• Literacy – sequencing and story structure (14:55); similes and metaphors (16:40); sounds and phonics (21:18)
• Numeracy – capacity and estimation (22:35), mathematical language (25:56)
• DT – catapults (24:00)

26:24 | Curriculum links for ages 7 to 11
• DT / Science – forces, pivots, and levers (26:25); designing experiments (29:40)
• Literacy – fantasy and reality boundaries (31:53)
• Core skills – "Mantle of the Expert" (34:20); self-criticism (36:00)
• Numeracy – estimation and quantifying (38:07)
• Geography – maps (39:25); cultural heritage (42:00)
• PSHCE – deserving and earning (40:25)

48:20 | All-age curriculum links
• Core skills – play and imagination (50:30); problem solving (53:50)

We'd love to hear how you get on with these ideas! Please leave us a review with your favourite podcast app, find us on social media @EpicTalesST, or email [email protected]

Have a learning outcome you'd like us to cover in a future episode? Email [email protected]

Stained glass illustration: Dave Hingley.

This recording copyright © Epic Tales 2021. Story copyright © Chip Colquhoun 2021. Illustration copyright © Dave Hingley 2021.

Epic Learning has had one mahoosive facelift! Search your podcast player for "Happily Ever Teaching", where you can now hear subject-specific off-the-shelf lesson plans 4 days a week every week! Get there before the Epic Learning Podcast disappears... Search for "Happily Ever Teaching" or visit epictales.co.uk/teachhappily