Languages and literacy
What happens next? eight still-frame prompt cards
For Year 9 English and Media pupils, use one visual still prompt to infer setting and mood, then draft two possible continuations without treating the prompt as a finished story.
One still frame can suggest more than one next moment. Keep both possibilities grounded in what is visible.
Read the complete materialRead the material
For Year 9 English and Media pupils, use one visual still prompt to infer setting and mood, then draft two possible continuations without treating the prompt as a finished story.
Pupil cards and task. Use the preview for diagrams and layout.
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What happens next? eight still-frame prompt cards Pupil cards and task Audience: Year 9 English and Media pupils Use one visual still prompt to infer setting and mood, then draft two possible continuations without treating the prompt as a finished story. Eight still-frame prompt cards For each card, notice what is shown, what you infer and what the frame does not tell you. Choose a card and create two possible next moments. Cut along the dashed borders. Single-sided cards; 4 mm spacing between cards. 1. The footprint trail Original scene sketch for this prompt. Wet footprints cross a stone path and disappear beyond a gate. Ask: Who or what made them? Where might they lead? What cannot you tell? Words: trail, follow, tiptoe, far away. 2. The little door Original scene sketch for this prompt. A small door stands at the end of a corridor; a narrow line of light shows beneath it. Ask: What might be behind it? What could happen when it opens? Which detail creates mood? Words: tiny, knock, creak, roots. Pupil cards and task Page 1 of 3
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What happens next? eight still-frame prompt cards 3. The boat and the map Original scene sketch for this prompt. A folded map lies in a boat as the tide moves away from the shore. Ask: Who might use the boat? Where could the map lead? What detail would you add? Words: row, island, treasure, waves. 4. The big egg Original scene sketch for this prompt. A speckled egg rests in a nest beneath a branch that has fallen across the path. Ask: What might be inside? What could happen next? What is still uncertain? Words: speckled, nest, crack, hatch. 5. The animal cloud Original scene sketch for this prompt. A cloud above a hill resembles an animal; a person points towards it. Ask: What shape can you see? Where might the cloud move? How could another viewer interpret it? Words: fluffy, float, sky, shape. 6. The lost boot Original scene sketch for this prompt. One muddy boot stands beside a puddle; a line of smaller prints ends nearby. Ask: Whose boot might it be? Where could the other be? What evidence supports your guess? Words: puddle, splash, lost, muddy. Pupil cards and task Page 2 of 3
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What happens next? eight still-frame prompt cards 7. The glowing window Original scene sketch for this prompt. One lit window appears in a dark row of houses. The curtain is partly open. Ask: What can the frame show? What can it not show? How does the light affect mood? Words: glow, dark, cosy, moon. 8. The key on the mat Original scene sketch for this prompt. A shiny key lies on a mat beside a closed door. Ask: Who may have dropped it? What might it open? What other detail would help? Words: shiny, lock, unlock, secret. Make two possibilities Card number: ___ Visible detail: ___ My first next moment: ___ My second next moment: ___ Evidence for each: ___ Pupil cards and task Page 3 of 3
A teaching sequence
Use one visual still prompt to infer setting and mood, then draft two possible continuations without treating the prompt as a finished story.
One still frame can suggest more than one next moment. Keep both possibilities grounded in what is visible.
Read the complete materialChoose a frame and separate detail from unknown
Name one visible detail and one question the frame leaves open.
What can you point to, and what does the frame leave open?
Select words for setting or mood
Choose words from the card's vocabulary bank to describe setting or mood.
Which bank word fits a visible feature of the chosen card?
Draft two possible next moments
Draft two different plausible next moments.
Could both continuations follow from this unfinished prompt?
Justify each continuation with a detail
Explain which detail supports each continuation.
Which visible clue supports each possibility without establishing it as fact?
Before you teach
Look for the thinking behind an answer, choose the support your class needs and leave room for an independent response.
What to look for
For the key card, a shiny key on a mat suggests someone may have dropped it, but it does not show who or what it opens. Ask, “Which detail supports your idea, and what remains unknown?”
Give a little support
Offer the prompt aloud, allow sketching before writing, and model the difference between a visible detail and an inference.
Take the idea further
Compare how a close-up crop or a wider frame could change the viewer's inference.
Things to keep in mind
These are prompt-only cards. They supply no completed story, character identity or correct continuation.
Keep the idea. Make it yours.
Bring your topic, learning goal and class context to PLAI™, then review what you create.
Ideas to try with your class
Sample teaching perspectives on what to try, what to adapt and what to watch for.
Meet The Creators
Meet a creator whose teaching interests connect with this template.
Planning List
The Year 9 cards ask pupils to separate what a still frame shows, what they infer and what it cannot tell them, then draft two possible continuations. The footprint trail and narrow light under a door are prompts, not finished stories.
One More Question
The task links visual evidence to setting and mood before creative writing. Asking for two possible next moments makes uncertainty productive and gives pupils a way to avoid treating one interpretation of the image as the only story.
Thoughtful Pause
Choose one numbered card, annotate visible details and likely inferences in separate columns, then plan two continuations. The supplied word list can help begin a draft while leaving the pupil’s narrative direction open.
Quietly Curious
The cards are original scene sketches rather than evidence about a film or existing narrative. Any inference about who made the footprints or what is behind a door remains speculative until the pupil supplies a continuation.