The Story Elements

Identify story elements with your middle schoolers. Readers will identify the setting, main characters, plot, exposition, and conflict, but best of all, they'll explain how they know each of these story elements. 

Get your kids to explore a story and its elements with this activity. Designed to be used with any story, it provides an opportunity for learners to look at plot, characters, setting, theme, and point of view. 

Investigate the life of Mahatma Gandhi by researching non-violent lifestyles. Learners define the word ahimsa and discuss the personal characteristics that made Gandhi a peaceful warrior. They also create a poster about the story "The...

A short story is only as strong as its characters, development, and conflicts. Encourage the young authors in your class to plan their stories based on the elements of narrative writing, all provided in brainstorming graphic organizers.

Explore the elements of a story with this two-page graphic organizer. Readers write and draw descriptions of each element, including setting, plot, conflict, rising action, climax, dialogue, and narration.

Apply the elements of a story to create an original story. They select a character, setting, and plot out of a bag, and write an original story tying the three story elements together.

Young thinkers view two narrative art tapestries and study the images included that tell a story about the Roman Emperor Constantine. As they examine the details of the tapestries, pupils use a Venn Diagram to record the similarities and...

Help your class to learn to identify the key elements of a short story using previously read works. They work in small groups to answer questions about point-of-view, conflict, characters, and setting. Then, they use a graphic organizer...

Review story elements with your class. They will use examples from a story to develop critical-thinking questions. Then they use a graphic organizer to describe the setting, character, and plot of the story, focusing on how they...

Do your young authors suffer from writer's block when they try to write short stories? Access their natural creativity with C-Gor, the writing monster! The instructional activity takes aspiring authors through a new writing process...