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E6 E - Write a short story from pictures

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E6 E - Write a short story from pictures

Mini-description: Use pictures to create a short, clear story. Write mainly in the Simple Past, connect events with time words and add useful details. Try English first. Use German help only when you need it.

Look at the picture for ten seconds. What could happen here? Think of one person, one action and one surprise.

Your learning path

Notice → understand → practise → use → feedback → use again

I can ...

describe important details in pictures.
put events into a logical order.
use simple past forms in a short story.
connect ideas with time words such as first, then, suddenly and finally.
write a short coherent story of about 6–8 sentences.
improve my story after feedback.

Before you start: quick check

Try English first.

Say three things you can see in the first picture.
Say one sentence about yesterday.
Name two past forms you already know, for example went or played.
Put these words in a useful order: finally – first – then.

Hint: Think about Who? Where? What happened?

Deutsch-Hilfe: Du brauchst noch keine perfekte Geschichte. Prüfe nur, ob du Bilder beschreiben, eine Reihenfolge erkennen und einfache Vergangenheitsformen verwenden kannst.

Picture story: A day in the park

These photos are story prompts. The people and events in your story are fictional. Do not make claims about real people in the photos.

Picture 1: The place

Notice: Where could the story start? What was the weather like? Who was there?

Useful words: park, path, sunny, quiet, walk, ride, meet

Picture 2: A strange detail

Notice: What is unusual or funny? How could this picture change the story?

Useful words: dog, bike, basket, smile, stop, see, laugh

Picture 3: Something happens

Notice: What happened just before this moment? How did the person feel?

Useful words: ice cream, drop, fall, sad, surprised, help, buy

Picture 4: A new problem

Notice: How can the weather make the story more interesting?

Useful words: rain, umbrella, run, wet, quickly, suddenly

Picture 5: A possible ending

Notice: How could the story end in a positive or surprising way?

Useful words: playground, friends, play, meet, happy, finally

Listen and notice

Watch only the part you need. Listen for simple past forms and pronunciation.

Listening focus:

Which past forms do you hear?
Which regular verbs end with an extra syllable?
Which irregular past form can you remember after the video?

Hint: You do not need to understand every word.

Deutsch-Hilfe: Höre gezielt auf Vergangenheitsformen. Es geht nicht um eine vollständige Übersetzung.

Optional German grammar help

If you still need help, watch a short explanation and return to the story task.

Rule for this course: Use grammar to tell the story. Do not write a tense table unless it helps your own text.

Vocabulary in context

Read the mini-story.

Last Saturday, Maya went to the park. First, she rode her bike along a quiet path. Then she saw a dog in a bike basket and laughed. A few minutes later, her ice cream fell on the ground. Suddenly, it started to rain. Finally, Maya met two friends near the playground, and they went home together.

Notice the jobs of the words:

Last Saturday tells us when the story happened.
First starts the sequence.
Then moves the story on.
A few minutes later adds a time step.
Suddenly introduces a surprise.
Finally signals the ending.

Try English first → Hint → German help → example → solution

Use this help ladder only when you need it.

Task: Write one sentence for Picture 2.

Try English first: Write your own sentence.

Hint: Start with Then, ... and use a past verb.

German help: Beschreibe, was die Figur sah oder tat. Nutze eine einfache Vergangenheitsform.

Example: Then, Leo stopped near the bike.

Possible solution: Then, Leo saw a dog in the basket.

There can be more than one good answer.

Simple past for storytelling

Use the simple past for finished events in your story.

Regular verbs: play → played, start → started, laugh → laughed

Useful irregular verbs: go → went, see → saw, meet → met, run → ran, have → had, come → came

Story rule: Choose forms that help the reader follow the events. You do not need difficult grammar to make a good story.

Pronunciation: regular -ed

Say these verbs aloud: played – laughed – started.

Listen to the endings:

played ends with a /d/ sound.
laughed ends with a /t/ sound.
started has an extra syllable.

Speaking goal: Be easy to understand. A perfect accent is not the goal.

Private practice: You may record yourself only if you want to. Keep recordings private unless you choose to share them.

Reading: find the story line

Read the text again.

Last Saturday, Maya went to the park. First, she rode her bike along a quiet path. Then she saw a dog in a bike basket and laughed. A few minutes later, her ice cream fell on the ground. Suddenly, it started to rain. Finally, Maya met two friends near the playground, and they went home together.

Answer in short English phrases.

Where did Maya go?
What did she see?
What problem happened with the ice cream?
What changed the weather?
Who did she meet at the end?

Hint: Underline one time word in each part of the story.

Speaking: retell the pictures

Work with a partner or speak quietly to yourself.

Round 1: Use one sentence per picture.

Round 2: Retell the story without reading.

Round 3: Change one event. For example, change the dog, the weather or the ending.

Useful starters: First ... / Then ... / A little later ... / Suddenly ... / Finally ...

Feedback sentence: I could follow your story because ...

Short writing output

Write a new story from the five pictures.

Your target: 6–8 connected sentences.

Include:

a clear beginning.
at least four simple past verbs.
at least three time words.
one useful detail about place, weather, feelings or actions.
a clear ending.

Do not copy the model story. Change names and details. All names and personal details should be fictional.

Writing scaffold

Use only the support you need.

Light support: Last ... , ... went ... . First, ... . Then, ... . Suddenly, ... . Finally, ... .

Less support: Where? → first event → next event → problem/surprise → reaction → ending

Challenge: Add one sentence that explains a feeling or reason with because.

Self-feedback

Read your text once for meaning and once for language.

Ask:

Can a reader understand the order?
Are the main events in the simple past?
Do my time words help the reader?
Did I add details that fit the pictures?
Did I write my own sentences?

If you use AI for checking, check the suggestion yourself and rewrite it in your own words. Do not send private data, photos or recordings to an external AI service without permission.

Mediation mini-task

A German-speaking classmate asks: Was muss ich bei der Bildergeschichte machen?

Explain the task in simple German in two or three sentences, but keep the important English terms simple past and time words.

Then switch back to English and give one example sentence.

Use again: change the story

Choose one change:

The story starts in the rain.
The dog causes the problem.
The ice cream does not fall.
The ending happens somewhere else.

Retell or rewrite the story with your change. Keep the sequence clear.

Can-do check

Mark your own result.

I can describe picture details. Yes / almost / not yet

I can use simple past forms. Yes / almost / not yet

I can connect events with time words. Yes / almost / not yet

I can write a short coherent story. Yes / almost / not yet

I can improve my text after feedback. Yes / almost / not yet

If you chose almost or not yet, return to one small section and try again.

Interaktive Aufgaben

Quiz: Teste Dein Wissen

Diesen aiMOOC als Battle spielen

Which sentence is best for a finished event in a picture story? (Then Sam saw a dog.) (!Then Sam sees a dog.) (!Then Sam seeing a dog.) (!Then Sam see a dog.)

Which time word is useful for the beginning of a sequence? (First) (!Finally) (!Because) (!Maybe)

Which word often introduces a surprise? (Suddenly) (!Yesterday) (!Quiet) (!Basket)

What is the simple past of go? (went) (!goed) (!goes) (!going)

What is the simple past of see? (saw) (!seed) (!sees) (!seeing)

Which sentence adds a useful story detail? (It was a cold and rainy afternoon.) (!Cold rain afternoon.) (!Was cold.) (!Rain is.)

Which ending word helps signal the last event? (Finally) (!First) (!Before) (!Next to)

Which sentence is easiest to follow? (First Mia rode to the park. Then she met Ben.) (!Mia park Ben then first.) (!Meet Mia rode Ben park.) (!First then Mia Ben.)

What should you do after receiving feedback? (Check it and improve your own text.) (!Copy every suggestion automatically.) (!Delete your story.) (!Change every sentence even if it works.)

What is the main goal of the task? (Write a short coherent story from pictures.) (!Translate every sentence into German.) (!Use the most difficult grammar possible.) (!Describe only one picture.)

Memory

First	beginning of the sequence
Then	next event
Suddenly	unexpected event
Finally	ending of the sequence
went	past form of go
saw	past form of see

Drag and Drop

Ordne die richtigen Begriffe zu.	Thema
First	start the story
Then	continue with the next event
A little later	show that some time passed
Suddenly	introduce a surprise
Finally	finish the story

Kreuzworträtsel

story	What do you create from the pictures?
first	Which word can begin a sequence?
finally	Which word can introduce the last event?
simplepast	Which tense is central in this course?
detail	What can make a picture story more vivid?
feedback	What helps you improve a first draft?

LearningApps

Lückentext

Offene Aufgaben

Leicht

Picture words: Choose one picture and write five useful English words for it.
Past sentence: Write one clear simple-past sentence for three different pictures.
Story order: Retell the five pictures with First, Then and Finally.
Read aloud: Read your own three-sentence mini-story aloud. A private recording is optional.

Standard

Six-sentence story: Write a coherent six-sentence story from the picture sequence.
Partner retelling: Tell your story to a partner without reading every sentence.
Feedback swap: Exchange texts and give one comment on story order and one on language.
Mediation: Explain the task briefly in German to someone who needs help, then give an English example.

Schwer

Alternative ending: Keep the first four pictures but invent a different ending.
New narrator: Retell the story from the point of view of the dog or another fictional character.
Mini presentation: Present your story with the pictures and speak for about one minute with only short notes.
Picture remix plan: Choose three freely licensed images and design a new story sequence. Check the licence information and do not upload private images.

Lernkontrolle

Story logic: Explain why changing the order of two pictures can change the meaning of the story. Give an example.
Grammar in use: Rewrite a short story in which three main verbs are accidentally in the present. Explain how your changes improve the time frame.
Connecting events: Improve a text that uses then in every sentence by choosing different suitable time words.
Detail and relevance: Add two details to a very short picture story. Explain why each detail helps the reader.
Revision: Compare a first and a revised version of a story and identify two improvements in clarity or language.
New picture set: Create a short story from three new images and explain how you decided on beginning, problem and ending.