AI Story Generator for Teachers

A real example made with Madlen

Choose the topic and Key Stage, and Madlen writes a storybook illustrated scene by scene.

Year 3 Science

Science • Year 3

Leo and the Mystery of Light

English · 4 scenes · Storybook

Leo and Maya explore how light helps us see and why darkness is the absence of light. They discover how light reflects, why sun safety matters, and how moving an opaque toy changes its shadow.

Main idea. We need light to see, and paying attention to light keeps our eyes safe and helps us understand shadows.

Scene 1 of 4

Leo and Maya stepped into the dark wooden shed. Leo could not see his boots at all. Maya switched on a bright torch. Now they could see, because dark is just the absence of light.

absence
when something is not there
Scene 2 of 4

Maya held up a shiny metal watering can. The beam of light bounced straight off its shiny side. Leo noticed how light reflected onto the shed wall. Smooth, shiny surfaces bounce light very well.

reflected
bounced off a surface
Scene 3 of 4

The children walked out into the warm garden sunshine. The sunlight was very bright, so Maya pulled down her sun hat. Leo put on his dark sunglasses. They knew never to look right at the sun because it can harm your eyes.

sunglasses
glasses with dark lenses that shade eyes from bright sun
Scene 4 of 4

Maya placed a solid wooden toy dragon onto the patio. The dragon was opaque, so it blocked the sun and made a clear shadow. Leo moved the toy closer to their torch indoors. The shadow grew much bigger as the toy came near the light.

opaque
not letting any light pass through
shadow
a dark shape made when light is blocked

Discussion questions

Why do we need light to see things around us?
How can you protect your eyes on a very sunny day?
What happens to a shadow when you move an object closer to a torch?

Comprehension questions

Show answer key

1 Multiple choice
What is darkness?
- A A special kind of black light
- B The absence of light
- C A shadow made by glass
- D Cold air inside a shed
Solution: The story explains that dark is just the absence of light, meaning there is no light present.
2 Multiple choice
How did Leo protect his eyes from the bright sun?
- A By wearing dark sunglasses
- B By closing his eyes completely
- C By holding a watering can
- D By running back inside the shed
Solution: In scene three, Leo puts on dark sunglasses to protect his eyes from the bright sunlight.
3 Multiple choice
What happened to the toy dragon's shadow when it moved closer to the torch?
- A It disappeared completely
- B It changed into bright colours
- C It grew much bigger
- D It shrank and became tiny
Solution: In scene four, the shadow grew much bigger when the toy was brought closer to the light source.
4 Fill in the blank

Darkness happens when there is an ________ of light.

Options: amount, extra, absence, overflow

Answer: absence

Solution: The story states that dark is the absence of light.
5 Fill in the blank

Light bounced off the metal can because it was ________ from the surface.

Options: swallowed, blocked, reflected, melted

Answer: reflected

Solution: The beam of light reflected off the shiny watering can onto the wall.
6 Fill in the blank

A shadow forms when an ________ object blocks light.

Options: clear, opaque, invisible, open

Answer: opaque

Solution: The dragon was opaque, which means it blocked the light to make a shadow.
7 True / false
Humans can see easily in total darkness without any light.
- True
- False
Solution: Leo could not see anything in the dark shed until Maya turned on a torch.
8 True / false
Looking directly at the sun can be dangerous for your eyes.
- True
- False
Solution: The children know that bright sunlight can harm their eyes, so they protect them.
9 True / false
Light can reflect off smooth and shiny surfaces.
- True
- False
Solution: The torch light reflected off the shiny metal watering can onto the shed wall.

What you can do

A picture for every scene

The story is split into the number of scenes you choose, and each scene comes with its own illustration. Pick storybook, watercolour, cartoon or realistic, and redraw any scene you want to change.

A reading lesson, ready to go

Scene vocabulary, the main idea and discussion questions come with the story. You can also add a comprehension check with multiple choice, gap fill and true or false questions.

Narration, and levels for MFL

Add voice narration and listen to the story together as a class. Write it in English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian or Turkish, and set the CEFR level from Pre A1 to C2 for a foreign language.

How it works

1
Choose Key Stage, subject and topic

Start from the curriculum, your own file or a short prompt.
2
Shape the story

Set the number of scenes and the illustration style, and pick the vocabulary, main idea and questions to include.
3
Use it in class

Add narration, show it on the interactive whiteboard or download it as a Word file to print.

Frequently asked questions

How do I make an illustrated story with AI?

In Madlen you choose the Key Stage, subject and topic, then the number of scenes and an illustration style. The AI writes the story, illustrates every scene and adds the vocabulary, main idea and questions you selected. The story is ready in a few minutes.

Which subjects can I use illustrated stories for?

You create each story for a subject and topic, so it works across the curriculum. It suits reading at the right level in MFL, telling a history or science topic as a story, and reading around assemblies and special days.

Can I set the reading level?

Yes. The story is written for the Key Stage you choose. For stories in a foreign language you also pick a CEFR level from Pre A1 to C2.

How do I use the story in a lesson?

Show it on the interactive whiteboard and read it together scene by scene, or download it as a Word document and print it with the questions for pupils to answer.

How do I start using Madlen?

Sign in to Madlen with your Google account to start on the free plan, which opens with 14 days of Pro. The Madlen pricing page shows what the free and paid plans include.