Story Elements
Story Elements
Grade Levels
1st Grade, 2nd Grade
Course, Subject
Related Academic Standards
Vocabulary
Plot-storyline. the plan, scheme, or main story of a literary or dramatic work, as a play, novel, or short story.
Setting- when and where a story takes place.
Character-someone or something represented in a drama, story, etc.
Point of view-the position of the narrator in relation to the story, as indicated by the narrator's outlook from which the events are depicted and by the attitude toward the characters.
Problem of the story- the particular situation the character faces in a story.
genre-of or pertaining to a distinctive literary type.
Objectives
The students will be able to:
- identify and create BASIC story elements using familiar fairy tales.
- utilize technology to effectively create a modified fairy tale.
Lesson Essential Question(s)
How can we use our prior knowledge of familiar story to create a new story?
Why are elements of a story important?
When the basic elements of a story are altered, how does this affect our comprehension of the story?
Why is it important to include characters, setting, plot, etc. in a story?
How do these elements help us interpret the story?
| How do we develop into effective writers? |
| To what extent does the writing process contribute to the quality of writing? |
Duration
80-90 minutes
Materials
Internet access
Copies of the fairy tales: Jack and the Beanstalk, Little Red Riding Hood, and The princess and the Pea.
Paper
Pencil
Computers (stations or a lab)
Printer
Lined Paper to write the fractured fairy tale
or
Copies of the fractured fairy tale template found at https://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/fairytales/
Optional:
interactive whiteboard (IWB)
projector
Construction paper or decorations for the authentic fairy tale
copies of the fractured fairy tale from the website
rubric
Suggested Instructional Strategies
The students will express their understanding and be actively engaged in the learning process by writing an authentic story.
T: Use the activities and strategies listed below to meet the needs of your students during the year.
Routine: Use journals or writing prompts to "Fracture" familiar stories or stories they have encountered throughout the years. This activity will allow creativity while addressing prior knowledge of the elements of a story and past stories read by the students. A fractured fairy tale is a fairy tale that has been altered. The main elements of the story (characters, setting, plot, etc) Change to create a new story. Please see accompanied site on Thinkfinity. They have a short but effective demo video you can watch that gives greater detail.
Intervention: Students who struggle with the writing can develop a story board using pictures. Encourage students to label the elements of a story on the story board. If possible, the students can write a sentence for each storyboard picture.
Extension: For students who master the writing process, you can encourage them to include vocabulary and spelling words used within the curriculum. You may want the students to create pictures that correlate with the story. They can do this on paper or use software program such as TuxPaint at http://www.tuxpaint.org/
O: This unit is designed to develop the understanding of story elements. Students are able to use their creativity to develop story elements using familiar stories. The lesson is developed using prior knowledge of fairy tales. Then the teacher models the procedure for the students in a group activity. Examples are given and displayed on the website to ensure student success. The teacher should facilitate the learning process by asking questions and reaffirming the elements of a story during the writing process.
Instructional Procedures
The students can type the information into the story board on the sight but there is no way to save it. That is why you might be better off printing out the format so they can complete while they work interactively on the computer.
Set up your interactive whiteboard (IWB) and projector. Set up your computers within your classroom or computer lab.
W: "Today we will begin a new lesson a fairy tales. Fairy tales is a genre that involves a story that is make believe. We will look at a few stories that you are familiar with and review the elements of the stories. What are elements of a story? Think back to the common things found in most stories.Can anyone tell us about one element of a story?"
The teacher should probe the children for answers like characters, setting, plot, etc.
"At the end of this lesson, you will use a website to develop your very own fairy tale."
H: As an introductory activity, read one of the fairy tales from the IWB from the site https://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/fairytales/ . If you do not have access to the technology, read one of the books to the students. Discuss the elements of the story with the class. Sample questions:
"What was the setting of the story" Where and when did the story take place?
"Who were the main characters in the story?"
What was the problem in the story"
What was the solution to the problem?"
What happened at the beginning of the story? Middle? End?"
E: Fractured Tales
Now read one of the fractured tales to the class. If you have a whiteboard you may read it from the board. If you do not, you may want to pass out copies of one of the fractured fairy tales from the site. Read it to the class. When you finish reading it, ask the same types of questions you asked above.
Make a Venn Diagram on the board or IWB. Discuss the similarities and differences in the story.
"How were these two stories alike?"
"How are they different?"
"What changed in the story?"
"Now class, we are going to create a fractured fairy tale together as a class. We will use the book we just read. We are going to create it using a program on the Internet. So let's work together to create our very own fractured fairy tale."
As you work through the templates, encourage students to volunteer to the story. Answer the questions throughout the template. As you move through the templates, review the elements of a story. When it is complete, read through your class fairy tale.
Now the students will be ready to work on their fairy tales with their partner. Pass out the templates copied so the students can record the information they put into the computer. Have the students take turns writing the information on the template and typing it into the computer. Each group of partners may need at least 10 minutes on the computer. If you do not have enough computers, you can have students who are waiting for the computer to start the process at their seats. You can rotate the students every 10 minutes. The teacher will facilitate the learning process by walking around and probing students for the elements of their particular story.
The students will need time to write their stories at their seats. "Now that we have experienced the fractured fairy tale using Thinkfinity, we are going to take this information that we entered and develop our stories with our partners. Everyone will use the rubric I gave you to develop the story. Please make sure you include all of the parts identified on the rubric."
The teacher will encourage students to form a rough draft of their writing. "Let's review the elements of a story. " The teacher will repeat questions asked above in the beginning of the lesson to ensure knowledge of the elements. The teacher will also stress the importance of the sequence of the story.
What happens in the beginning, middle, and end? The teacher will facilitate this experience by walking around and making sure the students are achieving success.
R: Group Share
Call the groups back together for discussion. Ask students questions to help them reflect on their experience. Sample questions:
- What are the elements of the story?
- What happened when you changed the elements of a story that you already knew?
- Did the plot change?
- Did the characters change?
- Did the sequence or order of the story changed?
- Why did this happen?
- What did you learn about stories today?
E: You will have opportunities to assess students while they are working in partners and through discussions and questions. Students may need to be pulled into small groups to further clarify understanding, or you can assess student learning at another time.
Use the questions above to reflect on their learning.
The students will express their understanding and be actively engaged in the learning process by writing an authentic story.
T: Use the activities and strategies listed below to meet the needs of your students during the year.
Routine: Use journals or writing prompts to "Fracture" familiar stories or stories they have encountered throughout the years. This activity will allow creativity while addressing prior knowledge of the elements of a story and past stories read by the students.
Intervention: Students who struggle with the writing can develop a story board using pictures. Encourage students to label the elements of a story on the story board. If possible, the students can write a sentence for each storyboard picture.
Extension: For students who master the writing process, you can encourage them to include vocabulary and spelling words used within the curriculum. You may want the students to create pictures that correlate with the story. They can do this on paper or use software program such as TuxPaint at http://www.tuxpaint.org/
O: This unit is designed to develop the understanding of story elements. Students are able to use their creativity to develop story elements using familiar stories. The lesson is developed using prior knowledge of fairy tales. Then the teacher models the procedure for the students in a group activity. Examples are given and displayed on the website to ensure student success. The teacher should facilitate the learning process by asking questions and reaffirming the elements of a story during the writing process.
Formative Assessment
Participation during teacher reading
Participation during creation of the class fractured fairy tale
Individual fractured fairy tale
Use the following rubric to grade the fairy tales:
|
Teacher Name: |
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Student Name: ________________________________________ |
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CATEGORY |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
|
Setting |
2-3 descriptive words are used to tell when and where the story took place. |
1-2 descriptive words are used to tell the audience when and where the story took place. |
The reader can figure out when and where the story took place, but the author didn't supply much detail. |
The reader has trouble figuring out when and where the story took place. |
|
Problem/Conflict |
It is very easy for the reader to understand the problem the main characters face and why it is a problem. |
It is fairly easy for the reader to understand the problem the main characters face and why it is a problem. |
It is fairly easy for the reader to understand the problem the main characters face but it is not clear why it is a problem. |
It is not clear what problem the main characters face. |
|
Characters |
The main characters are named and clearly described in text as well as pictures. Most readers could describe the characters accurately. |
The main characters are named and described. Most readers would have some idea of what the characters looked like. |
The main characters are named. The reader knows very little about the characters. |
It is hard to tell who the main characters are. |
|
Organization |
The story is very well organized. One idea or scene follows another in a logical sequence with clear transitions. |
The story is pretty well organized. One idea or scene may seem out of place. Clear transitions are used. |
The story is a little hard to follow. The transitions are sometimes not clear. |
Ideas and scenes seem to be randomly arranged. |
Related Materials & Resources
How to for the Fractured Fairy Tales:
(requires flash)
Story writing templates
http://www.havefunteaching.com/reading-worksheets/story-elements
literary elements
third grade, saslesson, sastf
writing
fairy tales
plot
problem
solution
creative writing
characters
setting
theme
story writing
sequence
