The Floating Library of Lost Stories

Year 5 · Fantasy

The Floating Library of Lost Stories is a free, NAPLAN-aligned fantasy writing resource for Year 5 students. It includes a story starter, complication, tiered vocabulary and scaffolds mapped to the Australian Curriculum (AC9).

Year 5 AC9E5LE05 AC9E5LA05 AC9E5LA08 AC9E5LA09 AC9E5LA04 AC9E5LY06

Supports the Year 5 achievement standard (creating written texts).

Australian Curriculum content descriptions © ACARA. Writesy is not affiliated with or endorsed by ACARA.

The first time I came across it, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. There, drifting on the water as if it belonged, was a library. Not just any library, but a vast, floating structure, filled with endless shelves of books. A single owl sat atop a pile of books, watching me curiously as I rowed closer in the small boat. The air smelled faintly of parchment and the salt of the sea, but this was no ordinary place. The library was a sanctuary, but it wasn’t just for anyone. You had to be chosen to step aboard.

The complication

  1. As I approached the library, a sudden storm brewed on the horizon, threatening to capsize my small boat and prevent me from reaching the sanctuary.
  2. The owl atop the books suddenly spoke, revealing that I must solve a riddle before being allowed to enter the library, creating a challenge I hadn’t anticipated.
  3. Just as I was about to step aboard, another person appeared out of nowhere, claiming they had been chosen first and demanding to take my place.

Vocabulary support

Tier 1: book, water, owl, boat, air

plus 5 Tier 2 and 5 Tier 3 words with your free account

Sentence starters

  1. Suddenly, dark clouds rolled in as I paddled closer to the floating library.
  2. "What do you mean I have to answer a riddle?" I exclaimed in disbelief.

…and 1 more with your free account.

What's in the full resource

  • Complications
  • Brainstorming Prompts
  • Vocabulary Support
  • Sentence Starters
  • Dialogue Prompts
  • Writing Challenges
  • Sentence Variety
  • Creative Twists
  • Writing Checklist
  • Reflective Questions
  • Collaborative Writing Ideas
  • Printable teacher and student PDFs

NAPLAN writing criteria this resource targets

Audience Text structure Ideas Character and setting Vocabulary Cohesion Paragraphing Sentence structure Punctuation Spelling

See how Writesy aligns to the NAPLAN writing criteria.

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