Seven Steps To Writing Success

Sarah, our Head of Education, asked her Year 3 daughter, Niamh, to have a go at our NSS-inspired writing lesson.

We've shared her whole writing journey:

📊 Her completed Narrative Story Graph
✍️ Her finished narrative
✨ The glow and grow feedback our AI tool gave her
📈 How her writing measured up against the Seven Steps and NAPLAN criteria.

It's a lovely example to show your class what a finished story looks like – and what our AI assessment tool can do for every student.

Download our free lesson pack – including Niamh's example, plus everything you need to run the brainstorming lesson with your class. https://tinyurl.com/free-lesson-pack

Members: See Niamh's example and instructions on how to enter our Narrative Writing Competition before 12 June: https://teacherhub.sevenstepswriting.com/article/105

We're excited to be exhibiting and speaking at EDUtech 2026 on 3–4 June.

Visit Seven Steps at Stand S1 to see our AI-powered writing and assessment solution in action.

And join us for our speaking sessions on the EdTech Innovation Stage:
🎤 Using AI Assessment to Close Writing Gaps
🗓️ Wed 3 June | 2:00 PM
✨ Hear from two NSW Assistant Principals about how combining the Seven Steps proven writing pedagogy with AI-powered assessment can drive measurable improvements in student writing outcomes.

🚀 EduGrowth Innovation Pitch Competition
🗓️ Thu 4 June | 10:00 AM
✨ Watch Seven Steps pitch our new AI assessment tool alongside some of Australia's leading EdTech companies.

🤖 Teaching Problem Solving in an AI World
🗓️ Thu 4 June | 12:00 PM
✨ Explore practical strategies for integrating AI while developing students' critical thinking, creativity and problem-solving skills.

If you're attending EDUtech, stop by Stand S1 and say hello. We look forward to connecting with educators, school leaders and innovation partners from across Australia.

Missed our live lesson last week? Download the lesson pack and run it yourself this week! 🦘

The lesson slides include ideas shared from classrooms across Australia and New Zealand – plus everything else you need to bring Luna Roo the Kangaroo Baller to life with your students.

What's inside the free pack:
📚 Lesson slides with read-aloud and brainstorming activities
🦘 Luna Roo plotted on the Narrative Story Graph – ready to use
📝 Narrative planning templates – print one per student
✨ A real Year 3 student's writing journey, from plan to finished narrative to AI feedback

Think first, write second. 💛

Grab your free lesson pack here: https://tinyurl.com/free-lesson-pack

Our NSS live lesson has reached capacity! 🎉

If you haven't registered yet, you can still sign up and we'll send you the lesson slides and resources so you can run your own lesson.

And… if we have any cancellations, we'll send you the Zoom link to join us live tomorrow! 🙌

Register here: https://tinyurl.com/nss-live-lesson

A Year 5 wrote this 🤩

Alice Surace from St Luke's Grammar School was given a Step 5: Show, Don't Tell writing prompt – The Astonishing Bicycle. A picture of a bike. One instruction: paint a word picture showing what makes it astonishing.

She wrote a poem about the Hiroshima Peace Bicycle.
"𝘈𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘮𝘯 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘸𝘪𝘳𝘭𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘥, 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘵..."

Every line shows. That's Step 5 in action – and proof of what students can do when they're given the right prompt and the time to think.

Your students can do this too.

It starts with our FREE live lesson for National Simultaneous Storytime this Wednesday, 27 May.

We'll read Luna Roo the Kangaroo Baller together, brainstorm ideas as a class and plan a story about a character who rises to a challenge.

Then your students write their own. And that's where our Narrative Writing Competition begins.

🏆 Seven Steps members – bulk-upload your class writing through the AI assessment tool on Teacher Hub and enter your students in the Narrative Writing competition.

📊 Not a member yet? Book a free 1:1 Diagnostic Session. Send us your class writing and we'll walk you through the insights together inside the AI assessment tool – then send you the full PDF report to keep. You'll know exactly what to teach in Term 3 before it starts!

Register your class now: https://tinyurl.com/nss-live-lesson

The secret to a story that doesn't fall apart halfway through? Planning!

Plotting texts on the Narrative Story Graph is a great way to help students visualise story structure.

Here's one from last year's NSS book, The Truck Cat, by a class at Oxley Christian College.

Once students can see how a story is built, they can build their own. That's what we'll do live on Wednesday.

We'll read Luna Roo the Kangaroo Baller, brainstorm fresh story ideas together and plot a brand-new story on the Story Graph. Your students leave with a plan and the confidence to write.

Think first. Write second.

📅 Wednesday 27 May, 12:00 – 1:00 PM AEST

Register your class 👇
https://tinyurl.com/nss-live-lesson

Still thinking about joining NSS this year? There's still time to register your class…

On Wednesday 27 May at 12 PM (AEST), we're running a free live lesson for Years 1–4. Together, we'll read Luna Roo the Kangaroo Baller and turn it into the kind of writing moment students remember.

Here's what we'll do together, live:

✨ Read Luna Roo the Kangaroo Baller aloud – kicking things off with classrooms around Australia.
✨ Brainstorm and share creative ideas – your class brainstorms story ideas, problems, characters and settings.
✨ Plan a brand-new story together – using the Narrative Story Graph to shape ideas into a story structure your students can actually write from.

It's the Seven Steps approach in action: think first, write second. Less staring at a blank page, more ideas flowing and a whole lot more fun in your writing lesson.

👉 Register your class now! https://tinyurl.com/nss-live-lesson

Calling all school leaders! 📣

Seven Steps is hosting a focus group for school leaders at our Cheltenham office on Wednesday, 27 May 6.00pm to 8.00pm.

If you are interested in sharing your insights on AI-powered assessment and shaping future development priorities, we would love you to come along.

Feel free to message us for more details or email [email protected]

Is your class stuck on their first idea? 🤔✨

Teaching students to brainstorm at least 10 ideas before settling on one is a game-changer for narrative writing – and this Action Activity makes it fun and easy!

Give small groups a one-word prompt like 'Fly', 'Time' or 'Shhh!' and challenge them to come up with 10 story ideas. The more they practise, the more creative their ideas become – and you'll be amazed at how quickly they go from stuck to sparking! 🚀

👉 Want to spark bigger ideas in your class? Grab your free writing activities here: https://tinyurl.com/2y4u5r68

A rookie captain. A big match. A whole lot of nerves 🦘⚽

Can Luna Roo silence her doubts and lead FC Outback to victory?

This is the official NSS 2026 pick. And it's packed with the building blocks of a great story. Rising tension. A clear hero. High stakes. The perfect text to teach your students how stories actually work.

But great stories don't start on the page. They start in the planning.

Think first. Write second.

That's why we're not just reading it with your class. We're building a story together.

Join us LIVE for a FREE Seven Steps lesson where we'll:

📖 Read Luna Roo the Kangaroo Baller aloud
💡 Brainstorm and share creative ideas
📝 Plan a brand-new story together on the Seven Steps Narrative Story Graph

Print the templates, log in with your class and we'll do the rest. Your class walks away ready to write. You walk away with a complete writing lesson.

📅 Wednesday 27 May, 12:00 – 1:00 PM (AEST)
👥 Perfect for Years 1–4

Register your class here: https://tinyurl.com/nss-live-lesson