The Door in the Tree — Narrative Writing — Answers
Answer sheet with model answers and success criteria for the Year 3 narrative writing writing prompt.
Year 3 · English · Narrative Writing
The Door in the Tree — Narrative Writing — Answers
The prompt
On the way home from school, you notice something you have never seen before: a small wooden door in the trunk of the old tree on the corner. It is just big enough for you to crawl through. It is slightly open.
Write a story about what happens next.
A good narrative has:
• An orientation that introduces the character, the setting and the time.
• A complication — a problem or surprise that changes things.
• A resolution that solves the problem and ends the story.
• Describing words to help the reader picture the scene.
• Dialogue with speech marks to show what characters say.
Plan
Answer each question briefly. Your plan should take about five minutes.
Answer: Lily, who is always curious and never walks straight home.
Answer: A tiny round door with a brass handle in a huge old fig tree with roots like snakes.
Answer: A tunnel that leads to a room full of lost things from the whole neighbourhood.
Answer: The door closes behind her and she cannot find the handle in the dark.
Answer: She follows the sound of her dog barking outside and finds a second door. She takes home her lost library book.
Write
Model answer: The Little Door. Lily never walked straight home. That was why she was the only one who saw the door. It was round and wooden, no bigger than a bike wheel, set into the trunk of the old fig tree on the corner of Wattle Street. 'That wasn't there yesterday,' she whispered. The door creaked open another centimetre, as if it had heard her.
Success criteria:
- Orientation introduces the character, setting and time
- A clear complication happens in the middle of the story
- The resolution solves the problem and finishes the story
- At least one line of dialogue with correct speech marks
- Interesting describing words and strong verbs are used
- Paragraphs are used for each part of the story
- Sentences are punctuated correctly and spelling is checked
Marking tips
- Give credit for correct method even when the final answer slips — the working shows where the thinking went right.
- For open-ended tasks, use the success criteria as a checklist rather than looking for one "right" answer.
- Celebrate what went well first, then pick one thing to work on next.
Great work. Here's what to try next: