Understanding Story Elements and Key Details
Understanding Story Elements and Key Details Objective: Students will be able to identify and describe story elements such as characters, setting, and plot, and explain how these elements contribute to the overall meaning of the text.
Learning Objectives
- Identify the main characters in a story and describe their traits.
- Describe the setting of the story including time and place.
- Retell the main events of the plot in order.
- Explain how the characters, setting, and plot work together to convey the story’s message.
Materials Needed
- A short story appropriate for 7-year-olds (print or digital)
- Notebook or worksheet for writing responses
- Pencil or pen
- Colored pencils or crayons
Key Vocabulary
- Character
- A person, animal, or being in a story who takes part in the action.
- Setting
- The time and place where the story happens.
- Plot
- The sequence of events that make up a story.
- Details
- Pieces of information that tell more about the story.
Detailed Activities
Read and Understand the Story
- Choose a short story suitable for a 7-year-old and read it aloud together.
- Pause to ask simple questions about the story to ensure understanding, such as ‘Who is in the story?’ and ‘Where does it take place?’.
- Encourage your child to point out parts they find interesting or important.
Identify Story Elements
- Help your child list the main characters and describe what they are like.
- Discuss the setting by asking when and where the story happens.
- Together, outline the main events of the story in the order they happen.
- Use colored pencils or crayons to draw pictures of the characters and setting if desired.
Explain How Elements Fit Together
- Talk about how the characters, setting, and plot work together to make the story interesting.
- Ask questions like ‘How does the setting affect what happens?’ or ‘Why do you think the characters acted that way?’.
- Encourage your child to explain the story in their own words and describe what they learned from it.
Parent & Instructor Notes
- This lesson focuses on building comprehension skills by breaking the story into smaller parts.
- Encourage your child to express their thoughts about the story openly; there are no wrong answers when explaining what they think.
- Use familiar stories your child enjoys to make the activity more engaging and relatable.
Assessment Questions
- Who are the main characters in the story?
- Where and when does the story take place?
- What happened first, next, and last in the story?
- How do the characters and setting help tell the story?
Extension Ideas
- Have your child write a short paragraph or draw a comic strip that shows a new ending for the story.
- Read another story and compare the story elements with the first one.
- Create a simple story map together using pictures and words to organize the story elements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Try reading the story more than once and use pictures to help explain the events. Ask simple, guiding questions and give plenty of encouragement.
Use stories that match your child’s interests and include drawing or acting out parts of the story to keep them engaged.
No, you can read aloud to your child or listen together. The focus is on discussing the story and understanding its parts, not just reading skills.
Teacher’s Guide
Common Misconceptions:
- Children may confuse the setting with the plot or characters.
- Some children might focus only on the action and overlook details about characters or setting.
- Students often retell stories without identifying key details that explain why events happen.
Scaffolding Ideas:
For Struggling Students:
- Use picture books with strong illustrations to support comprehension.
- Break the story down into smaller parts and discuss each separately.
- Provide sentence starters or prompts to help describe characters and setting.
For Advanced Students:
- Encourage your child to compare different characters’ motivations and actions.
- Ask your child to predict what might happen next or write an alternative plot.
- Discuss how the author uses details to create mood or tone in the story.
Pacing Recommendations:
- Spend about 10-15 minutes reading and discussing the story.
- Allow 15 minutes for identifying and describing story elements.
- Use the remaining 15 minutes for explaining how the elements fit together and reviewing learning.
- Adjust timing based on your child’s engagement and attention span.
Standards
- 7.RL.3 — Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details.
Printable Worksheet
Plan Your Own Lesson
Looking for a custom lesson plan? Try our Lesson Planning Generator — create standards-based plans for any topic, instantly!
Common Core Aligned Lesson Plans
Looking for another common core lesson? See all of the lesson plans here.
More Free Lesson Plans
We’re adding more every week! Check back soon or explore all our lesson plans here.
Leave a Reply